Scotland 5: Day 10

03.10.16 | 11:35 | Oban Hostel

My walk from the flat back to the Colonsay Airfield started before the sun rose. I had booked the 09:00 flight and didn’t want to be late. After all, the plane only comes and goes to and from the island twice a day. Also, I wanted to plan extra walk time because of the heavy pack on my back. Nothing burns calories like 4.2 miles with a heavy pack!

The walk was beautiful! I’ve come to the realization that many of the sheep on this island are pretty much free range sheep- if that’s a thing. Some are in fences but there were so many that just walking down the road or in their owner’s front yard. It was kind of cool to see this.

There were six passengers on the first leg but only two of us on the second leg, myself and a lady named Flora. Every three weeks, Flora takes a train from Inverness, her home, to Oban. From there she takes a ferry down to Colonsay where her aging parents live. Both parents’ are in their ‘90s now and need constant care.

Flora stays with them for three weeks and then goes back home for three weeks. Durning her three weeks at home, her sister, who also lives near Inverness, takes her place and stays with their parents for the next three weeks. She says that often, she sees her sister boarding the ferry in Oban, that Flora just left.

I told her that must be difficult- she said it is, but both of her parents’ grew up on Colonsay and this is where they want to be. She says she is very grateful that both Flora and her sister have loving husbands who understand this need and support them in their constant travels back and forth to Colonsay.

Flora and I shared a cab back to Oban because neither of us fancied waiting very long for the bus to get there. When we got there, we said our goodbyes and then went our separate ways. She had business to do and I wanted to go drop off my heavy pack at the hostel.

14:07

Lunch was a really great chippy just down the street. It is incredible how good a fresh fish n’ chips is! Even though it’s fried, it’s part of experiencing Scotland. I’ve only found a couple places in the states that do it right. They throw the fries in the bottom of the box, then put the fried fish on top. That’s it. Drizzle the top of the fish with vinegar and salt… done! EAT!

18:59

Tonight I went to see The Finest Hour. Good flick but very, very predictable… I am grateful that Disney didn’t put a whole lot of crap in it. It’s one of those films that you can take the whole family to and you won’t be embarrassed.

Just met one of my roommates. His name is Michael and he is from Switzerland, here looking at a University, deciding if he wants to move to Oban and attend. He plans on going into the field of marine sciences. I wonder what jobs that will yield… working in an aquarium? Or commanding a ferry? Hopefully, he wants to talk a bit later and explain it to me. I find it interesting.

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