Jen and Dave: Adventuring

Overnight rain left the city slightly fresher, and after a delicious breakfast in the hotel (where Dave tried tatty scones), we walked to the home of the Scottish National Orchestra, where a bus tour we had booked was meeting. Just 17 passengers and a friendly and knowledgeable guide (John of Skye from Timberbush Tours), it was a good option for exploring where transit doesn’t tread.

Our first stop was Loch Lomond. Some folks opted for a boat cruise, but we chose to walk in the park and enjoy the waterfront, including a steam wheeler they are working to restore.

Next was a small town, where we had a bite to eat, checked out a number of sheep from different breeds, and watched a sheepdog demonstration… herding ducks! They can’t demonstrate with the sheep as they are too smart and would get used to the dog. 😂

After the hilarity, we would our way through some spectacular scenery, including Duke’s Pass, where we saw hectares of wild heather just starting to come to colour.

Just past the park we came to a small farm to see the highland cattle. Adorable bovine, we got to feed them carrots and potatoes. They are known locally as hairy coo.

The next sight was a pretty spectacular one – Stirling Castle. Sitting atop a crag and in a key strategic position, a lot of fighting happened near here. There were military stationed here until 1964. It was also a royal court, and Mary, Queen of Scots (among others) were crowned here.

Stirling Castle is one of the largest, most historically important and most architecturally important castles in the UK, and its years of changing hands, additions of fortifications, and other changes made for a fascinating visit.

After Stirling we returned to Glasgow for a quick supper, bag repack, and sleep. More adventures await tomorrow!

We woke up suddenly today to the fire alarm. Blearily getting dressed and going downstairs, we realized they take these very seriously. We were among the last out of the building. Shortly thereafter, six fire trucks arrived, departing as they declared all clear. Certainly an exciting introduction to Glasgow.

Today was mostly about goals, and we took care of most quite quickly. First up were UK sims with the provider with better rural coverage (Vodafone). Next, we checked out the walking route to where our day tours would leave from. Finally, we found the local Mountain Warehouse to pick up some hiking poles (as they aren’t carry-on-only compatible).

After errands were mostly run, we found a chippy for some lunch then walked across town to the Kelvingrove Museum.

The city museum is in a massive and impressive building, and has a huge variety of collections, making it a great way to spend half a day.

We walked back via the riverfront, which was reminiscent of the days of industry, mixed with showstopping buildings and bridges.

Dinner was on a patio beside the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art, for pasta, homemade focaccia, and a cold beverage.

The last stop of the night was a Tesco Express for some fruit, bars, and other snacks for our next day’s travels. Returning to the hotel, we had barely made it to our room when the heavens opened. Wide. It was incredible, overflowing infrastructure and flooding the streets. Perfect timing.

After a quick breakfast of in-room coffee and some fresh bread, we checked out, stowed our bags, and headed to Trinity College. The oldest college in Ireland, it was founded in 1592.

Admission is limited to those on tour (plus their actual students and staff), so we joined a delightful recent grad in learning about the old portion of campus, some history, and good gossip.

The tour came with admission to see the Book of Kells (an early and elaborate example of calligraphic illumination), which was interesting. More moving, however, was the long library, which they are just starting to restore. Gorgeous!

In the long library was the Brian Boru Harp. “The Brian Boru harp is the oldest surviving Irish harp and is the model for the insignia of Ireland,” states the display.

After the formal tour, we took a quick walk around the more modern buildings before heading to St. George’s Arcade for a quick lunch.

After lunch was a bus trip back to the airport. On to Glasgow!

Tired and bleary-eyed, we landed from our red eye in Dublin at 9:00 am local. We grabbed some coffee and scrambled eggs on toast at the airport, then bussed to the city centre for a short walk to our hotel, where we checked our bags before exploring the city on foot.

We walked through bustling pedestrian zones, filled with a mixture of locals and tourists, went by Trinity college, then St. Stephen’s Green.

Temple bar district was filled with interesting places to eat and drink, and we grabbed a table at The Oliver St. John Gogarty’s Bar. Dave had fish and chips with a couple pints of Guinness, and Jen the local preparation of mussels with Guinness bread. A live duet played traditional Irish music, on guitar and flute, and they were absolutely delightful.

After lunch we walked along the River Liffey until the Grand Canal locks. We wandered along the canal a bit before returning to the hotel for showers and well-deserved sleep!

We started the day with a big group breakfast, and a bit of origami to keep the kids occupied. Next was a trip to Lightning Lake day use to see the ground squirrels, followed by a walk around the lake.

In the afternoon we napped, played games, and made tons of origami and crafts. A great day with great friends.

How best to prepare for a hike? A weekend at Manning Park, glamping style.

We walked around the back half of Lightning Lake before dinner at the Lodge and settling into our cabin, awaiting the friends who would join us!

One week to go, and we’re all packed up for our next adventure! Scotland, with a day and a half teaser of a stopover in Dublin en route. The main destination is the Isle of Arran, which we will walk around, bit by bit, on a lovely coastal trail.

We are going carry-on only, with our favourite travel packs (Osprey Farpoint 40) and the daypacks we’ll use as our dailies.

So what does this trip need?

• Hiking stuff: map and compass, emergency bivy sacks, first aid kits, water bottles, headlamps, midge nets, and sit pads.
• Clothes: rain jacket and pants, warm layer, pants, shorts, short and long sleeved tops, something nice for dinners, socks and undies, and laundry soap so we can wash it out each day. And pjs.
• Hiking shoes and sports sandals.
• Toiletries, medications, medical devices.
• Electronics essentials.

There is something about the North. Quiet, open spaces, bright snow and dark, dark nights, illuminated only by the dancing lights of the Aurora borealis.

We arrived Thursday night after a comfortable flight on Air North, complete with complimentary coffee cake, cheese and grapes. After a quick stop at Tim’s and Superstore, we headed out of town to the delightful Inn on the Lake, a beautiful log building with cozy furniture, a delicious smelling kitchen, and friendly people.

This time we were staying a few houses down from the main building in Kodiak Suite, a one bedroom apartment with a living room pull out and windows on three sides, so you can look south to the lake in the daytime and north at night for the elusive Aurora.

It was half past nine when a tinge started on the horizon, a faint green glow of promise. It brightened slowly, and at midnight we got dressed to go out and down the road a few houses to a dark spot.

It was beautiful. Magical. Enchanting. And then it hit better and better, galloping into a crescendo at 12:45, when the peak was marked by an arc encircling the sky. We were here, and alive, and it breathed the cold crisp air with us.

July 8, 2022

Jen was scheduled to have two days of meetings in Zurich, but it turned out everything fit on the Thursday. Taking the advice of a Swiss colleague, we decided to take the train to Luzern and then the cog train to the Pilatus mountain massif. This turned out to be an amazing plan. Jen got her Swiss Alps after all!

The cog train is the steepest in the world, with a grade of 48%, and it climbs over 1600 metres to the plateau.

Upon arrival we were greeted with cloud, but the forecast said it would clear up. We climbed the staircases to two of the close peeks, peering at the scenery through breaks in the cloud cover.

We then heard the sound of horns. Alpine horn players were on the plaza. They were very talented.

Lunch on the plaza then followed, consisting of local cheese, meats, butter and buns. Delicious.

After lunch we went through the “dragon walk” and then onwards to Tomlishorn peak. The wildflowers were fantastic! We also saw a curious young ibex along the route.

After our walk, we found a family of ibex just off the plateau, and were lucky enough to be able to observe them for some time.

Our last quest was up the third plateau peak, which was clouding over again.

Hearts full of mountains, fresh air and wildflowers, we took the cog train down, the train back to the hotel, and packed our bags. Heading home tomorrow.