Globe Corner Blogs

Fun fact: Alba is the Gaelic name for Scotland.

Sinking knee deep in mud once is an accident; sinking knee deep three times on the same trail is just ridiculous. It happened so swiftly and suddenly - the sinking, I mean – that I imagine the mud having similar properties to quicksand. This is not a useful thought to have when you’re alone in a remote glen in Scotland tuck up to your knees in mud, but it came to me nonetheless. Thankfully, there were some blades of grass for me to hold onto while I freed my legs from the sludge. Heavy rains from the previous evening, and continued drizzle throughout the day, made hiking on the Isle of Arran a sloppy affair. However, after a short time in Scotland, you learn not to wait for a sunny day if you want to get outside; you just pull on your waterproof gear and wellies and dive in! Care must be taken and then a day’s hike in these conditions – whether you summit a ridge or reach a lovely waterfall – makes one feel triumphant. And what better way to enjoy a dram of whisky or refreshing cup of tea with milk than to earn it!

Two days on Arran was too short a journey for such a scenically gorgeous island.  The mud-ridden hike near Lochranza - on Arran’s northern tip - was worth every step. Atop the ridge I had a staring competition with a beautiful deer; eventually she gracefully bounded away, and I was left to soak in the views of the hills and ocean on either side.  To make the most of my time here, I woke early the following morning to catch the bus that makes a complete loop around the island. The fare of 4 pounds 40 pence makes this the least expensive way to tour the coast, and in my opinion, it is absolutely worth it. At that hour my fellow passengers were a smiling bunch of children on their daily ride to school.

Hiking didn’t always translate into mud-caked boots and sopping wet outer layers. I found sunshine and white sand in Durness, a lovely wee town on the northern coast of mainland Scotland.  Balnakeil Bay – a mile’s walk from town along a paved road – was the surprise hit of the summer. On a clear night, the sunset from here is astounding; even more impressive, however, was the coastal trail that climbs steadily from the bay’s western shore.  From here I walked along the ridge facing Cape Wrath and, within twenty minutes, succumbed to the inviting shore of the first beach I saw. There were many more to come. Starting this hike early was the best thing I could have done, for I passed hours mesmerized by the view of turquoise water lapping onto white sand.

And then there were the dunes… On the opposite side of Balnakeil Bay is Faraid Head, a promontory on which you can walk to the edge of mainland Scotland. The path begins at the far end of the beach and rises through a pasture of grazing cows. Unsuspectingly, the pavement disappears and left me standing amidst giant sand dunes. I ran down a slope to another spit of white sand beach shielded from the main one by a cliff – I had it all to myself!

Suffice it to say, the landscape in Scotland never ceased to inspire me. The last month of my journey was dedicated to exploring its wild places, which – along with people - will be what I miss most upon returning home. Rounding my trip off in Edinburgh, however, was entirely satisfying as it remains one of my favorite cities in the world. It gave me, and all its summer holiday travelers, a grand send off with its annual fireworks extravaganza. Fireworks were set off from the grounds of Edinburgh Castle which sits atop a hill overlooking the city. With all the bright lights, explosions, and smoke, it looked like the castle was under siege. And picture this – pyrotechnics and dry ice engineered to create waterfalls streaming over the sides of the castle! My friends and I caught all of this from the North Bridge; here a young lass carried a radio broadcasting the live symphony performance taking place simultaneously in the nearby gardens.  A night to remember.

Read more: British Isles, Edinburgh, Festivals, Nature & Wildlife, News, Outdoor Recreation, Scotland, Scottish Isles, Travel


Julie

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