We have reached as far north as we will travel on this trip, and so, the journey south has commenced.
Putting a good chunk of the map behind us, our first stop was in Fort William, where, nestled in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK, The Grog and Gruel pub called to us.
Specifically, the Grog Dog.
Earlier this year, while working on Good Burger 2 in Rhode Island, Steven and I honed our culinary hot dog taste buds when we were introduced to Gaggers. In Maine, we ate Snappers. In Scotland...Grog Dogs.
Consider 2023...The Year of the Wiener!
I ordered the foot-long because I’m not a baby. Steven and Nancy both got the six-inch wee-wienies and David ordered the beef and black pudding burger...
So good! No regrets. Clean plate club.
The day’s destination was Oban, but we made a quick detour to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, also known as the Harry Potter train bridge to Hogwarts.
Constructed in the 1890’s, it is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland and crosses the River Finnan at a height of 100 feet.
It was packed. Tour buses stuffed with wannabe-wizards were everywhere. It is a beautiful bridge and we do love a good film location...but I could have used a Vanishing Spell for those trojan horses.
And of course, I definitely left a long, black tire mark on a curb cruising into Oban... A question, if I may: why are there even curbs on the highway?! I love you Scotland, but that's so stupid.
Even at 6 a piece.
We made it just in time to hit the distillery and stock up for the week, before wandering the cute little town and finding The Oban Inn completely pint-worthy.
Established in 1790, it’s one of the few remaining buildings from the original town plans. I mostly loved the yellowed maps plastered all over the walls of the 400 square foot watering hole.
We felt at home immediately, even before Sarah and Kevin invited us to share their table.
This sweet English couple celebrating their one-year anniversary were deep into a game of Uno before we interrupted their evening. The six of us enjoyed drink and conversation so much that we pushed our dinner reservation at Ee-Usk and chatted into the evening.
Can’t say this enough...the sights we’ve seen have, indeed, been awe-inspiring, but the people we’ve met along the way have enriched this adventure far more that we could have ever hoped.
Comments