Tattered Cover

Sometimes things are just too perfect.

We were driving up north past Glasgow headed to a small town in the Argyll forest. We'd pulled over on the side of the road and looked over the lake as drizzle filled the air around us. Joe pulled a vegetarian snack out of our bag and we noshed for a few minutes. Yep, in the Scotch mist, we ate a Scotch egg on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. No kidding. Really.

As we drove through the countryside we became certain that some big mistake had been made. We were headed to a town called Cairndow which wasn't listed on a single signpost along the way. Suddenly Ted, our GPS, told us to make a turn down a tiny country lane which wound down to Loch Fyne where we found a town with maybe 10 houses and the Cairndow Stagecoash Inn.

When we parked beside it we looked at each other with dread and horror. It was a tiny little place and there was no way my wheelchair would even make it through the front door. As Joe was in registering and checking to ensure that the room was accessible. I was madly on the phone calling to Inveraray to find if there were hotels there with accessible rooms. When Joe came out with the key he said that they assured him that the room was indeed accessible.

We drove up a small rise to park at a newish building beside the registration hall. The accessible room was easy to spot because a huge ramp had been built up to the door. Joe went into check and came out smiling. 'It's beautiful.' I went up to check and there is a bit of a problem with the door sill but once in, it's amazing. A completely accessible room. A beautiful bathroom with everything I need. Best of all we have a large window that looks over the lake ... with swans swimming by in the mist.

So we are now tucked in with the heater blasting the damp out of the air and with night falling over the loch. They always said, 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' ... well ain't that the truth.