Our travels this day took us to Brig O’ Doon, the Burn’s Memorial and Gardens, then south on the road we drove the day before to Culzean (pronounced Cul-lane) Castle, north again to Hill House, and Loch Lomand before we arrived in Oban for the night.

We left Doonfoot and the Sherwood B & B at 9:45, under overcast skies and drizzling rain, and drove the short distance to Brig O’ Doon (which means bridge over the River Doon).

It was a short walk up the street to the Burns Memorial and Gardens.                                 I love these ivy covered buildings. After a lovely wander around the gardens we drove a few miles back down the road so we could see Culzean Castle, home of the Kennedy clan for over 300 years.Culzean had an awesome gated entrance and long winding pathway to the castle.  The castle  was  built  in  stages  between 1777  and  1792  and  until  recently  an   illustration  of  Culzean  Castle  was  on  the  reverse  of  the  Bank  of  Scotland  issued  five-pound  note. Gorgeous gardens.  The main castle above and a secondary residence located across the green below.  Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside but the castle, the setting, and grounds provided lots of photo opportunities anyway. 
The gardens were fabulous to walk through, despite the  gray  day. We did a tour of Hill House which was designed in 1902 by renowned Scottish architect Charles Renny Mackintosh for Walter Blackie (a publisher of children’s books).  Again no photos allowed inside, but the place was a real art-deco masterpiece. As we continued northward we drove along the shores of Loch Lomand.  Even if one can’t sing – which I can’t – one really has to launch into a few bars of the famous song.

The loch was just a flat grey expanse with the cloud cover, but further up the road we passed a body of water that had some gorgeous reflections. The west side of the Loch, where we were, edges the Trossachs National Forest.

We arrived in Oban at 7 pm and settled into the Chalhoss B & B.  Tom and Christine raise Gordon Setters, but all the dogs were kept in runs outside so no doggy fix that day.