Glencoe Area, Day 5 (4/17/26)

(Cross-posted to Wilsons' Wild Ones)

Jay and I made a deal back when we first started traveling together that I get to choose a horseback riding adventure wherever we travel. I don't always choose to ride (typically on our birthiversary trips is when I bow out, because we travel with others on those trips). We've ridden in Italy, Costa Rica, and now, Scotland.

It was "crappy weather" when we got there, according to our guide. And, for a Scot to call the weather crappy, you know it's not good weather. Nonetheless, we drove almost an hour to get to the stable, and there were no refunds for cancellations, so we were going.

We sat in the car, psyching ourselves up for a miserable ride.

The rain was coming down in sheets while we were signing our liability waivers and waiting for our horses to be brought around. But then, just as we headed out to mount up, someone dialed back the faucet and the downpour turned into a slight drizzle.

Just a slight drizzle.

Jay's horse, Lucy, took really good care of him
for the whole ride.

Ollie the Pokiest Pony took good care of me

Within twenty minutes of heading out, even the drizzle stopped and we had perfect riding weather for the remainder of the trek. We spent what felt like forever walking on the road, and just as I was getting ready to mentally check-out, our guide asked us if we wanted to go off trail. She must have been as bored as I was, lol.

There must be something about me that
brings out the derp ears on every horse I ride.

We spent a good bit of time riding on boggy hills, crossing little streams here and there. Our guide told us that Achnalarig Stables provided the horses for the Outlander series, which was really cool, and inspired us to start watching it when we got home.

These hills were gorgeous, and off in the distance, you can see Oban.

What I thought would be an absolute drag of a ride in the cold, driving rain turned out to be super fun and relaxing. Jay is always a bit nervous when he rides, because there's so much to think about, he never finds it relaxing. However, on Lucy, he was able to relax and enjoy the scenery and the ride, which is a big win!

After our ride, we went to Oban for lunch. It's a cute little costal town, even in the fine Scottish weather.

I spied the Highland Soap Company and insisted on going in to buy some shampoo bars. I had sniffed one in the shop at the Glencoe Visitor's Center and decided I needed one (or two). There were so many great smelling soaps and lotions in the shop that I wanted to bring the whole shop home with me. Darn those TSA liquid restrictions! I settled for two different shampoo bars.

Just a couple of doors down, we found a place for lunch, and where we could warm up. Coming from a place with next to no humidity, I find that adding even a tiny bit of humidity to the cold just chills me to the bone. I spent our time in the Glencoe area chilled through, and didn't get warm again until we got to Skye, despite wearing fleece-lined leggings and layers.

Feeling we'd accomplished enough for the day, we headed back to Ballachulish for a nap while a thunderstorm rolled through. I am certain that thunderstorm naps are the absolute best naps a person could take. 

Around six, we decided we were hungry and drove a few miles down the road to a village, whose name escapes me. The scenery was amazing, and we saw a critter that I couldn't figure out what it was. Jay and I joked that it was a delk (deer/elk). When I was a wrangler, I'd often get the question, "at what altitude does a deer become an elk?". Serious question, by the way, from many tourists. The other wranglers and I would joke that there was some magic elevation that a deer would jump over: "I'm a deer, I'm an elk, I'm a deer". And if they straddled it, it would be a delk.

At first glance, we went, "oh, look at the deer!" Then we looked again, and said, "or is that an elk?" The chest ruff looks like an elk, but it also slightly resembles a deer. Spying this critter, I looked at Jay and said, "oh my God, delk are real!" and we had a good laugh.

After some discussion, we decided it was an elk, but then we looked it up at dinner and it's a Scottish Red Deer (I'm still pretty certain it's an elk, despite what they say.)