Scotland (2022) – The Kelpies and Lunch at The Drover Inn

We felt that we had lost so much time due to the pandemic. During our trip to Scotland, I decided that we'd do a private Scotch based tour with our own driver. Sean, our wonderful driver picked us up at exactly 9 am And we were off. We'd be spending the night in Oban, then two nights on Islay, visiting several distilleries.

But first we had to get there. Sean made a couple of stops on the way to Oban.

 The first was outside Fallkirk at a huge park between two canals. There stood two huge and magnificent sculptures of horse heads called the Kelpies. These 100 foot high metal sculptures represent mythical shape shifting creatures called Kelpies which often take the form of a horse or pony. They can also take the form of a human, often a young woman to lure young men to their "fate". More often it would be in the shape of a pony to lure children.

These statues were quite large. To the right is the Missus standing under the nostrils of "the Kelpie". Just think, what a simple booger from that nostril would do!

From here we headed to Loch Lomond considered to be the largest lake by total area in all of the UK.

We took a short break to stretch our legs and admire the picturesque village of Luss.

 

Luss is a Conservation Village and is quite charming and beautiful.

We walked thru the village and over to the pier which had many memorials on it.

I can imagine how many loved sitting and standing looking out into the Loch or over to the shore…..

We then headed back out……

Our stop for lunch was at a place in Inverarnan, said to be once be the home to outlaws and even the ghost of a small girl named the Drovers Inn.

  The Drover Inn, a "drover" is a cattle herder has been here for over 300 years. And while we stopped for lunch….well, many of the "creatures" on display would surely have enjoyed having me for their lunch.

It goes without saying that there was indeed a certain "vibe" to the place.

The pub had quite the menu of comfort dishes and I got to choose something I've always wanted to try. Folks of Scottish heritage that I know or knew would always make fun of the dish.

You basically ordered at the bar….this is very much the pub and soon enough, I got my Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties…..if you need a translation, sheep's "pluck" with oatmeal, onion, and spices, cooked in a casing. Served with "neeps" (turnips) and "tatties" (mashed potatoes). This was quite delicious, even the Missus thought so.

The offal flavor is quite mild, it's quite earthy and savory, tasting like a milder version of morcilla. I really enjoyed it.

The Missus ordered the Venison Stew which was really tough and quite bland.

    So, I guess the Haggis won out! 

There was a certain charm and sense of humor we found in Scotland that we really enjoyed. It is said that Rob Roy himself stayed here at Drovers Inn…..perhaps he enjoyed the Haggis too?

And hopefully, I'll be getting some good haggis again one day soon!

The Drovers Inn
Inverarnan North Loch Lomond, Arrochar
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park G83 7DX Scotland