Signs from the U.K.

This one is my absolute favorite.

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig...

Chris and Matt did an admirable job taking care of the house, the lawn, the pets, the dishes. The house was still standing and everyone was alive when we got home. Macy did her whimpering face-licking, tail-wagging, back-writhing happy dance when we arrived last last night.

I admit, it's good to be home. I left school a day early to go on this trip, so consequently, I had emptied my room out at school and dumped everything at home, packed my bags, and then left for the U.K. So I feel like it's summer finally. There is a ton of stuff to organize, unpack from Tokyo (still!!) and work to do on the property. When I'm home, I find myself tending live things here and enjoying the gardens I have been putting in over the last several years.

The training for the hike was well worth it. Now...on to Women Swimmin'!

Glasgow Cathedral

Glasgow Cathedral has the distinction of being the oldest surviving Catholic Cathedral in Scotland. It shows the wear and tear of the Reformation though, as there were actually battles inside the building on occasion, and you can still see bullet holes in stone and wood from the conflicts. (The Reformation has a dark and bloody history itself.) It is an immense Gothic structure. We were lucky enough to have found a volunteer guide to show us around and tell us some of the history. Nathan found him first and told him that I was a choir director and organist (!?Am I any more??) and because the guide was formally a professional oboe player and is a composer,he seemed delighted to have found a fellow musician. The building is built upon a sight where Saint Mungo is believed to have preformed a miracle of bringing a bird back to life. There is also a story that involves a faithless queen, a wedding ring and a fish, but it's complicated. Google it for yourself, if you're curious.


There is still one surviving column in the basement of the church from the 11th century. Amazing. I love stained glass windows. Here are some of the highlights.

Inverness to Glasgow

Beautiful trip. We took a side trip on the way to Glasgow to the Isle of Skye. One of my favorite choral pieces happens to be the "Skye Boat Song," a story of the defeat at Culloden Battle field, and the escape of the young King Charlie who lead the final rebellion against the Brits. They loaded him into a boat and sailed around the North of Scotland to Skye, one of the largest of the Scotland Isles.

"Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad who is born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye."



Our trip to Skye drove us through stunning landscapes. We passes by Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland, but it was shrouded in fog. We shortened the trip back to Glasgow by taking a ferry boat ride back to the mainland. It was a gray and rainy day, but the views were majestic and awe-inspiring just the same. (Check out the Photo stream) It was a long day in the car, and when we walked into the Glasgow Hilton one could see and hear a collective "Ahhhhhhh...." from the Ploss clan. No more cramped bedrooms, no more tiny showers, laundry service available, and even the prospect of a spa visit!

Maell Fuar-Mhonaidh

A bird's eye view of Loch Ness






Our objective up ahead in the distance!



Our inspiration!





Guess what we did today? We saw, we climbed, we conquered! The highest summit we could see around Loch Ness. Whew!

Yesterday: from Stirling to Loch Ness

Stirling Castle is wonderful, with its' really good exhibits, people in costume and character (only a few folks) and educational displays. The day was gorgeous- again! And it was a thrill to be able to wear clean shorts, since we did some hand washing out of our worst stuff. Side note: We are clean smelling, but our hiking pants, shirts and socks are NOT. We've been washing out every few days, but it doesn't take the place of my washer and dryer. The views from the castle in Stirling are great, and we spent quite a lot of time there, enjoying the history. Then off to the William Wallace Monument. It is a colossal spire across the valley and village from the castle and involves climbing 246 steps to get to the top. William Wallace is an inspirational figure who fought for the freedom of Scotland. He officially became an outlaw after he retaliated for the murder of his wife and her family. He retaliated by assassinating a sheriff, and thus became a wanted man. He led many successful battles and won some against all odds- the usual hero in history stuff. He so thoroughly pissed off the Brits that his execution was a gruesome, horrible affair, ending in his 4 limbs being sent seperately to Newcastle, Stirling, Berwick-upon-Tweed, and Aberdeen. His head was on display on a pike at the Tower of London. That's how they punished traitors back then. However, I was really moved by his monument and what he symbolizes to the people of Scotland. Nate was really impressed by his sword. It's almost as long as Nathan is. Wallace carried it over his shoulder in a sling. They figure he must have been about 6'6" to wield such a sword.

The trip to Loch Ness took about 3 hours. It was all through the mountains of Cairngorm National Park. Beautiful. Things got really exciting though when we got off the major highway to find our B and B. We were on winding single lane roads through utter wilderness. Some of it was barren highlands, some of it was deep thick forest. Our directions were a little sketchy, but eventually we got here. Great place. Had our dinner here at Craigbarroch House. The view is of Loch Ness and the mountains across the lake. (No sightings of Nessie yet, but we've been looking!) It was stunning to see the sun set behind the hills and we couldn't take our eyes off the peaks across the way. I think that's when Nathan started scheming.

Trail hazards

We encountered stinging nettles all along the way. I didn't know what they were, so I reached out stupidly and touched one in Newcastle on the first day. It stung until that night. After that, Nate and Robin brushed some accidentally with their hands, and some stung me through my pants near my ankles. We kept our eyes out for them, but sometimes they were hard to avoid. We also encountered thistle, blackberries, black raspberry bushes branching out across the path. There were uneven trails where my ankle tried to twist several times, steep uneven rocky trail and muddy muck that could fill your shoe. Then there was poo of all shapes and sizes. I consider poo a trail hazard.

Day 6- Carlisle to Bowness on Solway

Last night we slept 3 in a room. Three twin beds all in a row. We put Rob in one corner and Nathan on the opposite wall. I warned Nathan to have ear plugs, which he did. When we finally were ready to turn out the lights, Rob started in a-sawin' wood, and Nathan complained that the ear plugs were not enough. I woke Robin and told him to stay a wake for a few minutes. Within 20 seconds, Nathan was asleep and Robin was a-sawin'wood again. Nothing could keep me awake, so I followed in short order.
Day 5 dawned EARLY, (the sun sets at 10:00 p.m. and rises around 4:30) as all days have here, and it was bright and sunny. We had another delicious breakfast, and set out, with some arm-pumping, chest-bumping, "Let's DO THIS," attitude. I was prepared for a day much like our first; mostly urban walking and all back-top. After walking through Rickerby Park, and then finding red raspberries along the pathway, we were again pleasantly surprised to find ourselves following the winding River Eden. We walked through more cow fields, parks and along the woods on the bank. Some of the trail was up and down through narrow paths in the wood, across little foot bridges and along the water. It really was lovely. The wall was gone from sight, but we knew that 2000 years before there had been a wall nearby, but with water erosion and human activity, it had disappeared. We ran into two young school boys with fishing poles who were friendly and curious about what we were up to. Nathan and Brandon were playing hooky I suspect, because I know they have about 5 more weeks of school left. But young Nathan, who was quite a talker told us they had a "short day," that day. (Let out before 9:30....really??) He and his friend are avid fishers, as he had been up until 10:00 the night before fishing for trout. They were adorable and friendly, so I took their picture in the shade on the stairs where we chatted.

Later in the morning, we walked through medieval villages and tiny quaint towns, with single lane roads running through them. The houses are ancient, but well kept. They are painted in lovely colors- especially around the doors and windows. I finished the bag of almonds. Around mid-day we arrived on a stretch of road that ran through a salt marsh flat. It was several miles long, completely flat and straight with the noon sun beating down. It was boring, hot and exposed. This was probably the toughest stretch of the entire walk for me. Give me steep hills, rocky, uneven steps, fields of cow plops to maneuver around- just not hot, straight and boring. My left leg started screaming at me, my feet were on fire and I needed to stop. Nathan was long gone. I took several ibuprofen and sat briefly. Then Robin and I trudged on. When I felt I was going to lose my mind, I started singing to pass the time and channeled some strength and good karma from friends far away. Once in the town, we missed our turn and then had to back-track. By now I was ready to call a cab, was fantasizing about wheel barrows, scooters, bicycles- ANYTHING with wheels to save me from this torture. We passed the point where I thought Nathan had said he would meet us, and I started to worry. We kept walking. No sign of Nathan. I then whistled. This was to be a signal if we needed to find each other. I'm pretty sure my whistle can travel for a mile at least. Nathan whistled back from quite close by. He was just around the bend ahead.

The Highland Laddie Pub was about 1.5 miles ahead. We managed to make it, and enjoyed a much needed break. It was 2:00. We had been walking without a break for 6 hours! No wonder I was breaking down. Lunch never tasted so good. I broke my own rule of not drinking alcohol mid-day, and I had a half pint of hard cider. Several older folks in the pub wanted to know where we were from, and one guy told us we were only about a mile and a half from the end of our journey. This was EXCELLENT news.

But he lied. I bet it was a couple of miles or more, but the walk near the end took us near the wider river, and there were sea birds to watch and listen to. At the end of the trail, there is a lovely little gazebo with a message to travelers. On East side it welcomes the weary walker, and on the other side it wishes them good luck. I was glad to read the welcome today.

Another quarter mile to the King's Arms pub for a celebration, and no surprise, many of our fellow travelers were there, or came in while we were there. That was a long walk.

After a call to our next host, Sandra came to pick us up in her truck. This B and B, Hillside Farm, was by far the best one we enjoyed. It was in an historic old farm house built in the 1700's in a courtyard style. It is still a working farm that Sandra works on with her father and sons. Her husband was a black smith until he died last year. The rooms were very large and square. The ceilings were 12 feet, and there were hearths in every room. She offered us a cup of tea, and after we had all elevated our feet against the wall for about 15 minutes, we found our way to the sitting room. Sandra brought in a proper English tea. It included tea, hot water, sugar, cream, chocolate cake and buttered biscuits with jam, all served on delicate flowered china cups and plates.

That was it for me. While Robin and Nate took a lift from Sandra to the closest Pub, I stayed in my room, watched some tennis, read some local history and listened to the cows outside the house. The sun set around 10:00, but it was still dusk until 10:30 or so. I slept profoundly well.

It is humbling to walk through villages that are centuries older than our own country. It was lovely to chat with friendly fellow hikers along the way. My general impression is that people here are very friendly. It was empowering to complete this hike.

There was a group of young doctors staying Sandra's bunk house last night. They set out this morning to do the entire walk in 48 hours. They are walking it for local cancer charities. I hope they make it, but if I were a betting person, I'd lay odds against all of them completing it. Especially the guy in the brand new boots!!

Today's pedometer reading: 40,578!