Monday 18th May

Today the weather wasn't too bad for us - still wet but not as much as yesterday! We headed on out to Inveraray as we thought it would be a good idea to leave the land to drain of water today.  We started at the Castle which looks very fairy-tale like with its little towers, and the stone outside was green.  Inside it was a stately home, not that many rooms to see but it was actually quite nice and not as "samey" as some tend to be.  We wandered into the garden which was flatter then I was expecting it to be and really quite simple and straightforward, not as grand as I thought it was going to be, but the small 'woodland' area was rather nice, PLUS we got to see a red squirrel which was quite unexpected given that this was not an actual forest.  Still, it could have made its way there from a nearby forest.  It was very cute!

The rain started to fall so we headed on into the cafe where Mathew had a Panini and I had Scotch Broth.  We shared a chocolate tiffin which turned out to be more chocolatey than expected - very nice though!  Leaving the Castle, we thought we would follow the blue signs to 'Dun Na Cuaiche' .  We didn't know what it was but with full bellies we thought we'd take a stroll.  We went on through some really nice woodlands and we seemed to be getting higher and higher, and view getting bigger and bigger.....it then occurred to us that we might be heading up to a hill on top of which there was a small tower which we had seen from the Castle.  I started to think we were going there but as we reached the top Mathew started having doubts.....but sure enough there it was, and we had sort of accidentally climbed a small mountain (well, it probably would be if Wainwright had climbed it).  The weather turned out to be pretty nice by this point, lthough the wind was rather cold.  The tower was simple inside with a chilly wind coming right through, but outside in the sun it was rather nice.  The view was pretty good, we could see Loch Fyne and Inveraray below as well as the next batch of rain heading our way.  After taking some photos we headed back down.

We headed into Inveraray itself and went into the Jail.  At this point I noticed my lower left back was hurting whilst walking and I could only put it to the fact that we'd walked up Dun Na Cuaiche without my walking sticks which had evidently put pressure on some muscles that weren't used to it.  I found the stairs in the jail difficult but managed to get all the way around in the end.  I had been there before a long time ago, and I don't think a great deal had changed - there was the courtroom filled with mannequins and recorded cases being heard, and there was the 'old prison' and the 'new prison' in which there were various cells which were used to describe some of the cases, punishments and the people who had become inmates and those who also worked there.  It was oddly intresting in a macabre sort of way!

Through the kitchen and the shop, we came out and had a quick look around Inveraray.  I popped in the chemist for some ibuprofen for my shoulder, although it would probably help my back too.  We also popped into a sweet shop where Mathew bought some fudge and the Information Centre where we bought some Ice Cream.  Yes, Ice Cream on a showery somewhat chilly day.....it's a British thing!  And very nice it was too!

We then made our way back to the cottage where I did some Yoga to stretch out my back although I have no idea if it helped or hindered it.  After a stir fry for dinner I took some ibuprofen and settled down for the evening, hoping that it would be okay tomorrrow.