Lovely Day

Campbell House

On Thursday the 25th we chose to explore the nearby Loch Fyne area around Inverary. Von had read about the Crarae Gardens which were putting on a particularly fine, fall display. They were indeed. This is a garden held by the National Trust. The Campbell family has a grand estate, and in 1986 Lady Campbell turned the gardens over to the Trust and they are beautiful.


There are different walks and we chose the longest of about 3.5 K. In the Victorian era it became fashionable to send out plant hunters around the world in search of exotic species. China and the east were popular destinations, as well as Australia and New Zealand.


A nephew of the Campbell family was a plant hunter, and he discovered that rhododendrons grew along streams in their native habitats. He suggested that instead of formal gardens, as was the fashion, the Campbells should use the stream and small gorge on their estate to display their new collection. They ended up with over 600 types of rhododendrons. These plants, so prized in Canada, are considered weeds in many locations of Scotland.

Of course we couldn’t drive to the Gardens without stops - the first one being five minutes down the road for some MORE beautiful reflection shots. Whoever decided to plant clumps of larch in the pine forests deserves a medal. They are stunning this time of the year.

Standing Stones

Next stop, the tiny village of Kilmartin in the Glen of Kilmartin. This Glen is the birthplace of the nation of Scotland and you can’t walk in any direction without stubbing your toe on standing stones, burial mounds or cairns. The church has a priceless group of 8th C crosses and the graveyard an equally priceless collection of knight stones.

We drove home along the shore of the aptly named Loch Awe, the longest loch in Scotland. Again, not a great distance but such a great intake of beauty and history.