Regent Oban

... it would be really good to explore all the islands my boat, and so i set to finding something suitable. I found a site, for a tall ship based in Paihia that does day trips out from there. It looks an amazing experience and something ive always wanted to do! Thats on the 28th of November, so look out for the pics:) Im also planning on doing some kayaking up here, of course, make it feel like home a bit! Then, a ...

... to Glen Nevis, where we went for a walk and saw a beautiful waterfall. Back on the bus and to lunch, where i had a yummy plate of Haggis, Neeps (Parsnips) and Tatties (Potatoes). <br><br>Until this time the weather had been pretty good to us - you might even see some blue sky in the photos. But by the end of lunch the rain had set in. We made a quick pit stop to climb a muddy hill so we could see the Harry Potter bridge (second movie, when Harry and Ron are in the flying car ...

... wet I can see how it would be particularly difficult, but perhaps because this section comes at the start of my day, whereas everyone else does it at the end, it's not overwhelming. <br><br>Rob Roy is the focus of the legends for this stage with both Rob Roy's Cave and Rob Roy's Prison on the path. The path to the cave is full of huge rocks and after a few minutes I opt to turn back as I'm pretty sure ...

... brake on the manual hire car consisted of a small button on the dashboard - and the car snuffed out very easily . We were lucky not to roll into one of the cars which insist on following so closely on slopes. Others were patient, if not confused, at our attempts to move off a round-about where it seemed we were going to stay - as we tried to work out the co-ordination of gears, the dashboard ...

Some of the older historic sites - apparently prehistoric people put cups (or something) in the same place and caused marks in the rocks. Kind of funny that they always chose their meeting places way up on top of hills. Getting too much exercise today.<br><br>Also got to see another one of the canal locks.<br>

... Victorian times, all tapestries, wall plates and Russian dolls. There is an open fireplace, a piano and bare wooden floor and tables.. There are candles and wild flowers, casks of live beer, and a grand selection of Russian vodkas, wines and imported beers. For us what we found most exceptional was the freshly cooked food in the Russian style made with fresh ingredients, many gathered from the wild. Having been sailing for a while we were in real ...

... with great views of the countryside & the well-lit port just on her doorstep. Next morning, after a traditional Scottish breaky - black, white & fruit pudding included - we piled into Bessy (our Wicked van) for a tour of the local countryside. We had a great day. Saw the ruins of Castle Kilchurn, heaps of awesome photo ops - including snow on the mountains, and lots of Chris' old haunts (as she was born & raised around the Oban area). When we left Chris', we couldn ...

... skies. There are lots of sheep lining the hills. It took approximately 3 hours to drive to Oban. I arrived at about 2:30 and checked into my hotel, The Oban Caledonian. My friend Krista recommended this hotel and I have to say, she was spot on. The staff is so friendly, the room is nice and I must say, the bathrooms are very nice. They have towel warmers and heated floors! I called the car ...

... strangely beautiful about Scotland. The landscape is bleak and the scarcity of humans back this up, but there's also an incredible depth and warmth to the reddish colour of the bracken, the long grasses as the light plays across them. You can savour the wonderful views, but your camera probably won't do them justice and I soon realised that the play of light you see that makes this next picture special is gone in a moment. I have some great pictures, but a lot of them look ...