HIGHLANDER

london, england to glasgow, scotland
two coworkers, one a fellow american the other a canadian, invited me to go along with them on a long weekend roadtrip to see the band kingmaker.

we left early on friday morning and drove straight through to glasgow, trying to get to king tut's wah wah hut by showtime. we were told it would take about nine hours, so we thought we would have plenty of time. for reasons still unclear (possibly to do with the blasted roundabouts) it took much, much longer and when we finally got to the club the roadies were packing up the gear. we were drowning our disappointment and hunger in alcohol and crisps (potato chips), when i started telling our woeful tale to a fella who turned out to be the drummer from the band. sympathetic, he told me that they were playing in aberdeen the following night and if we could get there by 8pm, he'd get us on a list, as the show was sold out.

so long glasgow, i hardly knew you - okay, truth be told, we spent approximately 25 minutes wandering around our b&b before we got into the car to zag across the country, so i knew you not at all! one day i'll return and give you the attention you deserve.

we raced down narrow country roads, defying speed limits, fearful of reliving the previous day but arrived with plenty of time. we found a b&b, had a proper dinner (not a crisp in sight), and then got dolled up for the show. the band was awesome and we were stoked as we headed back to the b&b. i think there may have been some expectation that we would hang out with the boys, but honestly, i've never aspired to be a groupie.
we woke up to an amazing highland breakfast - tea, crumpets, fried potatoes, eggs, bacon, tomatoes and blood sausage. while we ate, our hostess, and wonderful cook, told us about ben nevis, the tallest peak on the island, and about how we could climb it in just a couple of hours. after our hearty meal we were sold on the idea, so off we went, zigging back across scotland.

i don't think the b&b proprietress had ever climbed ben nevis.

partially stepped trail going up ben nevis

we hiked and we hiked and we hiked. every time we saw the top, when we reached it, we would see it was really just a little further up. it was vexing. but more frustrating was watching the kids and senior citizens who would pass us going up, and then pass us going down again. clearly we were city folk not used to a little up hill action.
after four hours the top was finally achieved!
hungry.
thirsty.
cranky.
this was where i was at when we reached the peak. unbelievably, there were two lovely british soldiers stationed at the summit who made us each a cup of tea and passed their biscuits around - oh so civilized! nothing but snow and frostbite greet you at the top of everest.
going down the mountain took about an hour, practically running. the thought of a nice juicy steak pushed us to go faster and faster and take silly shortcuts - thankfully we only sustained one slightly sprained ankle between the three of us. we got to the one restaurant in town just as they were closing. we begged them to throw three more steaks on before they turned out the lights and i don't know if it was the near homicidal look in my eye or the pathetic limping canadian, but they turned the fire back on.
best. steak. ever.

the following morning we zagged again, this time heading to edinburgh. we stopped briefly to see lock ness (no monster, big disappointment) and followed a detour to doane castle (my namesake, now just a crumbled down outer keep). we arrived at our destination a little after sunset and opted for the touristy 'creepy' walking tour (not creepy at all, and honestly, a bit of a bore), and then headed to the hostel for the night. in the morning we were eager to get back on the road for home. it had been quite the long weekend.

lessons learned: don't do cheesy walking tours, waste of money and when a local tells you how long it will take to get up that there hill, double it and bring the trail mix!