(Very Belated) Islay Whisky Festival 2018 - Part 1

Wow this IS belated. I should probably have been writing this about 3 weeks ago but having got back from what was a wonderful awesome and amazing holiday, sitting down and spending more time than necessary at my desk wasn't really on my list of "good ideas". I also struggled quite a lot to get back into a good frame of mind, something that I cracked a week ago thank goodness, and so now I am prompted to write this update because another one will have to be following very shortly afterwards as Bekir is currently in the house doing a few things before my parents visit next week.

Clearly I have a LOT of pictures from our four weeks away*, and clearly I will not be able to show everything so I'm going to split the time up into logical sections and try to express just how amazing awesome and wonderful this trip really was.

The journey over

After much umming and ahhing about whether we would take a caravan we did decide to in the end and this was largely a very good decision, apart from doubling our fuel costs and possibly contributing to the breakdown... but there I go getting ahead of myself again.

Setting off with puppies in their cage

On the bridge to Romania

Switchbacks on the mountain roads

Terrible weather, just before the accident

A drove us up to the north of Bulgaria where after a bit of hunting we found the home of the person who was hiring the caravan. They were not really ready but after some time we hitched with everything we'd need and got on the road. Because of driving license limitations I was now driving the entire way to Scotland but driving with A is a pleasure and I was looking forward to it. We took the route over the bridge into Romania near Ruse and made pretty good time, stopping briefly near Bucharest for a break in the same place as we had stopped on one of our other trips. Everything was going very well until we hit the mountains, it started to rain, and then a police car went flying past us on a blind bend and almost took out two cars coming the other way. We were not surprised to come to a complete standstill shortly after and stayed parked for 3 hours while the thunder roared and the rain fell heavily. A cooked some food, I slept in the caravan, then we were back on the road and saw the aftermath of two cars and a truck smashing into each other - not pleasant. This delay, and the fact the roads are not that good in Romania going that direction, meant it took near enough 24 hours to cross the country and we were so relieved to get out of Romania and into Hungary.

Look Dad - a bridge!

We greeted each and every Waberer's truck with a smile

A much nicer day in Hungary

Traveling in style

Sketching on the road

After Romania come Hungary and after the rain in Romania we drove into sunshine. As per our habit we got pictures of bridges and Waberer's trucks for my Dad. The road through Hungary is pretty flat and boring but that was perfect after the delays in Romania and we made really good time through this country. The puppies were really settled in their cage and actually we had no problems from them the entire trip; they are so good. A was finding it quite tough to just sit and do nothing for so long and dozed on and off however she did get her art stuff out and do some sketching which was super impressive to watch; talented, that one!

We enter Austria

These are the Green Option

Austrian roads are hilly, to say the least

Melk Monastery

Some sort of armoured tracked vehicle

With Hungary under our belts we swept in Austria and the land of the wind turbines. By this point the delays of Romania were well behind us and we were looking good again for our target of the Family Gathering at the end of the week. Austrians roads are very up and down and we drifted along not always being the slowest vehicle on the road, but certainly not feeling rushed. One beautiful sight, which A managed to get a good picture of from the moving car, is Melk Monastery; one day it would be nice to have the leisure to stop at these locations and visit them. Finally we drove past some tanks on tank transporters which me, being a boy, wanted pictures of. We made it to Germany before stopping for the night.

Bulgarian Military on the move

An airplane nearly on the bridge (if you look closely)

Bridge over the Rhine, for Dad again

I slept really well that night. Rather than have a fixed schedule we were doing the usual thing of "sleep until you wake up, drive until you're tired" and it worked out very well again for all the driving. The next day we  saw more military vehicles, this time some members of the Bulgarian Armed Forces heading our way. Germany was very uneventful, and we ALMOST saw an airplane going over the Frankfurt Airport bridge. We took another bridge picture for my Dad, this time over the Rhine, swept through the Netherlands, Belgium and France and made it onto a late ferry. Our really slow beginning ended with such a smooth journey that we spent that night driving slowly up the UK and stopping for two hours each in three different service stations. This was such a contrast to Europe where you can sleep in truck stops for as long as possible; I was actually woken by a jobs-worth talking on a walkie-talkie during one rest who was calling his mate over to bring the credit card machine. So much for "tiredness kills".

Travelling up through the UK

We arrived at my parents at about 6am eventually and managed to get the caravan down into their cul-de-sac with some fiddling about and pushing. I went to sleep and was woken by my dad with bacon; I was less pleased about this than I should have been really. I had quite the slow day and prepared myself for the main event, the family gathering on the Saturday.

My crazy wonderful family photograph

Now I was terrible and I only appear to have two photographs on my camera of the whole day, which is a travesty as it was awesome. I got to see my Nan again, which is always a highlight of any trip, and also meet my new nephew and my grand-nephew as well. The weather was wonderful, the puppies were very well behaved and so were the kids playing with them, and it was just a superb day all around. I've pulled out one picture for this to summarise the fun we had in the day - the reason for the lack of pictures was I was enjoying myself so much I didn't stop to get the camera.

Getting a game on with James

A lovely meal with friends as well

From my parents we headed up to Manchester and again there is a dearth of photographic evidence of what was a wonderful time. We arrived at John's very easily and managed to get the caravan pushed into his back garden parking space with the help of some friendly neighbours. Dinner was served and was a lovely lamb roast, and we got to spend time with his lovely lady and her kids. During our time in Manchester we met my old colleagues for a Rice 'n' Three (so good), went to James' gym again and died (and did we suffer - it took me four or five days to recover this time!) and also had some fun games against friends at a Wargaming centre in town. Unfortunately my attempt to record a live batrep failed due to terrible signal but still we had fun. 

Heading up the M6 to the lakes

Having the first of two pints!

This pub is really lovely

About to head out on a stroll around the campsite

Rabbits on the green

Sun goes down over Derwentwater

From Manchester we made our way further north past Blackpool and stopped at my studio up there, met up with Dan and his growing family (and had awesome pizza at a new place in town) and then went from there to the Lake District to camp for the night on our way even further north. This was a last minute decision and a very good one. We arrived in good time and drove down to the Twa Dogs pub for dinner, a favourite location for myself over the years. On getting back we took a stroll around the campsite and watched the sun go down, while enjoying the sight of wild rabbits running around everywhere. It was a glorious walk and we both went to bed feeling good.

A view from A's walk

The Dead Tree

Beautiful greenery and flowers

Puppies taking a rest

A very crowded Castlerigg Stone Circle

Me looking stylish

That night I woke after a couple of hours sleep with knives in my throat and proceeded to stay awake all night trying my best to not disturb A while coughing up phlegm and praying I would feel better very quickly. This was not the best of preparations for the drive the next day but that is life. A took a walk with the puppies in the morning while I slept in a bit more and she got some stunning photographs of what is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. I wish I could have joined her but sleep took priority this time. We had to leave the campsite by midday and about two minute to we drove through the barriers and went up to the Castlerigg Stone Circle. Parking was a bit awkward and the plan to have lunch there bounced off the crowds but it was still lovely to have managed to show A this sight. We stopped by the side of the road on the way back to the M6 for lunch and a rest and then got our foot down to go up to Glasgow for a meal at our friend's restaurant.

Very happy to be in the 'laddich snug

A is happy with her chip (check out Thelma!)

A wonderful whisky Derek recommended

Treated ourselves to dessert

On the way we stopped at a very lovely service station called Annandale Water where I had a nap and then bought a cup for myself while A took the puppies while I slept, walked around the lake and did some painting. This was such a nice place to rest and I'd recommend it to anyone heading towards Scotland. Of course you still can only stay for two hours before having to pay. Our plan was dinner at Artisan Restaurant in Wishaw and we followed the satnav and found it very easily. Just as we pulled up outside and were wondering where to park our friend Derek, who owns it, pulled up in the opposite lane, greeted us, and gave us directions. This was the beginning of what was a wonderful evening with outstanding food, great company in a beautiful surroundings. And the whisky was wonderful also. I was still feeling quite rough, sadly, but it did not detract from the experience. I'll be looking forward to a return trip to Artisan for sure.

Driving past Loch Finnie

First in line... for the ferry before ours!

A heron flies past the jetty

We didn't get on this ferry, sadly

Finally arriving at Islay

We slept briefly in the caravan parked behind Artisan and were woken by some local youths who were wondering what we were doing in the caravan; I took that as our cue to leave and we headed further north, making our way to Loch Lomond before parking again in a layby and having a really wonderful sleep which left me feeling a lot recovered, though this didn't last. We arrived at the ferry port in time for the ferry before ours to arrive but unfortunately couldn't fit on so had to wait but that meant we shared the crossing with a couple of my very good friends, Islay Bart and Stevie with his Minions. The crossing was eventful and to quote Bart as we pulled in to Port Ellen "finally we are home, my friend" and it did feel like it; it was also very special that I was able to bring A with me this time and share this with her.

I've just finished the 40th photograph for this update so I think I'm going to finish this here and do a "part 2" to follow probably tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back shortly.

* over 900 as it happens.

A's Holiday

*drumroll*

Coming at you live from The Old School in Bulgaria, it is A!

I know, I know, what an entrance. I am back, as you can probably tell. Three weeks (almost) away from home and all the animals (not forgetting the work) and I have had this week off in terms of much to do and paid work so that I could recover from the epic, if not troublesome, journey. This is what happened in the first couple of weeks. The journey itself is going to be a separate post due to time constraints here.  

Ireland

The main purpose of this trip was to get back for the birth of my nephew (or niece, as I didn’t know at the point of booking). I left the Old School on Wednesday 10^th afternoon with SandS, who kindly gave me a lift to the bus station.  The bus (minibus) arrived on time and I was very disappointed to note that it had no air conditioning, given it was around 35-37 degrees, but I made it to the town beside the airport in plenty of time and in fact, 40 minutes earlier than scheduled. The drivers here are crazy! I stopped for a beer to kill a little time before getting to the small airport in Plovdiv.

On my way

The flight was an easy one and I arrived at Stansted around 10.30 and quickly made my way to my hotel. I had the first flight out to Belfast the following morning and was hoping for a good night’s sleep. I obviously stopped for a beer before I went up and was horrified at both the (small) size of the bottle (we get 500ml ones here, not 330ml) and the price! So horrified and finding myself still wired that I had a second. I was on holiday and decided not to set a beer budget. :D

You will be glad to hear that I did not have only beer the whole time I was away, I actually had very little in fact and often had a sensible breakfast, even at the airport!

Sensible breakfast

The trip was a complete success in that Baby Jack was born on Tuesday and Mum was being released (sorry) on Thursday afternoon, the very day I arrived, so it was perfect timing. He is a gorgeous wee thing, obviously as he has good strong beautiful genes from his favourite auntie and he is very content on the whole. I have some photos, but due to parent preferences, they have been omitted.

In between baby coo-ing and visiting relatives I was doing another bit of sorting out for the journey ahead and was dashing between relatives and car garages and quite frankly, by the time my week was over, I was shattered and I felt it was much too soon to be leaving. Maybe next time I will split my trip more appropriately.So there you have it. The newest member of the family. He must take after me already as he has some fist clench going on there.

Next stop, England.

Taking Pat from her first home to Bulgaria and the ferry journey began at 10.30am.  I hadn’t thought it through properly when I booked it. There were screaming kids, live music and just a lot of noise with nowhere really comfortable to sit, for EIGHT hours. I decided I would get a cabin. Best idea ever!

Best £30 ever spent

I managed to get some sleep and my first stop in England was with the Beard’s best friend and his family. They had a baby last year who I have not met yet and they had invited me to stay with them whilst I was over. What an absolutely lovely child he is as well. They had moved house and it had all changed, so it was great to catch up with them again. Little H is a star and painted the Beard and I a picture for our fridge. I have a photo of the artist at work, but I will not add it here without their permission. Here is the final masterpiece, taking its rightful place on our fridge at the Old School.

I think it is a cockerel

Next on the agenda, The Out-Laws! The Beard had been buying some things (I know, it is so unlike him) and there was a stash of “bits and bobs” to be collected from his parents on my way down to London, as well as his haul from the whisky festival. So off I went on Saturday to meet up with them and try to battle the roof bar and rack system before heading out with his Nan for tea. It was a mission, but between his Dad and I, we managed just in time to attach said system before rushing off to pick Nana up for dinner. A wonderful meal and I regret to say I have no photographs as I had left the camera in the car whilst trying to get us all inside. Sorry Beard x.

It was early to bed and up to pack the car at 7.30am. It was actually really not a hard job. I packed everything and slotted it all in first time without the need to use the roof bar system at all! Result. And all before his parents left, so the additional bonus of not having to use the alarm system and lock up. Phew! I was off to London just before 9am and I took my time, stopping for a coffee on the way.

I arrived at my friend’s house earlier than expected, her son let me in and she had gone out to see her daughter. I made myself very much at home and rested until she got back. Long story short, there was Chinese, wine, chatter and bed and the same again the following night. On the Tuesday night we were all out meeting various friends from work, facebook, twitter and real life at London Bridge and I have to say that I was very touched by the turnout. Especially my good friend who had just had both big toes broken and who travelled the whole way from Brighton to buy me lunch and join my in a few bevvies. What a star!

Friends

And more

I had to behave myself that night as I was due to drive the next day to Belgium to see the Beard for my birthday. I left bang on time and the traffic was flowing very well indeed on the way to Dover when I noticed a missed call and text from my friend saying I had left my camera at hers! Only it wasn’t MY camera, it was HIS. I tried not to panic, thinking we would get it somehow sent over to him, me or we would get it collected by someone. It was a mistake and not the end of the world. I wasn’t going to let it spoil my excitement for the next couple of days. So a big thank you to Dee who arranged the packing and postage for me x.

Belgium

I made the ferry I needed to be on in order to make it to his cottage in Zemsk for dinner, what a relief! Soon after, I tucked into a curry to keep me going until that evening and it wasn’t actually too bad at all.

Goodbye Dover

Curry lunch

I arrived dead on time at 6pm to himself sitting enjoying a brew in the sunshine, waving like a loon when he saw me. It has been tough being apart like this and I suppose it will be again after his visit home this weekend, but the end is now in sight.

We had a lovely relaxing evening and he cooked a fabulous Irish steak each with his spicy potato wedges. It was a lovely dinner and I of course got to open my birthday presents. I will take some pics of those for the next update.  The next morning he had to work and I dropped him into town with the plan to relax at the cottage until he was finishing around 4pm when we would take a walk around what can only be described as a beautiful town with some absolutely stunning architecture. We had dinner at his favourite gourmet burger joint and enjoyed a beer or two along the river. Another perfect evening.

I was sure this was too big for my mouth. It wasn’t in the end.

Too big for my mouth

That is all I shall tell you about tonight. The journey through Europe will follow tomorrow hopefully as this has been quite a long update (for me) so far.

It’s good to be home.

Leka nosht xxx

A