Next Stop - Scotland Road Trip Day 1 & 2

After a way too long break from traveling, it's finally time to hit the road again - packing my backpack, which has already become a part of me like a fixed body part! After my rather negative camping experiences in Chile, I'm giving camping another try, hoping that I can finally share the enthusiasm for camping. This time, I'm also packing a properly warm sleeping bag. Let's go!

We start in Glasgow, where we pick up our rental car and head into the Highlands.

1st Trip: Glasgow - Loch Lomond - Oban

Admittedly, I'm glad I'm not the driver here. Driving on the left side of the road is a challenge, but the narrow, winding roads along the cliffs of Loch Lomond would have overwhelmed me. But together ('You still have space on the left...You have NO more space on the left!!!'), we managed the situation professionally. We are rewarded on the first day, as Scotland's largest lake comes with small beaches and the Highlands in the background. And as it is on the first motivated day of a road trip: there is a new, gigantic view waiting behind every curve, which we absolutely have to stop for, while the hours pass and we finally arrive in Oban in the evening.

2nd Trip: Oban - Glencoe - Fort Williams

After a restful night in a cozy guesthouse near Oban, we start again, today we're heading to Fort Williams via Glencoe. We try not to include as many stop-and-go's as yesterday, which only partially works, because we are surprised behind every curve once again.

We arrive at the Glencoe Visitor Centre. It's supposedly free of charge, but the associated parking lot is anything but. It's not worth it to us, so we continue driving and just a few hundred meters further we find a free hiking parking lot with short circular trails - exactly what we were looking for and we can finally get out of the car and into nature.

We continue to Fort Williams. This is where the West Highland Way ends, so we encounter countless limping but happy hikers. A little melancholy sets in, it strongly reminds me of the Camino Frances, but this time I'm not part of the hikers. So, first on my bucket list is the West Highland Way. The city has little to offer for non-hikers, so we continue shortly afterwards to our hostel. Just 100 meters before we arrive there, in the last curve, our catastrophe happens - we hit the curb and burst a tire. This is a new situation for us, not knowing what to do next, and on a Sunday evening, we can't expect much help from the 24-hour customer service - or rather, we receive conflicting information. The mood is ruined, the spare tire is put on, and we have no choice but to wait out the evening and drive all the way back to Glasgow the next morning; unaware if we will get a new car there...