Cruising around Scotland

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Well have I got some stories for you guys! Sorry it has been awhile since I have done an update but we have been flat out and trying to get to a compuiter is quite difficult!! Anway I will write about our time in Scotland (we are in Spain now) and what we got up to...

First I had better mention of course that back in London before we started to go travelling Skip came up for a night to ctach up and see what we were doing.. Long story short he ended up in the cell for the night hahaha Still a little smart ass as usuall and gave a little to the police so they cuffed him and through him into the clicker for the night.

Well our first port of call from London was Ullapool on the west coast and we were doing the CS thing of course. So after the 12 hour bus trip to Inverness and then another bus to Ullapool we though we were in the right spot but we over tracted a little and missed the place we were supposed to be getting of. So our first hitchiking trip started and we got some good luck and ended up getting to the place where our host was going to be meeting us. The place he lives is called Scaraig and we didn´t realise that the only way to get there was by boat or hike in. The town is on a Island of sort with no power and they get there water from tanks growing there own food. It is an alternative likestyle they live there. Well the house was fantastic and Tommy (our host) is an absolute champ! He came across the Loch and picked us up and had a great meal before a good night sleep. Next day we went and gave him a hand with hs job which is collecting winkles and these are snails about the size of your little finger nail and me managed to get 180Kg worth of these things and he was stoaked since they sell for $3.60 Aus per Kg so he got us a bottle of local viskey for our trouble and headed back to his place. On the way we caught out tea , a heap of makrel live infront of his place, and had another grat meal. Then some major drama started, Tommy heard that the guy who lives next door was going to go and blow up one of the other houses on the Island! He had the TNT already into the side of thebuliding but someone went and stopped him luckly. Tommy went and had a visit and he wasn´t happy at all (the TNT guy) and Tommy though he was going to kill himself. So on an Island of 30 people you can imagine the drama all this caused that night! The TNT is still now in the house since he couldn´t get it back out of the brick work! Quite a strange day and night indeed! We ended up going and visiting the next door neighbour for a ´couple of drinks´ and got home a 2am the next moring after a couple of bottles! Also i had mention that it is very close to 24 hour day light up there and makes it so annoying when trying to sleep! But good to get home drunk at them times hehe Also better mention that he makes the best home brue ever! He has keg stored under the house and even has a proper tap next to the table! Fantastic it is!!

So next day were we off again heading up North and on our way to the Orkney Islands and we had two days to hitch up there since we though it would take awhile which it seemed to do when trying to get our first lift until a guy pulled over and said jump in. We were just asking to go a little of the way up the coast since we didn´t think no one would be going all the way. He was actually a policeman and in the end somehow he took us all the way to the other end of Scotland where our Ferry was leaving from and we stayed with him for the night. Well he wasn´t there though, he dropped us off at his place and showed us all the main things, how to turn on the tv, beer in the fridge etc etc and he headed of to work and didn´t see him again. So that was a bonus for us and instead of two days hitching it was 5 hours and had a day spare.

Has anyone heard of the Orkeny Islands (other than you of course Kylie) off the North of Scotland? Bloody strange place I tell ya, exp the people and I will get to that soon.. There is no trees in this place, well Island and is near completly flat and should be the place of wind turbines cause it is the windiest place I have ever been to by far! Could not beleive it! Anyway we decided to have a look around and hired bikes for day (before we knew how windy it gets) and headed off to see the sights. The amin thing we wanted to see was Skara Brae and here is the oldest remains of a hunam dwelling in all Europe (3100BC) so quite interesting. Also along the way there were stone walls put up and they were for relgious purposes, check photos for them and info. Well in the end it was a bloody long day as the bike ride was 100Km and heading home was a nightmare with the gale forces right into our faces. We were in pain by the time we got back there! Luckly we were told about this bakery there by Kylie and is was a life saver! And sooo cheap we couln´t beleive it! So now we were full up and it was a Saturday night and after a massive day on the bike we decided to head out. We found out there was actually a nightclub on the Island and it opens at 10.30 and closes the doors at 11.45 so there is a mad rush to get in and we made somehow. It was a massive place and I am sure that the whole Island was in there! In the end it was a big one, cant remember much of the night but getting woken up by the cleaner in my bed telling us we need to leave wasn´t the best. Of course we missed our ferry since we slept in a little to long so sleeping on the side of the road, after eating the bakery out, for a few hours waiting for the next boat. Now why are the people are weird... They play a game called BA and it is absoultly crazy! What is it.. 200 per side, a medican ball, no rules and i mean no rules, ball gets thrown up into the air and it is on, one goal is in the ocean and the other is a church up on the hill, it goes all though the streets and lasts all day, night until a goal is scored, steel cap boots, wrists tapped, jeans tapped to the bottom of socks, if a dept is owing and your just watching the game it can be settled then and there if you know what I mean (the guy who we hird the bikes off said his mate last year got a touch up and wasn´t even involved in the game), all the houses and shops board up to protect them selves from it. Have a look on youtube and type in ´BA Orkney´ and you will see the crazy game!

Well we headed to Inverness next for a couple of days and that was more relax time than anything then we headed to Edinburgh for a night to catch up with Dutchy, everyone is going to laugh when they listen to his Aus/English accent now! Sounds bloody funny it does! We did a tour around the place which was good and then had a long night on the trains heading to Liverpool to catch a flight to Madrid where we are now!

The weather for Scotland, well it is summer so it only rained 60% of the time we were there and freezing the whole time of course. But now we are in Spain and it is 38 Deg and loving it! Going to Pamplona tomorrow for the bull run so the next update is going to be quite interesting for ya´s.........

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Photos

Scariag
Tommy

Scariag
This is at 2am and the sky was looking awsome

Scariag
Tea time

Scariag
Our room for a couple of nights

Scariag
Tommys fantastic place! Awsome inside!

Scariag
Heading over to the Island

Scariag
Winkle picking

Scariag
The jetty on Scariag

Scariag
On the Island

Scariag
Looking back towards Scariag from the other side

Scotalnd
With the policeman cruising north

Scotalnd
With the policeman cruising north

Scotalnd
With the policeman cruising north

Scotalnd
With the policeman cruising north

Wick
Where the policeman lived

Scotalnd
Where the ferry left from

Scotalnd
Thought this was pretty cool

Orkney
Info

Orkney
Info about this

Orkney
Info about this

Comments

[Chris & Amy]

Good to see you back out on the road! Enjoyed the vicarious thrill while reading your blog. Hope you didn't catch a horn in the ass while in Pamplona...