I love the mountains and living in Florida means I don’t see them nearly enough. When living in North Georgia and North Carolina, I would go and lose myself in the peacefulness of the Appalachian Mountains. Way...way....way back through the misty curtains of time, the mountains of the Appalachia and the Scottish Highlands were on the same piece of property.
It will to be difficult to find words to describe the extreme awe and emotion I felt at various times while in the Highlands. The continuous light rain or shower that we were experiencing throughout the trip did little to distract from the magnificence of the scene around us. It wasn’t just the mountains above, but the fact that most of them seemed to go straight down until they met a loch, and then one could only wonder to what depth they continued. Mountains and lochs were everywhere, and it seemed at times there wasn’t any flat land at all. Thinking about the differences in terrain between Florida and Scotland, flat is certainly relative.
Scotland was once covered in forest. Unfortunately like many places where humans set up housekeeping, it was over cut. There is an effort to replant, particularly native species like the Scots Pine, but there is a long way to go before the planting is complete. There are still beautiful forests though, and our first adventure took us to Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, a simply magical place.
I don’t recall any stories that Rab shared specific to this forest, but he did point out a section that looked as if it had a road at some point. That road led to the cabin that was occupied by Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
We got off the bus and took a little walk through the woods that eventually led us around a lake, through more woods and then back to the bus. It wasn’t raining at that point and the wind had died down to almost nothing. The walk was gentle and after my adventure at the Wallace Monument, I was quite happy indeed. With the exception of some very happy birds, the rustling and slurping of the leaves and mud on the path, there was silence. I lost myself in the moment.
There is a Quantum Physicist and Buddhist named Jeremy Hayward, who wrote a book called Letters to Vanessa: On Love, Science and Awareness in the Enchanted World. Dr. Hayward’s book is a collection of letters he wrote to his daughter, explaining his belief that the world around us is enchanted. There is magic all around, some of which we can see, most of which we simply cannot. Why? Because we are taught not to. In the beginning of the book he talks about how as kids, our imagination knew no bounds and things like unicorns, centaurs and fairies, may have been part of our lives. What if they weren’t our imagination? What if we saw them because as children, we were more open to the wonders of the world? What if as we grew older and were taught what was “real” and what was not, we became more jaded and could no longer see the enchanted world? It’s not that it stopped existing, but that our sense of wonder was stifled. According to Hayward, we stopped believing in the magic of the world around us.
I thought of that book as I walked along the path in the forest, I remember thinking it wouldn’t surprise me at all if a unicorn, centaur, or some other magical creature I imagined in my childhood, walked right out in front of me and reintroduced herself. This place brought back a sense of wonder about the world; something that I didn’t realize was gone. It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without obligation; the feeling there is always something that has to be done or accomplished. There in the quiet stillness of the forest, there was no obligation other than to be right there, in the moment, step by step. It was the most peaceful and content I had felt in a very long time. That is quite magical indeed.
I could have stayed in that forest for hours, but unfortunately we had to leave. We boarded the bus and headed once again toward Oban, Scotland.
I only remember one other stop between the forest and Oban, and that was at Doune Castle. Doune Castle can be seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (“I fart in your general direction”)
We arrived in Oban around 5:00 pm and settled into the hostel we would be staying at for the evening. Located on the western coast of Scotland, Oban looks like a fishing village. If I were to ever relocate to Scotland, I would definitely consider Oban.
The five of us, Julie, Jennifer, Mary Lee, Linda and I, went to a delightful restaurant, Cuan Mor, which had a view of Oban Bay.....except when a monstrous SUV was parked in front of the picture window. I’m sure you know by now, most dinners were accompanied by a local pint. Those dinners that were not, were followed up by a trip to the local pub....
We still had not heard much from Meg and Maureen, our stranded clan members, but I believe they were still at the Toronto Airport waiting with a million other people for a major snowstorm to pass. They were already 24 hours behind their original arrival.
After dinner, we stopped at a local grocery to purchase some items for breakfast and then Julie, Jennifer and Linda headed for a pub, and Mary Lee and I, went back to the room. I couldn’t find anymore energy for the day. The next morning, we didn’t have much time to explore before we needed to be back on the bus. We ate breakfast and cleaned up our dishes quickly, and then went for a brief walk to try and get some pictures of this beautiful little town.
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