Of Lochs and Locks

(now with added photos)
Going on holiday in the dead of night is always exciting.  Riding through empty streets with a warm tail wind is even better.   15 degrees at 4am - nice.  It was all going perfectly to plan until I realised I'd forgotten my bike lock.
The train journeys were the biggest risk to my plan for today.  A long delay would be a big problem.  Luckily it was only a short delay: overhead cables down near Glasgow.  Could have been a lot worse - quite a few trains were cancelled.
Met Tim in Glasgow, who saved the day (twice) by bringing me a bike lock, and pointing out that the Oban train went from the *other* Glasgow station.  Now I'm older, I have an excuse.
Weather forecast for Oban: rain. Until I get there, then sunshine. Yippee.
The views from the train to Oban are spectacular. Generally. Views from high in the Arrochar Alps down to remote sea lochs (or perhaps Clyde lochs?) on the left, Loch Lomond to the right, and across to impressive mountains.  Today we got the weather I'm hoping to avoid at Oban: misty drizzle and not much visibility.   You could imagine the views, though, as we chugged lugubriously through woods carpeted with (English??) bluebells.  The young lady oppsite me had been to the shops in Glasgow. As far as I could see without being nosy, she had purchased four big boxes of Rice Krispies and four 4-packs of sausage rolls.  All set for a heavy night.
The stations are a delightful reminder of pre-Beeching times: deserted halts where you have to ask the guard in advance to stop the train, or 'bigger' stations like Crianlarich, which boasts a tempting Tea Room.
As we drew near to Oban, there was a glimpse of blue sky in the distance; ten minutes later, and the sun appeared.  And so, it begins.