Advertisement
Published: February 16th 2006
...life goes ON! HAAAAA! Or, more accurately, life GOES- once again! I'm finally off my arse and 'OOT' of the Edinburger for a while!
The last five days have been spent charging around the Highlands taking in all of the marvellous beauty it has to offer. Pegs, Angus and I set off on Sunday to the Isle of Skye, on the way to which we were entertained by our animated bus driver 'Party Marty' while he filled us in on Scotland's rich history by telling us detailed stories of 'who bled all over which battlefield' and 'who's head was thrown into which river'. When we stopped of Loch Ness, Angus (crazy South African!) jumped in and went for a wee swim! (It is, you may care to know, currently the middle of WINTER in Scotland!)
The drive from Inverness to Skye is probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Endless brown hills covered in heather and purple trees, looming snow-capped mountains with waterfalls running down them on both sides of the road through the Great Glen- the fault line that cuts Scotland in two. And every now and then a clearing into a massive crystal clear loch with the occasional medieval castle (including the Castle "Arrrgh"! 😊 jutting out on an island over the water.
Skye was just as beautiful and we chilled there for a couple of nights, doing a day tour of the island in between. In Fort William- our next stop, we were greeted by rain. And it didn't stop greeting us for two days, but the hostel there was beautiful and cozy with an open fire and a view over the mountains, so we had some good indoors time knitting and drinking hot chocolate. 😊
This morning Pegs and Angus were thinking of heading back to Edinburgh, but I decided to explore a bit more and hitchhiked down to Oban. (No self-mutilation or encounters with crazy German pornstars this time though! 😉 It took me about 2 hours and I got soggied in the 'driech' weather, but I strolled happily through the countryside nonetheless, among the mountains and the lochs, with my pack on my back and Lila under my arm. La Di Da! (I might as well be 'skipping merrily' at this stage! :P But at least it's a change from the last few weeks!)
Because the bus doesn't run to Oban in the winter, the hostel here is completely empty and I am the only guest! (And they told me that, because I'm staff I don't really count anyway!) It's also haunted. Small children are heard playing in the hallways at night, doors slam, footsteps go up and down the stairs and the other night when the cleaner was mopping the kitchen he was punched in the face and given a nose-bleed by something that wasn't there! All nice things to know when you are the ONLY PERSON STAYING IN A ROOM ON YOUR FLOOR!!! :S
But anyway, I've decided that I love the highlands so much that I called a lady on the Isle of Tiree this evening and arranged to go and work on her organic farm for two weeks in exchange for food and accommodation! I'll be going over on Saturday- a four hour trip from Oban on the ferry- and that's where I'll be living for the next while! 😊
So if putting in fence-posts and feeding 'Hairy Coos' for a fortnight doesn't toughen me up from the blobby-knitting-Edinburgian-granny I've become, I don't know what will!!
Finally! I'm DOING something with my life again! 😊
P.S- in case you didn't see on the last entry-
my email address is now sax66@hotmail.com!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.008s; cc: 15; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0608s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
faasha
non-member comment
Speed bonnie boat
Like a bird on the wing over the sea to Skye. Good to see you're doing something to alleviate your stasis. I've tried to ring you a few times but just get your bonnie message and I canna talk to your good self. Van Morrisons' motor is going to Albany this weekend so maybe I'll finally realise my Morris dream this year. Wait for the next installment. I'l try to ring soon again Lots of love Dad.