A Scottish adventure on the Loch...

Our stay in Loch Lomond was just what we needed. Time as a new family of three to come back down to earth and process the crazy whirlwind of the last few months.

We almost decided not to travel. Several awful nights sleep with an unsettled baby will cure your wanderlust like that, but then being the crazy fools we are, we chucked caution to the wind and went for it anyway.

Five hours later, shattered but fuelled with excitement at starting our first family holiday, we arrived in Loch Lomond, just outside of Balloch.

The host at our beautiful apartment for the week greeted us and we unpacked the mountain of baby gear we'd brought just in case. Gone are the days when we can travel with a small rucksack and a prayer.

The Loch Lomond area had so much to attract us; long autumnal walks through forests,  magical meres, glens and Loch shores, plus easy access to quaint towns like Luss and the City of Glasgow within 30 minutes.

Although I've visited Edinburgh umpteen times and Glasgow just a handful, it has always been a favourite of mine, with it's big merchant buildings and gritty exterior. It's a city with hairs on its chest, as I've once heard it described. A bit rough round the edges but alluringly sexy.

Five minutes from our apartment in Loch Lomond was the beautiful 5 star Cameron House Hotel and its luxury bars and restaurants. We enjoyed several evenings with a wee dram of something outside The Boat House, watching the sun set in a blaze of glorious pinks and oranges over the Loch.

As well as the various castles, museums and activities on offer, we just had to do a whisky distillery on our visit and so went to Auchentoshan. Now doing this with a tiny baby and being a breastfeeding mother was not ideal, but at least the Carnivore got to sample the goods with gusto. I had a wee taste of the slightly more tame Auchentoshan whiskey and ale cocktail and it was delicious.

In Glasgow we visited the West End, which was voted the best neighbourhood in the UK and we could easily see why. It's very cultural, bohemian and if you head to Ashton Lane, has some of the best eateries, including Glasgow's infamous Ubiquitous Chip. This place is a veritable rabbit warren, with three pubs on site, a brasserie and a restaurant. It also serves up vegetarian Haggis with neeps and tatties, which I was keen to sample. It was scrumptious, I have to say.

Among the many attractions of Glasgow was the West Brewery, which is like a German beer house serving bratwursts but with Scottish beer brewed on site. Again, the Carnivore got the full experience but I enjoyed my 1/4 pint and Spatzle for lunch.

We also visited the beautiful botanical gardens, which had the Victorian arboretum as its crowning glory but the Kellingrove museum gardens was my favourite outdoor space in Glasgow.

After a couple of amazing days in the city, we realised we'd left our hearts in Loch Lomond and we were looking forward to getting back to the countryside. We had so much fun in Glasgow, though, and was far more interesting and quirky than it's more famous sister, in my opinion.

Have you been to Scotland? Are you a city or country lover?