A road trip combined with a wedding reception took us to the Highlands of Scotland for a fabulous week of scenery and celebration. Foster was even along for the journey!

We stopped over in the Lakes District on our way to Scotland at an adorable pub/inn outside of Penrith -- George and the Dragon. It was the Thursday before the Bank Holiday so the staff were getting ready for a full house; this was the calm before the storm. So glad to have a nice place to rest before continuing on our journey towards Fort William.

As often happens on our roadtrips, we get diverted by all of the cool things to see along the way. Inevitably it takes twice as long to get anywhere...but we do enjoy it! We made a pitstop in Stirling to see the William Wallace monument. As Todd is a fan of Braveheart, it seemed the right thing to do. It was a nice stretch of the legs as we walked to the top of the hill. We were rewarded with spectacular views of the Highlands and invigorated by the strength of the gusty wind.

We carried on toward Kinlochleven stopping at villages along the way to look at this or that...general exploring. After our lunch stop, we started the drive through Glen Coe....stunning. The weather was raw -- fits and starts of rain and wind followed by brief interludes of sun. It gave us an understanding of the landscape, as well as the constitution of its residents. We tucked in to our B&B around 7pm and turned it around for an evening at the Clachaig Inn -- local band and local rowdys. Fun evening. When "500 miles" was sung and done, we headed back for some shut eye.

In the morning, we shared breakfast with these two ladies who were all giggles and pigtails. They were up for a charity walk to the summit of Ben Nevis...not sure if they made it but it is certain that they had a laugh doing it. Despite the sour mood of the B&B proprietor, the morning started off well. We dillied a little too long to summit Ben Nevis but we had a fantastic hike nonetheless. Satisfied the need for fresh mountain air.

We arrived in Tobermory with moments to spare before the wedding reception...not too concerned about being late as it was a certainty that the party would go on long and strong...it did. Lots of Scottish dancing! If ever invited to a Ceilidh, definitely say yes!

The following day was just as manic with festivities...perhaps more so. Spirits were high and everyone was enjoying the celebratory atmosphere. By Monday, it was a welcome respite to be moving back South toward London. Todd took a plane back to London from Glasgow while Foster and I took one more day on the road. We stopped in the Lakes again, staying at another fantastic pub/inn (The Black Swan, Ravonstonedale) in the Eden Valley.

On our final day, we did a brief walk in the White Peaks to Thor's Cave and then cruised on home. It was a lot of driving but I loved having Foster along...he seemed to enjoy it too!