In August 2025, we spent a week at Loch Etive, near Inverawe, on the west coast of Scotland.

We rented in Port na Mine – a six-bedroom house in a remote corner of Inverawe for our group of eight adults, four children and two dogs.

The drive, from Harrogate in North Yorkshire took eight hours including a brief stop for ham sandwiches and coffee. In Scotland, we followed then A85 through Lochawe & drove beside Loch Etive and through the Pass of Brander to the bridge over River Awe where we left the A85 and drove towards Inverawe Country Park and took the track through the forest that led to Port na Mine.

The house, in the middle of nowhere, was stunning!

We drank most of a bottle of Eden Valley Viognier with dinner and settled down for an early night.

(Thihan, Madhavi and their two children flew to London from the United States. Diluk & Lotti traveled from Germany. They joined Nick, Renu and Seren and took the Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William. Cliona flew to Inverness from London, rented a car and drove to Fort William. They drove to Isle of Skye in rented cars via Skye Bridge to visit the Fairy Pools, drove down to Armadale and took the ferry to Mallaig to spend the night at the Morar Hotel.)