Glasgow and Scotland Highlands – June 2016

On June 10, 2016 by rrutan55 With 1 Comments - travel

I departed Newark 7:55 pm on June 3rd and arrived in Glasgow, Scotland 6 hours and 55 minutes later.

A two day layover coupled with beautiful weather and a 13 hour bus tour resulted in a lot of pictures. So, grab your favorite beverage and put on your favorite Scottish music (theme from Outlander comes to mind) and sit back and enjoy.

A quick housekeeping note; just click on the map or picture to see it full size.

Upon arriving at the hotel I talked to the concierge and arranged a bus tour for the following day. Then I took a nap. I woke about three hours later and headed out. The map below shows my route.

I left the hotel and headed south to the River Clyde where I followed the river west until just before the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center then walked north to Kelvingrove Park.

A clear day with temperatures in the mid 70s brought a lot of people out to the park.

Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre with Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the background.

Kelvingrove Park

I visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum next.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

I spent about 3 hours touring the museum and the park and then followed the River Kelvin Walkway before heading back to the hotel and retiring for the evening.

River Kelvin Walkway; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the background.

River Kelvin Walkway

I awoke early the next morning, had breakfast and then was picked up by the tour company at 7:30 to take me downtown to join the rest of the group.
The tour was through Discover Scotland Tours, http://www.discoverscotlandtours.com and the route and description are depicted below.

First stop was Drover’s Inn. The Inn has quite a history and you can read more about it here: http://www.scotlandspubsandbars.co.uk/location/the-drovers-inn/

Drover’s Inn.

Back on the van and then to Glencoe. The scenery was absolutely stunning and as we approached, our guide told us the haunting story of the 1692 Glencoe massacre. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Glencoe

Glencoe, Scotland.

Playing Amazing Grace at Glencoe, Scotland.

Next stop was the town of Spean Bridge for lunch and more scenic views including Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Great Britain.

The River Spean at Spean Bridge, Scotland.

A view of Ben Nevis.

Following lunch, it was time to get back on the van and head to Loch Ness where the itinerary called for a tour of the Urquhart Castle and boat ride along the Loch.

Loch Ness with the remains of the Urquhart Castle in the background. You can read more about the Castle here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urquhart_Castle