Hometown

I did have a mini advenure on Saturday night.  But there is no photograhic evidence of it.  Except to say that I visited a mini Castle… a Wee Castle! as it was A’s friend Sharon’s house-warming party.  She’s moved to a wee gate-house on an estate just outside Doune.  It was lovely and cute and we’re all sure she’ll be very happy there.  We met loads of her family and climbing friends including the Twins!!!  I couldn’t tell the difference between the two except one wore a hat (Bryan), the other one didn’t (Marc).  Anyway it was a bit confusing but fun all the same.

Since there are no photos of that wee adventure to the little castle in Doune i’d like to show you my hometown – Stirling.  It has a lovely proper big giant Castle that overlooks and guards to town against intruders.

I will be back soon hopefully with a fab adventure… up the hills… but for now, bye bye.

Wee Bru :o)

A84, A85, A82 Roadtrip

I wasn’t sure where I was going when I set out this morning but it ended up being Northwards, to an amazingly beautiful place.  First it was through Callander – home to an old friend but i’m not sure if she still lives there.  Then it was past the big highland cow at Kilmahog – it wasn’t out in the rain today though.  Yes it was raining but the sun did peek through the clouds every now and again.  I was the passenger on this adventure as ever.  I headed up the A82 not quite knowing where the final destination would be but i kinda liked it that way.  Crianlarich brought heavy showers and a slow slow driver but that car was soon overtaken on a clear bit of road.  Passed by Tyndrum, then Bridge of Orchy and Rannoch Moor then finally stopped at the turn off left into Glen Etive beneath the massive mighty mound that is Buachaille Etive Mòr.  It really was magnificent.  It was covered with a light wispy layer of cloud though but mr sunshine did manage to break through a few times.

We hung around here for a good few minutes to get some snapshots.  It was good just sitting here watching the world and the views go by.  Such an amazing place even today when the views weren’t so prominent but you just get that sense that this here is a magical place – at any time of the year.  I hope Ange brings me here more often.  Perhaps to climb a mountain or two.

The heather was looking to be really purple just now and there wasn’t a hint of snow on the tops yet!  May not be too far away now though.  This is the view towards Glencoe.  The sun was catching the mountainsides and making the greens appear like emerald velvet carpeting.  Fantastical!

Sadly it was time we headed back down the road and we stopped at the roadside cafe high up on the corner of a hill where you get greats views of Loch Tulla (yeah i’d never heard of that one before either) and the A82 winding it’s way through the mountains and hills of the greatest place on earth – Scotland.

Further down the road the views and sights were too good to miss so we pulled over at the side of the road and took some more pics.  It really was brilliant.  I love the mountains!!

After a comfort break at Tyndrum we were back in Stirling by 5.30pm and it was another grand adventure in my journey to all sorts of places.  I wonder when my next one will be?  That’ll be up to A but i hope it’s soon!!  It’s exciting…

Wee Bru :o)

LDN

Next up on my summer tour was a trip to London.  We were off to see Ruth and Kate from the trek.  It was exciting and we set off for Glasgow on the train from Stirling.  We had an hour to spare between arriving in Glasgow Queen Street and leaving from Glasgow Central so when a text came through to meet a friend for a cuppa we were glad.

We set off from Glasgow at quarter to 2pm and made our way down the counrty on a Virgin tilting train.  Oaft it was making me feel a bit queezy but it was fast and we arrived in London at 6pm on a Friday evening – RUSH HOUR!!  Ruth was there to meet us and after another hour on various tube trains we were at her flat in Putney.  It was lovely.

Saturday morning we all headed out sightseeing and made our way to the South Bank – home of the London Eye and Tate Modern.  A loves art so we took some great photos of me there.  There were a few strange looks from people but who cares.  I was making my own art!  What do you think?

I particularly love this picture of me in front of Tate Modern.  It really was a massively tall building.  The art inside that we saw was amazing too.  We crossed the Thames over the Millennium Bridge and made our way to St Pauls Cathedral and then to Trafalgar Square.  There was a woman on the Fourth Plinth making bubbles!!  I’d wanted to go on the Fourth Plinth and just stand there but i was too late applying for it.  I got my picture taken with Nelson – I wonder of he liked Irn Bru?  Or if anyone else in the crowds here did?…

The next day we went down to the Palace… yes, Buckingham Palace, but the Queen wasn’t in.  She was probably back in the homeland (Scotland) at her summer retreat at Balmoral.  The palace is huuuuuge!! and the place was buzzing with people taking pictures, chitter chattering away in a hundred different languages and here we were, laying in the red tarmac in front of the palace taking photies, making art.  There were a few other Scots around too, Rangers were playing Arsenal at the Emirates – luckily they didn’t spy us, we hid from them, ha ha!!

Anyway after a long day out on Sunday we relaxed at the cinema where A drank… wait for it… Pepsi – yuck!!!  It was all they had that she “liked”.  Monday morning at 9am we said our goodbyes to Ruth, who’d been a great host, at Kings Cross station and headed back up the road.  We could see the landscape change as we headed up the road and it ws nice to see some hilly landscapes again.  We missed it a lot.

It had been a fantastical weekend in London and I’m glad A took me along to share it with her.  I can tell we’re going to have some great adventures together and well… we kinda wondered if any of you would like to join us??  Let me know folks.

Wee Bru  :o)

Everest Base Camp

Jee whizz, i nearly forgot about this adventure!  I did actually go to Nepal with A in April 2009.  Poor A, she got awfully sick when she was there and so neither her nor I actually made it to Everest Base Camp.  So there are no pictures of me from that famous trekking destination.  This is a pity but such is life.  Ange didn’t get a picture of her there either.  We had a good wee cry in the tent one night in Tengboche and drowned our sorrows with a pack of Haribo jellies.  The place was really amazing though.  I didn’t bump into any of my Irn Bru family there but there was plenty from the Coca Cola family.  The people were fantastic and Ange’s trek buddies laughed when she introduced me to them.  Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the trek but are still to this day a little bit gutted we never made it to Everest Base Camp.  But man… it was Phenomenal!!

Here’s a picture of where i lived for that 17 days of A’s trek.  In her big mahoosive kit bag.  It was comfortable for me but man i was glad to get home.

Wee Bru

My first adventure – Ben Lomond

My first adventure was back in July 2009.  I took a trip to Loch Lomond and climbed Ben Lomond with A.  We had a great day and i got wonderful views of Ben Nevis.  It took us about 5 and a half hours but was well worth the slog up that Ptarmigan Ridge.  Oh but my goodness it was a busy hill that day.  A day that turned out to be one of the few days of sunshine we’ve had here in Scotland this summer.  But that’s ok though.  Cos we Scots like the Winter too!

This is me at our snack stop on a rock halfway up the Ptarmigan Ridge.  That’s The Cobbler in the distance.  I hope to get up that mountain one day but i’ll wait ’til Ange suggests that trip first.  It could be a tough day.

This is me lookng North towards Ben Nevis.  Now… one day I hope to get to the top of that mountain too!  It’s the highest mountain in Britian don’t you know reaching 1,344m high.  Wow.  I’ll be knackered by the time i get to that summit!

So that friends was my first adventure.  I hope you liked it as much as i did.

See you later

Wee Bru