All's quiet...

There's been very little going on this week but, seeing as it's Sunday, I'll post a quick update anyway!

Once again I managed a full week of commuting to work on the bike this week and on Friday evening the ride home took my mileage since June 13 to over 400 miles. At the end of Bike Week 2008 (June 21) I posted a Blog here saying that I'd like to have covered 500 miles, or more, by the end of the year. I'm now changing that to 1,000 miles!

Yesterday evening Lynda and I spent the whole of the late afternoon and evening sat out in the garden reading, having a drink or two and keeping an eye out for any wildlife that may pass by. Lynda also went "walkabout" with her camera for a short while too!

By the time we finally came inside, which was well after dark, we had seen a couple of mice feeding at the bird table, numerous Lesser Black-backed Gulls going to roost, a couple of Blackbirds, a few House Sparrows that came for their supper and also a Collard Dove that came to see what we were doing.

Later in the evening a fox put in a couple of brief appearances and a bat was flying around over the gardens. The garden lights attracted quite a lot of months but I know nothing about identifying months so I didn't even try! I think that one was possibly a Hummingbird Hawk-moth though. Lynda concentrated on looking for stars and had a lot more success in identifying those.

All things musical...

Evening!

Just a very quick blog to give a “shout out” to a couple of things musical!

The first is to introduce you to a new band that have just started to record their first music and go public with it. Their name is Eden’s Hill and you can find them at....

http://www.myspace.com/edenshillband

Anyone that is familiar with the bands I follow will recognise one name in the Eden’s Hill line-up, the one and only Lizzie Prendergast!

As I say, it’s early days yet but if the first four tracks are anything to go by Eden’s Hill are going to be BIG!

If you do nothing else, check out the version of “Black Is The Colour” that is on the MySpace site - it’s just awesome!

If you have a MySpace page, please add the band as friends and leave them a message.

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Now onto my second “shout out” - not a new band this time, just a new track. The band is Neverland and the track is “Town With No Name”. Below is a video clip taken at "The Brewery Tap" acoustic gig that Adrian & Mick, from Neverland, did a couple of weeks ago.

You’ll have to forgive the quality of the filming as it was taken on my stills camera, and I’d also had a few beers by the time they played this song!

Again, Neverland have a MySpace page so drop by and take a look. They have some great music tracks on there too, including the superb “Stars And The Blues” - one of my all time favourite pieces of music!

http://www.myspace.com/neverlanduk

Adrian Dent & Mick Doyle - Neverland acoustic.

All's well that ends in Neverland!

It’s been a “fun packed” few days, one way or another! I’ve had to sit in on a disciplinary hearing at work (not mine, a work mate’s!) and I’ve had to go through the stress of one of the filter pumps breaking down again in the fish tank at work. This last happened back in February and almost cost us a lot of fish!

On the plus side, my mate gave me a rather nice bottle of malt whisky, as a thank you for my support, I was also able to get a new pump for the fish tank a lot quicker than in February and, due to the warmer weather, the fish didn’t suffer at all this time.

Yesterday things started to settle down again and I was able to get out birding for a few hours. Once again I took myself off to Willington Gravel Pits - Derbyshire’s premier birding site? I had been hoping to add both Wood Sandpiper and Ruff to my “10-Mile List”, as both species had been reported over the past 24 hours or so. As it happened, I didn’t locate either bird and had to make do with adding Water Rail to my list as a “heard only” tick.

The 4½ hours spent at Willington resulted in a total of 59 species being located with the most notable birds being Pochard, Common Buzzard, Greenshank, both Green and Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Kingfisher and Yellow Wagtail. A count of 300 Black-headed Gull was my 3rd highest ever for the site. The warmer weather also bought out a few butterflies with Red Admiral, Peacock, Large and Small White, Speckled Wood and Gate Keeper being seen.

The addition of Water Rail brings my “10-Mile List” to 133.

Last night I went into the centre of Derby for the “One Big Place” event in the Market Place. There had been live music and entertainment going on all day to mark the end of the Olympic Games and the handing over of the Olympic flag to Great Britain, but I was there to see NEVERLAND play a half hour gig starting at 7:30PM.

Neverland take the stage.

As usual, Neverland played a superb non-stop rocking set! I lost count of just how many tracks they played in their allotted time but I’m sure it will have been more than any other band/artist that played yesterday! This band ALWAYS give 100%. Highlight for me had to be the band playing “Stars and the Blues”. If every band had to have one track that they were known for then this would have to be the Neverland signature tune - it’s a classic!

Adrian Dent - Neverland.

Justin Monkton - Neverland.

Mick Doyle - Neverland.

More Neverland photos - HERE!

After the Neverland set I hung around for some of Gabriella Cilmi’s show - well, she was headlining it all and is the latest “pop star” to hit the charts. My thoughts... good at what she does, none too bad to look at, but not my cup of tea music wise. The crowd seemed to enjoy what they saw but many of them looked to be less than half my age and I reckon that the “hype” had just a little to do with their reaction! Or am I just getting old?

At 9:00PM I headed off to The Brewery Tap pub for a drink or two and to meet up with some of the Neverland crew. Once again the Double Mash was my drink of choice, this time with whiskey chasers! Ah what the heck... it’s a Bank holiday weekend and I have all day today to recover!

You Little Egret...

The weather forecast for this morning wasn’t too good, heavy showers by mid-morning, but I decided to go out birding anyway. The plan was to be at Willington Gravel Pits by 6:00AM, have a couple of hours birding the main reserve and then check the Canal Scrape before heading home when the rain arrived. As it happened, I didn’t get to Willington until just before 7:00AM (blame the whisky last night) and I came home at 11:15AM without seeing any rain!

The walk to the end of the lane was very quiet; long gone are the spring mornings when the sound of bird song filled the air. The only warbler that was, half-heartedly, singing was a single Chiffchaff. Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were the only other birds of note, none of which felt the urge to sing under the grey, overcast sky. A handful of Sand Martins were hunting for insects over the treetops, but I doubt they were finding too much food first thing this morning.

Out on the water things were a little more interesting - a Little Egret was fishing a short distance from platform 3! Like the Marsh Harrier I finally added to my Derbyshire list last September, Little Egret has been a bird I’ve wanted to see in the county for a long, long time. Even before I could get my ‘scope focused on the bird for a closer look it was up and gone. Years of waiting and I get less than two minutes of the Little Egret! Still, it was a county tick and also another new species for my “10-Mile List” so I couldn’t complain.

The next hour was spent waiting/hoping for something “good” to turn up - it never did. In the end I took to counting the birds that were lazing around on the two main pools. Counts of note were... 23 Great Crested Grebe, 15 Cormorant, 95 Canada Goose, 140 Mallard, c600 Lapwing, 65 Black-headed Gull and 6 Common Tern. There was a brief lifting of spirits at just after 8:00AM when a Buzzard flew low over Gull Pit, spooking many of the other birds in the process. All too quickly the moment, and the Buzzard, passed. The birds all settled again, I continued to wait.

By 8:45AM the (lack of) excitement got the better of me and I set off for Canal Scrape and the chance of a few different birds. The walk back up the lane gave me good views of Song Thrush, two Green Woodpeckers and a Stock Dove. A brief stop at the first platform rewarded me with close views of two Kingfishers that were flying around, and also perching, close to where I saw one back in June.

Canal Scrape proved to be a little quiet too but I did add a few more birds to my day list. The notable species were Common Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper and Lesser Black-backed Gull. A Hobby spent a short time trying to catch one of the hundreds of Swallows that were flying around, but it soon gave up and moved on when it realised that it wasn’t having any success.

Whilst adding Little Grebe, Shelduck, Pochard and Tufted Duck to my list I suddenly became aware of three big white “blobs” flying towards me - it turned out to be three Little Egrets! I guess that the egret I had seen earlier in the morning had been to fetch his mates. The birds didn’t land and the last I saw of them they were heading off north. Interestingly, Birdguides reported three Little Egrets flying over Wyver Lane, Belper less than an hour later. The same birds maybe?

The addition of Little Egret brings my “10-Mile List” to 132 species.

Young Swallows - waiting for the next flight to Africa!

Two new pubs...

Last night Lynda and I went to the official opening of a new pub/restaurant, The Carnarvon in Teversal, Nottinghamshire. In keeping with the rest of the pubs that are run by the owner, it’s a great place. The Carnarvon has been totally stripped out, re-fitted and given a whole new lease of life. No doubt the restaurant will become very popular, as have the other four venues that are run by Mike Staniforth and his team.

The Carnarvon.

As I was the designated driver for the evening I stuck to the soft drinks all night, Lynda enjoyed the non-stop free wine that was on offer! The magician that was walking around doing card tricks at the tables all night met with Lynda’s approval - she is still asking how he managed to change the playing card that she had in her hand! The flower made from balloons, by a stilt walker, proved a hit with Lynda too!

The only minor problem I have with the pub is it’s location, it’s around 30 miles from home. On the plus side, it’s not too far from the M1/A38 so we can be there in a little over half an hour. I’m sure we’ll be trying the food there soon!

Today, I ticked off another year in my life - I’m 21! I am! Honest! For the first time in years I didn’t have to work on my birthday, I had decided to book the day off work last Monday. Lynda already had the day off so it meant that we could have a nice long weekend.

After an extra couple of hours in bed we got up, had a light breakfast and watched the Olympic cycling on TV - I don’t think I’ll be trying for a place at the 2012 games! By late morning our thoughts turned to food, as they often do, and I set about finding somewhere new for us to try. I came up with The Waterfront, at Barton Marina near Burton upon Trent.

The Waterfront.

The Waterfront turned out to be a little gem! Actually, quite a large gem - it’s a big pub. The building/setting is great and the food even better. My choice of calve’s liver, with bacon, on a bed of mashed potato and spinach was delicious and the Summer Pudding with clotted cream I had afterwards was equally good. Lynda tells me that her Caesar Salad, followed by Vanilla and Raisin Cheesecake was also very good, even if I did have to eat the Anchovies that topped her salad! I’d never bothered with Anchovies before, I’m NOT a big fish eater, but in small amounts I found them to be okay.

After a very enjoyable meal, a pint of beer and then a Glayva liqueur to top things off, I decided it was time for us to have a look around the rest of the marina complex before I became too settled and ordered more drinks!

Views from the walkway.

The rest of the afternoon/evening has been spent back at home just enjoying the time off work. Now, we have a bottle of wine open and, no doubt, the bottle of whisky that Lynda bought me for my birthday at the Glengoyne distillery whilst we were up in Scotland will be opened soon!

Tomorrow I may, or may not, go out birding in the morning. That one depends on how my head survives this evening.

Feeling a little flat...

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later and tonight it happened - I got a puncture on my mountain bike on the way home from work! I suppose I’ve not done too badly really, I've been cycling to work for just over two years and this is the first time that I’ve had to walk. Running the bike on “Slime Tubes” has helped prevent more than the odd walk to or from work but even they couldn’t cope fully with tonight’s 2-inch nail in the rear tyre.

The tyre punctured around 2½ miles into the 5½ mile ride and as soon as I heard the air starting to escape from the tube I stopped, pulled out the nail, spun the wheel to circulate the sealant and was pleased to hear the “hiss” of escaping air stop. “Great” I thought, “the Slime has worked yet again”. Another mile down the road and the tyre started to feel soft. I stopped, pumped up the tyre again, spun the sealant around once more and carried on. Just a few hundred yards more and the tyre was “hissing” worse than ever - I was beat, the tyre was flat! After a walk of around 1½ miles I arrived home.

Now, the tyre is fixed and the bike is all ready for the rest of the week’s commuting. The only problem now is the weather forecast... rain, rain and more rain. Maybe I should have left the tyre as it was!

I'm back...

Well, I’m back - I may not make too much sense, but at least I’m here! If this is all just a little random then blame it on the beer! Today has been one of those great Sundays that just happen along every now and again.

The day started somewhat later than a normal Sunday, I rolled out of bed at just before 10:00AM. After checking my e-mails and one or two web sites Lynda and I headed off into Derby for lunch. We chose to give the Chinese buffet a go at the May Sum Restaurant; I can highly recommend it! So far as eating out goes it was cheap - £6.90 each for as much as you can eat - the choice of dishes was very good, the food was excellent, the service first class and the atmosphere was good too. At the price, you can’t ask for any more. We enjoyed it and we’ll definitely be going back.

After eating (more than) our fill at May Sum it was time for a little window shopping around Derby - just to pass the time before heading to the pub! The reason for being in town on a Sunday afternoon? Adrian Dent and Mick Doyle, of Neverland fame, were playing an acoustic gig at The Brewery Tap, a recently renovated and re-opened pub overlooking the River Derwent. It’s the first time I’ve been in the pub but it won’t be the last. It’s a great little place!

As for the gig, it was one of the best I’ve been to for a while. Hearing Adrian and Mick cover so many of the Neverland tracks just as an acoustic duo was great; the weather was on it’s best behaviour which meant that they could play outside in the “courtyard” area; the crowd packed the place and made for a great atmosphere and the beer was pretty good too! In fact, the beer was very good! I can recommend a pint or two of “Double Mash” produced by the pub's owners, Derby Brewery Company. Lynda and I had a minor debate about just how many pints I had but hey, who’s counting!

As for the music, we were treated to almost 2½ hours of Neverland tracks, a couple of cover tracks and also five new tracks that will be getting an airing at future Neverland gigs. I tried making a list of everything that was played but somehow got one or two tracks wrong/down twice - I blame the beer! The tracks that I know for certain were played include....

Elephants Can Dance
Doom Garden Jelly Fish Blues
Roses
The Talking Tree
The Ship
Town With No Name - (a new track)
Kebab No More
Cartoon Planet - (a new track)
Thirteen - (a new track)
Hey Joe - (a cover track)
Seagulls - (a new track)
Blood
Goblin
Rain Like Stars And The Blues
Never Learned To Speak
Summer Time - (a cover track)
Up The Wall
Shake This Way - (a new track)
The Heartman
Hello (Tomorrow Is Here)
Gingerman - (I think that was what it was called!)
Stoned As A Wall

I also gave Lynda’s new camera a test run for the first time - the results aren’t my best ever photos but I put that down to me having never used it before - and the beer! The camera also does video clips too - again, I’m sure it works better without the “Double Mash” ale!

Adrian Dent.

Mick Doyle.

Andy (Boz) Borys.

Scotland, the final days...

It’s all a little in the past now but here’s the final Scotland update.

Saturday was another “car free day” and we spent the whole day in Balloch - to be more precise, we spent the day following Clanadonia around Balloch! The band played three sets, at three different venues, and we were at each of them.

The day started at the Lomond Park Hotel and once again Clanadonia pulled in a great crowd. The front of the hotel was packed, the pavement blocked by people and, at times, even the road was blocked with people! Tu-Bardh was the true showman, as ever, and had the crowd screaming for more by the end of the set. This band may not be known by many south of the border but on their home turf they are true stars - just ask any member of the Tartan Army!

After the Lomond Park Lynda and I walked to the far end of the village and The Stables Restaurant for another outdoor performance. It was now getting on a little so food was high on the list of wants - two bacon rolls (very nice bacon rolls) killed off our hunger pangs for a while. The pint of lager was rather good too. When we arrived at The Stables there were only another three or four people sat around waiting for the band. Would this venue prove to be just a little off the beaten track for the tourist and folk festival visitors? Not a chance! By the time the band arrived the restaurant owners had had to fetch just about every chair in the place outside for the crowd. Many, many more people chose to stand, me included.

The show was another success with even more humour and interaction with the crowd than at the previous two sets at the Lomond Park. As the band had chosen to play right in the middle of the car park - plenty of space to move around - it meant that they were very close to the road, and a bus stop! As luck would have it a bus pulled up at the stop whilst the band were playing. Right on cue, all the band turned around, faced the bus as the doors opened and met the passengers that were getting off with a full blast of tribal drumming! The crowd outside the restaurant loved it; the people getting off the bus were left wondering just what had hit them! After The Stables, Clanadonia took a bit of a breather before playing the final set of the day outside the tourist information centre in the heart of the village. Lynda and I also took a bit of a break and returned to the holiday home for a while.

The crowd gather.

Tu-Bardh talks with the crowd.

At 6:00PM we met up with Tu-Bardh and crew again for the final “gig” of the day. Word was definitely out that the band were about to play; every available vantage point was taken up with people and that included the tops of walls, the wall outside the Tullie Inn opposite and, once again, the road at times. Heads were even appearing through the middle of trees and bushes that surrounded the information centre!

Clanadonia.

After watching this last, and most watched, set of the day Lynda and I retired to the peace and quite of our holiday park for the evening, complete with a Chinese take-away. The food was great, the weather just as good, and the whisky even better! A great end to a great day!

On Sunday, we drove up to Callander for the highland games and also to see Clann an Drumma play again. The day started off very dull and overcast with just the hint of rain in the air when we first arrived in Callander, but it soon turned into a scorcher of a day. When we returned to the car at around 5:00PM it was still 28°C! I hate to think just how hot it had been up on the games field in direct sun - luckily, Lynda had smothered me in sun tan cream! Well, I’m a fragile little thing ya know!

Scott Rider & Sebastian Wenta.

The highland games were very good again this year but were lacking a few of the “big names” that we have seen here in the past; no Wout Zylstra, no Larry Brock and no Mark Felix for example. Gregor Edmunds, Sebastian Wenta, Scott Rider and Stefan Solvi Peterson were there though so it was still a quality field. The final result went the way of Sebastian Wenta, with Gregor Edmunds second and Scott Rider third.

Scott Rider taking part in the 56lb For Height.

The highlight of the day was the setting of a new games record throw for the “56lb For Height” of 17’ 2”. Stefan Solvi Peterson beat the old record, of 17’ 1”, and then, with the very next throw, he was matched by Sebastian Wenta! Not to be out done, Gregor Edmunds put on a terrific show in the Caber and scored a perfect 12 o’clock toss, the only competitor to do that all weekend.

Between the events on the games field I took time out to watch Clann an Drumma play three different sets - one in the games arena, one in the beer tent and the final one on stage in front of a very enthusiastic crowd. I had been impressed by Clann an Drumma at Scone a week earlier but at Callander, without the restriction of having to work to the TV camera schedule, the band could really let their hair down and “go for it”! Despite the stifling heat the final set of the day was simply superb. The timing was as tight as one of their drum skins, the energy flowing from the stage more overpowering than the heat of the sun. I have to admit I was sweating like a pig just taking photos and watching them play. Quite how the band managed to bounce around like they did, I don’t know.

Clann an Drumma.

All too soon the games came to an end and it was time to say our goodbyes. Joe and Maggie were kind enough to gather the band together for a quick photo and I was presented with a CAD T-shirt by Joe, another very kind gesture. After handshakes and farewells all round we headed back to the car. I was sorry to have to leave the games but at the same time I was over the moon to have been able to see Clann an Drumma play two weekends on the trot.

Me, feeling a little over dressed, with Clann an Drumma.

As we arrived back in Balloch a quick check on the time revealed that, if we were very lucky, we may just catch up with Tu-Bardh and the rest of Clanadonia as they packed up after their final show of the weekend. Luck was more than with us... we managed to hear the final three tracks the band played. In an attempt to see, as well as hear, the band I finished up stood on top of a wall holding onto the Lomond Park Hotel’s sign! Hey, it was every man for himself and I wasn’t going to miss seeing the band’s final set of the weekend!

Once again, we had to go through the bitter sweet parting of the ways. Meeting up with Tu-Bardh again was a real pleasure, seeing the band play again one of the highlights of the holiday, saying goodbye is always a sad time. If all goes to plan, Clanadonia are heading off to a secret little hideaway later in the year and will return with a new album in the bag. I for one really can’t wait for that to be released.

Scotland - we will be back!

My rest day...

Friday - my “rest day”. Well, I didn’t do all of the driving so to me that counts as a “rest day”!

Our first little adventure took us back to the Glengoyne whisky distillery and today it was open - hooray! The advertising leaflets for the distillery describe it as “a taste of the Highlands on Glasgow’s doorstep” and also as “Scotland’s most beautiful distillery”. It’s not quite on Glasgow’s doorstep, it’s around 14 miles north but it most certainly is in a very beautiful setting. It’s also a rather nice collection of buildings too.

Lynda and I joined a guided tour around the distillery, learning much about the history of the place and also whisky in general, in the process. Before the tour began we were each given a dram of Glengoyne 10-year-old malt, and very nice it was too! Lynda, not being a whisky drinker, had a small taste of hers and passed the rest to me. I wasn’t going to argue - 11:00AM and the first two whiskies of the day. At the end of the tour we were guided to the distillery shop (a good sales ploy on their part) where we were presented with a dram of their 17-year-old malt to try. I again had Lynda’s and mine. Hey, it was now just after mid-day so another couple of whiskies wouldn’t do any harm!

After the second whisky tasting we had another stroll around the buildings before returning to the shop for a quick bit of retail therapy. Personally, I found the 10-year-old malt more to more liking (though both were very good) and so Lynda dug deep in her pockets and treated me to a bottle as an early birthday present. It will be going home un-opened and kept away from me for another few weeks yet! I also purchased miniature bottles of the 17 and 21-year-old malts that Glengoyne produce. The miniatures, along with one of the freebie ones the distillery gave us on Tuesday, will be going home to be added to my small, but growing collection.

Glengoyne distillery.

From the distillery Lynda took control of the car and drove the short distance down the road to the Beech Tree Inn; time for a bit of food to soak up some of the alcohol. First thing I did was order a pint of beer! It was my rest day and I was going to enjoy it! We only chose the Beech Tree due to its location but boy, did we strike it lucky. The food was top class. Lynda chose the chicken & mushroom crêpe whilst I went for the chicken breast, stuffed with haggis, on a bed of clapshot. Not only was the food very tasty it was also rather well presented too - much better than your average pub lunch.

Chicken & mushroom crêpe and the Chicken breast, stuffed with haggis.

When the waiter asked if we would like to see the dessert menu we said yes, even though, having noticed the menu earlier, we both knew what we were going to try... battered Mars bar! For years we have heard of this strange Scottish “delicacy” but never actually seen it served anywhere. Today we finally got to eat a chocolate bar covered in batter and it wasn’t at all bad. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it was rather tasty when served with orange sorbet. The calorie count? I daren’t even start to think about that! The rest of the afternoon was spent back at the holiday home soaking up the sun, reading our books and generally relaxing.

A battered Mars bar!

At 6:00PM the 9th Lomond Folk Festival kicked off and it kicked off in style with Clanadonia, fronted by, the man himself, Tu-Bardh Wilson playing to a packed crowd outside the Lomond Park Hotel. It was seeing Clanadonia listed in the band line-up for this weekend that was behind my decision to make the long drive north again this year and I’m so pleased I did.

Clanadonia!

From the moment the band took up their positions they had the crowd on their side; the crowd spilled out onto the pavement, cars pulled up by the roadside to watch, everyone loved it. Tracks that stood out for me included “Hornpipe”, “Samba Ya Bassa”, the superb “Hamsterheid” and, from the film “Last of the Mohicans” came “The Gael”. Highlight of the week so far? It certainly comes very close, and there will be more of the same over the rest of the weekend.

Friday, a true taste of Scotland!

A close call...

Ah, this is the life! Sat outside with a glass of cider, watching the sun go down.

It’s been a fun couple of days, one way or another - we could have been killed but I’ll come back to that one later!

On Tuesday, we set off mid-morning to visit the Glengoyne whisky distillery. Finding it was no problem, getting in was a little trickier... the place was closed for some sort of electrical work which meant that the whole area had no power! Not what we wanted to hear! Still, it all worked out okay, sort of, as a rather nice young lady, that worked at the distillery, gave us two free miniature bottles of Glengoyne malt whisky by way of an apology for our wasted journey. We plan on returning to the distillery in the next day or two.

Glengoyne distillery.

After leaving Glengoyne, with our freebie whisky safely stowed away, we headed off into the hills for a bit of a sightseeing drive. We drove east, crossed the Campsie Fells, and then headed back west towards Drymen and the east side of Loch Lomond. The drive was very scenic but involved some of the worst road surfaces we’ve found since we arrived up here. “Local council, buy yourselves some tarmac!” The drive over the Campsie Fells also allowed me to do my first bit of birding of the holiday; we saw Golden Eagle, Buzzard, Kestrel, Raven and also Stonechat on the journey over the high ground.

View from the Campsie Fells.

The second part of the day was spent walking along the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, from Balmaha towards Milarrochy and back. This walk provided us with our second little bit of birding of the day with Tawny Owl and Osprey being seen. The owl flew up from the forest floor and landed in a tree a little way from the path we were on whilst the Osprey spent a good while fishing, without success, in Loch Lomond. We also came across a small herd of young highland cattle in a field by the path. Like true tourists, we just had to take photos of the cows!

Highland cows!

All the fresh air had made us rather hungry but thankfully we had a table booked at the Kilted Skirlie in the evening. This restaurant, overlooking Loch Lomond, is one that I would most definitely recommend to anyone that is ever in the area - the food was superb! The Haggis neeps and tatties croquettes starter was not only VERY tasty it was VERY large! The sauce it was served with was delicious! The chicken main dish that both Lynda and I had was by far the best I’ve had in a long, long while. As for dessert... equally as good as the rest of the meal! The evening was capped off with a couple of glasses of whisky and dry ginger when we arrived back at the holiday home.

Wednesday, a near death experience! Lynda and I took the 10:23AM train into Glasgow, armed with only a photocopied map of the city and no knowledge of where anything was! The first place we found was George Square, a very nice area full of tourists. We must have been in the right part of the city!

George Square.

From George Square we walked aimlessly around finding Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Galleries, St. Enoch Centre and then Miller Street. Somewhere in amongst that little lot we came across a small arcade area full of jewellers. What an eye opener that was! Watches costing anything up to £23,000, bracelets in excess £16,000 and diamonds everywhere you looked! There is some serious money floating around somewhere in Glasgow! Footballers’ wives we reckon!

This was a coffee shop!

It was whilst we were sat in George Square, passing a little time before we had to catch our return train, that we had a rather lucky escape. Lynda and I were sat in the square, looking across at the rather steep North Hanover Street, when apparently a taxi driver collapsed at the wheel of his cab. Before we had a chance to realise what was happening the taxi had crossed the road, bounced up the kerb, careered over the steps at the base of a statue, crashed through a litter bin and rammed into the seats right next to us!

Luckily, the people sat on the seat had seen what was happening before we did and had managed to jump out of the way before the taxi rammed the wooden bench out of the way before coming to rest on top of more steps and a flower bed! At first I thought that the taxi had just rolled away, without the driver in it, but as I leant in through the driver’s window to switch the engine off I became aware of the driver slumped across the front seats, obviously not well. By this time a police woman from a mobile police station parked in the square had arrived, along with people from all over the square, so I moved away from the taxi and left the professionals to it. As time was now getting on we had to leave for our train so I’m not sure just how the driver was but hopefully all was okay in the end.

After all the excitement of the day we needed a way to relax once we arrived back in Balloch and what better way is there to do that than to eat and drink? We booked a table at La Scarpetta restaurant and enjoyed another great meal. Lynda worked her way though a delicious Pizza Con Pollo (cheese, tomato & chicken, with extra pineapple) whilst I polished off a large bowl of Pasta Alla Scarpetta (penne pasta, ham, onion & mushroom in a creamy tomato sauce), all washed down with a more than acceptable bottle of red wine. Pudding was Turkish Delight ice cream for Lynda and a banana and toffee ice cream “bombe” for me. All good stuff!

Today, Thursday, was another “chill out” day. We had breakfast and then took a walk down to the Lomond Shores complex. The views up the loch were reasonably good but there was just a little patchy, low cloud over the very top of the highest mountains. In the end we spent around four hours strolling around the edge of the loch and also the village of Balloch. A quick stop off at the local tourist information office gave me the chance to pick up a programme for this weekend’s folk festival - there will be plenty of opportunities to see Clanadonia play!

The view from the Lomond Shores complex.

Confusingly, the programme of events also has Albannach listed as playing the Tullie Inn on Saturday evening. I say confusingly as there was no mention of this on the band’s web site before we set off on holiday and the band never mentioned it whilst we chatted with them last Saturday. Hopefully, all will become clear on Saturday and we’ll get another, unexpected, chance to see the band play.