Chapter Eighty Four – “A Week in the Highlands” (Scotland 2021)

2^nd October 2021

 

               In response to recent demand, I feel it is a good and necessary opportunity to revive my holiday blog. However, this instalment will serve as more of a whistle-stop tour of the highlights, rather than a detailed day-by-day account as in previous years – although I will of course work through events in a chronological fashion.

               On Saturday, 25^th September, the Scotland holiday began, with Dave, Chris, Dan and myself leaving London at 6am. We would be breaking our journey in Glasgow, staying overnight at an air B&B (worse for wear, as it turned out, with signs of damage all over the place, and the smell of smoke from a party the previous night). On this particular evening, Chris and I ordered in fish and chips, and Chris fully invested himself in watching a football game. Later on I watched some TV with Dan – Star Trek: Lower Decks and Mythbusters. Dave was out with an old acquaintance, returning later than he’d hoped, to “the wildest party in Glasgow” (meaning us).

               The following morning (26^th) I was relieved to find my lateral flow test was negative for Covid (I’d been suffering from a bit of a tickly cough for the past few days). Soon enough we packed up our things and left for the Tron Church. We were made to feel so welcome, and the preacher, Willie (via videolink), was even from Wimbledon, having moved to Glasgow from Dundonald in 2004 – indeed a small world. The sermon was an overview of Ecclesiastes, helping affirm its place in scripture.

               After a short detour through ‘Skyfall’ country (Glen Etive), we arrived at our cottage in Invermoriston (Glenmoriston). The rooms were spacious and the décor questionable, but to my delight I was granted a double bedroom to myself – a luxury.

               On Monday, 27^th September, we enjoyed a day out, although we remained near to the cottage, only going as far as Urquhart Castle by Loch Ness. As we explored the ruins of the castle, I enjoyed trying to imagine how life would’ve been for people in these centuries gone by – I felt particularly sorry for the chap locked in the cell, having fallen in love with the laird’s daughter, and soon to be executed. After the castle, on we moved to Fort Augustus and the Glen Garry viewpoint, before returning to the cottage for Dan’s curry, and the Scottish-themed film ‘Local Hero’ (1983), which I rather appreciated, but wasn’t to everyone’s taste.

               Tuesday saw my personal test of the week, a mountain climb up Sgúrr Mhic Bharraich, reaching the peak, an excursion of 12 miles in total. Aching with every upward step, and a lot more effort than I’d anticipated, I was on the verge of giving up a few times, but Dave and Chris pushed me on to the summit – for which I was glad. However, I ended the trek with a headache and nausea (possibly due to dehydration, a familiar feeling), so retired straight to my room to lie down. Chris kindly offered to step in to cook the evening meal, so he provided us with a delicious rib-eye steak – my spaghetti Bolognese could wait until Thursday. The evening rounded off with our final movie of the week, ‘Dog Soldiers’ (2002), a horror starring Sean Pertwee, and to my surprise, set in a remote cottage in the Scottish Highlands. Of course this wouldn’t give us nightmares – would it?

               Wednesday was our big day out, with a very early departure for the Isle of Skye – somewhere Dave had been particularly keen to visit since day one. To my initial reluctance we embarked on even more walking (my aches from the previous day now ever more apparent), but as time wore on, I settled into these outdoor pursuits – the Old Man of Storr, 1.25 miles, and the Quiraing, 5 miles. This latter walk turned out to be Dave’s favourite of the holiday. We ended our day with a meal in a hotel in Portree, on Skye – all the fancier places were fully booked, including our much anticipated Sligachan Hotel. However, the meal itself didn’t disappoint, although our server kept returning to tell us that they were out of tonic water. Due to the late hour of our return to the cottage, there was no formal evening entertainment, and we soon went our separate ways.

               Thursday 30^th was a lazy day, which was much needed by me. While the others left on a short walk, I got into my book (Daphne du Maurier’s Hungry Hill) and later we finally played some boardgames – Chris has seemingly packed the entirety of his collection! We joined forces against Dave to play ‘Scotland Yard’, eventually capturing him as he tried to flee across London. Admittedly, as Chris directed our operation, I got distracted by reminiscing over memories that the London landmarks brought back to my mind!

               As the others packed up the game, I headed to the kitchen to make a start on the evening meal – spaghetti Bolognese. I discovered I’d over-catered for the meal, with a lot of mince, mushrooms and spaghetti going to waste, and an abundance of untouched cheese, which became a point of amusement amongst us all throughout the holiday. About ten minutes after sitting down to eat, however, all the power went off, and we were plunged into darkness. I was so glad to have brought a travel torch, although my phone was running low on battery (but it should be said that phone communication this week had been incredibly intermittent, with texts and WhatsApp messages coming and going at the most unusual hours). It transpired that the cause of the power failure was a transformer fire, and we eventually learned that normality was expected to resume at 11pm. Until then, with no TV, the source of entertainment for the evening became… me, as Dan revisited my past holiday blogs from 2017 to 2019, encouraging me to compile this present entry. The lights, alas, did not turn back on at eleven, and as the atmosphere in the cottage grew darker and more mysterious, and the silence thickened around us like a blanket, we soon retreated to our rooms. I plugged my phone in, in anticipation of the electricity that would return. It did so, at 5am.

               On Friday morning our Scottish holiday ended, as we set off for Chesterfield, to spend time with Andy, our previous pastor, and his family. We arrived late in the evening and spent much of the following day (Saturday) picking and preparing apples – manly work in the garage/workshop.

               In all, a hugely memorable holiday, and for some a new experience and a step out of the comfort zone, as we pushed ourselves into new and unfamiliar situations.

              Now, at this late hour, eleven thirty, I must sign off and rest in preparation for a return to the old Sunday routine. It will be nice to return to my bed, although I will very much miss the freedom of that double.