Author: magrilless

We knew we wanted to see a bit of Edinburgh while we were in Scotland (more on our time there next list), but it proved to be over our budget. So we posted ourselves in a small community a train ride away, knowing we could pop up for a few day trips. We thought we’d probably have a peaceful and bucolic and restoratively boring week in little Tweedbank. Two of those descriptions were accurate.

First of all, the river has a lovely wooded trail alongside, which connects the village to other villages, all with their own charming little attractions.

One day we visited a local gallery in a historic house with cats stalking squirrels around the pond in the yard and a snail scavenger hunt among the rooms.

We walked to the ruins of Melrose Abbey, where Robert the Bruce’s heart is buried, and which is surrounded by stunning gardens.

We toured Sir Walter Scott’s mansion, whose 2-story study with a secret-telling cupboard and a hidden staircase to his bedroom made us all quite envious (not to mention the extensive grounds).

We drove an hour to a muddy field (getting a bit lost since the only advertisement for the location was a hanging red frisbee) to watch a national sheepdog competition. It was cold and rainy and the dogs were amazing to watch. (An international competitor from Belgium told us these dogs are the best in Scotland, and Scottish sheepdogs are the best in the world.) The winner that day was an 86-yr-old man.

Plus we did what we always do: wander and take random turns and ramble between playgrounds.

So glad we “settled” for an out-of-the-way location!

A few things about the Scottish Highlands. First, wow. It is an absolutely beautiful, rugged, lonely place. We were reminded of Colorado a bit (admittedly maybe because it’s been awhile). National park land means few towns or farms or people in general (except on the one road that provides access). And sweeping valleys with craggy mountains and dramatic skies. The ocean part isn’t reminiscent of home so much, but the beauty of uninhabited space sure made us feel comfortable.

Second, it feels remote. The highway in is a 2-lane winder where if you get suck behind a logging lorry, you are stuck behind a logging lorry. That means when you get somewhere, you feel like you earned it. And also partly why our planned 3-hr drive took 9.

(Also because we spent a few hours at Castle Doune getting a tour by Monty Python-er Terry Jones. Best audio guide yet!)

Lastly, if we are ever forced to emigrate to the UK, you can find us in the Scottish Highlands. An alpaca farm sounds like a pretty good idea.

We spent our few days hiking, watching salmon jump up waterfalls, scouting for Nessie, ooh-ing at Inverness (and its rec center with three water slides), and feeling cozy.

After returning our rental car (yay!) and flying away from Ireland, we spent a week bumping around Glasgow. We thought it was really cool. It may be a little rough around the edges; it has some hard times in it’s recent history. But we never felt unsafe and found the people dead friendly (as they’d say). Plus, there’s lots of green space, free museums, a wee but useful public transportation system, and public art.

It is also close to beautiful Loch Lomond where we spent a scenic (and wet) day hiking around hills and lakes and sheltering from lightning in a quaint village inn.

Plus it’s a big enough town that we could fulfill the girls’ hearts’ desire with a trampoline park!

Next we pick up another car (Bill is accomplished at left-hand driving now) and head to the Highlands.

Today marks 365 days that we’ve been in Europe. And still running toward new adventures!

Here we are in northern Ireland. Entering the UK — our final country before we head home — feels important. (Except that it kind of seems like Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England should kind of be counted separately.)

The farm we’ve been staying at has been so pleasant (despite the persistent cow odor), that we’ve spent several days and half days just hanging around.

But we did get out to the Giant’s Causeway to see the columnar basalt from our geology textbooks.

It was a bit more confined than we expected. Pictures makes it seem massively sprawling, but it’s actually just a patch of beach where bus-loads of people take turns photographing each other. Thank goodness we got there early! We found some trails sparsely touristed, though, and got to see columns still part of the cliffs.

We also drove to Belfast to visit the Titanic museum. Standing on the dock where she was built and experiencing some of the massive scale of her construction was impressive.

The highlight of the day, though, was probably the cafe next door which doesn’t charge fixed prices; you pay what you want or can. We talked to someone on the board, and she said they operate on the philosophy of “spend tomorrow what we earned today.” All the furniture is donated, occupying the basement space is basically a tax write-off for the building owner, and the staff is mainly volunteers or job-trainees. Really cool.

And we went to Londonderry for a day to walk their walls. (The Netflix series Derry Girls is apparently pretty accurate to life here.) Theirs is the only completely intact walled city in Ireland, having withstood a seige during the Jacobite uprising of the 17th century.

We also took advantage of a bigger city for the cinema. First movie theater since Prague last July! (In Prague you get assigned seats, just like in a theater theater. In Ireland you leave your tray with trash at your seat and the staff clean it all up after the movie.) What fun to see a good movie (Toy Story IV) in English!

But mostly we’ve been hanging around our stone house wandering their fields and playing with their toys and feeling recuperated (I can almost walk without a limp now!).

Ireland has been the friendliest place we’ve visited, hands down. We will be sad tomorrow to leave all the kind and welcoming folks here. However, it will be a bit of a relief to get rid of a car and stop driving again for awhile. Trains and feet, here we come!

To Scotland!