Lochgoilhead

Loch Goil

This weekend the Scottish Teachers Club organized an outing to Lochgoilhead, a small village in Argyll, Scotland on the west coast. Thirteen of us spent the weekend "caravan camping", sharing mobile homes at the head of Loch Goil. The campground also has a leisure center, with a heated pool, small ice rink, lawn bowling, and arcade area with badminton, ping pong, and billiards. There was also a golf course, although I didn't play, and ample trails for walking and hiking. It was a much-needed break for all of us, and plenty of kid-friendly activities (translation: no castles, cathedrals, or palaces) to keep everyone happy.

A view of some camping caravans. You needed to be very careful not to walk into the wrong one, they were identical. If you know Noreen you can ask her about that very problem.

 

 Lochgoilhead is part of the Loch Lamond and Trossachs National Park, and has especially beautiful scenery when the skies clear. A cold Saturday night brought a little bit of snow, but not low enough for the kids to play in (and I certainly was not going to hike them up to it).

Most of the weekend's camping crew heading out for a hike.

I can't say enough about the Scottish Teacher's Club. There are a number of regional clubs in Scotland actually, but they combine forces for most events. It's such a great support network throughout the year. Not only do they organize outings for events/places you might not have known about, but its an opportunity to hang out with people who know exactly what you're going through and can offer support and advice. Its also a great time to hang out with the current exchange teachers and check-in on how they're all doing.  I am so thankful that these groups of former exchanges have taken the time and effort to help us along during our stay. 

A local highland cow knee deep in mud (I think)

We took a beautiful hike up into the mountains on Saturday afternoon, braving the occasional rainy patch. The kids were very good sports, pushing themselves along with no complaints. It was good to get out and get some fresh air, escaping to the outdoors.

Will and Calla were great hiking buddies during our walk.

As we made our way to the top of our trail loop, there were a number of waterfalls and streams slicing their way through the Argyll forest.

 

On the way back from Loch Goil, we decided to take another way back to see a different part of Argyll. After driving along Loch Eck, we took a car ferry from Dunoon to Gourock, across the Firth of Clyde. I think the kids really enjoyed driving the car right on to the ferry and sailing away. It was a good warm-up for when we travel to Ireland, and a chance to see some stunning views.

View from the Firth of Clyde (you can see a bit of snow in the distance)

Another view, but with a rainbow this time!

The deal is, one nice picture, then one silly picture (doesn't always work, but that's the bargain with family shots)