Welcome to Scotland!

Bonnie Heather, here, reporting from sunny 😂 Scotland.

I know I know, you were expecting me to turn up somewhere tropical and warm. After three weeks in the Mediterranean, I’ll admit this is definitely a tricky transition. The packing alone was a challenge. But here I am.

Why Scotland? Quite simply, the owner of a lovely, small adventure hotel, Roam West, reached out to us wondering if we’d consider running a program from his hotel. We knew this was a trip we could not consider without a proper scout, and I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland (though I’d never really considered swimming it) so I said YES.

I’ll be honest: Scotland and I got off to a bumpy start. I flew from Dalaman, Turkiye direct to Glasgow, Scotland. As I sat at the gate, I thought, how many people can possibly be going from here to there?? Turns out an entire plane full of Scots who apparently like a holiday in Turkiye now and then. Same, Scots, same. We boarded and proceeded to sit on the tarmac with the AC not working waiting for a fix. This got hot and close quickly, and visions of Mel Gibson’s William Wallace bellowing FREEDOM started to make sense. We finally took off (and cooled off), but unfortunately not in time for me to catch the bus that had been booked to take me to the Scottish Highlands. There was a later bus (5 hrs later), and I gave waiting for it a good shot in the very small, very rambunctious Glasgow airport. Exhausted from an early start I finally bailed and grabbed a hotel. There were lots of bumpy moments in between and one pretty amazing cheese toastie that definitely bought me an hour of joy. Walking my bags to a nearly impossible to find hotel in the rain however, I started to wonder why Scotland and I were not vibing (toastie aside).

A good night's sleep, a break in the rain while wheeling bags to the bus stop and a few comfortable bus miles as we broke through the bounds of gritty Glasgow and things started to click.

My word, these views. Oh. Scotland.

The road got curvy and the impossibly green mountains reached into moody skies. The cliffs dripped with waterfalls running down into babbling brooks. We moved through the glen in between.

The glen. A glen! Finally, a Scottish Glen. It’s a valley, but way prettier than anywhere else because it’s in Scotland.

I’ve had some great company in my fellow guides, crew and guests these last three weeks, so making this transition on my own was a little lonely. Not for long though. Turns out SV alum Celine has been exploring Scotland for a week already, and she planned to join me in my Scouting days here in the Highlands. Much to my delight, she boarded my bus two stops before I was to get off bearing a latte. For me. More joy.

To Roam West! We were met by Ben Longhurst and soon his lovely wife Sarah. These two are from Wales, but relocated to Inchree to buy this little hotel 5 years ago. Both of them have worked as adventure guides, so they understand what we do, and this gives me great confidence as I explore this opportunity for SwimVacation.

They showed me to my room and I dropped bags and we hopped in the car for some touring in an absolute pissing down rain as they say. Even in the rain, there is something about this place.

There’s a pull, a gravitas in the land here. Not unlike the manna we feel in Hawai’i cruising the road that skirts Mauna Kea. Different, but significant. Even in the rain, in my first few hours here, I was starting to feel hooked. A stop for tea and scones didn’t hurt.

Even as the love set in, I was anxious about the swimming, the cold, the effort of it. I knew I’d like Scotland. But would I like swimming Scotland?

0645 came early enough to find out.

I’m not going to sugar coat this. This is cold water swimming. This is wild, cold water swimming. From this location we have access to both salt and fresh water lochs and the Atlantic coast. Today we made for the coast.

To be fair, this foul weather is, according to locals, “as bad as it gets”. While we can’t expect 80 degrees and warm waters here, it isn't normally THIS bad. This year's record breaking intense El Nino is creating increased likelihood of wetter and stormier conditions across Europe and the UK. Yes. I feel it. So the upshot is if I can swim here this year, it’s not likely to be this hard again.

But can I?

It’s a to-do. To be sure. Full thick wetsuit, neoprene cap, not to mention coming up with a new way to carry the goPro which I usually tuck in the back of my bather.

Ben has systems for changing in car parks, keeping warm, facilitating the task at hand. This includes the use of a dry-robe, a long fleece lined parka that keeps you warm and makes changing easier. Ben let me use his, and has already begun working on securing some for our group if we come here to swim.

I stumbled my way through these motions, new to me, and we walked to our first destination. An absolutely stunner of a beach that is normally glassy calm. Not today. A significant break loomed. If I’d already had a few Scottish swims under my thick belt, I’d have given it a go. But hearing Ben’s hesitation, I opted to find another spot which we did. Wow will this make a beautiful swim on a different day though.

Back in the car and a little up river to Silver Sands Beach, where a massive slug of freshwater runs into the tide. Celine and Sarah took some photos as Ben and I waded in. WOW. It’s cold. Maybe 59? 60? But wow, it’s so clear. The water is clear to 20 feet! The color of it. The views. The mountains. The power of it all.

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Face in, face out. Face back in.

That’s how you do it. That’s how you get around the initial cold headache. Once we started to swim, the cold fell away. I felt present and part of this incredible, dramatic landscape.

We swam down river then back along shore against an incredible current. I was able to stand and take breaks from it, and we made it back to the beach. The rain. The brilliant light coming through dark dark clouds. An exciting wild adventure.

Jumped back in the car with our wetsuits still on and drove a short way to Loch Morar - the deepest loch in Europe. It’s deep. Over 1000 feet. The water is clear and fresh. The mountains. The darkening sky. The drama of it all.

I was actually able to dive down about 6 or 7 feet like I do in seas all over the world. It was a few degrees warmer down there, and Ben grabbed this shot of me surfacing in beams of light.

I came out of the water elated.

Is it the cold swimming thing? Is it the surrounds? Is it simple relief I did it, can do it, actually kind of loved it?

The changing back to clothes is trixie with cold hands, wet feet, and immediately I am thinking of the ways we can make this part easier for our adventurous guests should we decide to give this a go. Should anyone be so game to join.

Fàilte (FAAL chuh)

Bonnie Heather, here, reporting from sunny 😂 Scotland.

My word, these views. Oh. Scotland.

But can I?

Face in, face out. Face back in.

I came out of the water elated.

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