Back to Summer

The weather back in Provence has been lovely.  Nice warm days, but not too hot, between 23˚C and 27˚C.  We had the Mistral blowing for a couple of days but thankfully that has stopped now.  Once the sun sets the temperature drops fairly quickly to remind you that the season is changing.  Overnight lows have been 12˚C to 15˚C, nice for sleeping but too cool to stay outside with a glass of wine until midnight.  Although come to think of it we still did that once this week and it wasn’t the time I ended up with a headache!

So given that we are on notice that this very pleasant weather will end soon we have been trying to make the most of it.  We have had one day at the beach (it was meant to be two but on the second day I woke with a headache and it only cleared at lunchtime, too late to go).  We have been exploring the scenery around Sainte-Victoire, near Aix-en-Provence.  We spent a day looking around the area surrounding Gourdon, a hilltop village near Grasse.  We also spent some time relaxing here at Sue’s place and doing domestic stuff like going to the supermarket.  All in all a very pleasant week.

Something that did end up taking a big block of time was installing iOS 7 on my phone and dealing with things that misbehaved as a consequence.  I seem to have it mainly working OK now and I am generally impressed with it.

Anyway, here are some photos…

Sue’s cat, Jazz sitting on her car in the shade. It’s a tough life being a cat!

Perched on rocks overlooking the river Loup is the village of Gourdon. The last time we were here cloud came in blocking most of the view to the Mediterranean.

Next to perfumeries the most popular business in the tourist village of Gourdon is running a café.

Up the hill behind Gourdon was a bit like a moonscape. The views were great.

Looking out over the village of Gourdon towards Nice and the airport.

Leanne found some ripe blackberries…

Leanne’s harvest from which she made us a blackberry and apple crumble. Served hot with vanilla ice-cream, excellent!

A quiet mid-week day at the beach. This one is Plage de la Garonnette which is between Fréjus and Sainte-Maxime. Sitting on the beach was lovely but even Leanne had to concede that the water was too cold for swimming. I only went as deep as my big toe.

Looking back into the bay at Garonnette. This spot seemed popular for kids sailing. There were Lasers and Hobby Cats lined up on the shore and lots of school-aged kids about.

This train of Optimists had obviously finished their sailing for the day and were under tow back to the club house.

We had heard good things about the Wine Cooperative at Taradeau so we dropped in for a look. Nice shop, friendly staff, good wine, tasting, and a selection of single malt scotches as well.

Jazz brought this trophy dormouse (a loir in French) to us one evening. The poor thing was quite alive but frightened out of its wits. We tricked Jazz into stepping in the house then closed the door behind her. Within a few minutes the dormouse had regained its composure and disappeared into the night. BTW, those concrete pavers are 320mm square.

After carefully threading our way along a rocky access road for 20 minutes and then a short walk we arrived at Ermitage de Saint-Jean du Puy. The main buildings were behind the camera but this tower was commanding a great view across the valley to Sainte-Victoire.

A part of the view from Ermitage de Saint-Jean du Puy.

A panorama taken from Ermitage de Saint-Jean du Puy. Try clicking on it to enlarge it then zoom and pan for the best view.

After leaving Ermitage de Saint-Jean du Puy we drove across the valley, crossed the A8 and worked our way towards the foothills of Sainte-Victoire.

Getting closer to Sainte-Victoire.

Our closest approach from the side of Sainte-Victoire. There is a monument just visible near the end – that is La Croix de Provence.

Looking back at the end of Sainte-Victoire after leaving Le Tholonet.

As an exercise I put my 50mm f/1.4 prime lens on the camera for the visit to Villecroze and didn’t take my other lenses with me.  So no zoom, just a simple set up.  It is meant to be good practice to help you improve composition etc.  I thought it would be tricky but it turned out easier than I thought.  You just have to ‘zoom with your feet’, as they say.  Its also a lot lighter to carry!  Here are some examples…

Sunday morning we went to the vide grenier (flea market/jumble sale) in Villecroze. I was surprised at how weathered looking the plane trees were. They don’t change colour and drop until late November.

Of course we had to get some pastries and some bread while we were in Villecroze.

The square in Villecroze is lined on one side with a few cafés and restaurants. Right next to where we had coffee was this sign for an ironmonger. Last time we were here the big doors were open and the sounds of industry were filtering out together with flashes from arc welding.

The Villecroze square is well covered by plane trees. It didn’t seem to be especially busy this time. In the back of this shot is the primary school – boys on the left and girls on the right.

Like most villages we have seen in these parts, Villecroze has a memorial to the Resistance fighters who helped liberate it in WWII.

Just a short one this week.  I hope you enjoy reading it.  Please post a comment.

Summer In Glasgow

Yeah right!  We have had heavily overcast weather almost every day this week and rain on five days out of seven.  Luckily we were prepared and used those two fine days well.

Monday was another rest day and the weather was rubbish anyway.  For some reason we were both just feeling sleepy and in need of some time not out running about.

The first ‘dry’ day was Tuesday and we went in to Glasgow central for a look around.  Wednesday was a nice fine day and even the clouds cleared, it was just like an early summer’s day.  This was the day we went to see Stirling, Killearn, Glengoyne Distillery and a quick stop for the view at Loch Lomond.  The Loch Lomond part was not planned but the guy at the Glengoyne Distillery did such a sales pitch on a particular vista point, even drew us a map, that we felt it would be very rude not to pay a visit.  I mean you have to respect local customs and practices, don’t you?

On Thursday we went in to Glasgow again specifically to see the Tall Ship, Glenlee.  This is part of the exhibition at the Riverside Museum, a very well put together and very modern museum of transport.  Unfortunately the weather was absolute rubbish so we were back home for lunch.

It was only raining lightly on Friday morning and our plan was to go to  Pollock House. It was full of Spanish art and we got a private little tour and commentary with one of the staff – he took us into an area that was closing off for a wedding and let us see the El Greco painting called ‘Lady With A Fur Wrap’. He explained lots of things to us and was very interesting.  Obviously we did not view the gardens!

The outdoors didn’t look very inviting on Saturday and besides today was the Grand Depart of the Tour de France.  That soaked up most of the afternoon and then we watched the coverage of Djokovic as he demolished Chardy at Wimbledon.

Some rain again on Sunday but we went off to try and see Paisley Abbey, the Paisley Snail and the Weaver’s Cottage in Kilbarchan – all within 30 minutes of where we are currently staying.

Downtown Glasgow is very attractive with large interconnected pedestrian precincts like this one, Buchanan Street.

A row of late 19th century tenement houses at 145 Buccleuch Street. The Scottish National Trust has a preserved three room and kitchen unit in this building that has been kept as it was when it was lived in for 54 years by a Miss Agnes Toward. It was a very interesting story… http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/Tenement-House/Learn/

An example of a well preserved building in Glasgow.

Glasgow Cathedral is undergoing a refurbishment. I guess decided of industrial pollution has taken a toll.

Glasgow Cathedral is allegedly located where the patron saint of Glasgow, Saint Mungo, built his church. The tomb of the saint is in the lower crypt. Built before the Reformation from the late 12th century onwards and serving as the seat of the Bishop and later the Archbishop of Glasgow, the building is a superb example of Scottish Gothic architecture. It is also one of the few Scottish medieval churches (and the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland) to have survived the Reformation not unroofed. We read at the cathedral that it was subdivided into three spaces for the use of different protestant congregations and this saved it from damage.

Near the cathedral is the Glasgow Necropolis.

The approach across ‘The Bridge of Sighs’ to the Glasgow Necropolis. It reportedly has 50,000 burked in 3,500 tombs. Some of the tombs are more like small houses.

Like this colonnaded example.

Glasgow Cathedral seen from the top of the Necropolis hill.

A streetscape not far from the centre of Glasgow.

According to the sign it is Glasgow’s oldest Public House, built circa 1515.

Tolbooth Steeple marks the centre of the old city of Glasgow.

Another Glasgow streetscape.

Stirling Castle on the hilltop.

The public library building, donated by Andrew Carnegie, sits opposite the Town Hall and beside the Corn Exchange.

The Stirling Corn Exchange.

Looking from the highest point in the cemetery to Ben Lomond on the horizon.

Stirling Castle on the hilltop as seen from the cemetery.

View to the east from Stirling Castle across rooftops.

Our host at the B&B in Portnahaven was 9th generation from Killearn so when it was near where we were going anyway we decided to call in. It was a very cute village.

They had also told us about the Glengoyne Distillery. We stopped and I had a wee sample which was delicious, quite similar to Macallan for those who are familiar.

This viewing point over Loch Lomond was mapped out for us on a paper bag by the guy at the Glengoyne Distillery. It was a beautiful spot for a visit and although parking was some distance away, it was worth it.

Loch Lomond vista.

The weather was not very nice so something indoors was called for. Here is what the website says… “The Clyde Maritime Trust owns the barque Glenlee, the principal exhibit at The Tall Ship at Riverside. Of the many hundreds of ships built in Glasgow’s shipyards, the Glenlee is one of only five Clyde built ships still afloat in the world today and she is the only one of her kind in the UK. The Glenlee was built at the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow and was one of a group of 10 steel sailing vessels built to a standard design for the Glasgow shipping firm of Archibald Sterling and Co. Ltd. She is a three masted barque, with length 245 feet, beam 37.5 feet and depth 22.5 feet. The Glenlee first took to the water as a bulk cargo carrier in 1896. She circumnavigated the globe four times and survived (though not without incident!) passing through the fearsome storms of Cape Horn 15 times before being bought by the Spanish navy in 1922 and being turned into a sail training vessel. The ship was modified and served in that role until 1969. She then operated as a training school until 1981 when she was laid up in Seville Harbour and largely forgotten. A British naval architect saw her in Seville in 1990 and two years later, the Clyde Maritime Trust succeeded in buying the re-named Galatea at auction for 5 million Pesetas (£40,000) and saved her from dereliction.” http://www.thetallship.com/index.aspx

Charlie has decided that Leanne is his new best friend. He will flutter down from his perch in the hall, walk into the lounge (he can’t fly – he plucks most of his feathers for some reason), clambers on to her lap and ‘demands’ to have his head rubbed! I can carry him around and a day after this photo he allowed me to rub his head as well. If only he would leave his feathers alone!

Guests were just arriving for a wedding on this rainy afternoon as we left Pollok House. It is home to a large collection of Spanish paintings and of special note is ‘Lady In A Fur Wrap’ by El Greco. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/lady-in-a-fur-wrap-86230

According to the Paisley Abbey website… was founded when Walter Fitzalan, the High Steward of Scotland, signed a charter at Fotheringay for the founding of a Cluniac monastery on land he owned in Renfrewshire, approximately seven miles from Glasgow. Thirteen monks came from Much Wenlock in Shropshire to set up the priory on the site of an old Celtic church founded by St. Mirin in the 6th century. In 1245, the priory was raised to the status of an Abbey, answerable only to the Pope in Rome.

To the legal profession Paisley is known for ‘the precedent of negligence based on the neighbour principle’ due to the Paisley Snail case. It is outlined on this memorial plaque.

The reverse of the plaque has further elaboration. Coats Memorial Church is in the background.

Coats Memorial Church was founded in the 1890s. It was a church business day when we were here so we did not go inside.

Here’s an opportunity, unexpectedly back on the market.

The Weaver’s Cottage was built in 1723 but the roof is a more recent vintage having been constructed completely over the old one. Details of the original sod roof can be seen inside.

The Weaver’s Cottage at Kilbarchan is a Scottish National Trust property and an interesting stop on a wet Sunday afternoon. This lady had recently finished weaving a tartan she had specially designed to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn next year. Here she is in the process of hand tying the 1552 individual thread ends to those of the next masterpiece she will weave, hence she is sitting ‘in’ the loom.

The completed Battle of Bannockburn tartan, all eight yards of it with its official certificate.

I am afraid that the weather forecast for the next week is for 80% chance of rain every day except Friday.  It might be a quiet week.  We will see.

Water To Whisky

Many people had told us to expect wet and windy weather on Islay but we enjoyed great conditions; some overcast days but nothing that interrupted our plans at all.

We had decided to go to Jura on Monday and that turned out to be an inspired choice.  As you will see from the photos below, the weather was superb.  Not 35˚C like the south of France, but very pleasant all the same.  The crossing only takes ten minutes and then we were part of a procession of traffic towards Craighouse where the Jura Distillery is located.   Got to the distillery at 11h45 and booked for the 12h30 tour.  In the meantime we sat outside in the sun while I had two drams – one for me and one for my driver, Leanne.   Nearby an older guy in overalls, gumboots, leather gloves, etc. was doing the gardening.  We got chatting and he told us that he played banjo and mandolin in a traditional music band on Sundays and Wednesdays starting at 20h30 at the Port Charlotte Hotel.  So we put that in the calendar.  Had another dram after the tour then Leanne drove us up the coast further to Lagg where we turned back to head for the ferry.  We got to Bruichladdich in time to have some samples before heading home to Portnahaven.

The main event for me on Tuesday was the Laphroaig ‘Water To Whisky’ tour which I had booked last week.  Before that I took in another distillery tour at Ardbeg that started at 10h30 and was meant to take 90 minutes.  Leanne dragged me out of the tasting room at 12h20 to get me to Laphroaig!  The Laphroaig tour was four hours and started with a trip to the water source where we had a very nice picnic lunch, accompanied by a dram of course, the Cask Strength.  From there to the peat cutting where we tried cutting some peat. Easier than I thought it would be.  Another dram, Quarter Cask this time.  Then back to the distillery for a full tour.  Interestingly, there was no restriction mentioned regarding photography in the still room or the filling room as there had been elsewhere.  The tour ended in the old warehouse where we sampled three barrels then selected one of them for our own 250ml bottle.  One of the guys, an American PhD student named Albert, and I then enjoyed the whisky remaining in the sampling beakers.  So total Laphroaig drams must have been about seven. Total for the day so far – twelve.  As we left we helped Albert jump start his car, he had left the park lights on all day.

Just got back to the Lochindaal Hotel at Port Charlotte in time to meet Chris & Sue for dinner at 19h00. Had a fun time chatting, good food and beer.  Had another couple of drams back at the B&B then called it a day.

Now you might be thinking that I would be stumbling about with a hangover on Wednesday morning, but you would be wrong!  I felt just fine.  I had consumed much more alcohol than I would ever normally have in a day but it was over almost twelve hours and on three good meals.  Anyway, I was quite relieved to be in good shape and ready to continue the relentless pursuit of Islay distilleries.  So we headed off around the western side of Islay to Kilchoman Distillery, a newcomer on the island having started about ten years ago.   Next stop Bowmore for a sample of their 18 year-old and buy another glass.  We had a quick look in the Round Church while we were there.  After that we headed back to Caol Ila mainly to buy a glass that I had not thought to do on Saturday.  Of course I had to have a couple of drams as well, my one and one for Leanne since she was driving!  

While we were having dinner at the pub back at Portnahaven Chris and Sue arrived.  Had a short chat before it was time for us to head off to the traditional music evening at the Port Charlotte Hotel.  We got there and the place was packed but we managed to wedge ourselves in. We saw another couple who had been on the Laphroaig tour but then we saw not only the gardener from Jura in the band but the lounge manager from Laphroaig was there too playing piano-accordion.  The music was excellent including a solo vocal by the pub owner in Gaelic – quite moving.  Also ended up chatting to a Kiwi girl from Coatesville and an Australian guy from Queensland.  After an hour or so it was just too hot so we went outside for some fresh air.  There were two benches free right by the door so we sat down.  Soon after we found out why they were free – midges!  So that didn’t last long before we went home to bed.

Thursday was time to catch the ferry back to the mainland.  We got up early and packed the rest of our stuff in the car before our 07h30 breakfast.  We left Orsay House, the B&B,  just after 08h00 and had a good run to the Port Ellen ferry terminal arriving before 09h00.  There had been a bit of rain in the night and we got some spots while driving, other than that it was just grey and overcast.  We bumped into Jeff from Queensland at the ferry reception as well as a couple from Orsay House on Monday night when we got on board.  Ended up talking all the way across.  It was smooth enough on the water.  Got off at Kennacraig at 11h50 and joined the procession of cars and trucks travelling towards Glasgow.  We got to Inveraray in about an hour and stopped at Inveraray Castle, home to the Dukes of Argyll, for a coffee at their café.  Left again about 13h45 and had a clear run through to our accommodation near Glasgow at 15h40.

It was wet and cold on Friday morning but we left the hotel and headed for the coast to Ayr regardless.  By the time we got there the rain had stopped.  We continued down the Ayrshire coast to Culzean Castle and the weather kept improving.  The castle was a beauty but no photos allowed inside.  From there we went to Linwood, the location of our housesit for the next two weeks.  We arrived at 17h00 and met Tracey, who had done all the organising, and her parents, Robert and Heather.  We had dinner and started getting to know the dogs and what needed to be done for the ducks, hens, fish and Charlie the parrot.

We spent Saturday close to the house and Robert and Heather took us for a drive to help us get oriented.  They left for the airport at 07h45 on Sunday in grey weather.  We only went out to get groceries and I spent the majority of the day sorting out photos and writing last week’s blog.

Highland Cattle are a Scottish breed of cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun. The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Highlands are known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and very strong winds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_cattle

Even the Royal Mail gets to Jura on the ferry.

The Paps of Jura across the meadow. The weather was excellent so we drove up past Craighouse, where the Jura Distillery is located, towards the remote end where George Orwell stayed and wrote.

Only just past Lagg we decided to turn back so we could get the 15h15 ferry back to Islay and visit another distillery. In this photo – if the telephone doesn’t work you can always send a letter!

These signs are common in rural Scotland. As a lapsed mountain biker they always make me smile.

This was taken out the car window as we drove out of Craighouse at 14h30. Apparently there are ten times more deer than people on Jura these days.

Work is definitely overrated! But, to be fair, on Monday the weather was beautiful and the scenery magnificent. It would have required more talent than I possess to take bad photos. This was taken just down the road from the ferry ramp on Jura looking towards Port Askaig on Islay.

At low tide the sheep and the cattle browse the flats. There are a mix of sheep and cattle roaming the roads along the coast and we are told that the farmers are paid to graze this area and keep it tidy. Works for me!

A similar shot but with Bowmore town and distillery in the background.

A calm evening at Portnahaven looking out to the lighthouse on Orsay Island.

This is the oldest house in PortnaHaven.

As it was explained to me, families built next to each other as children grew up and got married. Many of these houses have been in the same family for generations, being passed down rather than ever going on the open market.

The Laphroaig water source. This reservoir is fed from a loch in the hills behind. The water is very brown from the peat it had flowed through.

Our picnic lunch up near the distillery water source.

Laphroaig still cut all their own peat by hand and use the latest technology to transport it to the distillery.

This is the peat bank that amateurs like me get to try cutting. Hence it is not straight like the ‘real’ ones!

Work done, time for a dram! And yes, it was a bit bright without my glasses.

Jenny was our guide and Doug (get it?) has been working here cutting peat since he was 15 years-old. Note the pile of dry peat behind them waiting to be carted to the distillery.

The malting floor where the barley is spread out to start its germination.

Barley sprouts.

After germinating a percentage of the barley goes into the smoke room to gather that distinctive peat smoke flavour.

And this is the source of that smoke down below the smoke room. The peat is not too dry so it produces copious smoke without much heat.

All Single Malt Scotch is double distilled. Here are the Laphroaig stills – three wash stills at the far end that produce low wines at about 25% ABV and three (of four) spirit stills that produce about 72% ABV.

The spirit safe is kept under lock and key by HM Customs and Excise. As the alcohol content varies during distillation the operator can turn the nozzle from left to right thereby directing the spirit to different secure storage vats.

This is the old Number 1 warehouse, the one with the big Laphroaig sign on the front. Only the distillery manager knows exactly what is in here.

At the end of our tour we got to sample from these three casks.

Extracting our sample.

After the tour Leanne and I set off with GPS in hand to locate my one square foot of land. As a member of the ‘Friends of Laphroaig’ I was allocated this land several years ago and they pay me rent on it of one dram per year. The only catch is that I have to visit the distillery to collect it.

Relaxing on my estate… and overlapping onto several of my neighbours!

Typical scenery around the western side of Islay.

Looks great on a fine day but I’ll bet it is rough here in the winter storms.

The Kilchoman Military Cemetery which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Most of the graves resulted from a ship sinking just off the coast near here. The CWGC site says, “This cemetery was made for the burial of the dead from H.M.S. Otranto, sunk on the 6th October, 1918, after a collision”.

More landscape on the western side with the Paps of Jura in the distance.

Standing at the Round Church in Bowmore looking down the High Street.

The traditional music band at the Port Charlotte Hotel. Our friend from Jura in the back right corner and Dave from Laphroaig on the right.

Inveraray Castle was used for filming parts of Downton Abbey.

The main entrance to the castle.

From the castle looking towards Loch Fyne and the bridge on the main road in to town.

The ambient temperature must have been 14˚C and quite windy but this was one of two groups of intermediate school aged children going for a swim. Perhaps it was customary to do so on the longest day because I was not able to come up with any other reason to go swimming on a day like this except that it was the 21st of June. And even that was no where near a good enough reason for me to try it.

Culzean Castle was constructed as an L-plan castle by order of the 10th Earl of Cassilis. He instructed the architect Robert Adam to rebuild a previous, but more basic, structure into a fine country house to be the seat of his earldom. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792. It incorporates a large drum tower with a circular saloon inside (which overlooks the sea), a grand oval staircase and a suite of well-appointed apartments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culzean_Castle#Film_and_television_appearances

Looking from Culzean Castle up the Ayrshire coast towards Ayr (beyond the point).

Here are all the distilleries on Islay and Jura plus some other shots…

Caol Ila Distillery.

Bunnahabhain Distillery.

Bowmore Distillery.

Jura Distillery.

Lagavulin Distillery.

Bruichladdich Distillery.

Ardbeg Distillery.

The mash tuns at Ardbeg are still wooden.

Laphroaig Distillery.

Kilchoman Distillery.

At Bruichladdich I sampled three of their malts including Octomore, a 61% ABV, 167ppm peated example. It was actually rather nice, nowhere near as scary as the 167ppm suggested.

The sampling line-up that we enjoyed after the tour. From L-R; Blasda, The Ultimate Ten, Alligator, Uigeadail, Corryvreckan,

At the end of our ‘Water to Whisky Tour’ we could chose one of the three casks and bottle our own 250ml bottle which was packed with a glass in a presentation box.

Laphroaig Cairdeas is a special edition bottled for the Friends of Laphroaig at the time of the annual Whisky Festival on Islay. Most of it sold within 6 hours of going online. I managed to get a bottle delivered to our housesit address near Glasgow.

My haul of glasses purchased at the distilleries. The shiny thing in the centre is a collapsible metal tumbler I got at Jura instead of a glass. Looking back I should have got the glass. The Laphroaig miniature is my land rent dram.

Touring With The In-Laws

What a crammed week!  As usual I will try to provide some context before letting the photos take over.

Our assignment in Wales came to a successful conclusion on Sunday 9th June.  Lisa got back safe and well on Saturday evening as planned and seemed very pleased with how we had done with everything.  Another happy customer!

We got away on Sunday at 09h45 after seeing the geese and the goslings for the last time and having a pat with the dogs.  The weather was windy and cold.  We took the route through Crickhowell and stopped for a medicinal coffee in Abergavenny.  Already taken paracetamol and Voltaren but not feeling any better.  Caught the delicious smells of a roast bap window on the street and had a brunch snack.  Then headed to Tredegar House.  By now we had blue skies and it was nice and warm. Tredegar House is promoted as one of the architectural wonders of Wales and one of the most significant late 17th-century houses in the whole of the British Isles.

Got to our accommodation in Bristol, Malago Guest House, at 16h15.  For the next few days we were going to be touring together with Leanne’s Mum and Dad, G&Z.  Their hotel was only ~2km away so we walked to their place and then into the old city via Queens Park.

On Monday morning, Leanne bought sandwiches at the Tesco Express near the hotel to have for lunch.  We met G&Z at their hotel at 10h00. Got away about 10h25 and went to Bourton-on-the-Water.  Spent an hour there then moved on to Charlecote House.  Had a picnic near the front of the house before going through it in detail.  The gardens were good too.  Got to the pub/accommodation near Stratford-on-Avon at about 17h00 and stayed in for dinner.  I finally remembered to check my FaceBook page for the first time in weeks.  I actually don’t use it anymore.  My blog postings get automatically notified on my FaceBook page but that is all I have it for now. I even deleted most of my content from it a few months ago.  What I found there however were some comments on earlier posts that I had never seen.  Sorry about the delay in acknowledging those.  Going forward please use the comment facility on my blog site for any comments, questions and remarks.  It has the added advantage of keeping the feedback with the relevant post.  Thanks.

Tuesday – left the pub at near 10h00. Weather was windy & cold and looked like rain.  Went into Stratford-on-Avon in G&Z’s car.  Started teaching them how to use the satnav.  Got some fine rain during our two hours walkabout.  Our next stop was Baddesley Clinton. We got there at 13h00 and went directly into the house.  The National Trust staff were great as usual.  This house dates from the 15th century.   After a cup of tea and a biscuit we set the satnav for Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.  Just took a few photos from the outside then headed back to the pub for a beer.

On Wednesday we set off at about 10h00 for Kedleston.  We set G&Z the task to get there by themselves using the satnav and Leanne & I went into Costa in Stratford to get a coffee.  They beat us to Kedleston by 5 minutes and didn’t have any real problems.  Kedleston was amazing.  To quote the NT app… “Take a trip back in time to the 1760s at this spectacular Neo-classical mansion framed by historic parkland.  Designed for lavish entertaining and displaying an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture and original furnishings, Kedleston is a stunning example of the work of architect Robert Adam.  The Curzon family have lived here since the 12th-century and continue to live at the Hall. Lord Curzon’s Eastern Museum is a treasure trove of fascinating objects acquired on his travels in Asia and while Viceroy of India (1899 to 1905).  The Hall was used as a key location for ‘The Duchess’, the recent Hollywood blockbuster.”

From there we went to Batley and walked up and down the street, Grange Road, where Leanne’s grandfather was born according to his birth certificate and even chatted to some locals.  Across the road you can see the old mill buildings.  You could imagine how oppressive it might have been in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  Went in to the town as well and had a walk around before getting to the hotel at about 18h00.

Thursday was our last morning with G&Z.  We went to the Dewsbury Town Hall, near Batley, for a quick look.  This is where Leanne’s Grandfather’s birth was probably registered.  We took some photos and then it was time to say farewell.

We went on to Fountains Abbey.  Got there at 12h45, just in time for a 75 minute guided tour starting at 13h00 with Sam.  He was very good as we find with all the NT staff – passionate, knowledgable and engaging.  After the tour we walked around the water garden and back to the water mill.  On the way back we were practically accosted in the middle of the path by Tony.  As he almost rushed towards us he was apologising for the weather!  Then he poured out a number of interesting bits of information about the property.  It was hard to get away from him politely.  He certainly was enjoying his job.  We had a cup of tea before finally getting on the road at 16h45.   The drive to Abington, near Glasgow was uneventful and we arrived at 19h25.

The weather on Friday was overcast, cold and windy with a few spots of rain – not enough to put the wipers on for though.  Left the hotel at 09h00 and went straight to a Tesco near Glasgow to stock up and get diesel.  Left the Glasgow area at 11h00 and had a very nice drive up Loch Lomond stopping many times for photos.  Spent some time at Luss where we found a number of Colquhoun headstones in the church graveyard.  Turns out that this is relevant to Jodi!  Small world.

We got to Tarbert just before 17h00 but there was nobody at the reception of the place we were booked at.  Leanne rang and a French guy arrived ten minutes later apologising and explaining that due to an electrical fire a week ago the hotel was closed.  He had arranged for us to stay at another B&B in town called Dunivaig but was vague on the costs.  So we headed off there to see what the damage was.  Turned out to be the same price, £70 including a full breakfast.  I don’t know why we could not have been informed of all this in advance but as it turned out Dunivaig was probably a much better place.

Saturday morning was all about getting to the ferry on time, which we did without bother.  We meet another pair of travellers at the B&B, Chris & Sue, who were also heading to Islay.  Chatting to them for the entire crossing keep our attention off the rain, wind and waves.  Most of the trip is in sheltered waters so there was very little rocking and rolling.  The crossing is about two hours and by noon we were motoring to the first distillery, Caol Ila, only ten minutes up the road.  The weather had improved out of sight so we sought out another distillery, Bunnahabhain, which unfortunately was only open Monday to Friday.  So we headed off to find our B&B at Portnahaven.   Finally got to Portnahaven at 16h30.  Found that we had been upgraded to an ensuite room with a nice view over the harbour.  Excellent!  Spent some time settling in then went three doors down to the pub for dinner.   After that I went out taking sunset photos till 22h15.

The weather was quite nice on Sunday morning so we went for a walk around the foreshore.  Found lots of different wildflowers along the coast including sea thrift and a small orchid.  We finally left at close to noon and had a couple of photo stops on the way to Lagavulin.  Did the tour for free because of the ‘passport’ we got yesterday at Caol Ila.  It was only us on the 14h30 tour and by the time we finished the tasting it was 16h30.  The glasses were free to keep.  Nice.  Went up the road to take a couple of photos before Leanne drove us back.

Some of the gardens at Tredegar House.

Tredegar House is a 17th-century Charles II country house mansion in the city of Newport. Described as “The grandest and most exuberant country house” in Monmouthshire and one of the “outstanding houses of the Restoration period in the whole of Britain”, the mansion stands in the 90 acre (360,000 m²) Tredegar Park. It became a Grade I listed building on 3 March 1952. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tredegar_House

The stable block at Tredegar House.

Some fine wood carving above the fireplace in the dining hall at Tredegar House.

The featherless shield on the front of the head gave rise to the expression “as bald as a coot,” which the Oxford English Dictionary cites in use as early as 1430. The feet look a bit unusual as well.

A snapshot out the car window using an iPhone as we crossed the Severn Bridge out of Wales.

Apartments in Bristol. Hmmmm.

Apartments and boats along the harbour in central Bristol.

We got really lucky at dinner time in Bristol. We chose petty much at random and ended up in this gorgeous pub which also had a very good value set menu. Just what we needed.

Leanne and I had visited Bourton-on-the-Water in the late 1980s. Not the best of weather for our return visit with Leanne’s Mum & Dad but at least it wasn’t raining.

Leanne’s favourite type of old car, any model of Morris Minor. This one is a ‘Morris Traveller’ and it looked to be from The Netherlands.

Not far from the Morris Traveller was this Mini.

The gatehouse. Charlecote Park is a grand 16th century country house, surrounded by its own deer park, on the banks of the River Avon near Wellesbourne, about 6km east of Stratford-upon-Avon and 9km south of Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It has been administered by the National Trust since 1946 and is open to the public. It is a Grade I listed building. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlecote_Park

Through the gate and approaching the main entrance to Charlecote Park.

We found a quiet corner sheltered from the breeze to sit and have our picnic lunch. Some others had similar plans. This was the view of the house from opposite the front entrance.

The Tudor Room is the grand entrance hall at Charlecote Park. The ceiling appears to be timber but in fact it is entirely made from plaster and then painstakingly painted to imitate a timber finish.

Ceiling detail, everything you see here is made from plaster.

The library.

In the kitchen the staff were dressed in period costume.

The gatehouse viewed from inside the perimeter.

Old Thatch Tavern claims to have been a pub since 1623, and to have a timeless thatched roof. Located at the Market Place, the Thatch Tavern is a traditional Tudor-style building, which attracts town visitors for its well-maintained period décor and very English cuisine.

Stratford-on-Avon streetscape.

Butcher’s shop delivery in the High Street. Food handling regulations? What are you talking about?!

Hall’s Croft was owned by William Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna Hall, and her husband Dr John Hall whom she married in 1607.

There has been an inn on this site since 1718 but the building dates back to 1594 and the site has apparently been occupied since the early fourteenth hundreds and possibly before,
First called ‘The Reindeer’ then ‘The Greyhound’ and briefly ‘The New Inn’ it became ‘The Garrick Inn’ around 1769 named after the famous actor David Garrick following a brief three day jubilee in Stratford organised by him.
Good victuals and the finest ales have been available all that time and Greene King is proud to continue this tradition.
So why not step inside and partake as many travellers have done before you.

Baddesley Clinton is a moated manor house, located just north of the historic town of Warwick in the English county of Warwickshire; the house was probably established sometime in the 13th century when large areas of the Forest of Arden were cleared and eventually converted to farmland. The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the Hall is a Grade I listed building. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baddesley_Clinton

Baddesley Clinton courtyard.

Looking in over the moat.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.

The approach road to Kedleston Hall was about a mile long and ended soon after this Robert Adam designed bridge.

Kedleston Hall is an English country house in Derbyshire, approximately four miles north-west of Derby, and is the seat of the Curzon family whose name originates in Notre-Dame-de-Courson in Normandy. Today it is a National Trust property. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedleston_Hall

The present house was commissioned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon (later 1st Baron Scarsdale) in 1759. The house was designed by the Palladian architects James Paine and Matthew Brettingham and was loosely based on an original plan by Andrea Palladio for the never-built Villa Mocenigo. At the time a relatively unknown architect, Robert Adam was designing some garden temples to enhance the landscape of the park; Curzon was so impressed with Adam’s designs, that Adam was quickly put in charge of the construction of the new mansion.

Everything in the house screams Robert Adam. We have seen several of his houses now and the guy was definitely OCD. In this house he doesn’t seem to have yet started designing the carpets to reflect the same motifs as the ceiling.

The rear façade of the house.

Terrace house streetscape in Batley, the town where Leanne’s Grandfather is recorded as being born.

Fountains Abbey is approximately three miles south west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for over 400 years, until 1539, when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountains_Abbey

At the time of The Dissolution the roofs were all removed to render the buildings unusable and the lead was melted down and sold. All the black marble pillars were also removed.

The end frame once held a huge rose window.

The view back from the woodland pathway.

Again from the woodland pathway.

A small hamlet on the shores of Loch Lomond. There were about six houses and they were all decorated almost like gingerbread houses and with very nice gardens

Luss is a conservation village, with a bypass carrying the busy A82 trunk road. Many of Luss’ cottages have been described as picturesque. The village has a kiltmaker and a bagpipe works. In recent years, Luss became famous as a result of being the main outdoor location for the Scottish Television drama series Take the High Road. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luss

From the village of Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond looking across to the clouded Ben Lomond peak.

Looking back down the valley from the top of the ‘Rest & Be Thankful’ picnic spot. ‘Rest & Be Thankful’ are the words inscribed on a stone near the junction of the A83 and the B828, placed there by soldiers who built the original military road in 1753, now referred to as the Drovers’ road. The original stone fell into ruin and was replaced by a commemorative stone at the same site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A83_road

After descending from ‘Rest & Be Thankful’ to the shores of Loch Fyne we came to Inveraray.

Inveraray from the pier back towards town.

Ever since we left the built up areas around Glasgow we had been seeing rhododendrons along the roadsides and into the trees. At last we found a spot to stop for a photo where there were enough together in one place.

We stayed at a nice B&B along this road in Tarbert just 15 minutes from the Kennacraig ferry terminal that we needed to be at by 09h15 the next morning.

My first distillery visit was Caol Ila which is just around the corner from Port Askaig. Ten minutes drive at most. The photo shows the ferry we came on to Islay. Beyond the ferry is Jura, only a stone’s throw from Islay at this point.

This is the channel we sailed up to get to Port Askaig – on this side Islay and on the other side Jura.

Looking across the top of the Bunnahabhain Distillery cask warehouse to the sea.

Taken on the road to Bunnahabhain Distillery – bluebells, sea and Jura with peaks shrouded in cloud.

Somewhere along the road to Bunnahabhain. Jura on the right of the water.

At the top end of the town of Bowmore is the Round Church. The is the view from behind its graveyard out across the bay towards Port Charlotte. The tall stack close to the water is at Bowmore Distillery.

Looking back at Bowmore from the pier.

The view from Bowmore to Port Charlotte.

We stayed five nights at Portnahaven, right at the end of the western peninsula. It was delightful. This shows the west side of the little harbour which is very sheltered from the open sea by two islands only 500m off shore.

Portnahaven on Islay – the King Street or east side of the bay in the late sun.

Fishing boats moored at Portnahaven and Orsay Island. MacKenzie Island is just out of shot to the right.

Portnahaven Sunset, 22h07 on 15th June. Official setting time for this day is 22h12. It was still light enough to read outside at 23h00.

We found this tiny orchid on our coastline walk. Apparently they are rare.

The lighthouse at Port Charlotte looking across to Bowmore.

Next post I will cover the main part of our trip to Islay and I might even do a special post with just the distillery and a few related photos.  Until then…