Day 5: Arduaine to Kilmichael Glassery.
Distance: 16.2 miles (82.9 total).
Duration: 6 hrs 11 mins.
Lowest Temp: 5ºc again.
Weather: Unseasonal.
Highest Alt: 569 ft.
Last night we stayed at the Loch Melfort Hotel. The views down the Loch are stunning. The staff are wonderful. The food was great. And my sabbatical grant is just about done. Our stay there nearly went moderately pear-shaped when I was given a piece of paper on arrival which contained a footnote to the effect that the dress code for the restaurant was ‘smart-casual’ and denim jeans were not acceptable. The range of evening wear I’ve got in my rucksack is slender, and I feared I’d have to go to dinner in my thermal long johns – thankfully the jeans rule was lifted last night, so I was spared a great deal of embarrassment and the other residents were spared a great deal of distress.
You may be of the view that spending nights in posh hotels is hardly in the spirit of the Celtic Saints, but how wrong you’d be. Today’s picture is of Dunadd Fort, which came at the end of today’s walk. It was the capital of the kingdom of Dál Riata, and would have been one of the first places St Columba visited when he began his exile in Scotland. So, Columba would have been used to spending time in palaces. St Aidan and St Cuthbert were both close to Northumbrian royalty, indeed King Oswald acted as interpreter for Aidan when he first arrived in his kingdom, so no doubt they both spent some time in palaces. Which means you need to remember that my visits to ‘posh hotels’ have been entirely in the interests of historical authenticity (and due to the fact that everywhere cheaper was closed...).
For the first time ever, the weather in Scotland is annoying me for being too good. I’ve spent way too much money in recent months on kit that was either waterproof or thermal, and it was all a waste of money. I should have been splashing out on sun cream and sunglasses.
Tomorrow I have my first decent ‘off road’ stretch, and it’s a long leg. Looking forward to it.
Your homework for tomorrow - interesting facts about Inveraray - the response so far has been hopeless.
And lastly - 0-0 against Villa, AT HOME. How did that happen - explanations please.
Visions of Father Stuart sitting down to eat in his thermal underwear are not pretty!
ReplyDeleteApart from that it all looks wonderful. I will call your Mum tomorrow and help her post a comment, it took me us a while to sort it out, thats what comes of being older but not always wiser!
Helen and John
Well I am trying yet again ost a comment. All the other ones seem to have gone to the great nowhere where no one even answers! Soon my computer will be going there too!! In the belief that one day this will work
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of you Stuart and wishing you well. Lots of Love Mum
Think it has worked this time. Should read to "to post".
ReplyDeleteMy patience seems to have paid off - a lesson there somewhere. Thanks to Susie and Helen for their help. X
WELL DONE MUM!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why you didn't think of sunglasses earlier. You know that the sun always shines in Scotland!! If I walk on Saturday it will be to go to work - some of us can't manage to go wandering over hill and dale - certainly not in Stansted and you know how good I am at getting lost. Hope you have a good rest before starting off again. Love Mum
ReplyDelete