I would drive 500 mile - Day 4

I'm still in Manchester, however today I have plans to see my baby brother! He messaged me yesterday evening.

Sofia's back at the wheel today and we clock 91 Miles, or there abouts. We went for breakfast at Gro Coffee, their menu is the nuts so please peruse it. I got some fruit and an omelette, delicious, probably a coffee.

There had been plans to see my family in Glasgow, but alas covid struck their house, they're all fine now btw

We have until midday or so to vacate our Travelodge room, we skedaddle early. The plan is to catch a ferry! I don't think I had been on one since I was, maybe never. I was about to mention a boat on the Thames, but I think that was just a regular boat! Anyway driving on we refuel at a Morrisons, of course. Probably grabbing some food, but my memory of getting to the ferry is foggy/non existent. We drive along the west coast a bit, stopping to snap a few picks. It takes us a lot less time to get to Gourock, Casual 40+ miles. We have to bung a u turn as we'd missed the turning.

West Coast, but there's a peninsula, so maybe not?

Upon arrival at the car park it's not clear what we should do, as we're not seasoned ferry folk. So we park where a taxi is waiting and I wander over to a gentleman in a high vis vest.

What would you do?

He tells us to pop into the first lane and queue, tickets are bought on your way onto the boat. Or on the boat, on the boat. So we diligently pull up and wait. The ferry arrives, we roll on when we're told to and turn the engine off. There's a safety announcement. Sofia is struggling to hear it, luckily we're within eyeshot of a sign which has the exact same information on. Probably by design? Before we know it the ferry journey is over and we roll off.

We pause briefly to strategise where to stop. I suggest the botanical gardens, possibly for lunch. Doesn't take us long to get there at all. We park up and pop out, find the bathrooms. Never turn down an opportunity to use the bathroom, as far as regrets go this is one you do not want to have. There are dogs here and there, fantastic. We pop in and get our tickets, they are in sticker form, so the staff know you've paid at a glance. Food is not inspiring so we opt to wait for lunch.

I forget why, but this tree spoke to Sofia

Carrying on the long tradition of taking pics of me with trees for my folks.

We wander around and Sofia takes a close up of some moss, which looks kind of like a coniferous forest. She sends it to her ma, I joke that she should tell her we're in a helicopter looking down. Which is exactly what she does. Now I'm remembering it as a call, but that may or may not have happened. Anyhow the reveal results in her ma exasperatedly saying something like "Of course you're not." It's nice a peaceful in and around the giant trees. Rhododendron etc. There are a group of school children, well school aged anyway, running about. We theorise they're on their long trip at the end of year six that we all do. But it's September, perhaps they just go on trips to outdoorsy things more here.

We take a seat next to a big long greenhouse. And tell tales of how we should buy the house that we can see just off to the side. We could work at the garden, grow our own food in the giant greenhouse etc. It's nice and calming. We wander on to the Japanese bit of the garden, bit more dramatic.

The helicopter forest

We leave just before 15:00 and head down the road a couple of miles to The Coylet Inn, it's on the banks of Loch Eck, which is really, really long. It's picturesque AF, we snap a few before parking up and heading in to see if we can still get some lunch. A couple dining al fresco, give us the real stink eye, I assume I'm judging them too hastily. But Sofia later confirms they were totes cruising for a bruising.

We duck in and look for someone in charge, the sign says to ask at the bar, no one at the bar, but to wait to be seated. So we wait. And a nice lady appears, and tells us food is still available and we're can sit in the window, ideal

We sit down, and get to menuing. I think I had a burger? I forget. But Sofia opted for the pie, as she was on the quest for a great beef pie. I think we had starters... I'm not doing well here am I. When the food arrives, it's great, and Sofia confirmed it's a really good pie! Mission accomplished! After lunch we wander to the bar and find our host, she owns the place. And asks where we've come from, we reply with Nottingham, and she tells us she's originally from down the road in Derby, which is where Sofia also hails from. She jokes that that's why the pie was so good "You can trust a Derby lass to rustle you up a good pie!" or something equally colloquial and charming. Coylet Inn lady, I think her name was Sarah? grew up near where Sofia when to school! After more small world chat, and how we must stay at the Inn whence we're next back this way, we head off.

There's a falls I think we can get to, so we're zigzagging our way there, alas it's a private road so we have to turn back, a bit. But we head for Carrick Castle, and get there just as a dog runs towards us! The dogs lady apologises, but we explain we're more than happy to be greeted, the dog decides against it...

Our shadows being narrowly outdone by the castle.

 

Back on the road we see if we can stop at the "Rest and Be Thankful", but we flub it a little, plus it's raining, there are road works, so we power on to Arrochar, not pronounced like Arrow-char, but like A-Rocker, the Coylet Inn's resident Derby girl had let us know. Parking up outside we have to duck into the bar to see if someone can check us in. The Lochside Guesthouse, it's nice, and cosy. The girl checking us in asks if we'll be down for breakfast, indeed we will, it'll be a Friday morning. The one day of the week I pay some kind of homage to my Hindu heritage, and try to be as strictly vegetarian as possible.

As we turn to leave, I knock a monitor over, onto the desk and not the ground. The member of staff attending to us asks if it's ok then leads on, phew disaster averted. The room is nice, the view is amazing. Sofia heads out to snap some photos. Our food choices are limited, so we go to Cu Mara, I go for chicken, plus some salads, I also grab a Shandy. Once we get it back to our home for the night, I realise my foolishness, I can't drink beer, and this is a shandy, but there's beer in it. Gout you irritating so and so you.

The foods good, but Sofia notices we've had fried chicken for dinner twice in a row. Oh dear indeed, the wheels have come off the diet train, it's day four. We call it a day and hit the sack.

N.b. The day I started writing "Day 4", was the day I saw my brother again for the first time in over two years. I'd last seen him when we'd gone to the cinema to see Avengers Endgame, in April 2019. That was after over a year of not seeing or hearing from him at all. Anyway that's why I was in Manchester. He messaged me and we hit the National Football museum, neither of us really follow football. But it was close and indoors. I'd tested negative for covid the day before, but Sofia has and had it at the time.

So I was masked up, waiting outside the National Football Museum, I noticed I was picking up every brown face as "Brother!?", no that's a woman, sikh man, child etc. So I tuned down my hyperfocus, so much so he walked right up to me.

We fell back into our rhythm of joking, making each other laugh, explaining facts etc. It was nice, and we confirmed we'd do it again, with vague February 2023 being the date that's pencilled in.