Ah ma Bonnie Scotland - 4th August 2026
Welcome tae Scotland, ya wee bairns!
It’s been a minute.
The last month and a bit has seen a lot of travel around the globe.
Firstly, we returned home to Oz and spent three weeks catching up with loved family and friends. To escape the Southern European summer and have a mild Australian winter was what we sorely needed.
We then left Sydney via Abu Dhabi and Athens and arrived in Tirana - about 24 hours later. We grabbed Delphi and stayed for a few days of rest at Camping Familija in Velipoje. This beautiful little caravan park was near the beach, and the 30 grass pitches were under strings of festoon lights. We rested here and got over most of our jetlag. The beach was OK, but the Camping Bar was the standout - check it.
We then headed back to Camping Australia to see Leon and swim in the clear Buna River, as we craved the current and the solace. The grass was brown, and there were only one or two other couples there. We thought it would be packed being summer, but it was not to be. Leon greeted us like family, and we felt welcomed immediately as we sat down for a coffee. The next few days were restful, and the swimming was great, but it was a sad time for Leon as his friend died and the next day Rudina’s father died. He left the camp to visit with the families for about 12 hours or so, and I was in charge of the campsite! Classic. Only one van checked in, and it was a family of four from Austria. That night I helped Leon serve the meal, and added waiter to my resume. Leon also bought the most amazing birthday cake for Jen-Jen that was a mixed berry cheesecake. I mastered the coffee machine, and we sat in the shade, drinking espresso and eating cake, before I cooked her chicken, mushroom, truffle pasta for her happy birthday dinner. Happy birthday Spunks!
After a few days we were mostly over the jetlag and rolled in the awning and set off at sparrow’s to miss the traffic. Why? Because we then went back to Tony’s in Tirana to leave Delph so that we could fly straight to the ‘Burgh! YAY!
We got into Edinburgh airport at 2 pm, but due to new entry rules it took us two hours to get through customs. What a joke!
An Uber took an hour to get to West Linton and cost 50 quid, but by 5.30 pm, we were settled into The Heddles, with Anna, Graham and Thomas - James was at Scout camp - and we timed it so that Ruth and Robert would also be there. What a great bunch of people, and we all got to meet up in Scotland!!
We then caught up over drinks, checked out the new studio build in the garden (absolutely immaculate) and sat down to dinner.
One of the many reasons that we love coming here is the food. Anna has a wall of cookbooks and spoils us every time we are here. Ruth had baked her famous baguettes, and Anna and Graham whipped us up a vegetarian feast. Cauliflower curry, chilli broccolini with lentils and peanuts, coconut rice, and more. Wow. We finished off the evening with Glenfiddich 16-year-old and Dalmore 16-year-old single malt whiskeys, before snuggling into a wonderful, cozy bed. As the light drizzle hit the windows outside, we wondered: Does it get better than this?
The next few days saw us walking all over The Loan and the art walks in West Linton. Apparently a woman left her land to the community and the artist next door created an art walk through the bush. Awesome, and no snakes, in the wonderful 15 - 20 degree heat. Check it out below:
We had a great few days here, walked all through the village, saw the communal apple orchard, caught up with family news and basically felt thankful to be back in Scotland.
After goodbyes - and a morning of manual labour helping Graham clean up his new build - he dropped us at Ikea, where we were picked up by the one and only Badger.
We spent two nights with Badger, Erica and Fin (who is now 14) at the place in Polwarth. That night over drinks and pizza we caught up, and the next day we caught the bus into town.
This was the Saturday before the Festival kicks off, and the toon was heaving. We walked around (as is my FAVOURITE thing to do in Edinburgh) both Old and New Towns looking for kilts. I couldn’t find my tartan, but bought one online! We saw all of the old haunts, ate Pret for lunch (from Waverley Train Station) before heading back for dinner and a few drinks in pubs close to their house.
It’s always fun with these guys, and it’s never a real trip to the ‘Burgh without a catch-up!
Badger then drove us to the village town of Musselburgh to see Darren, Sophie, and Elvis, the superdog!
We’d only met Sophie for a half hour on the day of her wedding, so obviously we were excited to get to know her. Their place in the ‘burbs is fantastic. A three-storey townhouse right near parks, tracks, and a small shopping centre. Perfect for a recently married couple and a cute doggie! Sophie herself is awesome, and over the next few days we got to know her and her sense of humour, and were grateful for their hospitality.
We loaded Elvis and ourselves into their car and headed off to the very cute, but posh seaside town of North Berwick. There was a mini-festival to celebrate the Edinburgh Festival, complete with bars, food trucks, a music stage and stalls. Darren’s work - a charity called Leuchie - had installed mini-lighthouses painted by local artists all around the town. These will later be auctioned off as a fundraiser. The town was great and made even more beautiful by the Berwick Garden Society and their floral pieces. What a great few hours. Great weather, company, location and food. Big tick!
We then hung out at their place for the next few days while they went to work. We cooked food, walked the dog, watched Season 5 of The Bear, and cooked more food - lasagne, sourdough garlic focaccia, salad and mushroom chicken to be precise.
I’d never been out to Musselburgh before, and it was so cool to see Daz as a married professional with a wee dog, who didn’t even have a single drink while we were there! I wish the same could be said for me, but alas it cannae.
They even got up early and drove us to the airport on the last day.
We will always return to this wonderful city for the rest of our lives, but we probably won’t come again during the festival. This was my fourth time in August, and there are just too many people to enjoy the city in the way that we like to.
Our friends and family in this city remain awesome, and we thank them all.
Slainte’
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