Adventures, cont.

The past two weekends have largely been spent outdoors exploring the Scottish Countryside. Two weekends ago I went with people from my program to a place called Firbush – an outdoor center run by the University of Edinburgh located in the central Highlands (or “Trossacks,” I believe) on the shores of Loch Tay. This is the region of the fabled Rob Roy (whose grave we actually visited), and where the Scottish tribes battled it out against in the English in the days before the Brits completely gained the upper hand. The area certainly did have a palpable ambience – snow capped, rocky peaks, low, green fertile valleys, and dark mossy forests. We arrived Friday night, and spent Saturday on a hillwalk through the surrounding landscape. It was quite muddy, and it became very cold at higher elevations, but the scenery, complete with grazing sheep for good measure, made it all worth it. Saturday night we were treated to a proper “Burns Supper” – a special meal held to honor the national bard of Scotland, Robert “Rabbie” Burns, who penned such classic lines as “my love is like a red red rose,” “The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,” and the words to “Auld lang syne.” A Burns Night celebration consists of eating a tasty haggis along with mashed potatoes and turnips, complete with a ceremonious reading of his poem “To a Haggis.” The poem, addressed to the “great chieftain o’ the puddin’ race,” contains such lines as “trenching your gushing entrails bright…O what a glorious sight / warm, reekin, rich!” I lost my haggis virginity (it tastes better than it smells) on the actual Burns Night at a smaller celebration held by a friend from Chamber Choir, where I ended up reading “To a haggis” aloud in my awful American accent because non of the other people there (including 3 Scots) wanted to do it! Anyways…the Burns Supper at Firbush was done with far more pomp and circumstance, complete with a haggis rolled in on a platter and heralded by a startling loud performance on the Highland Pipes. The pipes are truly an awesome instrument – the sheer volume and force of the sound is really overwhelming – its not surprising that it was originally an instrument used in war. After the dinner, everyone from my program (about 30 of us) did some Ceilidh dancing – traditional Scottish dancing that is quite fun and seems to be designed to work better the drunker you are. The next day, I went on another hike to a hill closer to the center, and then biked around the small town of Killin nearby (see pictures).
This past weekend, some friends and I went on a day long hike in the nearby Pentland Hills sponsored by the Edinburgh University Student Festival. The Pentlands are very close to the city (a short ride on a Lothian bus from the center of town), but feel a world away. They are a low and rocky group of hills that rise up from the peaceful surrounding farmland, and afford great views of Edinburgh and its environs from their peaks. The fact that Edinburgh is a busy and fun city, but also has lots of good outdoorsy things nearby, is one of its primary virtues as a city. You can do lots of things in Edinburgh – go to concerts, clubs, etc., but its never too hard to take a break from the city for a day and spend some time out in the country.

The hills near Firbush, on Saturday.

Firbush itself.

A stream in the hills.

The Pentland Hills.

The church where Rob Roy is buried.