An unexpected stop

Saturday, April 21....   Continuing westward from our castles we were heading toward Loch Lomond, just proud of ourselves that we were adjusting to the roads and soon be at a B & B in a woodsy-lakey setting. I was just getting Kenneth McKellar's music adjusted when the red Peugeot beeped a beep; and the dashboard lit up with "STOP". The thermostat was all the way into the red. Oh, Mon Dieu...what to do. Pulled over into a driveway with a sign, "Boquan House". Called Avis and were told that a tow truck would be out in about an hour.  Soon a woman and her son pulled in and got out to open the gate, but first came to see if we were all right. She was most dismayed that we had to sit there, but we assured we help was on the way.  But she left her phone number just in case.

Pretty soon her husband drove back from the house to invite us for tea and to come get warm in the house. We decided to stay in the car, but when Avis called and said it would be another hour, we went to their gorgeous estate house with acres of green fields, horses, cattle, sheep.  Claire and her husband joined us for tea...and wine in one of the drawing rooms with very down to earth hospitality. I've just learned online that they are millionaires who've asked their district to disallow walkers on property surrounding their house. Walking or "rambling" in Britain is national pastime, and landowners are not allowed to block entrance to these paths. The Snowies have been afraid that kidnappers or burglars would target them once they saw this grand estate. Indeed, in 2009, a stable fire killed their children's ponies...a possible arson.

Enroute to our breakdown

Well, soon our happy hour ended when Earl called to say we and our car had to be towed to Glasgow Avis for a swap. Mr. Snowie drove us back where we rode on the tow truck, with a jolly young man and his girlfriend who would ride with him for the night. He talked all the way in "Glaswegian" dialect...so we understood little. It was so late when we got our new car that we walked across the parking lot to a Holiday Inn Express, for the night. All's well that ends well.