Day 1: to Glasgow

This holiday started off as a Rhine Cruise with a a side trip up the Jungfrau by rail. That was cancelled due to Covid-19. The next option was a rail tour entitled “The Treasures of Tuscany”, which sounded a decent alternative. We might have needed to isolate on our return but as I am now retired, that would have been an inconvenience, but not much more. That was also cancelled. At this point Diane called the tour company to find what tours might actually run. Which is how we have ended up on a five-day tour of Oban, Skye and Mull.

Last week Nicola Sturgeon announced new and stricter lock down measures for Scotland. We thought that this holiday would also end up being cancelled as well. On Friday we received a phone call assuring us that the holiday was going ahead.

The new restrictions might make it a bit different from holidays we have had in the past. But then life is different from what we have known in the past. In the Central Belt all pubs are closed, cafes and restaurants have to close at six p.m. They also have other restrictions. Outside the central belt, where we are headed, the restrictions are (slightly) less severe. Hotels are allowed to serve evening meals, but not alcohol to residents. At least we can eat. (I think we are allowed to drink if we sit outside, in Oban, in October.)

The trip up to Glasgow, was fine as far as it went. Sitting in a train, wearing a mask, for five hours isn’t great, but I can put up with it. There was no catering on the train, but we were prepared, with a flask of coffee, sandwiches, and what our grandson Jack, describes as “snacks”.

The first three hours of the journey are fairly unremarkable. Some parts are attractive enough, but a lot of the time the line runs through industrial areas in varying states of decline. However the last two hours, from Lancaster, north to Glasgow are very attractive. The line passes though the Lake District and the Western Borders.

After we arrived in Glasgow we checked into our hotel (Holiday Inn Express) and decided to go for a walk, partly in search of alcohol, which the hotel is no longer allowed to serve.

Glasgow , at least down by the river, proved to be more photogenic than I remembered it.

Dinner was OK. Especially considering that the hotel probably doesn’t have a proper kitchen. we went to bed early. It had been a fairly long day.