Kilchrenan

It was a big day of travel to get to the little village we would call home for nearly 3 weeks,  as we had to travel back to Glasgow with our rental car before heading up to Kilchrenan by bus. We took about a thousand photos of the rental car before dropping it off, as I was panicking I would be fleeced of all my savings. The rental car guy was stoked when we heard we had even washed it for him, so there was no need to panic. The bus trip to Kilchrenan was one of the best journeys we have made, as it drove through the Loch Lomond national park passing by the Loch itself, the surrounding mountains, and had castles popping up all over the show as well.

We were picked up in a little town called Taynauilt by David (a Sean Connery lookalike!) and Vivian (a lovely lady of Italian descent), our Workaway hosts, and driven to their tiny little village called Kilchrenan. The village has a pub, a hotel, a village hall, and a school which has 6 students. David and Vivians house was a big house right on the side of Loch Awe, with a big bit of land that their son Phillip uses frequently for his wildlife photography business. We would soon get to know every inch of their land well over the next 2 and a half weeks, as David told us that our main task would be clearing the land of the bracken (weedy looking fern that grows everywhere), and tidying up the area in time for their sons 30th birthday. 

In terms of the Workaway scheme, we worked 4-5hrs a day in exchange for room and meals. We thought it would be a good way to base ourselves for awhile so we could explore the highlands without spending too much money. The work was pretty tough going though to be honest, as we originally thought it would be quite a mixture of indoor and outdoor work, but it was pretty laborious landscaping nearly every day. I seemed to use the weedeater (strimmer as they call it) all day every day, while Louise enjoyed working around the pond.

On Monday we went to the village hall for tea and scone morning, which seemed to be the big local event of the week. It was pretty good though I must admit. But while we were there we met a bunch of other workaways, mostly from Spain, and others from the Netherlands and Aussie. We decided to meet them at the pub on Wed night for a drink, which was a really good time. But over the next two weeks we mainly hung out with Migual and Noella, a really nice couple from Ferrol in the NW of Spain, and Endena who was from the Basque country. They were a great crew to hang out with, and gave us plenty of ideas for when we got to Spain. They were there working to improve their English to help them secure jobs.

Other than working and a weekend trip to the Isle of Mull, we spent most of our days taking David and Vivians dog Mya for a walk in the afternoon where we would also pick the blackberrys that lined the road. We grew really fond of Mya, as she was definitely one of the most obedient and friendly dogs we have both ever come across. Louise also grew fond of Phillip and his wife Lizzies triplets! They were a really great couple, and we enjoyed hanging around with them, but it was also pretty full on when the triplets were about. They seemed to be very fond of Louise, but would cower when they saw me. The triplets pram also looked like an armoured patrol vehicle as it was so big, so that was pretty hard case.

To top off our time there, David and Vivian threw a 30^th birthday party for their other son Aron, who lives in Glasgow. He was a real nice guy as well, and about 15 or so people had an amazing lunch prepared by Vivian with dishes inspired from all around the globe. It was a good way for us to finish as well, because as we were sitting at the table pretty proud of all our hard work in the garden. After stuffing ourselves to the absolute brim and going back for seconds of haggis, we went and met my second cousin Wayne for a drink and another bite to eat the Taynauilt pub. Its always good to meet or catch up with family when you are travelling, and be able to swap stories. After finishing one last (and probably the best) pub meal we had in Scotland, we shared one last drink with Migual, Noella, and Endena, before we packed and looked forward to some warmth and sun in Spain.

Note: The weather in Scotland is as bad as they mention…it rains, a lot, and the

maximum high it got to (in summer) was balmy 14C!