Scotland 2018

May - June 2018

Bob and Val are heading to Scotland Read more

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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 26, 2018, 8:38pm
- ⛅ 15 °C
- Altitude: 110 m
- Canada British Columbia Metrotown 49.2302, -122.995249°13’49” N 122°59’43” W
Fly to Vancouver
May 26, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We flew to Vancouver from Whitehorse and took the Skytrain to Burnaby. We met up with Kim and Myles and headed to Metrotown mall, but didn’t buy much, and then had dinner at Dumpling Dynasty. It was a twelve course extravaganza Chinese meal. After, we drove up Burnaby Mountain and walked around to the Simon Fraser campus. There were lots of nice flowers. We are staying with Kim and Myles tonight.Read more
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 28, 2018, 8:54am
- ☀️ 22 °C
- Altitude: 113 m
- Germany Hesse Frankfurt Frankfurt Main Flughafen Frankfurt Airport 50.04801, 8.57493750°2’53” N 8°34’30” E
Landed in Frankfurt
May 28, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We arrived at the Frankfurt airport at 8am local time Monday (11 pm Pacific time Sunday). Didn’t really sleep at all so kind of bagged. We have to wait 6 hours for our Glasgow Flight. It’s a sunny day here.Read more
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 28, 2018
- 🌙 15 °C
- Altitude: 33 m
- Scotland Glasgow Monkland Canal 55.865593, -4.25677155°51’56” N 4°15’24” W
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Arrived in Glasgow
May 28, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
We had to wait in Frankfurt for 6 hours, but eventually got on a sweltering hot bus at the gate and drove to the far end of the airport where the Glasgow plane was waiting. The flight was on time. Our bags made it to Scotland which always seems like a miracle. We bused into Glasgow and walked to our hotel, the Citizen M. It’s very boutique-ish. It’s hot here- somewhere in the mid 20’s but about 80% humidity. We had a nice dinner sitting outside. We are now back at the room. We’re both pretty tired having been up about 30 hours.Read more
Traveler We needed Laura here!
5/28/18Reply
Traveler Wouldn't it be nice if you old just "materialize" yourself at your desired new location! Pics are great and very welcome. D.
5/28/18Reply
Traveler Looking so relaxed already, Bob!
5/29/18Reply
Traveler You look great! Being away from work really looks good on you. CHEERS
5/29/18Reply
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 29, 2018, 11:42am
- ⛅ 16 °C
- Altitude: 33 m
- Scotland Glasgow Monkland Canal 55.865471, -4.25670455°51’56” N 4°15’24” W
Heading to Milngavie
May 29, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Well, we’re up and had a nice breakfast. We are pretty jet-lagged but I’m sure that will go away in a day or so. This morning we’re heading to Central Station to catch a train to Milngavie, the start of the West Highland Way. It’s pronounced “Mill guy”, which is like a lot of Scottish names that are way off if you say them as they are written. Like, for example, Drymen (a day’s hike away, which is pronounced Drimmen. I’m sure everyone will be snickering at us when we mention place names. It’s grey but not cold today.Read more
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 29, 2018, 8:48pm
- ☀️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 45 m
- Scotland East Dunbartonshire Milngavie 55.935032, -4.31530555°56’6” N 4°18’55” W
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In Milngavie
May 29, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
We got here in the early afternoon. This is the starting point for the West Highland Way. It’s only a twenty minute train ride from Glasgow. Milngavie seems pretty quiet. It has a nice downtown mall with lots of bakeries and tea shops, and what seems like a lot of elderly people. Maybe they’ve retired out here to get away from the city. Bob had an Italian ice cream cone from a shop that’s been selling them since 1928. There is a monument in the downtown square with about 150 names from WW1. That is a lot of people lost from such a small town. We went for a nice dinner that was £30 with drinks. Bob had Highland chicken (likely not caught in the Highlands) stuffed with Haggis, with clapshot mash and Glengoyne whisky sauce. It doesn’t get much more Scottish than that. Tomorrow we start hiking.Read more
Traveler Same as in our garden at home in Whitehorse
5/30/18Reply
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 30, 2018, 4:23pm
- ⛅ 23 °C
- Altitude: 55 m
- Scotland Stirling Drymen 56.066456, -4.45271656°3’59” N 4°27’10” W
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Milngavie to Dryman
May 30, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
This leg was 19 km. It started off nice and cool but by the afternoon it was really hot. The first half was mostly through woods alongside streams and fields. At the halfway mark we stopped at Dumgoyne for lunch and had a bacon “bap”, which is back bacon in a bun. We walked past the Glencoyne Distillery, because we really didn’t need to spend £22 for a tour and a dram of whiskey with the heat. The second half of the hike was in more open landscape and some of it along roads that were narrow but not busy. We got into Drymen (pronounced “Drimmon”) at 2 pm and sat down in a pub for drinks. We are staying at the Ashbank B&B. Tommy the owner greeted us. This hotel was once where Eric Liddell lived, who was the quiet Scotsman in Chariots of Fire. He won the 400 m run at the Paris Olympics in 1924. Tonight we are going to the Clachan Inn, which has the oldest licensed pub in Scotland.Read more
Kim Holmes Wow, that must have kept you going!!
6/1/18Reply
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 30, 2018, 5:23pm
- ☀️ 22 °C
- Altitude: 49 m
- Scotland Stirling Drymen 56.066536, -4.45271256°3’60” N 4°27’10” W
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Milngavie to Dryman: Flowers and Animals
May 30, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Traveler You have caught the best Scottish weather, I am so glad for you guys! We' ve made it home from London safely, with 32 degrees welcoming us in Nuremberg! Have a safe and beautiful hike, I will be reading your blog! Christina
5/31/18Reply
Kim Holmes This is a very interesting looking flower!
6/1/18Reply
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- May 31, 2018, 6:02pm
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: 18 m
- Scotland Stirling Rowardennan 56.149395, -4.64137856°8’58” N 4°38’29” W
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To Rowardennan
May 31, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We left Drymen around 9 am. It was cool and misty but not raining. The cloud ceiling was pretty low but we could catch glimpses of Loch Lomond in the distance. We walked through quite a few areas of tree replanting and eventually came to Conic Hill, which we had to climb part way up and then head down to Balmaha. At Conic Hill you cross the Highland Boundary fault which divides the highlands from the lowlands and runs from Norway all across Scotland and into Ireland. You could see the line of islands in Loch Lomond that mark the fault. Traces of it are seen in the Appalachian mountains, as Scotland was once connected to North America 150million years ago.We had a yoghurt shake in Balmaha and then walked to Rowardennan which was another 11 km along the Loch. We are staying at the Rowardennan hotel, which was built in the 1600’s. It is at the foot of Ben Lomond. It’s about a five hour hike up to the top and back. Needless to say, we won’t be doing that tomorrow.Read more
Kim Holmes I love the yellow colours. Very pretty!
6/1/18Reply
Kim Holmes The rolling hills are very pretty.
6/1/18Reply
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- Jun 1, 2018, 5:32pm
- ⛅ 16 °C
- Altitude: 13 m
- Scotland Stirling Inverarnan 56.328362, -4.72177356°19’42” N 4°43’18” W
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To Inverarnan
June 1, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Today started out cool but turned hot later in the day. We hiked along the east shore of Loch Lomond. The first 11 km was fairly straightforward along a well graded trail. The second half was more difficult with lots of rocks and roots along the trail, and very uneven. The midges came out but we didn’t find them too bad. They’re like “no-seeums”, very small and dark. We got to our accommodation, the Beinglas Farm about 4pm after walking for 10 hours with a few stops along the way. We had cider and beer there before checking into our room. It’s was slow going today with the heat and rough trail. There were a few sightings of snow patches on the highest hills, but it will be gone soon.Read more
Traveler Looks like the terrain is more "rugged" and, perhaps, more interesting. D.
6/1/18Reply
Kim Holmes Wow, that is massive!! Looks like you guys are having a good time. It is nice - the footing doesn't look too rough.
6/1/18Reply
Kim Holmes The footing looks more challenging here!
6/1/18Reply
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Yukon Holmes Travels Scotland 2018
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- Jun 2, 2018, 3:43pm
- 🌧 19 °C
- Altitude: 234 m
- Scotland Stirling Tyndrum Tyndrum Lower Railway Station 56.43441, -4.71258856°26’4” N 4°42’45” W
On to Tyndrum
June 2, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
Today we walked from Inverarnan to Tyndrum, which is about 20km. At the Beinglas Farm last night we had to sleep with the windows closed due to a “midges outbreak”. We haven’t found them at all bad, especially if you keep moving and bug dope works fine. Some people are really bitten up though. The trail today was pretty easy but it was very hot at times. There was a “Scottish oasis”, a freezer chest with bottles of drinks along the trail using the honesty system (£1 per bottle). We walked by St Fillan’s priory, which consists of portions of a stone wall and a graveyard. This dates from the 12th century. Later we passed an old lead smelter from 150years ago. We read that the lead mine employed people for a century. There was also a battle site of Robert the Bruce who was attacked by the McDougall clan. He threw his weapons in a small “lochan”, which actually seems an unlikely thing to do. Metal detectors have failed to turn up any metal in the lochan. We arrived at Tyndrum around 2:30, had a drink at a restaurant and then checked into our B&B.Read more
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