Great weekend of hiking and relaxation!

So, on Saturday, I embarked on a journey to the Argyll Forest to the west of Glasgow. I woke up around 6.40am (no fun!) and packed my hiking gear and made some sandwiches for lunch. I took the bus to Waverly train station here in Edinburgh and caught the 7.48am train to Gourock with one change in Glasgow. It took the train about an hour to get to Glasgow Central Station, from where I had to make a connecting train that continued onward to Gourock. I managed to make perfect timing and got on the connecting train within 5 minutes of arriving in Glasgow. Another hour and I was finally in Gourock. Once I alighted from the train, I made my way towards McIntray's Point (where the ferry to Hunter's Quay was). It took me about 25-30 minutes to get to the ferry. Again, perfect timing and I was on the ferry within 2 minutes of getting to the dock. I boarded the ferry along with numerous cars that also got onto the ferry. I paid for my ticket and stood on the top deck as the ferry made it's way towards Hunter's Quay across the Firth of Clyde. Apparently there are dolphins in the Firth of Clyde (according to the ticketing man), so I kept my eyes open for any signs of dolphin fins, but unfortunately I saw no such fins...

After finally arriving to Hunter's Quay, I knew I had a very long walk ahead of me to reach my destination, which was a hiking path called Puck's Glen. The distance to get there was about 5 miles and I figured it would take me a few hours to walk there. Before I started walking on the main road that I would need to take to reach Puck's Glen, I stopped into a post office/grocer. I picked up some food to go with lunch and I asked the man at the register how long it would take to walk to Puck's Glen. He said it takes about 30 min to drive there, so it would probably take 2 hours to walk there. Then, an older gentleman walked into the store and the man at the register said I was in luck, as the man that just walked into the store has walked all over this area of Scotland and knows it like the back of his hand. So the older man outlined a new path that he suggested, since it would take less time than the way I was proposing.

While he was telling me these new directions, another older gentleman walked in and overheard our conversation. He said that I was in luck as he and his wife were heading past Puck's Glen, and if I wanted a ride, I could ride with them to get there! I almost said no, but then he kept on insisting that I come along for the ride. So, I got into the car with Beth and Andy, an older couple that must have been in their late 60's early 70's. Beth was very nice and told me about Holy Loch, that we drove past. Apparently it used to be where the US Navy stayed. There was a very long wooden dock and apparently it was the dock the Americans used. Beth and Andy were heading up to Inverary to see their daughter and husband. We made it to Benmore Gardens and they dropped me off at the bus stop.

I went into the Benmore Gardens cafe to have lunch. Mom and I went into this cafe a few years ago on our Scottish trip and also went to Puck's Glen. I ate lunch and made my way to the trailhead. The first trailhead was "Black Gates" and was a trail that featured gigantic trees all along the path. The hike was absolutely amazing as the trees and ground were covered with bright green moss and vegetation. The trees towered over me and the sound of rushing water made the walk so peaceful. After the Black Gates trail, I made my way to the Puck's Glen trailhead. After a 20 min walk to get there, it began to rain. No, let me rephrase that, it began to POUR! I ran under the trees in the nearby forest and it was absolutely amazing! The rain, as it poured down to the ground, didn't touch me while I was in the forest. It was so weird to be standing under a tree and literally 2 feet in front of me it was pouring rain (and hail too)! It finally let up after about 5 minutes. I continued to make my way to the trailhead of Puck's Glen. I walked past a car with two Jack Russel Terriers that were barking their heads off at me. I finally found the trailhead to Puck's Glen and began my walk. Puck's Glen is a walk that follows a stream, and along this path are numerous waterfalls. It was so green throughout the walk! It also began to rain again, but I got my umbrella out and continued to take photos in the rain.

For lunch, I stopped by one of the larger waterfalls and ate my packed meal. After taking loads of photos, I made my way out of the glen at around 3pm. I had to walk about 1.5 miles to reach the bus stop. I caught the 4.06pm bus back to Hunter's Quay and back onto the ferry towards Gourock. After another 2 hour train journey, I made it back to Edinburgh and back into my comfortable bed. I have loads of photos to upload, and I will have them up either tonight or tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend! Oh, I also have a new website I joined. I am selling my photos through Redbubble.com and you can click on the "Buy at redbubble" link below the pictures at the top of the blog. I'm only selecting photos that I think are worthy or being framed and sold, so these are my best pictures.