Antinquities in Kilmartin

So after a relatively comfortable night (bed was not hard!) We were up to assure that we could get the ferry on Monday to Orkneys and for breakfast. We were finally away South by 9:30 heading for Kilmartin.

We left the land of the busy on the Oban side of the peninsula and then went up and over a hill (GPS said 141m) to arrive at the top of the Kilmartin glen. We encountered a number of busses cuming up our way and were to encounter more tour busses later in the day. We have been impressed over the past couple of days with hill grades of 12-14 & 20 degrees with narrow 2-lane roads.

Kilmartin glen [ http://www.kilmartin.org, http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kilmartin…[ is a facinating area loaded with archeological sites. There is a very sweet museum next to the church with a nice assortment of displays. We were there alone, but were quickly overtaken by a busload of elderly folks on a tour with limited time. So we let them pass and then tried to stay a bit behind them as they traveled to some of the other interesting sites in the glen.

The church yard has a number of grave markers from medieval times depicting Gaelic knights of old either with a single carving of a long blade on the stone or an image of a knight n armor. Most of these were enclosed in a plexiglass stone building [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kilmartin…] adjacent to the church to help protect them from the weather, but some were out in the grave yard.

We had a bit of sunlight around noon and by mid-afternoon, the temp had risen to 23 deg C! Diane had to shed her turttle neck for a much cooler blouse. For the rest of the day.By about 2pm, it looked like it might rain, but it was just increasing humidity and lowering of the cloud layer.

After the church, we drove South about a mile to a pull out where we were able to walk out to several sites including Nether Largie Standing Stones [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kilmartin…] with their proposed lunar alighments, Temple Wood [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kilmartin…] an interesting series of two stone circles, one with standing stones and one without that mght have been used as the crematorium, similar to the Loudon at Daviot the Dunchraigig cairn [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kilmartin…], to the Baluachraig rock art (pecked cups) and a couple of series of standing stone and cup/stone rock art sites before we headed into Lochgilphead to find our hotel for the night.

On the way from one of the rock art sites, however, we passed by a hotel with the same name as the one we had booked, The Horseshoe Inn, finding it strange that there would be another one 3 miles away in this little small town in the mddle of nowhere. Diane tried the door at 4pm, but it was locked, but the sign out front said it would be serving food at 5pm. We had not internet or cell service so we went into the big town, picked up some $$ and then checked the Garmin GPS and confirmed that the phone number of the hotel in the country was the only one within 200 miles and had the same telephone number as the hotel I booked. So we worked our way back by way of a drive along the Crinan canal (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crinan_Canal). When we returned to the hotel at 5:30, the hostess was busy serving locals beer in the wee bar. All eyes were glued to a TV game show called Pointless.

We have a rustic room upstairs over the bar looking out on the street. Twin beds this evening with a private bath next door, but have to go out into the hall first. All rooms taken as the other 3 rooms are occupied by motorcyclists who are travelingin out to Isle on the ferry in the morning When Diane idenfied herslf, the proprietress handed her the room key and all dirnks and food went on the room bill as well to be settled in a final bill in the morning. Dinner in this one hotel/restaurant town was Thai chicken curry with a kick and lamb shank with a bottle of Shiraz and a chocolate mouse cake for a splurge.

Worked a bit on tomorrow nights lodging. Looks like Inverness and the North coast is pretty full, so Peter found a place in the mountains East of Loch Ness for the night. We will worry about the other nights before we leave for Orkneys in the morning at breakfast.

Musing and what is important in UK for today:
A) The great British Bake Off Program [ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Briti…[ ...For the past several days, all the news on the BBC is consumbed about the fact that BBC will be losing the Great British Bakeoff program to one of ther other TV affilitates. Most of you won't know this, but the past 2 years, the Great Britich Bakeoff program has had more watchers than Downton Abbey! This program is so popular, that the winner last year was able to make the cake for the Queen Mother's birthday! Now, it appears that the 2 cheerful gals, Mel and Sue, who present the show are moving on with the title of the show to the other network, which outbid the BBC who wanted to retain it.The current situation for the current 2 judges is up in the air as well. This controversy has been dominating all of the news over here in addtion to detailed analysis of a radio drama show!

B) So much is happening elsewhere, but this is what is important here....well in addition to the fact that they approved the building of the first nuclear power plant (19 B pounds Stering financed by the French and Chinese) in more that a couple of decades. By the time it is on line, the expecataion is that the power will cost 2x what they are paying currently.Pressure was to stop it and put in more wind generations, especiallty out at sea, but the new PM approved the start of the builiding today. Peter wonders whether the current design a the location includes rising sea water as the climate changes.

C) I think I heard on the news that the French are in their 14th air stirke of the year!Read more