Scotland's lochs and locks

Introduction

Beautiful weather, gorgeous locations and good company ensured that this summer's holiday was just about perfect.

Rather than trying to second-guess the ever-changing machinations of Government travel policy, we decided in February to travel from Belfast by ferry and spend early July in Scotland's Western Highlands.  Argyll and Bute to be precise.  No airport security, no vaccine passports, no quarantining, no complications - hopefully.

Week one was a family reunion, five couples plus grandchildren.  We stayed in a well-equipped 13-bedroom house at Ormidale near Tighnabruaich on the Cowal peninsula (1).  To borrow the local parlance, this was a clan gathering, our first since January 2019.  The purpose was to celebrate a number of birthdays and anniversaries ending in zero and a new grand-daughter soon to reach 2 years old. 

Week two (minus offspring families) was based in a "big wee hoose" in Inveraray (2).

The late-winter gamble paid off as lady luck shone brightly to provide ideal conditions for enjoying the outdoors.  My luggage included two bikes.  

The unanimous decision to steer clear of foreign resorts again this summer was endorsed by loch to glen sunshine closer to home.

To get into the holiday spirit, we spent our first full day on the southern tip of the peninsula at Kilbride Bay beach (3).  Also known as Ostel Bay, this "jewel in the crown of Argyll's secret coast" with its southerly aspect out to the Isle of Arran is where the the Kyles of Bute intersect with Loch Fyne.

 

Two of our group cycled from our Ormidale base along the impressively smooth single-track and lightly-trafficked roads to get there.  Ascents and descents galore.

Places of interest

Allow me to present a few examples of other beauty spots that we visited.

●     Lachlans Castle

Perched on the north-eastern shore of the glass-like and tranquil Loch Fyne, this 15th century monument (4) marks the seat of Clan McLachlan, one of Scoland's best known family names.  A plaque reminds visitors that the clan is descended from Lachlan Mór who migrated from Ireland to Scotland in the 11th century. 

Like the McSorley surname, it derives from the vikings, Lachlan being the Scots and Irish Gaelic for a Dane. 

The nearby medieval Kilmorie Chapel contains the graves of an array of Maclachlan clan chiefs.  Lachlan Maclachlan of Maclachlan at al underlines a continuation of the line to the nth degree.  Much of the tantalising path around the shore to the Castle is across a special boardwalk, something like our Cuilcagh walkway in County Fermanagh, only shorter.  Well worth a visit.

●      Bute

No visit to Scotland is complete without an island trip.  Fortunately for us, the ferry across the Firth of Clyde to our nearest candidate, the Isle of Bute, was located next to Colintraive a short distance from our Tighnabruaich house.   Having recently passed on a tweed coat labelled "Little Beaut" made on Bute and purchased by my mother for our eldest daughter, this heirloom promoted the trip to obligatory.

 

The island's capital, Rothesay, is a short drive south of the entry point of Rhubodach. I'd read that Rothesay has been a traditional destination for Glasgwegians going back to Victorian times. This year, perhaps aided by pandemic limitations, the town had a busy vibe with restaurants and ice-cream shops doing a roaring trade. 

Rothesay features in a recent Times article (5) listing it as one of 20 of "the UK's finest spa towns."  Its attraction began as a popular 19th century resort for workers from Glasgow who came to swim in the Clyde estuary.

On which point, my son related to me Billy Connolly's story that the reason for Rothesay's palm trees was to convince urban Scottish visitors that they were visiting the most exotic of climes and could be in a Caribbean resort.  Why argue with a good yarn, even shorn of the expletives.

One of its landmark buildings is a Victorian "Gentlemens Public Lavatory."  It is like a museum piece of best quality design, especially internally with decorative ceramic tiles.  Unsurprisingly it has won accolodes for architectural preservation.

 

Beyond the capital, we spent a lovely day admiring the island's scenery and beautiful beaches. 

 ●     Ben More Botanic Garden

This imposing 120 acre park lies at the gateway to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.  The first thing that grabbed my attention was the avenue of giant Californian redwoods.  As we wandered our way through a myriad of paths, we entered a Japanese garden, we saw the most colourful displays of flowering summer trees and all sorts of ferns.  We breathed in natural fragrences including sweet yellow jasmimum. 

Refreshments in the well-stocked cafe provided a rewarding end-of-visit treat.

●     Lochgoilhead

Another beautiful walk, signed as a pilgrims route and part of the 15 mile Cowal Way between Portavadie and Inveruglas, it links Loch Fyne to Loch Lomond. 

Scottish wildlife never ceases to impress, on this occasion smaller specimens.  I saw a sign about the presence of red squirrels, just as at Ben More previously; and, to me anyway, the sight of an illuminescent dragonfly busily dancing along a small stream while repeatedly dipping its tail into the water (6) was a privilege .  Glad I managed to capture the flight on video.

The drive to Lochgoilhead took us down the very steep and aptly named Hell's Glen, popular with cyclists not least because of the smooth road surface.  We returned by turning right uphill via an alternative yet equally scenic drive.

It's worth acknowledging that most roads throughout Argyll and Bute, both A-roads and the many single-track roads are well-maintained.  One presumes that the municipality accords a high priority to its infrastructure.  Could one reason be, apart from tourism, to facilitate the safe passage of its logging trucks to their markets?

 ⦁         Bunaw and Taynuilt

The next day we drove alongside Loch Awe and along the Pass of Brander to see a unique piece of Scotland's industrial archaeology.  Bunawe Iron Furnace (7) owes its origins in 1753 to the development of a support operation for England's iron industry related to Scotland's forestry.

In addition to a range of excavated buildings on the main site, the pier across the road on Loch Etive was the exit point for Bunawe's production to places like Cumbria.

The nearby pretty village of Taynuilt merits a visit if only because it is home to the best tearooms (8) encountered in our two weeks of touring this area. 

⦁          Lochgilphead and Crinan

The longest trip we made from Inveraray was to visit the western coastal village of Crinan which faces the Sound of Jura and the Isle of Jura.  What a magnificent setting even without mentioning its impressive working canal which links Crinan Loch with Loch Gilp across the neck of the Mull of Kintyre.  This acts as a sea to sea short-cut for yachting traffic which navigate through a series of locks operated by dedicated experts.  Not a canal boat in sight.

Crinan is also home to an impressive Puffer Steamboat built in 1943 as one of a fleet of 100 inshore vessels originally built to help with the war effort.  VIC32 (9) can be chartered for 5-day holiday cruises.

Apart from a 6.2 mile tow-path along the canal,  Crinan also has a shorter hike behind the pier up through the Celtic Rainforest (10) of ancient native trees.  They hold rare lichens, mosses, liverworts and fungi found nowhere else in the world.

Crinan is a wonderful setting to enjoy a sea swim and a tea-break on a sunny afternoon.   I owe a debt of gratitude to my navigator wife for sensing the beauty and interest of Crinan as a great place to visit.

●     Inveraray Castle and Dun na Cuaiche

Less than half a mile from our wee hoose sits "one of Scotland's finest stately homes," the 230 year old Inveraray Castle (11).  It is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of the clan Campbell.  The Castle's attractions will wait for a wet day.  With the weather being so good, we explored the estate's grounds and walks. 

A monument at the side of the Castle commemorates the execution in 1685 of 17 leaders of Clan Campbell by the Marquis of Atholl.

A little further along, we stumbled on the fantastic 50-minute climb to Dùn na Cuaiche, (12) translated from the Gaelic to the Cuckoo's fortress.  The views from this hilltop watchtower over Loch Fyne and Inveraray really are panoramic.

 

Culinary excellence

After living and travelling around so many lochs over two hectic weeks, the local seafood deserves special mention.  The best breakfast out was my succulent kippers at the George Hotel Inverary;

 and

the best dinners out were provided by the legendary Loch Fyne Oyster Bar on the north-west side of the loch (13); and by the Samphire restaurant in Inveraray (14).

 

Just as, for example, tiramisu in the Dolomites differs wonderfully in every establishment, the same applies to home-made chowder in Argyll's fish restaurants.

 

Conclusion

"Haste ye back" goes without saying. 

Apart from revisiting these places, there are others that we failed to explore.  Top of that list is Kilmartin Glen just north of Crinan with its Jura aspect.   Our guidebook (15) says that Kilmartin contains over 800 archaeological monuments within a six-mile radius.  It adds that the Glen was once the heart of the ancient Irish Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riada (16) which - as we all know - includes the most scenic parts of north County Antrim. 

I recall a lecture by an academic at Queen's University Belfast who explained that it was Fergus Mór MacEarc (17), the head of the Irish Dálriada, who brought the Gaelic language and customs across to Scotland in the fifth century, the Irish Scotii people. 

At this point I am reminded of another Billy Connolly story.  His explanation for claiming that the Irish and Scots are all mad is that we have exchanged populations with alarming regularity over many centuries.

©Michael McSorley 2021

References:-

1.https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/cottage/Argyll-The-Isles-Ormidale/Ormidale-House-982133.html?utm_source=enterprise&utm_medium=service_email&utm_campaign=property&utm_content=link)

2.  https://positivehotels.co.uk/places/united-kingdom/argyll/inveraray/luxury-hotels/the-george-hotel-inveraray/

3. https://www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk/whats-new/blogs/visit-beautiful-ostel-bay-but-please-park-sensibly-or-better-still-cycle-there/

4. http://www.oldcastlelachlan.com/visit

5. The Times Weekend Travel 17 July 2021 Staycation escapes. "Take a dip into the UK's finest spa towns"

6. https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/golden-ringed-dragonfly/

7. Bunawe Iron Furnace https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/bonawe-historic-iron-furnace/

8. Robin's Nest Taynuilt https://www.robinsnesttearoom.co.uk/

9. Puffer Steamboat Holidays https://cruisesinscotland.com/boat/vic-32/

10. Crinan Wood https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/crinan-wood/

11. Inverary Castle  https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/inveraray-castle-p255441

12. Dun na Cuaiche https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/argyll/dun-na-cuaiche.shtml

13. https://www.lochfyne.com/

14. https://samphireseafood.com/

15. Holiday West Highland Summer 2021

16. Dál Riada https://www.britannica.com/place/Dalriada

17. https://www.geni.com/people/Fergus-Mor-Annals-of-Tigernach/6000000008608213167

Acknowledgement for technical assistance to the web design business - https://retype.uk/

 

 

 

 

Prague Vienna and Budapest

What better time to visit three of Europe’s great cities as the UK strives to divorce itself from the continent’s precious union. 

Departing in a group of twenty from all parts of Ireland to join a similar-sized group from Scotland, we anticipated a spring-time escape to celebrate castles and palaces, cathedrals and spas, cakes and cocktails in the eastern heart of our beautiful continent.

  

We organised this holiday in the pre-internet fashion by booking through a travel company, for a change, instead of doing it ourselves.  

We had bought foreign holidays on two previous occasions with the same company,[i] both of which were good experiences.  

Four years ago they had taken us to Russia when we were guided around important sites in Moscow and St Petersburg,[ii] with five days in each city; and two years ago, we availed of their expertise on a five day visit to Iceland.

On this occasion, we spent four days (B&B in 4 star hotels) in Prague,[iii] two in Vienna,[iv] and four in Budapest.[v]

  

1 Prague

·        Our first full day took us on a guided walk of the city centre.[vi]  Hradcany, the hill topped by the UNESCO World Heritage 10-14th century Prague Castle, was the start.  At its centre sits the monumental 14^th century St Vitus Cathedral, the world’s seventh largest cathedral and the biggest in the Czech Republic.  Its twin spires rise from a majestic Gothic structure that was only completed in 1929, including Art Nouveau stained glass.  

Prague Castle Guards

St Vitus Cathedral Prague

St Vitus Cathedral stained glass & artwork

Afterwards we descended via Mala Strana (Little Quarter) to cross the 1357 Karluv Most (Charles Bridge) which is guarded by 30 saintly statues.  The oldest is St Ioano Nepomuceno (St John of Nepomuk). 

The day’s highlight was the fairytale-like 15^th Old Townhall century Astronomical Clock chiming at midday in Staromestske Namesti (Old Town Square) and featuring a parade of moving apostles peeping out at the crowds below and moving

like magic puppets past two upper windows.   For a different perspective, we viewed the city’s sights from a boat in the romantic darkness of that same evening.

Charles Bridge Prague nightime view from Vltava

·         Next day we travelled an hour out of town to visit Cesky Sternberk a Castle in rural Bohemia, a National Trust-like property which has been occupied by the Sternberk family for 780 years. 

Chapel in Sternberk Castle

 
 











 That night we attended a performance of Czech folk music and dance on the outskirts of Prague.  For me, the highlight was witnessing the musicians playing the traditional cimbalom instrument.[vii]  Their repertoire even included a rendition from Smetana’s Má Vlast (My Country), his gorgeous paean to Bohemia's great river, Vltava (The Moldau).

·         Our third and final full day in Prague, being a free day, provided the opportunity to discover the city for ourselves without a guide.  We began by taking the metro eight stops from Vysocanska to Narodni Trida – fast and punctual.  Doing this unaided makes you feel more like a local than a tourist. Finding your own way around, likewise, boosts confidence by compelling you to concentrate and learn.  The places we decided to see were both on the opposite side of the Vltava.  Instead of jostling with the crowds on Charles Bridge (named, incidentally, after Charles IV the 14^th century King of Bohemia who planned the city’s layout), we now knew to use an alternative way across the river.  We walked across the Legii (Legions) Bridge.  Despite its not earning a mention in either of my newspaper guides to Prague, our priority (because of our late mothers’ veneration of the Child of Prague) was the handsome 1613 baroque Church of Our Lady Victorious.  It is home to this small 47 cm statue made of wood and covered with fabric and wax. 

  
Our map showed that behind the Church lie the extensive Petrin Gardens which contain what our guide had called Prague’s own Eiffel Tower.  We could see it tantalisingly from lower levels.  Being a pleasant sunny day a steep uphill climb beckoned.  The effort is worth the grunt-work.  Petrin Tower was built in 1891

Petrin Tower

(two years after its Parisian cousin), it is adjoined by Prague City Museum as well as an 1891 exhibition pavilion with 15 distorting mirrors.[viii]  There are other imposing older religious buildings nearby.  On our way back, after crossing over the Manesuv (Manes) Bridge we walked around some of the Jewish Quarter including the Maisel Synagogue as a reminder of the vibrancy of that culture in Prague before the horrors of World War 2.  We ambled across Jan Palach Square, named in honour of the 20-year-old student who immolated himself in protest at the 1969 uprising's military suppression by Russia.  I recall the impact of that event well being the same age as Palach at the time.  To revive mind and body, a visit to the Staromestske (Old Town) restaurant for Czech strudel and pancakes seemed well earned

before walking to Namesti Republiky metro station and a return trip to Vysocanska and our nearby hotel.

2. Vienna

·         The coach-trip from Prague to Vienna was eased with a stop for lunch on the Czech side of the border.  Chvalovice attracts Austrian customers attracted by a variety of merchandise at prices that are low by their standards.  It includes casinos and nightclubs, even bearing a scruffy resemblance to Disneyland.

·         To help us to get our bearings of Vienna, our Hungarian guide brought us for a walk to the city centre.  We saw the exterior of the fabulous 19^th century State Opera House

At Vienna State Opera

(unfortunately with no tour of the sumptuous interior, as strongly recommended to me by a friend) followed by a visit inside St Stephan’s Cathedral.  Part Romanesque part Gothic, it dates to the 14^th century.[ix]  Composers like Haydn, Mozart and others have got married in this cathedral, Vivaldi’s funeral was hosted here and also that of Niki Lauda the racing driver.

Stephansdom St Stephan's Cathedral

·         Next day, we visited the grounds of the ornate Belvedere Palace.  Its parklands include a fountain-speckled Baroque garden which runs between the upper and lower parts of the palace, and a Botanical Garden.

Botanical Garden Belvedere Palace

·         If only to meet a challenge set by our youngest daughter, we enjoyed the legendary sachertorte chocolate cake in the Sacher Hotel’s Cafe Mozart. This is famed as the place where Harry Lime met The Third Man.

Sachertorte at Hotel Sacher

·         No visit to Vienna would be complete without a concert of Viennese music. Along with about half of our group, we attended a performance of works by Mozart and Johann Strauss in the Kursalon Wien with the Salonorchester Alt Wien – a small orchestra, with a soprano and tenor singing arias and a performance which received a well-earned standing ovation. 

 























 3.Budapest

·         En route to the Hungarian capital, we stopped in the resplendent town of Gyor.  Its Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady houses a 40-year-old connection with Ireland dating back to Oliver Cromwell.  When the English conqueror expelled Catholic clergy, Bishop Walter Lynch of Clonfert in County Galway escaped in 1649 with a special artwork, a painting known as the Irish Tearing Madonna.  Having originally settled in Vienna, Lynch eventually became the second bishop of Gyor and the miraculous painting is displayed prominently in the Cathedral.  In addition a plaque written in Hungarian on Connemara marble sits across the aisle.

The Irish Tearing Madonna, Gyor Cathedral

·         A highlight was our trip to the world coach-driving champions Lázárs Equestrian Park in Domonyvolgy about 35k east of Budapest. 

We were treated to a magnificent display of Hungarian Nonius and Lipanzammer stallions in dazzling displays of coach-driving featuring an array of superb horse-handling expertise. Prior to Lázárs, we had visited another National Trust-type of property, the baroque Royal Palace Godollo, the retreat of the Austro-Hungarian monarch Queen Sisi (Elizabeth).

Sisi Palace Godollo

·         No visit to Budapest should exclude bathing in its monumental thermal pools, dating back to the Ottoman occupation.  One of the eleven listed[x] and the one closest to our hotel (a 15 minute walk from our hotel crossing the Elizabeth Bridge) is the 500-year-old Rudas Baths.  Under monumental architecture, Rudas contains an array of pools, from very hot through medium to cool and cold, a cure for all ailments.  A massage and other treatments are available.[xi] You could spend weeks visiting these magnificent palaces of health.  

Rudas Thermal Bath

·        Budapest’s other monuments[xii] included elevated Buda Castle, Szent Istvan (St Stephen) Bazilika, named after the nation’s founder King Stephen and containing the relic of his right hand, the Shoes on the Danube memorial to murdered Jews,

the biggest synagogue in Europe, Erzsébet Hid (Elizabeth Bridge), Széchenyi Lánchíd (Chain Bridge)[xiii] and the adjacent Cave Church excavated from solid rock on the side of Gellert Hill and run by Pauline Order monks.

Sziklatemplom, Church by the Rock

Ten nights away including two days transferring by coach means that a lot of sight-seeing has to be condensed into a limited amount of words and time. The careful allocation of precious time, I have to say, is half the charm of a holiday like this.

Recommendations

The best restaurant meal was provided by the ornate Múzeum restaurant (established 1885)[xiv]  adjacent to the National Museum in Prague.  For the record, my main course was roasted pike-perch with spinach and pine-nuts served with a shrimp sauce and fine herbed potatoes; while my wife had goose leg with warm cabbage and apple and served with onion smashed potatoes.  

I had anticipated relaxing in one of Vienna’s long-established coffee houses. Perhaps because of our short time in the Austrian capital, my award for best coffee shop instead goes to one in Hungary.  On our final day before heading to Budapest’s airport, we happened to find Auguszt Belvaros.[xv]  This is a magnificent family-owned 149 year old institution which serves the best selection of naturally-flavoured cakes with beautiful coffee and hot chocolate. 

To mark the previous evening, our final night, with a sense of occasion, we sought out a cocktail bar and found the ideal place.  The St Andrea Wine and Skybar[xvi] sits above Vorosmarty Square and has won architectural awards.  It serves up a cool modern vibe, an impressive array of locally-based affordable cocktails, with the enticing bonus of a panoramic view over Budapest.   

Conclusion

When the UK Government announced that the elections to the EU Parliament would take place on 23 May, it was apparent that getting back to Belfast before 10 pm in time to vote was going to be difficult.  This became more so when the departure from Franz Liszt airport was delayed by 20 minutes, not helped by the inclusion of two stops (Banbridge and Sprucefield) by our bus from Dublin airport to Belfast. 

As we approached our destination, I phoned a taxi company with a forlorn hope of getting us, literally, to the church on time.  Emerging from the bus weighed down by two heavy suitcases and with less than 20 minutes until the deadline, I found a helpful driver waiting and waving.  I explained our mission and he entered into the spirit of the occasion accepting an impossible challenge in good humour.  Obligingly he whisked us through the city traffic as fast as he could legally travel. 

With 5 or 6 minutes left on the clock we made it and cast our votes.  Basking in the warm glow of an awe-inspiring continental holiday, the only response was to return the compliment and endorse our enduring citizenship with Europe. 

©Michael McSorley 2019

References

---

[i] Travel Department www.traveldepartment.ie

[ii] https://michaelmcsorleytravel.blogspot.com/2015/05/moscow-and-saint-petersburg.html

[iii] www.clarioncongresshotelprague.com

[iv] www.bestwestern.com BW Plus Amedia Wien

[v] www.museumhotel.hu

[vi] 48 hours in Prague Belfast Telegraph Weekend 6 Feb 2016

[vii] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NhCJMoDd5E (clip includes The Third Man theme)

[viii] 48 hours in Prague Belfast Telegraph Weekend 21 June 2014

[ix] 48 hours in Vienna Belfast Telegraph Weekend 19 September 2015

[x] Budapest The City of Spas www.spabudapest.com

[xi] www.rudasfurdo.hu

[xii] 48 hours in Budapest Belfast Telegraph Weekend 30 January 2016

[xiii] 48 hours in Budapest Belfast Telegraph Weekend 27 September 2014

[xiv] https://muzeumkavehaz.hu/en/

[xv] https://auguszt.hu/auguszt-belvaros/

[xvi] https://standreaskybar.hu/