Valerie75

I am in paradise. I am on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides staying in my 4th Gatliff Trust hostel (of the same collection as the rustic hostel I last wrote about). This hostel is actually in a national heritage site and museum -- the bunkhouse is one of 6 preserved 'blackhouses' -- a traditional Norse stone thatched-roof longhouse. Few people realize that you can stay here and when they learn you can, they assume you would have to have booked long in advance. But you don't. You don't book at all. And so far, each night has only had a total of 6 or 7 lodgers -- less than half full. But we are perfectly placed here. I can't imagine a better location, nor time to be here. The ... read more

I am embarrassed to write this entry. I am hanging my head in shame. My first attempt to hike the West Highland Way was a pretty dismal failure. But in my defence, I have never long-distance hiked before. It was bound to be a rocky start. In retrospect, starting with a 7-day, 95 mile hike through rugged, hilly Highland territory all by my lonesome was pretty... ambitious... if not just plain fool-hearty. It went like this. I intended to start on Monday, May 18. I was a barrel of nerves about it -- still only one day after getting back from my difficult hiking experience on the Isle of Arran (see last blog entry). Late in the afternoon on Sunday, I checked the weather forecast. Not good. Rain. Cold, cold rain. I made a snap decision: ... read more

The tourism part of my trip is coming to an end: tomorrow I take my first camping-hiking trip to the Isles of Arran and Islay (pronounced Ille-lah, I've learned). But today I'm enjoying my 3rd day in Glasgow. I can't get over how beautiful this country is. I had a great time in Edinburgh. I was worried about the hostel when I booked it: a 14-bed dorm room and only £11 per night. Surely a terrible dive, I thought. But I'd forgotten an important rule in backpacking travel: just because it's the cheapest, doesn't mean it's not the coolest. As I've written in other entries, it was a very chilled out and friendly atmosphere. The place was chalk full of Canadians. I think half the staff was Canadian. Even for a loner like me, you couldn't ... read more

I'm normally not this nervous when I travel. I got my flight from Fredericton to London-Gatwick without a hitch, but I was a bag of nerves through the whole process. My sister wisely saved me from being interviewed at the airport on a local radio station -- I was on a surprisingly packed pioneering international flight direct from Fredericton to the UK. A woman approached me as I waited with my family before going through security at the tiny airport. She wondered if I'd agree to a one minute interview. My sister shook her head as I contemplated agreeing. 'I know you,' she said after I declined, 'it will ruin your whole trip. You'll kick yourself thinking you said something stupid.' Quite right. Besides, my story of what I'm doing is too complicated and unlikely to ... read more