Inveraray

Something that you may be unaware of is that Ann likes buses. Give her a bus timetable and she will be quiet for hours. The buses through Tarbert go all of the way to Glasgow – but only three times each day. The midday one was chosen to take us as far as Inveraray at the head of Loch Fyne. This gave us chance to visit Inveraray jail, which is now a

museum. This was very well done and it showed how awful jails were 200 years ago. The day improved when we visited Inveraray Castle, which is owned by the Duke of Argyle – who is head of the Clan Campbell. The day improved even more when, after deciding we needed a meal before the 19:50 bus back, I managed to locate the Loch Fyne Hotel. This is owned by the sister company to the Loch Fyne oyster bar chain of restaurants. A fish slate, followed by Venison and sticky toffee pudding – washed down by an Australian Shiraz. An excellent way to finish a wet, but enjoyable, day.

Tarbert, Loch Fyne

The weather forecast, for the next couple of days, was rain and more rain plus a blast of wind for good measure. We therefore decided that a couple of nights in a sheltered harbour was called for. We chose East Tarbert. Very old fashioned and, at that time, recovering from a very busy weekend holding a major sailing regatta, it seemed tired. We managed to stock up with food, and the locals were friendly, so we decided to stay another night.