Argyll Escapes at Dalriada Lodge, Loch Awe

I have just come back from a wonderful 'staycation' up in the north of Scotland (yes, nowhere near as exciting as last Summer's adventures in New York and Norway, but stay with me!). 

Argyll is a beautiful area full of breathtaking lochs (thats Scottish lakes!), huge mountains, spooky forests and twee seaside villages, as well as so much history, culture and nature. It rained non-stop and the midges were out in full force, but we had a wonderful week.

My family and I have been here countless times, as its the original home of our Clan, but this was our first time by Loch Awe, in a Scandavian-style log cabin called Dalriada Lodge (which you can see on Air BnB here!)

On the first day, the other half and I tootled up from Edinburgh in Tom, the trustworthy wee car, and settled in to our new residence. A huge 6-person bungalow, with a beautiful garden full of birds and trees and even a bustling brook, Dalriada lodge had everything from a sauna to a ping pong table, as well as the world's comfiest beds and, the highlight of our mornings to come, a waffle machine! We went on to explore the area (closest named village being Dalmally) and take a look at the loch and the surrounding forest. 

The rest of the week was filled with cute little day trips, including to Oban, the nearest big town, where we ate several delicious seaside meals, indulged our sweet tooth at the chocolate company, acted like wee kids in the adventure playground, and admired the views. 

Another highlight was a hilariously rainy motorboat tour of the Loch  Awe and its surrounding secluded islands and historic castles. We loved trying our hand at driving the tiny boat  around the cold, dark mysterious waters, and comically tying it to any random trees we could find whilst we nibbled on cold pizza in the woods. However, the best part of this whole trip was simply chilling out with the people I love in beside the toasty fire with endless cups of tea, early morning yoga, late night scrabble, good books and a guitar.

Overall, it has been a much-needed break from my hectic life and I'm already dreading going back to work, but it has motivated me to put more time and effort into the blog again, so stay tuned!