Stardate: 3 May 2019 - Home Sweet Inchmahome...

...Priory.  Our main destination for today.

And on the way, about 200 metres from our front door, we saw this!  Pic was taken with my phone through the car windscreen so do excuse the blobby bits of dead insect etc. 

Hoping for a tad more snow overnight as it's been a very cold afternoon.

We drove to the town of Port of Menteith, home to the Lake of Menteith which is the only enclosed waterway in Scotland to be called a lake and not a loch.  From the 'port' - actually just a jetty - we caught a little boat over to Inchmahome where the 13th century Augustinian priory is located.  ('Inch' means island.)

We do love a good priory (and/or abbey) and this was no exception.  There is something ethereal about wandering about in such places, imagining their canon rituals, their piety and their long silences.  I imagine there were a few fleas about too.

The window behind what was the high altar of the priory church. 

While it's all bare stone now, before the reformation it would have been plastered and painted in bright colours. 

The priory was established by the Earl of Monteith, Walter Comyn in 1233.  Founding a religious community was considered a pious act by rich dudes and provided spiritual insurance and thus a speedy passage to heaven on one's demise, so why wouldn't you? 

These effigies were originally in the church but have been moved to the chapter house to prevent damage through exposure.  The man and the woman in deathly repose are the Earl and Countess of Monteith, Walter Stewart and Mary, who both died around 1295. Their effigy is special because they have their arms in an embrace - most unusual at the time and in later centuries.

The slightly embarrassed chap at the top is Sir John Drummond who carries a spear and a shield. He died in the 1300s. 

"Pass the Sorbent, Brother Ambrose."

The priory latrines were conveniently located behind the sleeping dorms.  May have been a tad chilly on cold winter mornings.

 

The island has been owned by the Graham family for some centuries and in more recent years they have taken to banging up monuments to their recently departed nearest and dearest inside the 13th century church.  Not sure that I approve. 

Shortly handing over to Geoffy for details of our gambol among the Inchmahome bluebells which really were spectacular. 

I loved our visit to this tiny but special island.

***

Anne's description of the priory is most comprehensive, as you'd imagine of a history buff, so I'm now searching for an excuse to post more photos, of which we took about 73.  So just indulge me and hopefully enjoy this one.

I could go on and on (and some are unkind enough to suggest I often do) but I'll exercise the sort of discipline for which the Augustinian monks were famous.  

The other thing for which the island is noted is bluebells.

At this time of year there are carpets of bluebells all over Scotland, but Captain Pat, who skippered us to the island, claimed that these are the pick of them, and we think he may well be right.

The island is a delight, and today we were lucky that we (and only 10 others, since the boat only carries 12), were the first visitors, and so had it to ourselves.  Lucky us!

On return to shore we went on to beautiful Aberfoyle.  OK, it's not that beautiful at all, but was a convenient place for lunch.  Aberfoyle is also centrally located in the Trossachs, an area replete with lochs and rugged highland scenery.  Just north of the town is the Three Lochs Forest Drive, where you can drive off the main road (the main road being one and a half cars wide and the the Forest Drive being about half of that).  The really good thing is that it's one way!  So you don't have to drive with white knuckles expecting a semi trailer bearing down on you exactly at the point of the next hairpin bend.

There are numerous places on the drive where you can stop and set off on a botany ramble.  This one is by the shores of the wonderfully named Loch Drunkie.  We were really enjoying the first 10 minutes, until it started to sprinkle, and gradually got heavier, to the point where we saw no option but to head back to the sanctuary of the Vovo.  Of course, 5 minutes after we got back the rain stopped.

The remaining highlight relates to the mythical red squirrel.  We were told that they abound on our Loch Drunkie walk, but alas not today.  We decided that the red squirrel is on a par with the unicorn.  But ... on our return to Barn Cottage, we glimpsed one patronising the feeder in our very own yard.  It was there for about 20 seconds, just long enough for us to grab the camera before it disappeared, presumably never to be seen again.  

But we did see it, even though no photo to prove it.

Hortense here, momentarily:  Tomorrow (Saturday) is our last full day in Scotland. Oh no!