Weekly Log 18-Jul to 24-Jul-2022: Scotland!

Monday:  7

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.  Got up at the ungodly hour of 3:30am from our hotel in Reykjavik, before taking a bus ride for just under an hour to Keflavik Airport and then a two-hour flight to Glasgow.  Upon arriving in Scotland, only then did we learn that there was a heat wave here and instead of the usual highs of upper 60s, we would expect upper 80s for the next couple of days.  Ugh.  Certainly preferred the Icelandic weather with highs in the mid 50s.

The next trial for me was driving.  I had booked a VW Passat 6-speed manual, as not only do I prefer to drive manual, but the automatic was an additional $400 upcharge.  Unfortunately, they had run out of manual cars and only had automatic vehicles left, so for no additional charge I got a Citroen cross-over.  Remember when Citroens were imported into the US and you could see them on US roads?  That was a long time ago.  I digress.  I was not happy at all that I didn't get what I contracted for, but took a deep breath, reminded myself I'm on a family vacation, and did not throw a temper tantrum.  

Immediately upon leaving the airport, I drove up onto my first fear of driving on the "wrong" side of the road:  roundabouts (rotaries).  My fear was unfounded, as it's nearly impossible to go the wrong way on them in the UK, and the yield rules are the same as in the US (you yield to cars already in the rotary).  On the motorway driving the hour or so to Edinburgh, my repeated mistake was drifting to the left.  I remember Seth telling me drifting was an issue and his wife Amanda would yell to correct him (or something like that).  In my case, the car itself would "yell" at me as it had lane assist and a beeping noise would be accommodated by a visual warning that would pop up on the screen to tell me when I was hitting the lane barrier.  Otherwise, it wasn't as nerve wracking as I set myself up for, and by the end of the week I was quite comfortable driving in the UK. 

Late afternoon Matthew and I went out for a run on a mix of city streets, through parks, and mowed grass.  Holyrood Park is really neat and doesn't seem like it should be there in the city limits, but I'm glad it was.  I started out slow in the heat, but at 83°F it really wasn't worse than a hot night in the summer in RI.  There were some nice views in Holyrood Park.  Besides the heat, the only other issue, and it was almost laughable, was when we were running in The Meadows, and not realizing which lane was for what use, we apparently were running on a lane reserved for biking.  Some guy on a bike came up behind us, clanged his bike bell, so we got off and onto the grass and out of his way, and as he went by he yelled out, "Wrong lane, dickheads!".  If he said "wrong lane, guys", I would've said "Sorry", but every country has their a-holes, and we just found one of them here.

First view of Holyrood Park
(The next day the three of us would hike up to Arthur's Seat,
the highest point in this area)

Lots of swans!  Neat view with some historic structure in background.

On the paved path climbing the hill in Holyrood Park,
with nice sea views.

Dinner first night in Scotland:
Sea bass.  Healthy and delicious.

Tuesday:  12 run, 8 walk

AM:  Musselburgh, Scotland, UK.  Took an Uber to the nearby town of Musselburgh, where Matthew and I started our one-way run back to the hotel.  Our driver Ricky was a friendly older chap.  We were trying to get out of the city of Edinburgh, and an already narrow street going under a building up ahead had a very clear sign "Road Closed" and you could see some type of construction going on.  Rather than turning off the road, Ricky just said, "They say the road is closed, but I don't believe them" in his Scottish brogue.  I told him I admired his spirit, but that didn't stop him from the inevitable of having to turn around.

Nearly all of today's run would be paved.  Start of run in Musselburgh,
with a short distance through a field.

Dirt path at the very beginning.
We would spend seven miles along this body of
water, the Firth of Forth.

Short road section, crossing back into Edinburgh

Paved path along the "firth"

Portobello Beach

Nice directional signs along the way

Falls along the "Water of Leith"

PM:  Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.  Edinburgh walking tour with Jana and Matthew.  Used the morning's approach once more, as we took an Uber out and walk back to hotel.  Our driver, David, was quite knowledgeable and helpful, and also gave us some tips for tomorrow's run.

Started our afternoon with a hike up to Arthur's Seat

Along the "Royal Mile":
Holyrood Palace

In front of Edinburgh Castle

The "Great Hall" inside Edinburgh Castle:
built during medieval times in 1511 for King James IV

It doesn't look like much, but this is the oldest remaining 
edifice inside Edinburgh Castle:  St Margaret's Chapel,
built 1130 AD

Inside St. Margaret's Chapel.
Just amazing to realize you're standing inside a 900-
year old building!

Wednesday:  8 run, 2 hike

AM:  Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.  Drove out to Pentland Hills Park, close to Edinburgh, but much more rural.  Parked at a golf course, as I didn't realize there was a "carpark" just down the road designated for the trail users.  Matthew had mapped out a 10-miler, but after a 1,000+ foot climb, we came upon a closed area due to active training use by the military and had to turn around.

Here's the trail we were running,
and here is this guy that wouldn't move.
My first time seeing a Highland Cow, and I have to admit
I was intimidated by his not budging, his horns, and
his staring us down.  I do not want to be gored!
---
We contemplated backing away and going far around
the cow, but in the end we just walked slowly and carefully
past the cow.

Lots of sheep out there.  I was not intimidated by these!

The red flag signified that military training was taking
place and we should not go further

Disappointing not to be able to 
run the route, but then again, I don't
want to be running inside an active firing range!
Do you?

By this time, I was just tired, hungry, and irritable and wanted to be finished.  Matthew had the energy and desire to get 10 miles in, and since I didn't, we compromised, and he added on a bigger loop while I took a short 250' climb to meet him at the top of a small hill where his loop would go.  I then promptly laid down and died.  Or so it felt.  When Matthew arrived, I got my carcass up off the grass and sauntered on, happy that we were on our way back.  Until we reached yet another closed area.  Ugh.  I am done.  Low energy, low motivation.  The way around is back up another hill, and I just don't have it in me, so we part ways and Matthew takes the established path (back uphill) while I foolishly bushwhack my way through chest-high ferns (seriously!) and scrub bushes, so that I don't need to go back uphill and around.  I stopped for a while to snack on some blueberry bushes I found, and then continued on.

Remember to close the animal gates when you run through

Views along the run, and more sheep.

Finally I reached a dirt road that I could see on my watch map would lead me back on a net downhill run back to the golf course.  This just was not my run.  Came in on fumes.  We had missed our hotel breakfast by now, so on the drive back, I stopped at a Costa coffee shop (ubiquitous in the UK) for food and drink replenishment for now.

PM:  Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK.  After checking out of the hotel, we drove north for about three hours, where we would be spending the night in the vicinity of Inverness.  Along the way, we stopped at the "House of Bruar" for a 2-mile round-trip hike to the "Falls of Bruar" and then on the way back bought overpriced chocolates, ice cream, and other indulgences.  Neat place.

Jana and Matthew checking out the menu, before we
ate lunch outdoors at this nice restaurant in the village of
Queensferry

Cullen Skink:
A traditional Scottish soup, with Welsh's smoked haddock, 
potatoes and leeks in a creamy broth.
---
Delicious!  Had never heard of it, but afterwards ordered it
several more times by name with confidence.

Dogs are treated very differently in Scotland vs US.
Roaming freely and playing on beaches and parks, never once did
I encounter an aggressive dog.

The Falls of Bruar.
Not the most impressive falls,
but a nice hike and scenic area.

Thursday:  9 run, 2 hike

AM:  Tornagrain, Scotland, UK.  Most of the places we visited in Scotland were bereft of trees, but here in the Inverness vicinity there were forested areas.  One such area was Lochandinty Wood, where we ran today.  After two days of heat waves, it was so nice to run today in 57°F weather!

Wooded trails!

Start and finish of our run today:
the idyllic village of Tornagrain

PM:  Our destination this evening would be the Isle of Skye, but we took our time getting there as we visited a couple of really cool castles along the way:

Urquhart Castle, Drumnadrochit, Scotland:

Urquhart Castle.  Originally a fort dating to the 6th century AD,
most of the ruins shown here are from the 13th through 16th centuries.
 The famous Loch Ness in the background.

What's this?  A trebuchet!
It's a replica based on historical records,
as supposedly no trebuchets from the medieval era
survived to modern times.  Reportedly, the stones
(foreground) weighed about 250 pounds and could
be "thrown" over 200 yards at a speed of
about 125 mph.  Yikes!  I would not want to be
in the way.

One aspect that I really like about this castle
as compared to Edinburgh Castle is that you were
free to go in many of the narrow enclosures
and original stone staircases.

With my better half.  I really maximized my usage
of my Laugavegur Ultramarathon quarter-zip!
Loch Ness in the background, although
no Nessie sightings today.

After visiting Urquhart Castle, we continued toward the Isle of Skye and stopped for lunch at a roadside cafe on the A887 Skye Road:

This place (Redburn Cafe) was fantastic!  Run by a husband and a wife
team (and their friendly Golden Retriever), they served up great food, classic rock
tunes on the radio, and friendly conversation.  I'll take a good mom-and-pop
shop over a big chain any day.
---
There were seats inside, but it was a nice day out, and we elected
to eat outside in a picnic area they had setup.  So what did we have for
lunch?  Yes, Cullen Skink, of course!  And some homemade sandwiches
that hit the spot.

Eilean Donan Castle, near Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland:

13th century castle on a 2-acre island

Fun to explore and walk around

Friday:   5 run, 7 hike

AM:  Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK.  Ran from the "Lealt Falls House" which we stayed at.  The roads here have literally no shoulder, so fortunately after just 1/3 mile, we were able to run off the main road and run on a dirt road with a few farmhouses but zero car traffic while we were on it.

Lealt Falls House, where we spent the night

Along our run this morning

AM:  After our run and breakfast, we checked out and headed for the Old Man of Storr, a nearby and popular hike, perhaps the most popular on the Isle of Skye:

PM: We went to the famed Quiraing to do some more hiking, but between the rain, the biting midges, and our growing hunger, we looked around quickly but didn't stay.

One-lane road at the Quiraing, with near 180-degree turn. 
This road is used for 2-way traffic, and there were quite a few
of these.  There were places to pull off, and cars in each direction just had to judge which
one was closest to the pull-off and should do so.  Occasionally, one car or the other had to
stop and back up to the previous pull-off area, but really no issues.  Drivers would wave
"thank you" to the opposing driver that pulled over, no one got mad, no one honked, no one
gave the middle finger.  
---
Also of note in this pic is the VW Transport.  There were so many of these in Scotland,
many with Germany license plates, and many equipped with pop-up camper packages.
Wouldn't it be really cool to rent one of these and tool around Europe?

Many roads like this, where you have a pull-off spot
before a one-lane road used for both directions
(with zero shoulder)

PM:  After a great lunch in the seaside village of Uig (how do you pronounce "Uig"?), with more Cullen Skink, we headed for our last activity of the day:  the Fairy Pools.

Reminds me of rock-hopping along with Swift River
along the Kancamagus Highway in NH
(well, except for the lush green grass landscape)

It looks inviting, doesn't it?

Saturday:  16 run, 1 hike

AM:  Overnight was our most meager accommodations during the entire trip:  two-bunk beds in Chase the Wild Goose Hostel in Fort William, with European style of shared bathrooms.  Booked on airbnb, it was also our least expensive accommodations by far at US$154.65, and we got there late and left early, so no complaints!

airbnb photo of our hostel room

Went for a solo 6-mile run along the nearby Caledonian Canal:

The few people I saw out on their boats were all
friendly and waved or said Good Morning

Old Boat of Caol,
a/k/a Corpach Shipwreck
---
Constructed in 1975 as a fishing boat for catching herring and mackerel,
her life at sea came to and end in 2011 when she was torn from her
mooring in Fort William by a ferocious storm

Corpach Sea Lock, at the southern end of the
60-mile canal

Most of the part I ran on was unpaved, but manicured.

Had a light serve-yourself continental breakfast and checked out, then headed for the Ben Nevis main trailhead at Glen Nevis Visitor Centre.  Problem:  it's mid-morning now on a Saturday in the summer and there are a lot of other people planning to hike the UK high point.  The parking lot ("carpark" in British vernacular) is completely full, and that includes those cars already jammed at angles where parking spots don't really exist.  You know, Seth had warned me of this, and encouraged me to get going really early.  Alas, the road to failure is paved with good intentions, as I had hoped to get going early, but after long adventure-packed days and not arriving last night until 10pm, the body needed a good night's rest.

So now what, Sherlock?

Started to drive away in search of another trailhead,
and fortunately, just 1/10 mile up the road,
Farmer Brown opened up his field for parking.
He asked if a payment of £5 was OK.  Absolutely!

  

Some parts were very runnable ...

... others not so much*.
---
*Note:  we took this side diversion trail up on the way up;
the main trail was longer but much more runnable, so we took
that coming back down.

One the last clear scenes, before we "disappeared" into the foggy abyss.

In the final mile, often all we could pick out was the
next cairn.

Very close to the summit.  So windy!

Ben Nevis summit!  4,413'
Totally ensconced in the fog.  Cold and wet; was thankful
that I tucked my Laugavegur 66°North Iceland quarter-zip into my pack.

The run down was a blast!  I was not nearly as polite as Matthew, as I ran jumping around and past people on the ragged edge of control.  At one point, with Matthew just behind me on the descent, one woman hiker said, "Well, at least he [Matthew] said 'Excuse me' before he went past us.".  I'm quite sure that was directed at me, and maybe meant for my earshot.  At another point, someone said something loudly to me in a foreign language as I went past them.  Not understanding a word, I took my eyes off the rocks in front of me for just a split second to glance his way, and saw he had a big smile and two thumbs up to me, so I'm assuming it was complimentary.  Another trail runner on his way up gave me plenty of room and plenty of encouragement.  Elapsed time 3:18, moving time 2:42.

Time to leave the Scottish Highlands and head back to Glasgow.  Sigh.  It rained much of that afternoon, but it didn't stop us from going for a short hike in Glencoe Lochan, albeit in raincoats:

Jana on our rainy and final hike

Trees!  Reportedly these are
"North American trees" as planted by a
Scottish lord in the 1890s to please his wife.

Sunday:   8

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

The first few miles were non-descript.

But much of the run was off the road at least,
and along canals.

Kelvingrove Park:  monument to British Victorian-era
General Frederick Roberts

Scenic river within the park.
And more trees, something we didn't see much of 
in the past ten days.

Came back to the hotel (Glasgow Double Tree) and had a great buffet breakfast before checking out and headed to the airport for the trip home.  Flight from Glasgow to Reykjavik, Reykjavik to Boston, and then Amtrak back to Rhode Island, where we picked up a very excited Brady dog from my Mom's house.

I felt badly to leave Brady home while we
went away for 10 days, but maybe I shouldn't, as it
seems he was spoiled while we were away!
(Neighbor's pool)

Weekly mileage totals:  67 run, 20 hike/walk

Weekly synopsis:  Just a fantastic week!  But how could spending a week in Scotland be anything but?!  Every day was adventure packed from morning to evening, we hiked, ran and saw a lot of cool sights, walked through medieval castles, and also managed to get in 87 total miles on foot!

Weekly highlight:  Now this is tough!  Let me break it down a bit:

• Running highlight:  Ben Nevis
• Hiking highlight:  Old Man of Storr
• Historical highlight:  Urquhart Castle
• Food highlight:  Cullen Skink

Weekly lowlight:  Dickhead.  (The guy on the bike path in Edinburgh.)