An anticipated highlight of the non-golf portion of our trip to Scotland was a visit to the country’s famed Highlands region. Despite stereotypical Scottish weather, or maybe because of it, we had a great daylong private tour. We encountered on and off showers, the occasional downpour, chilly temps but also breaks of sunshine that produced several rainbows. It was perfect.

Pat booked the tour through Macleod Heilan Tours, a small independent operator. Our driver and guide, Marco, turned up in traditional Highland garb, which was a nice touch. If he doesn’t look especially Scottish, he was definitely born and bred here. But as his name indicates, he’s half-Italian on the paternal side. Hence the Mediterranean look. I can relate.

It was a full day. Marco picked us up at 8 a.m. and we didn’t return until 6:30 p.m. It was raining at the outset but fortunately the rain stopped and the skies briefly cleared for our first significant stop at Inveraray Castle, home to the Duke of Argyll. It looks like the kind of fairy tale castle a child might dream up.

The current duke, Torquhil Ian Campbell, is also the titular head of the Campbell Clan. His family uses a portion of the castle as one its residences (there are others in London and elsewhere), while we tourists get to see the rest to help cover the operating costs. Fun fact: one of this guy’s passions is playing elephant polo! Never knew that was a thing. These royals have some weird pastimes.

The break in the weather allowed us to briefly tour the castle gardens before heading inside. There was a deluge during the inside portion of the visit, so good timing. The castle itself is choc-a-bloc with various memorabilia, most prominently paintings of old family members and other royals, and lots of swords, lances, guns and other battle implements.

Next we headed off towards Oban (pronounced Oh-bin), but not before we stopped at St. Conan’s Kirk (I.e. church), built by a former head of the Campbell clan for his mother Agnes. In addition to housing the builder’s remains there is a deathbed rendering of the Scottish patriot hero Robert the Bruce. It’s supposed to house a piece of one of his bones, kind of like how there are purportedly the bones of various Catholic saints in different churches around the world.

Next it was off to Oban, home to the distillery of the same same. It’s a charming seaside village that can serve as a jumping off point for visits to a number of Scottish islands. We enjoyed a lunch of fresh local scallops and mussels, both delicious, at one of the waterfront restaurants and later a whisky tasting. We followed up with a stop at McCaig’s Tower, which overlooks Obin.

On the way back to Glasgow we made stops at the ruins of Kilchurn Castle. Built by the Campbells in 1450, it was damaged by a lightning strike and abandoned 300 years later in favor of Inveraray. Then it was on to Glencoe to view mountains known as the Three Sisters (Faith, Hope and Charity), and other stops.

The tour ended in the village of Luss and the southern end of Loch Lomand. The cemetery in the village church features a Viking hog back gravestone that dates to roughly 1100. It’s a charming village with a beach.

Bizarrely, three teenage girls were frolicking in the water despite temperatures not topping 60 degrees Fahrenheit. These Scots are tough!