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O ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road,
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye...
I succumbed to the tempting, easy option of seeing the wilds of Scotland from the comfort of a bus, and so found a tour that had all I wanted. There were fifteen on the bus, every one of them so nice, and great company for the three days that we were together. Our Scottish tour guide was brilliant, with stories to tell about all we passed, and some Scottish music ever on hand to accompany them. The landscape was so amazingly stunning. I would try to describe it, but fear I lack the skill to give it any justice so will simply say it was more than incredible. All I seem to say these days is 'Look at all this whiteness!' Which sums it up, but can't explain its magic. We stopped off at Bannockburn to see where the battle took place there, and heard stories of Robert the Bruce, who I'm distantly descended from, so that was rather interesting, though the stories are long and detailed and I admit I cant remember the details. We met a shaggy highland cow called Hamish, saw the Culloden battlefields and the beautiful pass of Glencoe. There was Fort William and Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in the UK (I think), and then of course we went over the sea to Skye. On the third day we passed through Inverness, stopping off at Loch Ness for some monster hunting. Nessy did not make an appearance, so perhaps she was sleeping.
We stayed, for two nights in Stromeferry, on the coastline, in a little hostel that was hardly hostel-like at all, but more a cosy house where Hilary, the lady who lived and worked there cooked us nice meals, including Haggis, which isnt so bad if you dont think about what it is.
A local man brought over his collection of ancient weapons and we had fun playfighting as he gruffly told us about each item, and a few of us ventured into the cold one evening and peered through a telescope, hopping from foot to foot to keep circulation going.
There were snow ball fights, and cheesy sing alongs, and everyone on the bus had something to add. Hearing 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down' in German was very amusing, and the two other Aussies on board had some classic questions - 'Which Loch is Nessy in?' Hehe. It was a truly fun weekend, with awesome companions, lovely insights into Scottish ways, and of course, the warmth of a bus to return to after being dumped in the snow (thanks Colin). I think I want to run away and live in the mountains there, though maybe in Summer, when the heather is blooming and the fields are swathed in purple light. And though I say it about every place I've been to, I will definitely be back there.
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