Postscript

We all had a great time in the UK. London was a lot of fun, and the Highlands were a lot of a different kind of fun. Islay and Jura were yet another thing. The pace is much slower there. Edinburgh was very interesting and well worth visiting. We never got to spend any time exploring Glasgow even though we were there 3 times passing through. It didn't seem to matter after being in the Highlands.

Here are some insights and observations:

Lodging

Our hotels were all comfortable and some were a little unusual. The Sanctuary House in London was an old structure with squeaky floors, but it was clean and relatively quiet for the location. The location was great - close walking distance to the major attractions and close to a Tube station.

The Bank Hotel in Edinburgh was the most eccentric place we stayed at. It was comfortable, but definitely not quiet with the bar below the rooms. We knew that going in, so we enjoyed it instead of getting upset about it. Hey, we have time to sleep back home!

The Holiday Inn Express in Glasgow was just a stopping point between legs of the journey, so it was fine that it was pretty generic.They did have good beer in the bar there.

Kilcamb was the best. It was also an old building, but very nicely remodeled. The rooms were large and comfortable, and the staff were incredible. There was nothing to want for. The sitting rooms were very inviting, and we regret not having the time to enjoy them more.

The Bridgend Hotel on Islay was also old but nicely re-done. The rooms were again comfortable and quiet. Katie's bar had some good ales on tap.

Transportation

Here is a list of the different modes of transportation we used:

1. Passenger jet
2. Airport shuttle
3. Double decker bus
4. The Tube
5. Taxi
6. Train
7. City bus
8. Van driven by our guides
9. Steam train
10. Turbo prop regional plane
11. Car and van driven by ourselves
12. Ferry
13. Coach (bus to us, like Greyhound)
14. Our feet

The trains were the best mode of transportation we found; the most comfortable and the most affordable. They would be a good way to see more of the country next time we go.

The plane over and back was the worst, but what can you expect when you are stuck on there for 9 hours? Trying to sleep was painful, but it did help with jet lag some.

The double decker bus allowed us to see stuff we wouldn't have otherwise, but it was expensive and probably not really worth the cost. The driver seemed to be trying to set a speed record for his route and you really couldn't get many pictures.

The tube was easy and relatively cheap. Buy the round trip ticket and plan to use it.

In Glasgow, the 500 bus is the one to look for to get to and from the airport.

Our guide driven vans took away any anxiety about driving over there - we could concentrate on the scenery instead of worrying about which side of the road we were on. What are the rules in a roundabout? We did learn the rules of driving on single track roads.

The steam train was worth the expense - how often do you get to do that? It was a fun ride.

The regional airline to Islay flies Saab turbo props, 1 seat on the left and 2 on the right. Cozy and relatively comfortable for the short flight.

We rented cars for transportation on Islay, but you could go there without one. The bus service there is better than we have in the small towns here by far. Driving there was low stress due to the relatively few cars on the road, so we got used to driving on the left pretty easily. Driving the single track roads was fun, actually. The code of conduct is pretty simple - if you come to a pullout first, blink your lights and pull into it if it's on your side or stop alongside it if it's on the other side. Give a friendly wave as the other car passes.

Ferries are fairly common where it becomes necessary to cross the lochs. The mainland loch ferries are large and hold a lot of cars. The smaller ones like the one across Islay Sound are much smaller - don't be late. The big ferry from Port Ellen to Kennecraig was a luxury liner in comparison. A very nice mode of travel.

Most of all, use your feet. There are so many things to see and visit on foot in all of the places we visited that we didn't make it to most of them. That leaves some for the next visit.

Food and drink

We loved the food everywhere we went. There were no complaints (well, very few) about any of it. We tried many new things and some things that were very much like they are at home. The meals at Kilcamb were fine dining experiences. Some of the more notable things we tried were:

1. Steak and Ale Pie
2. Fish and Chips
3. Sticky Toffee Pudding
4. Haggis (really - try it)
5. The bacon - much leaner than what we have here
6. Black pudding

The traditional ales are wonderful. They are served warmer and less carbonated than the beers at home, but that isn't a bad thing. The cask ales were excellent as well. There is a small brewery on Islay that makes some very good beers.

And... When you are in Scotland and especially on Islay, you have to try the single malts. There are some that use peat smoked malts that result in an interesting Whisky, and others that use plain malts. They are all excellent in their own ways, and we enjoyed several of them. We brought some home that can't be found here.

Ourselves

Our group was rather large, 10 people. It's a little hard to please everyone, but we compromised well and got along well. We all had some different basic interests, but we all agreed when it came to the views we were seeing and the food and drink. The places we went for meals all accommodated us very well. At one pub, when told that there were 10 of us traveling together, the bartender asked "What, and you haven't killed each other yet?". Nah, not even close.


The group consisted of:

Auntie Hank (leader of the pack) Johnstone
Dick, Raylene and Sean (let's walk!) Kimball
Bill and Nancy (where are the gardens?) Wilson/Schmidt
Sue and Linda (go with the flow) Wilson/Hempel
Jack and Kim (try this ale!) Wilson

Take a bow, everyone.

Some of the more common things we heard said among the group:

Ooh! Try this!
What's the value of this coin?
Where's Linda?
Where are my camera batteries?
Wow! Look at that!
What was that? (You have to know the story about Aidan and cattle grates).
The bacon here is so good!
I'll have the sticky toffee pudding! (An amazingly good dessert)
Heilan Coo
Ling, bell and cross leaf heath (The different kinds of heather)
How many courses tonight?

and...

Where's Linda?


So, I think we need to salute ourselves and congratulate each other on pulling off a great trip. This is a great part of the world to go see, and we barely scratched the surface. There will definitely be another trip someday to see some more of it.