With one day in Glasgow, we grabbed the hop-on hop-off bus for a general tour and easy access to the areas we wanted to see.

We couldn't get out of the Highland Hotel quickly enough so we made instant oatmeal and set out around 7. I turned the key in to a drop slot at a dark desk and we left through the fire exit as the front doors were locked, with the staff and the bus tourists all sleeping in.

Good morning sheep--I'm going to miss you! Love the little lambs scratching their bums on the gate!

Good morning, sheep! I woke up and slipped out onto the porch with my coffee. The sun comes up at about 3:30 am, even earlier than me, so it was pretty light by time I got out to greet the sheep before our drive around the Isle of Skye.

When we planned this trip, we really hoped to get off the beaten path and discover parts of the country we wouldn't see on a tour or in the cities. Scotland has such tremendous architecture and history, but the landscape is astoundingly beautiful as well. Sunday we set off to hike in the Abriachan Forest. The drive getting there was the usual adventure, but it got us to an amazing hiking trail.

On Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Gordon House and bid our hosts farewell to go in search of the other side of my heritage. The Brodie Castle stands near Forres and is now part of the National Trust of Scotland. This was really the inspiration for our road trip as we had long wanted to visit, especially after Steve's aunt Sandy and uncle John visited a few years ago and have been urging us to go since. 

We're doing it. We're driving on the wrong side of the road. Well--to be clear, Steve is driving on the wrong side of the road. I'm fretting. And really, it's not the wrong side that's the scary part, it's the roads. They are winding, narrow, sometimes totally blind, and cars go fast. So I wouldn't say this is an enjoyable part of the adventure, but where it gets us--worth it for sure!

Wednesday we set out from London to Edinburgh via rail. There was a Scottie dog hanging out in the train station. I was hoping he'd get on my train car, but no luck. We snoozed and read and blogged until we had to switch trains (which we did like pros, by the way). Then we snoozed a little more and when I opened my eyes I saw the most beautiful bright green hillside! Hiya! (As they say.)

Tuesday was planned with a couple of big stops, so we started out wandering in Nottingham and fueling up, first granola and coffee, followed by scones. Dessert after breakfast? Now that could really catch on. 

Not so much strolling as running, dodging, and mashing to keep up with our guide, Emily, who would make a pretty decent running back. Monday we signed up for a walking tour to see the Changing of the Guard in process, and Emily marched us along to see the guards and other sights along the way. 

Saturday we packed up and left Moreton-in-Marsh. Stepping onto a very crowded train, we found our reserved seats... with people sitting in them... we said nothing but lugged our bags to the back and stood, where we met a nice couple from Moreton heading to London for the day. They explained we just needed to eject our seat usurpers, so we swam back through standing room and managed to claim our seats. What a strange system: no conductors checking tickets, no control on numbers of people on the train. The two-hour ride to London was jam-packed, standing  room only through the aisles. No matter--we made it.

Our past two full days in the Cotswolds have been spectacular. We traveled to neighboring villages of Broadway, Chipping Campden, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, and Stow-on-the-Wold. We would have loved to have that first lost day but we packed quite a lot in and only cut out one village and couple of sights we had planned to see. We traveled to and fro via "high-speed" public busses--quite a ride along narrow winding roads! It's a slow pace in the Cotswolds and the bus drivers are friendly and helpful, but they take their driving seriously.