Category: Scotland

November 15, 2023

Well, that’s a wrap on Scotland. It’s been absolutely magnificent! Here’s a look back at the last few day in Glasgow and my 24 hour train adventures.

November 13 – Glasgow, Scotland

On my final day in Glasgow, I did some of the things I actually got to spend some time exploring the city, which was lovely. I went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and enjoyed the sort of random assortment of exhibits there. These ranged from art by The Glasgow Boys, a collective of young artists in the 1880s in and around Glasgow, to taxidermy animals to marble busts, and much more.

After the art gallery, I went to the Riverside Museum to enjoy the exhibits there. There were lots of trollies, bicycles, and cars all over the museum as well as information about the people and histories associated with different modes of transportation. I appreciated the openness of the museum which made it easy to just wander and see things without needing to follow a particular story or path. In this type of museum, with just about an hour to kill, it was useful to be able to just wander over to whatever most interested me at any given moment.

After that museum, I went to a physical therapy appointment to try to address my shin splint issues. I had a pleasant time speaking with the clinician who gave me some exercises I need to remember to do going forward. The good news is that there doesn’t appear to be an acute injury, just stress from overuse without properly strengthening. So, here’s hoping I can fix this problem.

After the physical therapy appointment and some food, I walked around the University of Glasgow campus. The architecture is absolutely amazing and despite the grey day and rain, it was a lovely way to spend my last evening in Scotland.

November 14 – In Transit

I woke up bright and early on Tuesday morning to start my 24 hour train journey. I took the train from Glasgow to London. We were slightly delayed because of flooding on the tracks, so of course I got a bit nervous about missing my next two connections. However, it ended up being okay. I made my way from London Euston Station to St. Pancras International and got my second stamp from “Londres, France” which I find very funny.

The next train took me to Paris where I transferred stations and got a glimpse of the top of the Eiffel Tower way off in the distance because it was after dark and it was lit up. My train out of Paris was delayed, so I ended up having a long time to wait. I probably could have wandered and seen a bit of Paris, but these sorts of things are always hard to predict and are very upsetting to miss.

When my third, and final train arrived around 10pm, I realized I was up at the top of a three bunk berth. So, for the next 12 hours, I shared a very tiny compartment with 5 other people who I was too nervous to attempt to speak with considering my lack of any French vocabulary.

It was surprisingly comfortable for sleeping and while I didn’t sleep well, my sleep was not terrible. For 21€ (with my train pass) and the story of the adventure it was definitely worth it to take the train. I was pleased that the connections all worked because otherwise, the trip would have been very different.

November 15 – Juan les Pins, France

After 12 hours on the sleeper train, I finally arrived in Antibes, pretty exhausted and pretty out of it. My friend, Fiona, met me at the station and we grabbed some coffee on our way to our host’s place in Juan les Pins, about a 30 minute walk away. It was lovely to step off the train into t-shirt weather, although I had to tie my jacket onto the back of my bag because I did not want to wear it. Everything was so sunny and felt extremely Mediterranean.

I was pretty out of it and took a shower and a nap to try to clear the train trip from my system. My first day in Juan les Pins was very relaxing and low-key, which I greatly appreciated after my day of travel.

December 1, 2023
November 12, 2023

November 6 – In Transit then Arrochar, Scotland

Sidney and I met up in the morning to catch a train to Arrochar where we began our Highlands tour. It was rainy, but with hope that the forecasted sun would hold the next day, we headed to the Arrochar and Tarbet station, passing Loch Lomond on the way. The views from the train were really lovely, even in the rain.

When we arrives at the station, we were the only people to get off the train and step into the rain to head towards our hotel. It had been a long time since I was in a hotel rather than a hostel and it felt pretty strange at first. It quickly became clear we were not the typical hotel attendees as we straggled in with our wet clothes and big backpacks. Still, they were nice and let us drop our luggage while we waited for the check-in time to roll around. We explored the small cemetery and looked out at the water and the surrounding mountains.

That evening, we made dinner by heating soup with the electric kettle in our room. It was a pretty funny, but honestly very yummy meal. It was certainly the more economical way to eat and I think despite the strangeness of the meal, we felt pretty good about it.

November 7 – Arrochar, Scotland

In the morning we woke up to a brilliantly sunny day and started our hike up The Cobbler mountain. All along the way, the views of Loch Long, Arrochar, and just the surrounding landscape was gorgeous. It was slightly chilly and as we got higher up it got windy, but it was perfect weather for hiking.

For the first part, the path was in trees, but once we broke out from the tree line, the views really became spectacular. Despite the previous day’s rain, we somehow didn’t encounter much mud and the hiking was pretty easy for most of it. The final assent however became very scrambly. We were essentially climbing in a small stream bed that was nearly vertical. We stopped for lunch with a fantastic view. I think we both had a hard time believing that it was all real because the vistas were just so amazing and otherworldly. After lunch we decided to head back down rather than continuing the scramble up to the top where we had heard the winds were even more intense.

At the end of our wonderful day of hiking, we had another creative hotel room dinner and headed to bed. While it would have been nice to have made it to the top of The Cobbler, it was still a really amazing day and it was probably the right call to turn back when we did. Overall, we had a really nice stay in Arrochar.

November 8 – In Transit then Fort William, Scotland

We checked out of the hotel in the morning but had some time to kill before our train, so we sat in the lobby and appreciated the view of the mountain we had hiked the previous day.

We spent a good chunk of the rest of the day we spent on the train to Fort William. Again, it rained on a day when we were traveling. We arrived at the hostel a bit early, so I helped myself to a free hot chocolate to warm up. After checking in and relaxing for a bit, we grabbed some groceries for the next few days. This hostel had a very social atmosphere, more social than many of the others I had been in recently.

After dinner, some of the people working at the hostel decided to throw a bit of a party. I chatted with some people in the lounge area while a game of drunken Twister was going on around us. Unfortunately, this did mean that there was loud conversation and partying happening until about 2am, so it wasn’t the best night of sleep.

November 9 – Fort William, Scotland

The next morning, we tried to catch a bus to the Steall Waterfall in Glen Nevis, at the base of the UK’s tallest mountain, Ben Nevis. Unfortunately, after waiting about 15 minutes we realized that the bus we wanted to catch is a seasonal bus and had stopped operating about three weeks prior.

So, instead we decided to wander around Fort William and walk up to Old Inverlocky Castle and just see what we could see. It ended up being a really nice day for strolling and we basically just wandered around exploring. We went in a few cute stores. It was nice to just experience what the town is like and see the beautiful views.

We had a picnic lunch and then shared a dessert at a cafe inside of The Highland Soap Company building. When we got back to the hostel, we made dinner again and prepared to head out in the morning for Mallaig.

November 10 – In Transit then Mallaig, Scotland

The train ride from Fort William to Mallaig is supposedly one of the most beautiful train rides in the UK (some people say the world) and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, as often happens, the photos cannot do justice to how beautiful the scenery was on this trip.

We went over the Glenfinnian Viaduct, which is featured in many of the Harry Potter films, along with other media. It was impressive to go over on the train, but I have a feeling that is a bit more spectacular from a vantage point other than on top of it. It was still very picturesque despite the pictures really not being able to do it justice at all.

When we arrived in Mallaig, we had a bit of time before we were able to go meet Sidney’s friend, Charlotte. We wandered around a small, second-hand bookstore for a little bit until the bookseller gently told us he had to head out and we realized we’d kept him 20 minutes after his posted closing time. While digging through the stacks I found some fun books including a small book of Scottish Folk songs from the early 20th century. Unfortunately, it was clearly a collectable and cost £30, which I wasn’t willing to pay.

Then we wandered around the docks and had lunch on a picnic bench. When we made our way up to Charlotte’s place we realized what a fantastic view of some of the isles of the Inner Hebrides, including the Isle of Skye she has from her place. It also made it clear how small of a place Mallaig is. Charlotte was lovely and we hit it off immediately. Sidney cooked dinner for us and I did the best I could to help. We chatted over dinner and eventually made a bit of a strange plan for the next day and headed to bed.

November 11 – Mallaig, Scotland

The next morning we grabbed the 8:40am ferry to the Isle of Skye. It was a crystal clear day, which once again showed that some sort of weather god was smiling down on us because the typical weather for mid-November, we were told, is rain, darkness, and cold. The ferry took about 30 minutes and was absolutely gorgeous. Charlotte had brought binoculars and while we didn’t see any whales or dolphins, it was still really cool to look at birds and the surrounding islands with them.

When we got to Armadale, our destination on Skye, we hopped off the ferry long enough to plant our feet firmly in the ferry terminal parking lot before hopping back onto the ferry. Because it is the winter season, the next ferry back to Mallaig from Skye would have been after sunset and without a car, we weren’t sure what we would have done on Skye all day. So, this was phase one of our crazy plan for the day, and it went off without a hitch. In fact, it went better than we could have imagined because while on the ferry, Charlotte started talking to someone who turned out to be the parent of one of her students who lives in a remote part of Knoydart, which was our intended next destination. He offered to take us in his boat to Doune to check out the workshop and facilities of the inn/B&B he and his family runs.

Before hopping on the boat, we grabbed pastries from a bakery Charlotte had been really excited about going to. So, with pastries (and unfortunately, coffee on my part) in hand, we boarded a tiny inflatable boat with Andrew and his partner, Rebecca. The boat ride was a bit bracing and my coffee ended up spilling quite a bit and what remained was really cold when we arrived, but it was amazing. Being so directly on the water, rather than riding high above it was really exciting. The views from the water were fantastic and despite my fear and the cramping in my hand from gripping on so tight, I hade a really amazing time.

When we arrived in Doune, a community of only about 7 people, a bunch of chickens, some dogs and cats, Andrew and Rebecca invited us in for coffee. We shared our pastries and chatted with them about their business operating an inn in such a remote part of world. They were lovely and we had a fantastic conversation. The entire time I kept having to remind myself that this was really happening because it felt like such an amazing turn of events that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.

After our drinks and chats we went for a tour of the grounds including their workshop, greenhouse, and the guesthouse which is undergoing some renovations. They kept mentioning that they have volunteers, so before we parted I got their contact information for potential future volunteering. It was fantastic, we even spotted a whale out in the water between Doune and Skye.

Once we finally pried ourselves from the conversation, we set off on the walk toward Inverie where we hoped to catch some live music and eventually a ferry back to Mallaig. We had spectacular views on the walk and lovely conversations as well. We had been walking for probably an hour when Rebecca and Andrew’s dog, Rua ran up to greet us. Thankfully we had Rebecca’s phone number and were able to call her to come pick the pup up in her van. While waiting for Rebecca, we ate the rest of the things we’d bought at the bakery for a late lunch.

When we arrived in Inverie, we went to The Old Forge Pub, a community owned and operated pub that claims to be the most remote pub in Britain. We were really excited that a jam session was happening. The music was great and we attempted to play pool with a group of guys from Fort William who had been biking in Knoydart. It was really cozy and nice. We watched the sunset with hot chocolate and then got some soup before heading out to look at the stars while we waited for our ferry.

Overall, it was a really fantastic and amazing day that felt like a dream the entire time. It turned out to be a pretty perfect day and made me fall even further in love with Scotland. I feel so lucky that we had such amazing weather and am conflicted about whether I want to keep reminding myself that it typically rains almost constantly during the winter, or if I just want to keep living in my blissful perfect memory of it.

November 12 – In Transit then Glasgow, Scotland

After such an amazing day, it was hard to leave Mallaig, but we boarded our bus at 10am and set off back to Fort William. Unfortunately, we were on a bus rather than a train because they were doing track work. I got a bit car sick on the bus to Fort William, which was unpleasant, but the second bus, from Fort William to the Arrochar and Tarbet train station , where we would finally get back on a train, was actually really beautiful. It was sort of funny to be retracing our steps from the previous week, but it also felt very symmetrical and lovely.

After a complicated string of travel, we finally arrived back in Glasgow and I checked into my hostel. I grabbed some groceries, ate dinner, and did some laundry before heading back out to meet Sidney at the Ben Nevis Pub for more live music as a final goodbye.

The music was a really nice final chance to chat with Sidney before we parted ways and was a really lovely way to end an absolutely amazing Highlands tour.

November 22, 2023
November 5, 2023

November 1 – In Transit then Edinburgh, Scotland

I spent the night at my friend’s place in Islington, London. Her flat was lovely and it was great to get to see her, even for such a brief visit.

Around noon I caught a train to Edinburgh, where I check into my Hogwarts themed room at the Castle Rock Hostel before heading off to meet up with a dance friend I met in Stockholm. She had invited me to join the advanced Scottish Country Dance class in Edinburgh. The class was lovely, and after class, many of us went out for drinks and I got to meet some of the people I would meet in Glasgow at the Autumn Gathering.

After drinks with the dance group, I caught a bus to head to a cocktail bar to meet up with the niece of a friend from Berkeley. She and her two friends were leaving Scotland very early the next morning, but we had a lovely time enjoying fancy cocktails at Panda and Sons which is apparently one of the best cocktail bars in the world. While I have to admit that I couldn’t tell the difference between a normal cocktail and my fancy, ‘special methods only used here’ cocktail, it was still a lovely way to end the evening and nice to meet new people.

November 2 – Edinburgh, Scotland

I woke up to rain and decided to seek out indoor activities as much as possible for the day’s adventures. I started by walking to the St. Cecilia’s Hall Museum to check out their instruments. It is a free museum, which I always appreciate, that I had found on a list of things to do in Edinburgh for someone on a budget. There were Harpsichord’s, Virginals, and many more predecessors to the modern day piano. There was also a room with many different instruments from various wind instruments to percussion, to tons of different strings, and a few different types of bag pipes. It was a small, but lovely museum and perfect spending about an hour and a half in on a rainy day.

When I left the music museum, I wandered along the Royal Mile and stepped into the Museum of Edinburgh to avoid the rain. What I had wrongly assumed was just a small, local museum turned out to be a very large collection of fairly random items from the city’s past. I kept thinking I must be nearing the end of the exhibits, but found another room. The building itself was also interesting and lovely. It was a nice way to spend a few more hours on a rainy afternoon.

After that museum, I strolled along Grassmarket, popping into and out of touristy kilt shops. I eventually made my way back to The National Portrait Gallery where I spent only a few minutes before realizing I could go buy dancing shoes (ghillies) if I headed out quickly. At the museum, though, I did get to see the painting that inspired the Scottish Country Dance “The Minister on the Loch” although the title of the piece is a bit different: “Reverend Robert (1755-1808) Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch”.

So, then I rushed off to the dance store and purchased ghillies before heading to the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society headquarters, just to take a peek. I had a brief, but lovely conversation with two women who were working in the office there.

After some dinner, I went back to the hostel to prepare for a pub crawl I had signed up for at the hostel. The pub crawl itself was a bit rushed, overly crowded, and hyped up in a way that I found a bit off putting, but I had a nice time chatting with people and a few of the places we went were really pretty cool. One of the pubs had a ball pit in it which was very strange, slightly gross, and also very cool.

November 3 – In Transit then Glasgow, Scotland

I checked out in the morning, after breakfast at the hostel, but I was still able to explore the hostel, finding interestingly painted hallways, staircases, and some cozy lounges.

Then I caught my train to Glasgow, walked to my new hostel, did laundry at an outdoor laundry machine and met a friend for dinner before the evening dance.

The evening dance was huge and I found myself a bit overwhelmed. At one point I estimated it at 32 4-couple sets, making about 256 dancers, but probably I missed a set or two somewhere. Unfortunately, my shin pain started acting up again, so I was a bit ginger with with dancing, but I got to wear my new shoes, which was exciting as well. It was really nice to see some people I had met in Stockholm again and even a few from the Toronto dance event back in May. It was a nice start to the weekend

November 4 – Glasgow, Scotland

There was a morning dance class, taught by the teacher from Edinburgh who I had met earlier in the week. His style of teaching was wonderful, he nicely balanced technique with manageable dances and interesting comments about the development of certain dances over time. I was able to dance and greatly enjoyed it.

Then there was a “youth services” meet and greet that I went to with a group of friends. It was interesting to have a conversation with official RSCDS people about young adult and youth participation within Scottish Country Dancing. We just chatted about the differences in the groups we each dance with and ways to promote more youth participation in an activity often attended by an older crowd.

After Indian food for lunch, our little group went back to the hall where Annual General Meeting of the RSCDS was taking place. We arrived late, so we went up to the second floor to watch from above. Unfortunately, the room below was sound proofed well enough that we had to make up our own commentary about what was happening. I think we had more fun watching from above, making up our own story about what was happening than we would have had we sat in the meeting itself. The gist of what was happening was the Society was voting on various changes. I found myself distinctly aware of the slow bureaucratic process of how change happens in institutions like this and struggled a bit to not feel disappointed by that.

After the AGM, I went back to my hostel to get ready for the evening ball. Unfortunately, by this point in the weekend, my shins were hurting fairly persistently. So, I didn’t get much of a chance to dance at the ball. It again, was attended by over 250 people, likely more like 300. The six-piece band was incredible though and I often had people to chat with while I sat out and watched.

Post dance, I had a really nice time hanging out with some friends before heading to bed around 2am.

November 5 – Glasgow, Scotland

While there was a morning dance class, I decided my legs needed a rest, so I showed up late to meet up with friends and say my goodbyes. As disappointing as it was to have to miss out on dancing, the fear of doing permanent damage to my legs was a strong motivator to hold off.

Lunch with a bunch of my new friends was nice and after saying more goodbyes, my friend, Sidney, and I rushed to catch a bus to head to a community center to volunteer with a painting project. Sidney has been researching tool libraries and community art projects, so she wanted to make a connection with some of the people in Glasgow and found this event. She invited me along. When we showed up, they were nearly finished, but we were able to help with finishing touches and with cleanup, which made it feel worthwhile.

In the evening, I went to the Ben Nevis Pub to meet some friends and listen to live music. The jam session was really great. When I first arrived, around 9pm, it was packed, but by the time I left, a bit before 11, the number of musicians probably outnumbered those who were there just to listen. At one point I counted 7 fiddles, although they didn’t all play the whole time. The energy was electric though and was a really nice way to end my first stay in Glasgow.

November 15, 2023