10 days on Loch Lomond - Part Three

Friday meant the arrival of camp Manning to Luss. We decided it would be better to get out of town, rather than sitting around tapping our feet and waiting for them to arrive and then get in the way of their setting up. So we headed off to Glasgow, to take Lauren to the Glasgow Science Centre. What a great day out, well worth the money.

Giant Hotdog

We arrived shortly after opening time and had not quite done everything when it was time for the centre to close for the day.

Help!

You lookin' at me?!

Double Trouble

Giant Lauren and Titchy Tony!

Even before you pay there are lots of things to try and do, me and Lauren were photographed looking like we were dangling from a skyscraper!
We spent the first couple of hours on the ground floor playing games, Lauren did scientific things with bubbles and water, there were machines and tests and there was a brilliant robot you could control and even make talk.
First thing in the afternoon we were booked in for an Imax Under the Sea performance so we went for lunch first, the food was really good value. The grown ups (that's me & Tony!!) had baked potatoes and Lauren had a giant hot dog. The IMAX performance was great, you had to wear ridiculous glasses but the 3D was amazing. After the film, there were still 2 more floors to explore about space and technology and a Mindworks exhibition that literally played with your mind  - all sorts of tricks that were not all they seemed.
We kept in touch with the Mannings throughout the day so we knew they had arrived safely and were all pitched. We were back very late, so had to (it was such a sacrifice!!) go to the Inn @ Inverbeg again for our tea.

On the beach

Oban harbour

Saturday 27 Was a day for a big adventure, we decided to go on a long drive through the mountains and back down the coast. So picnic packed, we waved good bye to our new companions and set off. It was an amazing trip, we picnicked amongst beautiful mountains. We stopped for a "comfort break" at a café and coach stop and while we were waiting for Tony we saw a man get left behind by his coach. I was hit with a mixture of concern and hilarity, the poor man had nothing with him but his binoculars and he went shouting and waving up the road, the coach was clearly not going to stop and he was simultaneously trying to thumb a lift. He was neither young nor small and I still wonder what happened to him. Our turning point was Oban. What a lovely place, I could have dropped everything and moved there in a second, I really loved it. I couldn't say why, maybe the light, maybe the nature reserve island in the bay, maybe the thought of Skye in the distance and the promise of greater adventures as the island ferries came and went. The sea there was so interesting, the ferries, the yachts, the sea birds, the sea itself and the scenery, islands hiding the horizon but stretching away. We enjoyed an ice cream and bought some hand made chocolates and then, after taking Lauren for a well deserved couple of hours on a windy beach, we reluctantly headed away, taking the coast road back home and calling in at Inverary a lovely little stop off but the worst fish and chips in Scotland!

Orla!

Girl with a dragon face painting!

Sunday 28 Tony decided to climb the infamous Cobbler with Anthony, leaving us girls  to amuse ourselves. So we decided to head off to the Bird of Prey Centre we had heard about. The centre turned out to be a one man operation, rescuing birds of prey. It was situated at the back of a garden centre and only cost a couple of pounds to get in. There were about 15 owls, a white eagle owl was a new arrival and the man was building her an enclosure as we visited and another 12 different birds of prey. One of the high points was Orla the Golden Eagle, she was full of character, very cheeky and a bit naughty. We saw our first ever Goshawk, she was malting and was very skittish, I dropped my camera case and before we knew it we were in a mist of feathers and squawks! Our visit over, we headed to Loch Lomond Shores to have a look around, meet up with Helen and the boys and have a play. Lauren had her face painted for free, which led us to an encounter in the woods with a man who wanted to take a photo of her, I tried to resist but Lauren was all for it, the man took my e-mail address and off he went. I was so pleased when I got home to find he's e-mailed me with the photo, restoring my faith that he was just a nice old man and not a weirdo in the woods!

Keeping the camp fire burning

I think this speaks for itself!

Tuesday 30 After our first non cereal based camping breakfast, we decided to walk Glen Luss. It was not altogether an enthusiastic party that set off, me and Lauren are not known for our love of walking, but we were soon won over by eagle spotting, bird spotting, finding faces and animals in moss and trees, taking turns with Tony's walking stick, we found our entertainment where we could. Once home it was dry and reasonably midge free, so it was camp fire time! The children were soon toasting marshmallows and burning sticks and in very high spirits until about 9pm when a man looking strangely like Karl Pilkington came over to tell us our children were being very loud and his had just gone to sleep, we felt a bit miffed, it was the children's first night out and quiet time wasn't til eleven, still we managed to keep them to a whisper until bed time.

On the boat to see the apes with 3 little monkeys!

Wednesday 31 Our last day and we headed to Blair Drummond Safari Park. We had a good day, it was a very low key safari park but the lions and bears were high points, all the animals were very active and feeding was going on all the time. The Bird of Prey show was impressive as were the viewing birds, especially the White Tailed Sea Eagle. We took a water safari to see the chimps on chimp island. Anthony did the country's lamest zip wire, but we were there all day so we definitely got our moneys worth. We couldn't go home without one last visit to the Inn@inverbeg, so we rendezvoused and all had a fantastic "last supper", well except Zak who slept through the whole thing!
And that was it, holiday done, Thursday we packed up slowly and after filling up with diesel and grabbing an M&S picnic, we headed for home, 10 hours - 2 incidents and 1 massive diversion later we were back in real beds!