Looking out on Loch Tay from Firbush

One of the things I'm going to miss most when I leave Scotland is the trips up to Firbush, the uni's outdoor center up near Killin. There's something so relaxing about the simplicity of life there. Everyone is housed in 2 to 4 person single-sex bunkrooms, hearty meals are served in a dining room with views over the loch and the only thing you have to worry about is which activity to choose. For a weekend, you can leave all the worries of life behind.

On this my third trip to Firbush, I finally hit the weather jackpot - no easy feat in Scotland. Saturday dawned foggy and absolutely still, but by mid-morning the sun shining with a fresh, if inconsistent wind. My arms now bear testament to the fact that Scottish sun can burn - if only on very rare occasion.

Eschewing the chance to kayak, canoe, windsurf, hill walk, bike, walk or orienteer, I opted to spend all weekend cruising the loch on Laser. The wind tended towards the light, but it was so magical being out on the loch that I didn't mind in the least. After more than a decade away from competitive sailing, it was nice to be able to have a completely relaxed setting to re-aquaint myself with dinghy sailing. No pressure, no stress - just me, a Laser and a whole loch to explore on my on terms. I was pleasantly surprised at how much muscle memory I still have - bring on the roll tacks!

The Scottish landscape is truly unique - and I couldn't imagine a better backdrop for a day's sail. Loch Tay is long, but quite wide so there's plenty of room for sailing, and - at least at this time of year - very few motorboats. Firbush is located on the wooded side of the loch (excepting the nasty 'gash' where the trees have been logged), but the far side is a patchwork of fields, speckled with sheep and the occasional house, reaching up to craggy peaks.

The sheep-clad hills seem almost like a scene from a scale railway model. It's all just too perfect - the bright green, closely cropped grass like an emerald carpet stretched across a rocky frame; the little tiny white sheep and deep red highland cows; the sparkling white houses; the red car tootling across the hill-hugging road. At one point during a calm, I was mesmerized by a herd of sheep moving across in one swirling mass from one field to another.

The only clue of reality are the 'sound effects'. Sound carries startling well across the loch and it's more than a little unnerving to be startled out of a reverie by a very distinct moooo! or baaaaah! When the red car went roaring along the road, I couldn't help but think of the excerpt from "Cars" that was the Pixar exhibition here in Edinbugh, in which one could hear the tell-tale vroooooom as the little car zig-zagged up the mountain far in the distance.

I've posted a selection of photos from my two recetn Firbush trips here - click on the tabs at the top to see the second album.


Closer to home, they've partially re-opened our road, so the kids across the way have lost their football pitch. Fortunately, I noticed the traffic before stepping out into the road.