With two visits to Edinburgh sandwiching our time in Scotland, and the Mayar Munro group hike in the middle, I was able to go on a roadtrip and see a large amount of Scotland from the backseat of a couple of cars.
Although Mack and Davinia lobbied the group hard to go to the Isle of Skye instead of Montrose, a bad weather report and lack of enthusiasm for soggy camping meant the whole crew was off to Montrose, Scotland, on the East Coast. Awesome accommodation and a surprisingly huge sandy beach at nearby Lunan Bay made everyone comfortable with this choice overall, and a massive family-style dinner led to what felt like a proper Almaty reunion. Huge thanks to Catherine and James for making this happen.
The next day, the whole group minus Catherine set off for the Cairngorms and a Munro hike. Afterwards, James, Tristan and Vika headed back to Montrose, but Dav, Mack, Ben and I carried on in the hopes of doing something exciting in Glencoe, on the far West Coast of Scotland. In what has become my summer of International Roadtrips, I was stoked to see even more of Great Britain, and, after having a long talk with James, pretty excited to get on some Scottish Rock.
About halfway across Scotland, we decided to camp at Loch Earn, where there were clear skies but clouds of midges attempting to devour any bit of exposed flesh. We awoke the next morning to the smell of rain, and continued the drive west to discover things were pretty wet in Glencoe.
The four of us sat in the car at the trailhead in Glencoe, questioning what to do. We watched dozens of tourists exit their tour buses, snap a few photos, and return to the bus completely soaked. Climbing was ruled out after some deliberation, so we drove to Glencoe Village for lunch, turned the car around, and decided to return to Edinburgh with our tails between our legs. Scotland’s weather was simply too mean, but I’m sure that if you can get to West Scotland on a clear day, it is probably one of the most beautiful views in the world.
Anxious to have done something more than sit in a car for two days, we stopped in a small village called Kilmahog for wet walk, a pint and a snack, and then back to Edinburgh to meet up with the rest of the crew. It was an amazing trip, not only because of Scotland’s beautiful terrain, but also to see great friends in new places. I cannot wait to return to Scotland and see all of these rad people again soon.
