Monday 14th - day 331
Today was mostly spent finding smart clothes then washing, ironing and packing, ready for our trip to Manchester tomorrow to celebrate Hannah’s graduation.
But by tea time we needed to get out and feel the breeze, so we took the road down to
Kinlochard, parked up and took a lovely early evening stroll by Loch Ard. The light and air were so lovely, soft and clear, and so hopefully it will sooth us into a good nights sleep, ready for an early get up, and prompt departure for our journey in the morning!
Tuesday 15th - day 332
The 7am alarm heralded the beginning of a loaded 48 hours, but we were up for it! We had spent most of yesterday getting ready for a prompt departure today, but it was still 10.30 when we left, but we were pleased with that! We had a fairly uneventful journey and were drinking tea with Kathryn by 3.45pm. The worst bit of the journey was wading through 12 sets of traffic lights which all turned to red as we approached down the A56 to get into Hale!
By 6.30 we were we were back in Manchester ready to pick up Hannah from work, and by 7.30 we were sipping cocktails at the Slug and Lettuce while Hannah opened her birthday presents.
After a leisurely drink we wandered down to Wagamamas for our meal, and managed a slow supper there by ordering each course separately!
We did discuss going to see “Mamma Mia” but Hannah had a house to clean, so we dropped her off at her new digs and were back at Kathryn’s by 11.00, and setting the alarm for 6am – oh yes!!
Wednesday 16th - day 333
The problem with setting an early alarm is the bother about sleeping through it, and the consequence of that seems to be a sleepless night, so it cannot be said that we were bright eyed and bushy tailed - but it can be said that we were promptly - outside the student union at 8.15,
much to Hannah’s amazement! Considering the ceremony did not begin until 10.00 I would call that was an act of unconditional love!
We trooped in for Hannah to get her gown, and then went for a recovery coffee. By 9.20 she was assuring us that we needed to be taking our seats, so off we went to sit again in the grand hall and wait the 40 minutes for things to kick off. Good job the company was stimulating!
The name calling was done at some speed and was over in 50 minutes. Fortunately some brave
families early on whooped for their own graduates so we were able to give a loud cheer when Hannah went up, which brought the pink to her cheeks! It became like a wedding then, with countless rounds of photos of different groupings, but by 12.00 (having had to round Tim up several times!) we were heading for the union bar for a bottle of fizz that had managed to stay 
chilled since 7.30 am!
We had a little present opening ceremony and the boys played pool – I believe Tim won, but we are not mentioning it! And after a show round the bars that Hannah works in, we headed off to Piccolino’s for a lovely lunch.
Towards the end of main course Tim really started to flag – no stamina the youth of today! And he took a little persuading that “Mamma Mia” would be worth sitting through, but as he as in the minority he had no choice, so after a long sit we taxied over to the cinema (the high heels were not made for walking, and neither were Chris’s sandals)
What a brilliant way to end a celebration, I think “Mamma Mia” may turn out to be THE feel good film of 2008. It was side splittingly funny, particularly when Piers Brosnan, Colin Firth and Julie Walters all had songs to sing, Meryl Strep was superlative, showing all her versatility and there was so much “joi du vivre” you could not help but sing along!
We were back at Hannah’s by 6.45 for a quick cuppa and a long good bye, before heading back up the motorway for an uneventful journey and bed by 1am!
Thursday 17th - day 334
Needless to say we did not wake early this morning, but had a very leisurely start to the day, the weather was not very inviting making it even harder to leave the warmth and comfort of the
van, but by lunch time – as usual – the sun was beginning to shine and the green and verdant landscape took on the iridescent glow in the crystal clear light that we are enjoying so much, and the call to explore could not be ignored. We decided to visit Crieff and take a walk along Loch Earn. Crieff was well worth the visit, and Chris expressed a desire to return, as we passed an antiques centre that was closed on the way out!
We took the back road that ran the length of the Loch Earn, and as it had plenty of stopping places to choose from we decided to make use of one! We had found the perfect spot for a cuppa, right by the loch, with sweeping views of its length, seen beyond the bobbing of colourful little skiffs, away from everyone except the ducks. With the picnic blanket spread, the teapot full and the sun on our faces this was it, what I had been dreaming of in the years leading up to our 
adventure. Well we sat and stared across the water, lay and stared at the sunlight through the trees, but did we walk……… not on your life, nothing could stir us until an eventual time check and hunger pangs reminded us the we were going to be late home for supper!
Friday 18th - day 335
We are moving on again today, but having spent the night listening to the rain pelt the caravan we are not sure whether we will not be sailing out of the Trossachs. I think that we should have had a magnificent drive through the glens all the way to Oban, but alas very little was visible as
the clouds stayed very low all day, and if it had been raining in Aberfoyle it was pouring in Oban, steadily and continually until we turned in at midnight!!
Saturday 19th - day 336
It continued to rain for most of the night – Chris reckoned the only time it wasn’t raining was when he was asleep – best just agree I think!!! But it was lovely by the time the alarm went off,
blue skies, fluffy white clouds and shadows!
We decided to give the car a rest today after its busy week, and the camp site is set on the edge of a very wide bay, so we packed the rucksacks and binoculars and turned right at the waters edge.
The shoreline swept away ahead of us toward Tralee, but we had to negotiate some interestingly shaped rocky outcrops to avoid leaving the bay, and there was a moment when I wasn’t sure whether Chris wasn’t going to end up in the water, but with some dainty foot work (and a lot of
stick flailing) he made it to the other side with only wet feet!
We reached the end of the bay and had to turn in land, so we found a circular route that looked interesting enough, before we should rejoin the shoreline for the return journey. We followed the map, but nothing felt quite right, and we were ¾ of the way round before we had enough clues to show us that we had been going round the opposite way, so we arrived at the ford at the end of our walk rather than at the start, and now the tide was beginning to come in. We decided there was enough solid ground to walk across the estuary, but of course on closer inspection the channels were deeper; however we did not want to walk back the three sides of the square that we had come round, so we rolled our trousers up and carried on. I think that was the most exciting bit of the walk, and at the other side we were almost back to the beach, where we ate
our sandwiches, and foraged for a few wild raspberries (very yum!) before making the return journey.
We were back by 5pm, in time for a cup of tea before preparing supper for the wrinks who are joining us for a few days after their week at Keswick Convention.
Sunday 20th - day 337
The wrinklies are joining us for the day, so we are spruced up and ready for fun! We start the day with a visit to beautiful Aird’s Bay Hotel, which sits in an equally beautiful setting, overlooking a bay of the same name, where we stop for a coffee in these grand surroundings. Properly fortified we take a stroll round Port Appin, a lovely little village and harbour which had
wonderfully panoramic views across the open lochs to Staulker, a fine Scottish castle set against the far mountain ranges, and After our wander we found a picnic spot where we could continue to soak up the views. We also spotted a very inviting wooden bridge across the marshes which 
just needed exploring so the wrinks dropped us off and set off for the Staulker Castle visitors centre and a cuppa, and Chris and I walked the path down to, and over the bridge, up the other side of the wide bank and joined the road leading back up to the car park and then it was our tea time!
We returned to our respective bases in good time for all the olds to have snoozes before we met Margaret and Alan, and June and David Bleazard at 6pm for supper at a rather interesting fish restaurant.
This little eatery had formally been a set of public conveniences, overlooking the bay at Oban, but had been gutted out and renovated in glass, wood and mirrors. They only served up the fish that had been brought into harbour that day, and hand wrote each menu, which in itself was quite an achievement. They opened at 6pm and held two sittings 6pm and 8pm. Needless to say, we were booked in for the 6pm sitting. The meal was fabulous, the fish was superb, Chris ordered oysters then was gentlemanly enough to share them with me, then he had 2 Dover Sole, and I had hot and cold smoked salmon – smoked by the restaurant! And David and June, who sat either side of me, had scallops (which was my other option) and they looked magnificent, so I think that we may go back!!
We finished the evening with coffee and Scottish strawberries back at June and Davids, then home to recover from our busy day!!!
Today was mostly spent finding smart clothes then washing, ironing and packing, ready for our trip to Manchester tomorrow to celebrate Hannah’s graduation.
But by tea time we needed to get out and feel the breeze, so we took the road down to
Kinlochard, parked up and took a lovely early evening stroll by Loch Ard. The light and air were so lovely, soft and clear, and so hopefully it will sooth us into a good nights sleep, ready for an early get up, and prompt departure for our journey in the morning!Tuesday 15th - day 332
The 7am alarm heralded the beginning of a loaded 48 hours, but we were up for it! We had spent most of yesterday getting ready for a prompt departure today, but it was still 10.30 when we left, but we were pleased with that! We had a fairly uneventful journey and were drinking tea with Kathryn by 3.45pm. The worst bit of the journey was wading through 12 sets of traffic lights which all turned to red as we approached down the A56 to get into Hale!
By 6.30 we were we were back in Manchester ready to pick up Hannah from work, and by 7.30 we were sipping cocktails at the Slug and Lettuce while Hannah opened her birthday presents.
After a leisurely drink we wandered down to Wagamamas for our meal, and managed a slow supper there by ordering each course separately!
We did discuss going to see “Mamma Mia” but Hannah had a house to clean, so we dropped her off at her new digs and were back at Kathryn’s by 11.00, and setting the alarm for 6am – oh yes!!
Wednesday 16th - day 333
The problem with setting an early alarm is the bother about sleeping through it, and the consequence of that seems to be a sleepless night, so it cannot be said that we were bright eyed and bushy tailed - but it can be said that we were promptly - outside the student union at 8.15,
much to Hannah’s amazement! Considering the ceremony did not begin until 10.00 I would call that was an act of unconditional love!We trooped in for Hannah to get her gown, and then went for a recovery coffee. By 9.20 she was assuring us that we needed to be taking our seats, so off we went to sit again in the grand hall and wait the 40 minutes for things to kick off. Good job the company was stimulating!
The name calling was done at some speed and was over in 50 minutes. Fortunately some brave
families early on whooped for their own graduates so we were able to give a loud cheer when Hannah went up, which brought the pink to her cheeks! It became like a wedding then, with countless rounds of photos of different groupings, but by 12.00 (having had to round Tim up several times!) we were heading for the union bar for a bottle of fizz that had managed to stay chilled since 7.30 am!We had a little present opening ceremony and the boys played pool – I believe Tim won, but we are not mentioning it! And after a show round the bars that Hannah works in, we headed off to Piccolino’s for a lovely lunch.
Towards the end of main course Tim really started to flag – no stamina the youth of today! And he took a little persuading that “Mamma Mia” would be worth sitting through, but as he as in the minority he had no choice, so after a long sit we taxied over to the cinema (the high heels were not made for walking, and neither were Chris’s sandals)What a brilliant way to end a celebration, I think “Mamma Mia” may turn out to be THE feel good film of 2008. It was side splittingly funny, particularly when Piers Brosnan, Colin Firth and Julie Walters all had songs to sing, Meryl Strep was superlative, showing all her versatility and there was so much “joi du vivre” you could not help but sing along!
We were back at Hannah’s by 6.45 for a quick cuppa and a long good bye, before heading back up the motorway for an uneventful journey and bed by 1am!
Thursday 17th - day 334
Needless to say we did not wake early this morning, but had a very leisurely start to the day, the weather was not very inviting making it even harder to leave the warmth and comfort of the
van, but by lunch time – as usual – the sun was beginning to shine and the green and verdant landscape took on the iridescent glow in the crystal clear light that we are enjoying so much, and the call to explore could not be ignored. We decided to visit Crieff and take a walk along Loch Earn. Crieff was well worth the visit, and Chris expressed a desire to return, as we passed an antiques centre that was closed on the way out!We took the back road that ran the length of the Loch Earn, and as it had plenty of stopping places to choose from we decided to make use of one! We had found the perfect spot for a cuppa, right by the loch, with sweeping views of its length, seen beyond the bobbing of colourful little skiffs, away from everyone except the ducks. With the picnic blanket spread, the teapot full and the sun on our faces this was it, what I had been dreaming of in the years leading up to our adventure. Well we sat and stared across the water, lay and stared at the sunlight through the trees, but did we walk……… not on your life, nothing could stir us until an eventual time check and hunger pangs reminded us the we were going to be late home for supper!Friday 18th - day 335
We are moving on again today, but having spent the night listening to the rain pelt the caravan we are not sure whether we will not be sailing out of the Trossachs. I think that we should have had a magnificent drive through the glens all the way to Oban, but alas very little was visible as
the clouds stayed very low all day, and if it had been raining in Aberfoyle it was pouring in Oban, steadily and continually until we turned in at midnight!!Saturday 19th - day 336
It continued to rain for most of the night – Chris reckoned the only time it wasn’t raining was when he was asleep – best just agree I think!!! But it was lovely by the time the alarm went off,
blue skies, fluffy white clouds and shadows!We decided to give the car a rest today after its busy week, and the camp site is set on the edge of a very wide bay, so we packed the rucksacks and binoculars and turned right at the waters edge.
The shoreline swept away ahead of us toward Tralee, but we had to negotiate some interestingly shaped rocky outcrops to avoid leaving the bay, and there was a moment when I wasn’t sure whether Chris wasn’t going to end up in the water, but with some dainty foot work (and a lot of
stick flailing) he made it to the other side with only wet feet!We reached the end of the bay and had to turn in land, so we found a circular route that looked interesting enough, before we should rejoin the shoreline for the return journey. We followed the map, but nothing felt quite right, and we were ¾ of the way round before we had enough clues to show us that we had been going round the opposite way, so we arrived at the ford at the end of our walk rather than at the start, and now the tide was beginning to come in. We decided there was enough solid ground to walk across the estuary, but of course on closer inspection the channels were deeper; however we did not want to walk back the three sides of the square that we had come round, so we rolled our trousers up and carried on. I think that was the most exciting bit of the walk, and at the other side we were almost back to the beach, where we ate
our sandwiches, and foraged for a few wild raspberries (very yum!) before making the return journey.We were back by 5pm, in time for a cup of tea before preparing supper for the wrinks who are joining us for a few days after their week at Keswick Convention.
Sunday 20th - day 337
The wrinklies are joining us for the day, so we are spruced up and ready for fun! We start the day with a visit to beautiful Aird’s Bay Hotel, which sits in an equally beautiful setting, overlooking a bay of the same name, where we stop for a coffee in these grand surroundings. Properly fortified we take a stroll round Port Appin, a lovely little village and harbour which had
wonderfully panoramic views across the open lochs to Staulker, a fine Scottish castle set against the far mountain ranges, and After our wander we found a picnic spot where we could continue to soak up the views. We also spotted a very inviting wooden bridge across the marshes which just needed exploring so the wrinks dropped us off and set off for the Staulker Castle visitors centre and a cuppa, and Chris and I walked the path down to, and over the bridge, up the other side of the wide bank and joined the road leading back up to the car park and then it was our tea time!We returned to our respective bases in good time for all the olds to have snoozes before we met Margaret and Alan, and June and David Bleazard at 6pm for supper at a rather interesting fish restaurant.
This little eatery had formally been a set of public conveniences, overlooking the bay at Oban, but had been gutted out and renovated in glass, wood and mirrors. They only served up the fish that had been brought into harbour that day, and hand wrote each menu, which in itself was quite an achievement. They opened at 6pm and held two sittings 6pm and 8pm. Needless to say, we were booked in for the 6pm sitting. The meal was fabulous, the fish was superb, Chris ordered oysters then was gentlemanly enough to share them with me, then he had 2 Dover Sole, and I had hot and cold smoked salmon – smoked by the restaurant! And David and June, who sat either side of me, had scallops (which was my other option) and they looked magnificent, so I think that we may go back!!
We finished the evening with coffee and Scottish strawberries back at June and Davids, then home to recover from our busy day!!!
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