I've read somewhere that nostalgia is a dirty liar which insists that things were better than they seemed. As we headed North on the motorway, I had a slight trepidation. You know sometimes we eat an exceptionally tasty meal but when we try that same food another time, it doesn't taste quite as good, as perhaps the hunger level drove the previous high opinion of the food. Was Scotland really that beautiful or was it my mind making it up because it was our first trip into a fully green zone in the UK? Any such cynicism I had was put to test and completely shattered on this trip. It was also an opportunity to learn from the setbacks of our previous trip to Scotland and do things the right way. The biggest learning was to not rely on public transport, so we drove over 700miles one way, just so we could stop whenever and wherever we desired to.
As the drive was particularly long, we got up early and were able to leave before five thirty. Despite having always preferred sunset over sunrise, I was favourably impressed by this sunrise on the motorway. The eastern sky turned from mild yellow to a burning orange and then a brighter yellow. Since we were headed north, the sky turned from indigo of the early morning to perfect sky blue streaked with pink clouds. At one point the pink of the sky was so dominant that a pond that reflected the sky seemed to have turned pink like diluted Gelusil.
We stopped at a Services to eat the sandwiches I packed from home and we drove on listening to Rahman songs, both old and new, which basically meant our long drive passed by in no time. We stopped for lunch at another services right past the Scottish border. The crossed blue flag on the Welcome to Scotland board generated more happiness in us than it really should have. Apart from being the DJ and snack supplier during the road trip, I was assigned the duty of capturing time lapse videos of our journey which kept me busy. Of course Lakshman was busy covering a distance of 700miles in just over 10hours.
It started raining once we neared Glasgow and when we finally reached the Bay hotel at
Greenock, it was pouring. My plan for the day was to visit Clyde Murshiel national park in the
evening but that was impossible in this wet weather, so we spent the evening unwinding in the lovely hotel room.
It was just as well, as we were tired from the journey and I'd assume that the car was tired too. Having no energy to go out for dinner and being sleep deprived from an early start, we had fruits and some delicious chickpea sundal that I'd thoughtfully packed from home.
Having slept by 9, we were able to have another early start. We walked along Greenock bay taking in the lovely early morning views.
The Scottish vegetarian breakfast at the hotel was lovely and included a triangle of potato scone. This dish was new to us and it was delicious, like a variant of aloo paratha but without the Indian spices.
We drove from Greenock passing by a lovely town called Dumbarton and then the views
opened up to Loch Lomond. We could barely conceal our awe at the lake and mountain
scenery. To put it mildly, our faces looked like that emoticon with two hearts in place of its
eyes. We then passed by a beautiful town called Tarbet and committed to stop there on our way back for a Loch Lomond cruise. With the onset of autumn, the scenery was not only fifty shades of green but also golden and rich reddish brown in some places. We came across more wonderful views near the Trossachs forest but couldn't stop to admire as we were in a hurry to catch the ferry.
We managed to get to Oban ahead of time, which gave us time to indulge in more nostalgia. We had stayed there for two nights on our previous trip and Oban was our base for exploring the Outer Hebrides. The happy feelings engulfing us was similar to those one gets while visiting their native hometown or village. It was only a year back and our memories were fresh enough but we reminisced as if we had a connection with Oban for longer than that. Well I'd be happy to
religiously make annual visits to this town for sure!
After parking in the ferry terminal queue, we walked around the town admiring the McCaig
colosseum atop the hill, dominating the scene of the coastal town. We bought subway
sandwiches for lunch and boarded the amazing ferry called Caledonian Mac Brayne, also known as the ship of dreams in my mind. Our awe of the boat had in no way reduced in this second visit. With great excitement, we boarded the underbelly of the boat in the car.
After parking the car within the boat, we stood outside on the upper deck taking in the familiar and gorgeous views of the Atlantic most of the journey. Of course, the five layers of clothing kept us somewhat insulated against the cold winds.
The journey time of fifty minutes passed too quickly and we arrived at Craignure port terminal at Isle of Mull, our principal destination for this trip. On our last visit, we'd spent just an hour on this island travelling from Craignure to Fionnport in a tour bus as part of the Three isles tour. The island seemed so rich during our visit that we felt we could spend a couple of days in the island, soaking in all the views. In this trip, we went about doing just that.
It was pouring when we left the ship and with gloomy faces we wondered how on earth we were going to explore this island if it kept raining like this. We parked behind the visitor information centre at Craignure, planning our next move. It was raining too heavily for us to even leave the car and we decided to wait it out. After about ten minutes, the rain reduced to a light drizzle and the sun came out and we were rewarded for our annoyed patience with the most beautiful rainbow.
It faded a little by the time we came out to capture it properly. We then picked up a few
brochures and a map of the island from the visitor information centre and headed towards Fionnport to see if the views were as amazing as we remembered and we were not disappointed. We stopped by a particularly beautiful falls by a Loch and also saw three little chicks of a duck. We also passed
by a village with an amusing name!
By the time we reached Fionnport, the rain had cleared completely revealing stunning blue skies and views to both the Mediterranean looking ocean and the island of Iona which we visited last year with the abbey that is the birth place of Christianity in Scotland.
After admiring the views, we drove towards our B&B using a path called "scenic route to
Salen". The very normal routes were scenic in the Scottish Highlands, so something proclaimed as scenic seriously exceeded our expectations. We stopped by another falls by the coast to admire the views and made a few more stops for eagle sightings.
Isle of Mull has a population of about fifteen pairs of golden eagles and sea eagles, which is a lot for an island of such a small size. The eagles swooped looking for prey with their "bird's eye view" and usually ate small mammals like rabbits and rats but they sometimes killed newborn of deer. Though it
seems sad, eagles keep the population of deer in check which in turn kept the grazing lands
green enough. The eagles laid their eggs in mull and both parents apparently took active care of their chicks providing food and training on hunting skills for about six months. Then the parents leave the chicks to become full grown and self sufficient.
Our B&B was located on the eastern coast between the towns of Salen and Tobermory. The stay at this B&B was the only slight sore spot in an otherwise wonderful trip. The
accommodations were sufficient and there were stunning views from the dining room.
However I had some issues reconciling to the level hospitality offered by the B&B hosts, which was basically sans any contact. So far we've had very pleasant experiences at B&Bs and I was surprised by the approach taken by this establishment. They had a method for us to pick up our room keys from a designated place identifiable by our names and room numbers. There were directions to the room on the same corridor and there were further typed instructions within the room about breakfast and check out process. Basically we had to fix our own breakfast in the shared kitchen alongside other guests and simply leave the key in the room door during checkout. Breakfast options were limited to toast, cereal, orange juice and coffee/tea. The cereal options were not great, so it came down to just toast with butter/jam. Not much to fire up tourists for a day of exploring the island. They had taken the charges for the stay directly from my card which was used for the booking. The charges were not exactly discounted considering their frugal service and no personal touch. In fact, they left a receipt for the charge in room clipped to the instructions. It was as impersonal as it could get. That's a long rant but I couldn't help it.
So after having toast for breakfast the next day, we headed to Tobermory. Our initial plans for this visit to Mull was to hike up Ben More and go on a seven hour ferry in hope of sighting a shark and it's favourite food, seals. Due to the rains, the hike was no longer an option. Unfortunately due to the inclement weather, all ferries except those to Staffa were cancelled. As we digested this disappointing development, another rainbow showed itself to cheer us up and as if to promise other delights including the lovely sight of the main coastal town called Tobermory.
We stopped at a Services to eat the sandwiches I packed from home and we drove on listening to Rahman songs, both old and new, which basically meant our long drive passed by in no time. We stopped for lunch at another services right past the Scottish border. The crossed blue flag on the Welcome to Scotland board generated more happiness in us than it really should have. Apart from being the DJ and snack supplier during the road trip, I was assigned the duty of capturing time lapse videos of our journey which kept me busy. Of course Lakshman was busy covering a distance of 700miles in just over 10hours.
It started raining once we neared Glasgow and when we finally reached the Bay hotel at
Greenock, it was pouring. My plan for the day was to visit Clyde Murshiel national park in the
evening but that was impossible in this wet weather, so we spent the evening unwinding in the lovely hotel room.
It was just as well, as we were tired from the journey and I'd assume that the car was tired too. Having no energy to go out for dinner and being sleep deprived from an early start, we had fruits and some delicious chickpea sundal that I'd thoughtfully packed from home.
Having slept by 9, we were able to have another early start. We walked along Greenock bay taking in the lovely early morning views.
The Scottish vegetarian breakfast at the hotel was lovely and included a triangle of potato scone. This dish was new to us and it was delicious, like a variant of aloo paratha but without the Indian spices.
We drove from Greenock passing by a lovely town called Dumbarton and then the views
opened up to Loch Lomond. We could barely conceal our awe at the lake and mountain
scenery. To put it mildly, our faces looked like that emoticon with two hearts in place of its
eyes. We then passed by a beautiful town called Tarbet and committed to stop there on our way back for a Loch Lomond cruise. With the onset of autumn, the scenery was not only fifty shades of green but also golden and rich reddish brown in some places. We came across more wonderful views near the Trossachs forest but couldn't stop to admire as we were in a hurry to catch the ferry.
We managed to get to Oban ahead of time, which gave us time to indulge in more nostalgia. We had stayed there for two nights on our previous trip and Oban was our base for exploring the Outer Hebrides. The happy feelings engulfing us was similar to those one gets while visiting their native hometown or village. It was only a year back and our memories were fresh enough but we reminisced as if we had a connection with Oban for longer than that. Well I'd be happy to
religiously make annual visits to this town for sure!
After parking in the ferry terminal queue, we walked around the town admiring the McCaig
colosseum atop the hill, dominating the scene of the coastal town. We bought subway
sandwiches for lunch and boarded the amazing ferry called Caledonian Mac Brayne, also known as the ship of dreams in my mind. Our awe of the boat had in no way reduced in this second visit. With great excitement, we boarded the underbelly of the boat in the car.
The journey time of fifty minutes passed too quickly and we arrived at Craignure port terminal at Isle of Mull, our principal destination for this trip. On our last visit, we'd spent just an hour on this island travelling from Craignure to Fionnport in a tour bus as part of the Three isles tour. The island seemed so rich during our visit that we felt we could spend a couple of days in the island, soaking in all the views. In this trip, we went about doing just that.
It was pouring when we left the ship and with gloomy faces we wondered how on earth we were going to explore this island if it kept raining like this. We parked behind the visitor information centre at Craignure, planning our next move. It was raining too heavily for us to even leave the car and we decided to wait it out. After about ten minutes, the rain reduced to a light drizzle and the sun came out and we were rewarded for our annoyed patience with the most beautiful rainbow.
It faded a little by the time we came out to capture it properly. We then picked up a few
brochures and a map of the island from the visitor information centre and headed towards Fionnport to see if the views were as amazing as we remembered and we were not disappointed. We stopped by a particularly beautiful falls by a Loch and also saw three little chicks of a duck. We also passed
by a village with an amusing name!
We also noticed a van with a four legged driver and passenger that Andy Carpenter would have appreciated!
After admiring the views, we drove towards our B&B using a path called "scenic route to
Salen". The very normal routes were scenic in the Scottish Highlands, so something proclaimed as scenic seriously exceeded our expectations. We stopped by another falls by the coast to admire the views and made a few more stops for eagle sightings.
Isle of Mull has a population of about fifteen pairs of golden eagles and sea eagles, which is a lot for an island of such a small size. The eagles swooped looking for prey with their "bird's eye view" and usually ate small mammals like rabbits and rats but they sometimes killed newborn of deer. Though it
seems sad, eagles keep the population of deer in check which in turn kept the grazing lands
green enough. The eagles laid their eggs in mull and both parents apparently took active care of their chicks providing food and training on hunting skills for about six months. Then the parents leave the chicks to become full grown and self sufficient.
Our B&B was located on the eastern coast between the towns of Salen and Tobermory. The stay at this B&B was the only slight sore spot in an otherwise wonderful trip. The
accommodations were sufficient and there were stunning views from the dining room.
So after having toast for breakfast the next day, we headed to Tobermory. Our initial plans for this visit to Mull was to hike up Ben More and go on a seven hour ferry in hope of sighting a shark and it's favourite food, seals. Due to the rains, the hike was no longer an option. Unfortunately due to the inclement weather, all ferries except those to Staffa were cancelled. As we digested this disappointing development, another rainbow showed itself to cheer us up and as if to promise other delights including the lovely sight of the main coastal town called Tobermory.
Though we'd seen Staffa on our last trip, we decided to revisit, to celebrate some more nostalgia. We drove to Ulva ferry port to catch the ferry to Staffa and Treshnish isles that would take most of the day. We left the Ulva ferry port at 11.40am and returned by 4pm, thankfully the rain took a break that day. The onward journey to Staffa was spent on the upper deck relishing the views. The island of
Staffa was familiarly beautiful. The unexpected sighting of a seal bobbing up and down by the
shore of Staffa made up for the absence of any puffins. The puffins visited Staffa apparently only in summer. I found their parenting style fascinating. They laid eggs in Staffa and took care of their young for a few months, then they left their chicks on the island and flew out to the Arctic. The chicks grew up and became self sufficient, then flew out to Arctic on its own to reunite with its parents. That is as sweet a family reunion story as any popular movie! I wonder if they wore matching medallions to identify each other.
From Staffa until the stop at Treshnish isles, we travelled on the lower deck and due to our low position on the boat, the waves crashing around looked like tsunami through the windows and the ride itself was very rough as the ferry was quite small. In the below picture, through the sea splattered window, you can get an idea of how scary the waves looked.
Treshnish isle was truly amazing as we saw seals with their juveniles within ten feet distance and it was clearly the "trip moment" for us. There were about hundred seals around the island which was clearly, seal territory.
On our way back, I really liked an island that had only one house (sole occupant), apparently owned by a millionaire as his/her holiday home. I fantasised about living like that for a moment, to be surrounded by nothing and no one except phenomenal Atlantic ocean views. Sigh!
After arriving back at Ulva, we drove on through another scenic coastal route towards Calgary Bay. This bay apparently inspired the name of the Calgary in Canada. As the sun was still shining, the beach looked like some place in the Caribbean with its light sand though the temperature felt nearly Arctic in the evening.
There were a few dozen rabbits living in burrows on the meadows by the beach alongside their beautiful orange beaked neighbour Oyster catcher. As the sun set, we had the beach to ourselves, it was the perfect moment to be thankful for all the blessings that got us to such a beautiful place.
After an eventful day, we drove back to the B&B relishing more gorgeous views on our way.
Perhaps it was the exposure to cold sea air or the rocky ferry ride in the Atlantic but I'd
developed a headache that made me want to sleep by 8.30pm. I was clearly on my way to wisdom as per the saying - early to bed and early to rise!
The next morning after some more delicious toast (*heavy sarcasm*), we left the B&B and
decided to travel to Craignure via the scenic route again rather than the straightforward route. It rained a lot on the beautiful coastal road and I was a little nervous about the car getting swept away by the wind. The sea seemed to be boiling with angst due to the heavy wind but still somehow managed to look more blue/green than grey. Thankfully after the exposed coastal stretch, the rain ceased until after we left the island, so we really enjoyed the views of hills, ocean, lochs and innumerable waterfalls as well as sighting several raptors. Since we were on a small island, there were rugged coastal views around almost every corner. In one spot, we delightedly sighted a pair of red deer which were very elusive.
I think we finally found a place that even Lakshman's awesome photography skills could not do enough justice to. The speciality of the view was in the fact that it surrounded us and engulfed us in its depths such that even a 360° video could not capture its breathtaking splendour and absolute silence. With the weak sunlight and morning mist adding drama to the views, Isle of Mull looked no less than a green paradise.
Finally we were back at Craignure to catch the ferry to mainland. Though the island had been
breathtaking, I was not sad to leave it because leaving meant another ride across Atlantic on the Caledonian Mac Brayne. While I was on calmac, I admit I wondered if the ferry might have a vacancy for an efficient accountant. On the journey back, we realised that there was free Wi-Fi on board but it felt pointless to be using the internet when we could be looking out at the Atlantic. So after taking a moment to wish my favourite niece on her birthday, I packed away my phone. Too soon, the journey on calmac came to an end.
We were back in Oban and decided to go where everything began.
By everything I mean our love for Wetherspoon chain's pub food as the Oban Wetherspoon was the first branch we visited. When we entered the premises, I did what I always do at restaurants. I quickly scanned the room for the loudest kid (believe me, there was always one) and chose a seat as far away from that table as possible. My low tolerance was rewarded when another family arrived after us, with an even louder kid and chose the table next to us. Still nothing could ruin the bubble of Wetherspoon nostalgia and delicious burgers.
We then drove towards Loch Lomond where we were to spend the last night of our holiday. On our way, we stopped at the beautiful and impressive Falloch falls just past Scotland's biggest hydroelectric power station. Not only was there a well laid out path from the parking to the falls, yet again there was a strategically placed bench to allow nature lovers to take in the beauty in relative comfort and there was a newly constructed cage like structure stretching out from the edge of the cliff to relish the best views of the falls from the perched end.
After clicking a few long exposure photos (my photography vocabulary keeps improving due to Lakshman's influence), we left Falloch falls. Our next stop was at Tarbet by the Loch Lomond shore for a loch cruise. We were just in time for the last sailing of the day at 4pm. But as we boarded the ferry, we came to know that the size of the crew matched the number of passengers board. There were two crew members and Lakshman and me. The views were of course amazing but I was still of the opinion that nothing could impress me after Isle of Mull's raw natural beauty. So what made the ferry trip special was the fact that it felt like a chartered trip just for us at a ridiculously nominal price. While we felt sorry for the ferry company's loss due to low occupancy, we couldn't help relish the special treatment.
The ferry captain told us that the boat could hold 128 people so the two of us should be able to find some place to sit! Indeed there were fancy seats on the covered upper deck and booth seats on lower deck. But we mostly stood outside taking in the views. He also told us the story of a gamekeeper who lived by the Loch shore a few years ago in a cottage which had no facilities and who took care of the wildlife in the area. Though he proceeded to list all the species that the game keeper took care of, my attention spanned to Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of games and keys at Hogwarts who lived in a basic hut too.
In about half an hour's time, we neared the Inversnaid island hosting a luxurious 200-bed hotel. Apparently this hotel has had very famous guests including Queen Victoria and William Wordsworth. In fact, Wordsworth was said to have fallen in love with a local farmer's daughter when he stayed there. Having spent time with her sitting on the hilltops overlooking the Loch Lomond and the beautiful waterfall, he'd been inspired to write the famous poem - To a highland girl.
On the way back, the ferry captain pointed out to a small island in the Loch called Honeymoon island. Years ago, newlywed couples were sent off to this island on honeymoon for a week. If they managed to survive the week together without falling out or without one of them swimming back to mainland, the marriage was supposed to last for their lifetime. Though the practise had died out, in summer months young couples took small boats to the island even now for a bit of practise.
The ferry trip and views were nice but the local stories he told us brought the place to life! We
left them a generous tip at the end of the ferry trip. By the parking lot, there was an interestingly shaped bench which made me want to amend the jingle of Bacardi rum. Nothing is as good as sitting on a bench and looking at a Scottish view!
Then we headed to our B&B at Arrochar by the shore of Loch Long. It was a quaint house right
on the Loch shore and though the room was a small tight fit, the amazing views made up for it.
The host was refreshingly hospitable and even let us choose our breakfast food from several
options. We made sure to choose the Scottish speciality Potato scone once again among other delicacies. We had dinner at Ben Arthur pub across the street from the B&B. With seats
overlooking the lake, it was a relaxing meal ideal to reflect on how good the trip had been.
Lakshman told me more stories about animal parenting techniques. Crocodiles apparently laid 30-40 eggs in a go and hid them under the soil as deep as they could dig. Monitor lizards, Grey herons (bird) hunted these eggs for easy meals when the mama crocodile was not standing guard. Once the eggs hatch, the mama crocodile leaves the scene and the juveniles manage on their own from day 1, hunting small fish and tadpoles. Of the 30-40 eggs, only about five make it to adulthood with an impressive size of up to twenty five feet long and now they hunt the monitor lizards and grey herons. So crocodiles biding their time, gaining strength and then avenging the
murder of its late siblings; animal life stories seem to be inspiring movies more than we know!
We then drove towards Loch Lomond where we were to spend the last night of our holiday. On our way, we stopped at the beautiful and impressive Falloch falls just past Scotland's biggest hydroelectric power station. Not only was there a well laid out path from the parking to the falls, yet again there was a strategically placed bench to allow nature lovers to take in the beauty in relative comfort and there was a newly constructed cage like structure stretching out from the edge of the cliff to relish the best views of the falls from the perched end.
After clicking a few long exposure photos (my photography vocabulary keeps improving due to Lakshman's influence), we left Falloch falls. Our next stop was at Tarbet by the Loch Lomond shore for a loch cruise. We were just in time for the last sailing of the day at 4pm. But as we boarded the ferry, we came to know that the size of the crew matched the number of passengers board. There were two crew members and Lakshman and me. The views were of course amazing but I was still of the opinion that nothing could impress me after Isle of Mull's raw natural beauty. So what made the ferry trip special was the fact that it felt like a chartered trip just for us at a ridiculously nominal price. While we felt sorry for the ferry company's loss due to low occupancy, we couldn't help relish the special treatment.
The ferry captain told us that the boat could hold 128 people so the two of us should be able to find some place to sit! Indeed there were fancy seats on the covered upper deck and booth seats on lower deck. But we mostly stood outside taking in the views. He also told us the story of a gamekeeper who lived by the Loch shore a few years ago in a cottage which had no facilities and who took care of the wildlife in the area. Though he proceeded to list all the species that the game keeper took care of, my attention spanned to Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of games and keys at Hogwarts who lived in a basic hut too.
In about half an hour's time, we neared the Inversnaid island hosting a luxurious 200-bed hotel. Apparently this hotel has had very famous guests including Queen Victoria and William Wordsworth. In fact, Wordsworth was said to have fallen in love with a local farmer's daughter when he stayed there. Having spent time with her sitting on the hilltops overlooking the Loch Lomond and the beautiful waterfall, he'd been inspired to write the famous poem - To a highland girl.
On the way back, the ferry captain pointed out to a small island in the Loch called Honeymoon island. Years ago, newlywed couples were sent off to this island on honeymoon for a week. If they managed to survive the week together without falling out or without one of them swimming back to mainland, the marriage was supposed to last for their lifetime. Though the practise had died out, in summer months young couples took small boats to the island even now for a bit of practise.
left them a generous tip at the end of the ferry trip. By the parking lot, there was an interestingly shaped bench which made me want to amend the jingle of Bacardi rum. Nothing is as good as sitting on a bench and looking at a Scottish view!
Then we headed to our B&B at Arrochar by the shore of Loch Long. It was a quaint house right
on the Loch shore and though the room was a small tight fit, the amazing views made up for it.
The host was refreshingly hospitable and even let us choose our breakfast food from several
options. We made sure to choose the Scottish speciality Potato scone once again among other delicacies. We had dinner at Ben Arthur pub across the street from the B&B. With seats
overlooking the lake, it was a relaxing meal ideal to reflect on how good the trip had been.
Lakshman told me more stories about animal parenting techniques. Crocodiles apparently laid 30-40 eggs in a go and hid them under the soil as deep as they could dig. Monitor lizards, Grey herons (bird) hunted these eggs for easy meals when the mama crocodile was not standing guard. Once the eggs hatch, the mama crocodile leaves the scene and the juveniles manage on their own from day 1, hunting small fish and tadpoles. Of the 30-40 eggs, only about five make it to adulthood with an impressive size of up to twenty five feet long and now they hunt the monitor lizards and grey herons. So crocodiles biding their time, gaining strength and then avenging the
murder of its late siblings; animal life stories seem to be inspiring movies more than we know!
We had a lovely breakfast at the B&B the next day.
It was then we had the biggest argument of the trip. I was convinced that another guest at the B&B was Alfie Allen who played Theon Greyjoy on Game of Thrones, while Lakshman disagreed.
After breakfast, we went to Firking Point for a quiet morning walk by the shore of Loch Lomond with the sounds of tiny birds being the only background music. Since it was early morning on a Wednesday, we had the place to ourselves.
picturesque village street. Another strategically placed bench caught my eye.
Then we went to the final stop which was most anticipated by Lakshman. It was the bird of prey centre in the outskirts of Glasgow. Though it was technically a zoo, the management ran the facility with such genuine care that it didn't feel like a zoo but more like a rehabilitation centre for injured birds to recover before being set free again in the wild. Though all the owls and eagles were majestically beautiful, my favourites were the snowy owl which was a doppelgänger of Harry Potter's Hedwig and the golden eagle (Orla), the clear royalty among the birds there, which was especially huge and majestic.
Apart from the birds of prey, the trees were home to the bird I considered to be the cutest and most adorable - Blue tit, the real inspiration behind the angry birds game. Blue tits are tiny
enough to fit into a human palm, so as a defense they are very agile. There were also robins and chaffinches around.
After that last stop, we joined the motorway to get back to normal city life. Though we'd left the highlands, that weather didn't want to leave us. The motorway was very cold, covered in fog and it rained for miles. We even spotted another rainbow on the highway. But the really long drive back made me wish yet again that it was possible to "apparate" in real life like in Harry Potter. Then I could simply disappear from one place and reappear at another place
instantaneously instead of being on the motorway for 10hrs at a stretch. Well if apparition were real, then I could go home to Ambattur thrice a week and cuddle my favourite niece as many times. Sigh..
Whether it was the regular supply of the sweet Scottish tablet that tasted like a little piece
heaven or the constant presence of soothing natural views with extremely low density of
population, there seemed to be a magic in Scotland that drew us in like no other place. I think the reason for the magic lies in the fact (note it is fact and not fiction) that Hogwarts castle was located in the Scottish Highlands, hidden away from prying muggle eyes.
Our first foray into Scotland was in May 2015 and since then I used Scottish Highlands as
the very high standard against which the natural beauty of any new place I saw was measured against. We travelled to Swansea, Rhossili, Lake District, Peak District, Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons in 2016, but nothing has matched up to the raw untouched beauty of Scotland, a beauty that was greatly enhanced by the fact that there were very few people around to enjoy it. Isle of mull especially had a population of less than 3,000, which meant the density was 3 people per square kilometre.
Despite all my superlatives about Isle of Mull, from memory, Isle of Skye was even more beautiful. So though this is not our first trip to Scotland, I still hope very much this would not be the last. đ
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