Dec 09 2006
To see the first installment of my Scotland series click here.
On the second day in the Trossachs region we decided to head towards Loch Lomond, one of the largest lochs (that would be lake for most of us) in Scotland. It was a cold and wintery day, with heavy waves of rain which made getting out and seeing the lake a daunting task. Along the shores of Loch Lomond sits Balloch Castle. Relatively speaking it is a small castle, but it has a fabulous view of the loch. Which due to the conditions and lack of tripod was pretty much impossible to photograph.
After spending an hour or so wandering around the grounds of the 19th century castle we headed in to the small town of Balloch to find a place to stay for the night. A great part about traveling during the offseason is the fact that you pretty much have your pick of the litter. We probably stopped off at 6 or so places, checked out the rooms, decided to pass, and walked on. We finally found a small b&b on the main road that had some small cottages. Nice cozy little room on a cold wintery night. The town itself was fairly dead, but we found a small Indian restuarant and had our second great meal of the trip (which leads to the question...why is it the biggest city in Scotland, Glasgow, has the worst food in Scotland?).
This photo is from the grounds around Balloch Castle just up the hill, I imagine it's the Caretaker's House, that or someone found a great location for a house.
Balloch, Scotland
December 2004