Lochmaben, Scotland

Monday, July 8-9, 2013

Monday morning we woke up early so we could pack up and prepare to head up to Scotland.  By the way, I have to take a moment here and sing the praises our ebags packing cubes.  This is the first trip we’ve done with them and I have to say... They.  Are.  Awesome.  It’s so great to keep all our stuff compartmentalized and organized.  We can pull them out of our suitcase and drop them into the drawers in our hotel room dresser, and then zip them up and pop them back to our suitcases when it’s time to go.  So quick and easy!  OK, enough of the unsolicited commercial plug, and back to the blog.  

Our plan was to head up to Scotland to visit Gavin’s Aunt Margaret (his mom’s favorite--and only--sister).  In past visits, we have flown from London to Glasgow, rented a car, and driven south about an hour and a half to her home in Lochmaben.  This time, however, we decided to try taking the train, as recommended by my father-in-law.  We figured by the time we got to the airport, went through security etc., it would be about the same amount of travel time as the 3 hour 45 minute train ride.  This was indeed a wise choice, as the train was a great way to go: extremely comfortable and efficient, plus with the added bonus of seeing much of the lovely countryside (not to mention complimentary food, drinks, and most importantly, WIFI).  We got off in the northern English town of Carlisle, where we picked up our rental car and drove the 45 minutes to Lochmaben.  We were warmly welcomed by Margeret, her husband Ian, and their friendly black lab, Scamp.  

We settled in with a cup of coffee (tea for me) then decided to stretch our legs with a little walk around Mill Loch, right around the counter behind their house.  We had been there on our last trip, and Ewan just loved scouting about the shore, peering in at the tadpoles, searching for ideal sticks to use as “fishing poles,” or others to throw in the water for Scamp, who took great pleasure in spashing into the water and swimming out to retrieve them.  Not to mention, there is a wee playground right at the edge of the loch with an old fashioned see-saw and some swings, which was a fun stop on the way.

The weather has been unseasonably warm in Britain since we arrived, especially up in Scotland.  I remarked to Margaret and Gavin, that wouldn’t it be ironic to receive a sunburn while there?  But I certainly wasn’t complaining, and took great pleasure in walking along the shores of the loch, basking in the glorious sunshine, gazing at the cattle grazing in the emerald green fields ahead as the swans glided gracefully across the surface of the water.  

After our leisurely stroll (and another stop at the playground), we went back to the house and sat on the deck, and sipped cool glasses of South African chenin blanc. Margaret prepared a fabulous meal for us, and we had a relaxing evening.  

The next morning our plan was to return to Sweetheart Abbey, which is a ruined Cistercian monastery founded around 1275.  We had been there when Gavin and I had visited in 2000, but I wanted to go back, as I remembered how beautiful it was--and my photos of it were only from a film camera--I needed digital pics! 

The gorgeous weather continued, providing a backdrop of puffy white clouds dotting a perfectly blue sky, to set off the remains of this impressive building.  The deep red sandstone, with it’s still-intact graceful arches, contrasted dramatically with the blanket of green grass carpeting the floor of the ruins.  The surrounding rolling hills completed this serene picture, and given the sparse number of visitors, Gavin and I spent an hour or so blissfully snapping photos, as Ewan amused himself scampering about the rocky, ruined walls and searching for pigeons up in the rafters, under Margaret’s exceedingly patient and watchful eye.  

Once we had our fill, we walked a few blocks down the road into the village for lunch and a cider at the local pub.  

We then headed home, via a stop at the Tesco in Dumfries.  There is nothing I love more than to the wander the aisles of supermarkets in foreign countries (OK, well maybe there are a few things I love more), but I always find it so fun and fascinating to see what treasures are to be found (i.e. the selection of ciders here is simply astounding, compared to the US!)

We spent the rest of the afternoon pretty much repeating what we had done the day before: walk around the loch, wine, delicious dinner, and excellent company.  

The long summer days here provide light until nearly 10 PM, so it has been difficult getting Ewan to want to go to bed, but both nights his head hit his pillow and he was immediately out.  The two days passed far too quickly, and we thoroughly enjoyed the extremely gracious hospitality.  Though we were sorry to say goodbye to Margaret, Ian and Scamp, we were excited to move on to our next destination: Glasgow.