Our Inn was...umm...ooookay. There were not many lodging options in the area, and those that existed were all similar to ours- older, quaint. And if there is one thing I know about Jolene and Ryan's lodging preferences, it is that 'older' and 'quaint' are far, faaaaar down the list. Higher up would be 'modern,' 'sterile' and 'soul less.' So despite having a larger, spacious two-bedroom unit that was immaculate (but very creaky/noisy), we were not wanting to lounge around any longer than necessary.
Once we woke up the next morning, we packed up, and headed over to have breakfast at the inn. Rich sampled my blood pudding (it's a no thank you from me...because if you have gone to a Filipino luau, you have already sampled the many forms and delights of pig's blood, and I was good to pass). Breakfast and our server were both admittedly, amazing...which was a nice surprise.
We were anxious to view the loch from it's most scenic spots, so I asked our server where she recommended (as the interweb was not so helpful). Although she didn't have a strong recommendation of a viewing point, she did highly recommend taking the A82 road to see the loch in it's entirety, and that it would also take us through scenic Glencoe.
Although I was a bit hesitant after a nearly full day of winding/weaving our way up to the highlands, I had read so much about Glencoe, that we decided to take her advice.
The loch itself is pretty, but nothing overwhelmingly unique and a bit anticlimactic.
And nope! No Nessie!!! Super bummed as was fairly certain we would see her and get a few snaps.
If I'm being honest, the loch almost had a bit of a Area 51/Roswell, New Mexico feel to it... A few take Nessie's potential presence very very seriously and are still hunting for her (see photos below), but for the most part, it's a place of kitschy dinosaur souvenirs?
I would say the highlight of Loch Ness is the Urquhart Castle ruins (built in the 13th century). It's situated on the loch, and widely considered to be the most scenic place in which to view the loch. On the day we were there, it was gray, drizzly and the landscape was brown/dried out...so I'm likely not going to win any photography awards.
What definitely did not disappoint, was driving through Glencoe! Endless miniature waterfalls, waterways, crumbling bridges...just beautiful, raw, vast...empty. It felt like we were the only ones there at times, which made the harrowing, narrow and dangerous roadway feel slightly less precarious.
That is Rich is our bright red (get this) Kia Kona rental car. The rental agency clerk thought it was hilarious that Rich's license listed his hometown as Kona on it. Funny coincidence!
Our drive through Glencoe took about 3-4 hours, and we arrived just after dark there, at one of top two favorite hotels/inns on this trip...
The Seton House was in a quiet suburb of Glasgow, a mere half mile walk into the heart of the city. It was impressive for it's location, but even moreso for it's amazing juxtaposition of old and new.
We met the owner, Eric, when he let us in, and he explained that he had just hosted a number of dignitaries at the COP26 International Conference. Our room a few days prior, had cost well over three times what we had paid for it.
The home was a historic one, with the original nearly floor to ceiling windows that looked out over a park (there were blackout curtains, fortunately).
The room was large, warm, tidy, inviting and comfortable. It felt like home, and I wished we would have stayed there longer than the two nights we did.
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