After four days of exploring Scotland, it was very hard to leave, but as it was, tickets for the ferry from Newcastle, England, to Amsterdam in the Netherlands had been booked. 

The drive from Perthshire to Edinburgh went smoothly, then we drove to Newcastle to take the ferry.

After check-in, we went to the top deck to enjoy the view, then after the ferry set sail, we had dinner, worked for a bit in our cabin and then went to bed.

After arriving in the Netherlands, we drove to Utrecht, a quiet and pretty town which is home to the famous Domkerk Church.

I had earlier accepted an invitation from a friend, Denis O'Dwyer to visit him in Brussels, so we drove on to Belgium. Denis published Colours of Bahrain, a book featuring the work of leading Bahraini artist Abbas Al Mosawi, last year. (More info at coloursofbahrain.com).

After a delicious breakfast, we left Beinn Bhracaigh Guesthouse and drove west in the direction of Kinloch Rannoch. 

Our first stop was the famous Queens View. From here you get a beautiful view over Loch Tummel. The place was named after Queen Victoria who visited in 1866; however it is also possible that the place was named after Queen Isabella, the wife of Robert the Bruce.

We stopped at a camping site to get closer to the shores of Loch Tummel and made the acquaintance of four Scotsmen camping there with family and friends. We started talking and took some photographs. 

This morning we left Edinburgh early to ensure we would be on time for an 11am appointment at Blair Castle in Perthshire. 

On arrival, we were met by Sandy Reid, who only recently retired from his long term position as game-keeper of the Atholl Estates. We started out from the castle with both his and the Friendship Tour Land Rovers. 

The tour was through the privately owned estate, up onto the hills overlooking the castle and beautiful valleys. Unfortunately, we are here a week or two too early which means not all of the heather is in full blossom, but we could still picture how colourful the hills will soon become. 

We started our day driving to Stirling, a beautiful Scottish town with a famous castle.

The drive was fast and smooth and it only took us one hour to get there from Edinburgh. The tour around the castle was really good since it was sunny, and we took a lot of pictures.

Ammar Hammad, whose photographs and Quicktime panoramas have received rave reviews from readers, rejoined the tour today, accompanied by another top photographer Shafiq Khalaf.

They were looked after by Visit Scotland and will spend four days exploring and taking pictures for a special book to be published after the trip.

Today, we had a four-hour drive from Cork to Maynooth, to visit Carton House - a five-star hotel and golf club resort. There, we were welcomed by Aine Mangan, who a few years back used to work for the Riffa Golf Club in Bahrain.

Aine gave us a tour of this beautifully restored mansion, which was once the country residence of the FitzGerald family - Earls of Kildare and later Dukes of Leinster. 

Carton House is steeped in history, but with all the comforts of a luxury hotel. Just half an hour from Dublin, the elegant Palladian house is set in over a thousand acres of stunning parkland, and has attracted a long list of glamorous guests from Queen Victoria to Grace Kelly.

It was an event-packed weekend in Ireland, and helped to underscore how much  there is to see and do in this wonderful and welcoming country.

After breakfast yesterday, we visited the Galley Head lighthouse, which in times past helped ships to navigate the waters. We met Gerald Butler, who works for the lighthouse and proceeded to give us a very informative tour during which he not only explained how the lighthouse worked, but also provided us a history lesson about the area.

Later, we went to Red Strand beach for a swim and a picnic, before taking a walk around Clonakilty where we visited an art gallery.

After dinner at home, we made our plans for the next day, which kicked off with a visit to Charles Fort in Kinsale. After the tour, we went to witness  the various activities being held during Art Week in Kinsale which is famous for its music and exhibitions.

Then we went to the harbour and enjoyed a great show with dancers inside giant  balloons on the water providing a fine spectacle.

If you are planning a visit to Ireland, be sure to visit this beautiful town for at least a couple of days.

On Wednesday, we drove to the Scottish coast and took the ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland, en route to Ireland.

While in Belfast, we visited Giant's Causeway, a world heritage site. The skies were pouring rain right through from the time we got off the ferry, but the deluge ended almost on cue as we arrived at our destination.

It was still cloudy, but our tour guide kept the mood light with one funny story after another.

Today we left Edinburgh and drove to Loch Lomond via Glasgow. 

Our first stop was Balloch Castle Park, a wonderful old estate overlooking the shore of Loch Lomond. The walk to the castle is mainly through woodland. The castle was built in 1808 for John Ardoch of Buchanan. The estate with its walled garden, woodland, shore walks and picnic areas is now a national park and can be enjoyed by everyone.

It's been a few days since the tour has officially been complete, but I have still been touring, visiting friends both in Scotland and back here in England. 

I have even been enjoying the rain... back in Bahrain, we get very little of it.

Yesterday, I made a planned visit to the Land Rover factory in Solihull. The Land Rover LR3 has, of course, been a very reliable vehicle for me, one I have been happy to trust on a gruelling tour such as this one. It didn't once let me down right through the drive from Bahrain to England.

At the factory, I was welcomed by Roger Crathorne, manager, technical communications and public affairs, who was very enthusiastic about the Friendship Tour and arranged an interview with the Land Rover magazine to feature our expedition.