Here we are back on our adventures with The Intrepids on this lovely spring day on 25/3/2012. Once we established that Sid was in fact Sid, see our adventure at Dune Castle, we headed of for a spot of Kite watching. No not manmade kites but those beautiful flying scavengers Red Kites at Argaty . (All back safely then we’ll continue). Seriously if you can get the chance take a trip to Argaty and watch these magnificent birds in flight. It was now 4 pm on a lovely Spring afternoon, too early to head home – so what to do? The others had made me the driver for the day (more fool them), mind you my threats to make them walk home when they misbehave has lost its impact now they have their bus passes, so unless they wanted to use those bus passes they had to go where I took them. What to do, where to go – Callander – nope been there, got the T-Shirt and ate the chips (and been ate by Scotland’s Secret Anti Tourist Missals the midges). Ah I know the place – the Lake of Menteith. 
(from Wikipedia) “The Lake of Menteith is the only natural body of freshwater called a “lake” in Scotland. There are, however, one or two other man-made ‘lakes’; the Lake of the Hirsel being an example“. and as an explanation as to why it is called a lake, again from Wikipedia “This unusual name is believed to be due to a corruption by 16th C. Dutch cartographers of the Lowland Scots Laich o Menteith, where “laich” simply means “low place”. However, according to another legend, the body of water was named “Lake” in response to the betrayal of Sir William Wallace by a 13th C. Scottish Baron; Sir John Menteith of Ruskie. The English word “Lake” being attached to the body of water owned by Sir John in order to indicate to all to which country he owed his true allegiance”. You pays yer money and takes yer choices as they say. Unfortunately on this trip we did not get to see the ruins of Inchmahome Priory sited on the largest island on the lake Incmahome. However, we did make that trip on another day. I wonder how the island got that name, I can imagine a slight tipsy Auld Scot slurring to his drinking buddies “see yon island?” “Ya see ah wheel ish ma home”. Alas Wikipedia spoilt that thought “Inchmahome, an anglicisation of Innis Mo Cholmaig (“my-Colmac’s island”), is the largest of three islands in the Lake of Menteith, in Stirlingshire“ I think I like my version best. I think I’ll leave you good people to look at the gallery of in-mages as I sit here and recall one of the best afternoons of my life enjoying the peace of the afternoon and relaxing with two of the people I like the best and chatting as friends do as we sat in the bar of the Lake of Menteith Hotel, overlooking the view of the lake as we watched the sun go down: As they say it does not get better than this.
