Today we returned to the shores of Loch Lomond at Cameron House Hotel. Marjory and Forrest gave James a trip for two on Loch Lomond Seaplanes for his 60th birthday last year and it has taken several attempts to book it. We were delighted to go on our flight today.
Eagle eyed blog readers may notice that we have already been on a similar flight last year in December. By coincidence, Heather and Ewan very kindly gave James the same 60th birthday present as Forrest and Marjory. This was not a problem at all to us, because two flights are naturally even better than one.
It was nice that we already knew the routine, and where to turn up. While we were waiting for the plane to come in, I was chatting to a man who was varnishing a memorial bench. I asked him if it was for a member of his family, and he replied that, in fact, it was for the two young men who died in a fire at the hotel six years ago. He was from the local church in Luss, who keep in close touch with their families. I thought that this was very kind of him, and I was also shocked that it has been six years since the tragedy; it seems much more recent.
After our safety briefing, we were soon scudding across the loch and ready to ascend into the sky. The weather was different this time. Instead of crisp, wintry sunshine, we had a mixture of clouds and sun, and the shadows of the plane and the clouds on the lochs and the trees below looked beautiful.
As with last time, I was amazed at how gorgeous is the Firth of Clyde. There are so many sea lochs, with so many little sailing boats either moored in bays or sailing about, it looked idyllic. We flew over Helensburgh and over Rothesay and saw Millport and Arran. The pilot pointed out Kilbride Beach which he thinks is one of the most lovely beaches in Scotland. We must pay it a visit, although it’s a long drive from Glasgow.
The pilot also told us that the name Tarbert (which we also flew over) is used for low isthmuses that divide lochs from the sea. It literally means “boat-carrying.” This explains why there are several places called Tarbert in Scotland. The flight was over all too soon, and I don’t think I would ever get tired of it. I would love to go again soon.
Eagle eyed blog readers may notice that we have already been on a similar flight last year in December. By coincidence, Heather and Ewan very kindly gave James the same 60th birthday present as Forrest and Marjory. This was not a problem at all to us, because two flights are naturally even better than one.
It was nice that we already knew the routine, and where to turn up. While we were waiting for the plane to come in, I was chatting to a man who was varnishing a memorial bench. I asked him if it was for a member of his family, and he replied that, in fact, it was for the two young men who died in a fire at the hotel six years ago. He was from the local church in Luss, who keep in close touch with their families. I thought that this was very kind of him, and I was also shocked that it has been six years since the tragedy; it seems much more recent.
After our safety briefing, we were soon scudding across the loch and ready to ascend into the sky. The weather was different this time. Instead of crisp, wintry sunshine, we had a mixture of clouds and sun, and the shadows of the plane and the clouds on the lochs and the trees below looked beautiful.
As with last time, I was amazed at how gorgeous is the Firth of Clyde. There are so many sea lochs, with so many little sailing boats either moored in bays or sailing about, it looked idyllic. We flew over Helensburgh and over Rothesay and saw Millport and Arran. The pilot pointed out Kilbride Beach which he thinks is one of the most lovely beaches in Scotland. We must pay it a visit, although it’s a long drive from Glasgow.
The pilot also told us that the name Tarbert (which we also flew over) is used for low isthmuses that divide lochs from the sea. It literally means “boat-carrying.” This explains why there are several places called Tarbert in Scotland. The flight was over all too soon, and I don’t think I would ever get tired of it. I would love to go again soon.
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