Day T-1 (hopefully): Scotland, here I come

To start off with, yes, I made it to Scotland, writing the following lines in a quiet spot on the bank of the River Ness in the small but bustling tourist town Inverness. It's surprisingly mild, the yellow leaves however, a stark sign that autumn is in full swing. 

But back to the beginning, back to last Sunday afternoon, when I leave work and take the train to Wetzikon, where, on the following day I do my last preparations for the trip. Buying food, charging all my electronic equipment, downloading maps. You see, nothing too spectacular. 

After a last delicious meal with my family, I head of to Basel Airport, where I arrive just after midnight. As my flight is an early 7am departure, cheap as I am, the only option is to spend the night at the airport terminal. People who know me or read my hiking report know that outside of the comfort of a warm bed, I can't really fall asleep, especially not in a noisy terminal. Hence I don't close an eye and counting the minutes until check-in finally opens. Everything goes smooth and at 5 past 7, the Easyjet Airbus climbs lazily out of Basel. The sunrise during the first half an hour of the flight, makes for some spectacular light conditions.

Two hours later, the aircraft touches down on a wet Edinburgh runway. Immigration is a breeze and in no time I'm in the tram to the city centre. I do some last minute groceries and send my three food parcels ahead. Somehow I have the strange feeling it won't work out as planned, but let's see. Moreover, I get a UK SIM and a gas canister, which, for obvious reasons I wasn't allowed to take on the flight. 

Everything takes longer than I planned. So by the time I'm all organized, it's nearly time to catch the train to Inverness, where I will spend the night. 

The previous sleepless night makes itself noticeable during the three hour ride. Despite the lovely scenery, I can't keep my eyes open. 

Luckily I recover the close to Inverness and, after checking in in the hostel, and writing these lines, I feel surprisingly fit.

Once after finishing my blog, I'll splurge one last time before going bush. Fish and chips. Have been looking forward to it for a long time.

One last thing: Eventhough I try to keep my blog alive as much as possible, I probably won't be able to write regularly. Limited signal and saving my battery will be the main problems. Still, you can follow me on my follow me page, which, if I really make it to the Cape tomorrow, should go online very soon.