Blogs from Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Guernsey The cruise ship can’t dock on this little island, so a tender pulls up to the side of the ship and up to 150 people cram into it for the short ride to shore. It was rough. Anybody with mobility issues would have trouble navigating on and off the tender. The Channel Islands are closer to France than England and were the only British territory occupied during the Second World War. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a novel about that period. It must be popular because not only was it made into a film in 2018, but they have shore excursions taking you around to many of the locations that could have been in the story. Both Dianne and I read and enjoyed the book (and must find the movie), and ... read more

Scotland’s biggest city disarmingly blends sophistication and earthiness, evolving over the last couple of decades to become one of the UK’s most intriguing metropolises. Glaswegians definitely work to live, and the city comes into its own after 5pm - that’s not to say that locals don’t pop down for a cheeky lunchtime pint too! The city’s pubs are gloriously friendly places and you’re sure to have some entertaining blethers(chats) with the locals when you dive into one. Glasgow’s live music scene is also legendary - big bands play at iconic venues, with several lower-key pubs having regular gigs that are also excellent. Clubbing is very popular, with a couple of famous dance floors and the LGBTQ-focused Pink Triangle is a notably welcoming scene. Glasgow is where Scotland shops. The city packs out on weekends when highlanders, ... read more

WED, 14 SEP 2022 - Day 7: Venture to the Romantic Lake District and on to Glasgow - Rolling Lancashire pastures give way to the soul-stirring Lake District, whose beautiful scenery has inspired poets and writers for centuries. We travel along the shores of Lake Windermere, through countryside made famous by the poet William Wordsworth. Stop in Gretna Green, where many an eloping couple have tied the knot. We arrive in Glasgow later for an orientation tour, including views of the Cathedral, magnificent George Square and the Clyde River, the former heart of the shipbuilding industry. This evening, enjoy a Regional Dinner in a local restaurant.... read more

Glasgow is a great small city to spend a few days, but there isn’t much more to write other than a few observations: - I walked to Kelvingrove Park and happened upon a free concert of traditional Scottish music: https://youtu.be/ZEqCvJvlnNQ - There are a lot of pubs. The beers and whiskys are nice but the best part is simply having a Scottish bartender. But really any conversation with locals is entertaining, since they’re so friendly and inquisitive. - We’ve estimated that we understand less than 10% of what Scots are saying when talking to one another. This rises to barely over 50% when they slow it down and avoid idioms when speaking directly to us. This made me feel a little better about misunderstanding basic questions in Eastern Spain after learning Latin American Spanish. We may ... read more

Monday 4 July 2022. Day 2 on the West Highland Way (WHW) from Drymen to Balmaha. 7.8 miles by Garmin. 1043 feet Elevation gain. 5 hours 18 minutes walking. Last night we had the best night’s sleep since arriving in Scotland. Alarm woke us at 0620 to start the packing routine before breakfast at 0730. We all had our bags down for pickup and started the day’s walk by 0910. The four fast walkers took a different route from town to the trail but we all arrived at the same starting point for the WHW walk over Conic Hill and down to the scenic shores of Loch Lomond at Balmaha. The first 100 yards was through a beautiful natural foliage arbor. We were joined by several other groups of WHW walkers from the various hotels and ... read more