Inverary Mishap

What? It's already 9:30AM??? How can that be? We wanted to get up early enough to take a short hike up the hill overlooking the campsite and at the same time get an early enough start to head to Inverary to see the castle we really wanted to see.

Well, since it was later than we wanted it to be, the fog was still rather thick and it was drizzling outdoors we made the decision to get ourselves cleaned up, pack up the van and head towards the mainland in order to get to Inverary Castle before it closed. We really wanted to see this castle and knew that this would be the last opportunity we would have to get there. While getting our things packed up and ready to go, I met a swarm of the infamous Scottish Highland midges! We had been told about these little buggers and really had no idea what they were or when, if ever, we would get a chance to meet face to face. While heading to the bathroom to wash my face and brush the teeth, a huge swarm of them decided to hang out around my head, face, ears and arms and start biting. They must have enjoyed their feast because later I discovered several tiny bites on the back of my hand, arms and a few on my face. These little flying, biting gnat like critters are well known in areas of the highlands where there is an abundance of water. They are cousins of the mosquito and are just as annoying! If we were going to stay any longer than we were, I probably would have insisted on finding somewhere to buy repellent but since this was the only time I had to deal with the midges and we were on our way out, didn't seem necessary!

We headed back the way we came in order to recross the Skye Bridge and pay the toll once again. We did make a quick stop at the Skye Jewelry Shop again so that Michael could buy some crystal whiskey shot glasses for one of his buddies. We basically did retrace our step back off the island but since we were intending to stop off in Inverary, our route was going to be slightly different from the one we followed to get on the island. So, we drove, and we drove and we drove and drove and drove some more. We seemed to have a pretty good idea of where we were going and what roads we needed to take to get to the city of Inverary. Keep in mind, we were on a timed schedule and we needed to be sure we got to the castle in plenty of time to take a tour however, we also needed to stop and eat something since we hadn't had any breakfast before leaving Skye. We thought we were in good enough shape to be able to take some time to sit down in a restaurant and grab lunch so we did just that and found a pub off the side of the road. Wouldn't say the service was quick but it was at least a decent place to get food! So back on the road we go, again, feeling like we knew where we were going.

Since we have been in Scotland, the majority of the time we have gone anywhere, we had depended greatly on Michael's GPS to help direct us to our various destinations. We weren't using it this time around since the batteries seemed to be dying down and we had maps that we could follow to get to Inverary. We continued on and came to signs that pointed to Oban and Inverness. I was quick to be convinced that Oban was the way we wanted to head since Inverness was where we had been up north and we were headed more south. On the map I was looking at it looked to me that Oban was not far from Inverary so I kept telling Michael to follow the signs to Oban and then once we got to Oban we would be finding a juncture that would then take us down to Inverary.

OOOOPS,I guess big error on my part. We eventually arrive right in the center of Oban, not even close to Inverary. The map I continued to look at was not a very good map since it had very little detail and didn't show all the little connecting cities that more detailed maps showed. We get to Oban only to find out that we have just driven an hour out of our way and have only about 45 minutes or so to get to the castle before it closes, at least I was thinking it closed at 5:00PM. I felt horrible and sensed that Michael was not pleased to have driven an hour out of the way and quite likely missing the opportunity to see the castle we were so anxious to see. I was rather disappointed myself and after looking at a more detailed map, discovered where I had made my mistake and where we should have turned to get to the correct highway that would have led us right into Inverary instead of Oban.

We frantically drive to the castle and notice that the sign says the castle closes at 5:45 but the last entry is at 5:00... it was 5:30 by the time we got there... we were screwed!! Now I felt really bad and felt I had to think of something logical to do to hopefully make things a little better. We were both very tired of driving and just needed to take a break. That is when I suddenly came up with the idea of finding either a campsite nearby or hopefully and inexpensive B&B in Inverary so that tomorrow morning, right when the castle opened we could still take the time to see it. We were now in the city we needed to be and even if we needed to spend another night "on the road" and possibly spend more money for a place to stay, it sounded like the right thing to do. I was all up for camping another night but since we had not taken a shower and were feeling pretty dirty, our first choice would be to find a B&B to stay in. I had noticed several B and Bs as we entered the city however many of them were listed as having no vacancies. We had gone down that path before and I wasn't about to go driving around trying to find another place to stay. We took a break in a little park across the street from the tourist information office to try to come up with a plan when I noticed a little sign hanging on the side of the building that was right next door to the tourist office. It was a sign that said that one of the flats inside the building was a B&B and thought I should at least check it out. It would be the perfect location to stay since the B and B was within walking distance to the castle. I was afraid since it was located on the main road near many of the tourist attractions, that the B and B would either be booked and/or be rather expensive but I wouldn't know until I at least went to see check out the situation. I left Michael waiting in the park and went to explore the situation.

Opening the door to the building, I noticed that the inside looked a little run down. Signs were pointing me to flat #5 where the B&B was located. I went up several flights of stairs to get to this flat and wasn't quite sure where the B and B might be hiding since I had always stayed in houses or hotels that were B and B properties --never in a flat! I knocked on the door and a friendly little lady answered the door. I asked her if she was in charge of the B and B and if so, did she have anything available. She told me the only room she had was a double room and invited me to take a look at it. Someone was definitely on our side... it was a cute little room in her flat with wood floors, a nice double bed, a huge skylight in the ceiling and a beautifully tiled bathroom attached. Looked like a great place to stay for the night and I just assumed, since it was rather nice that this lady would be charging quite a pretty pound for the room. I asked her how much and she told me 35 pounds! I wasn't sure I heard her correctly and asked her if that was 35 pounds per person per night since that was the standard way the other B and Bs we stayed in advertised their rates. She giggled a little and told me that it was just 35 pounds for the room and breakfast-- nothing more, nothing less. "We'll take it!" I quickly yelled, very happy to have found a comfortable place to stay for the night. I felt better that I at least did what I could to help remedy the situation and was hoping Michael would find the room as charming as I did. If nothing else, at least we had a place to stay at a great rate AND we would be right near the castle so in the morning, it would be just a hop, skip and a jump to get there. We would be so close that we could even get there before any of the crowds came!

Before heading in for the night, we walked around Inverary a bit and did some window shopping down the streets near our B and B. We found a little cafe where we were able to unwind and have a relaxing dinner.

Back to the B and B for a warm shower, some TV and a good night's rest and pleasant dreams!