We’ve done it! We’ve really done it! Gudrun, in his impersonal, but reliable Germano-Spanish ways, safely brought Aramis and me from Switzerland to Stornoway! By the time we arrived, the trip meter had recorded over 2000 km since the beginning of our journey.
But let’s not get ahead of things: there was another long stretch of driving ahead of us this morning, so we got up and started early, at 7 am. My Stornoway friend had predicted a journey of about 7 hours (including breaks), and that was very accurate indeed: we arrived in Ullapool, from where you take the ferry to Stornoway, at about 2 pm. And that’s just because we’d been lucky: there was no heavy traffic at any point and I did not get lost. That, to be fair, would have been pretty difficult to manage: there was only one way, and that was north.
I love how, from Dover onwards, there are signs on the motorway which say ‘The North.’ It has always given me a Game-of-Thrones-esque feeling even before the series (or the books, for that matter) came into existence. In my mind, ‘The North’ had assumed a very strong identity. For six years, it had been the place where I had chosen to live, the place where I wanted to be. It forms this very strong antithesis to The South, which I associate with London, where the money, where business, where everybody – but not me and my England – is.
The North, however, is where home, where the people I love, where happiness are. It doesn’t seem to matter that I live somewhere else now and that most of my friends have moved away. The memories, however, are still there and hopefully will always be. Happiness, thy name and promise is The North.
Geographically, the Scottish North begins at Gretna. Historically, at the village of Gretna Green, where English couples eloped to, in order to get married without their parents’ consent. As it was just a 30 minute drive from Penrith, I decided to stop and have breakfast there. Had I mocked Continental tourists yesterday for failing to understand British working hours, the joke was on me today: the fact that Gretna was deserted and the famous Smithy shut at 7.30 in the morning momentarily left me bewildered.
As time passed slowly, particularly after my wonderful audio book had come to an unwelcome end, I made a number of more or less interesting observations: when single lane traffic was slow, it was, every time and without fail, drivers in bright red cars who’d taken the lead. If you could call it that.
Today’s fantastical beast in the roadkill category was a llama. New was also the discovery that there’s nothing worthwhile on the radio on a Tuesday after Easter. Apart from the BBC4 programme on the accidental discovery of Viagra, perhaps. Which lasted for an unsatisfying 15 minutes. Yet I had another 6 hours to cover, so I decided to try ‘Gone Girl,’ the beginning of which has proven to be rather promising.
I was tempted to stop at Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, and Inverness, but decided to get to Ullapool as soon as I could. I had not yet made a reservation for the ferry to Stornoway, and as it only makes the crossing twice a day, I had to make sure to be there in time. I had not expected to be the first passenger to arrive, but this gave Aramis and me a handy bit of time to explore the town.
We went on a stroll along the beach, where Aramis made some interesting finds. And I discovered my dog’s somewhat noteworthy attitude towards seafood.
Afterwards, I decided that it may be better to leave Aramis in the car (too much seafood around…) and explored the shops on my own. I discovered a hardware store, which filled me with excitement: when I moved to Switzerland, I also took the vacuum cleaner that I had bought in England along. Just like all British electronic devices, my vacuum has a British plug, and British plugs have fuses. When the fuse burst a few weeks ago, probably due to old age, I could not replace it, as Switzerland does not have fused plugs and I was unable to find any replacement fuses there. Naturally, I was over the moon at the prospect of ditching the broom I’d used since and cleaning my flat with my beloved Miele again. However, this raised the suspicion of the shopkeeper, to whom my unconcealed enthusiasm about the purchase of a few simple fuses appeared somewhat hyperbolic.
My Stornoway friend had recommended eating on the ferry, which I did. The veggie curry was excellent, just as promised.
I was given the honour to drive off the ferry as the very first passenger. A wonderful feeling to have arrived and done it all! A two minute drive later, I was already at my friend’s house and was welcomed very cordially by her and her two wonderful cats. This was a very special day, as there were not one, but two fantastic events to celebrate: she’d just been awarded her PhD and had, this very day, received her British citizenship!
The Adventures of Aramis 