Just back Ayrshire and Loch Lomond

[fergie]

Afternoon all. Just back from a short trip to Ayr and Loch Lomond. I would like to say it was nice and relaxing but we had 10 kids with us and only 7 adults to control them so we were constantly on look out. Managed to get up to Loch Lomond for a day, the place is breath-taking but only got a few pics. We stayed in Craig Tara, a couple of miles outside of Ayr but have made plans to spend a week to ten days up in Loch Lomond next year.

Open farm we spent a day at. Kids loved it, nice array of animals to see for a private ownership



















Views of the farm





Some pics of Loch Lomond. Only got to see a tiny fraction of the Loch but definitely going back next year to explore the whole heap













Finally all the crazy wains we had to keep under control



My baby girl, two months old yesterday

[frankykeno]

Awww such lovely little ones! Congratulations on your beautiful baby!

That looks a lovely farm to visit. I love meerkats! I bet the kids just had a blast there.

I'd love to visit Scotland some day and meet all my relatives over there (though some come to visit over here every few years).

[fergie]

Thanks Joanna. Yes the kids do look lovely but four days on a campsite nearly had me up the walls with bad nerves. Not to mention the caravan near flooding, finding a used condom in the sofa bed and a fire alarm going off at one of the shows. The farm was good though, plenty for both adults and kids and the weather was great.

I have no Scottish relatives but my ancestory is Scottish, both my family names being Ferguson and Buchanan. I love going to scotland especially the west coast and the Highlands. I would pick Scotland over mainland Europe anytime, saying that i would rather stay at home than go to Europe lol

[dr del]

Hi Fergie,


Sounds like you had a stressfull holiday.

I thoroughly enjoyed your pictures as I was born and raised in Ayrshire - made me feel all homesick for a minute.

You should have asked the farm for the loan of a sheepdog to keep the tribe in check.

Could I ask you where the farm was as I didn't even know it was there and it's the kind of place I would enjoy visiting with my father ( also a wildlife nut) when I'm next through. I just never seem to see that colour of green on the east coast for some reason - must be all this dry weather they have.

We used to say Ayrshire had the most reliable weather in the world - if it didn't rain today it will rain tomorrow.


dr del

[fergie]

Hi Dr. Del.


All in all we had a great time and the wains had a ball, which is the mean thing. The wee farm was great, would definitely go back.

Heres a wee link to their website

http://www.headsofayrfarmpark.co.uk/

I think the weather in Ayr is much the same as in my hometown. The rains never too far away but we have to be grateful as its what gives our wee island its emerald beauty

[frankykeno]

My grandmother who raised me as her own, came over to Canada at age 6 though never let us lose contact with her family "back home" or her deep love for the beauty of Scotland and it's people. Her maiden name was Gorrie, which I believe is a sept of Clan MacDonald. Funny how my most favorite Scottish song above all else is "Skye Boat Song" and when I was doing a bit of research on my grandmother's family name it appears to have first been used on the Isle of Skye....interesting coincidence isn't it!

I also found out something to do with it being a Viking first name that was turned into a gaelic last name at some point. Now how cool would it be to think there's a Viking or two in my genes. LOL

[fergie]

For some reason it seems to fill you with pride and honour whenever you find out your ancestory is Scottish or Irish. No offense to the English but myself being a buchanan with a true blood line it fills me with pride to know that we were one of the few clans who the english could not defeat. Especially the one hundred years war were we helped the French drive the English from mainland France.

You say you believe you have some Viking blood in you. Maybe at a time our ancestors could've crossed swords, as it was a son of a king of Ulster who helped to the defeat the vikings and was rewarded with land around Loch Lomond.

[frankykeno]

LOL perhaps our ancestors did! I'm not at all sure of course but during some research into the last name Gorrie I found this...


"Gorrie is a Scottish family name first found on the Isle of Skye. The name comes from the personal Viking name 'Goraidh' (equivalent to Godfrey), and was Gaelicised to MacGoraidh, which was subsequently anglicised to MacGorrie, Gorrie, Gore and other variants."