A last goodbye, and I was back in Aberdeen on my own… I had a full programme of bus rides and castle visits though, and some catching up to do on writing my blog for the past weekend!
Somehow I forgot Travelodge Aberdeen Central actually doesn’t have room to store baggage before check-in, but luckily there was a Nannybag location nearby. It would only open at nine though, so I first went for my cortado at The Cult of Coffee.
Bag dropped off, I then boarded my Stagecoach to get to Crathes Castle. This 16th-century castle doesn’t only have an interior worth viewing, but also an incredible walled garden, complete with doocot!
The second castle was just a short ride back down the road: Drum Castle. The oldest part, the Tower of Drum l, was already given to the Irvine family by Robert the Bruce in 1323!
Finally back in the centre, I picked up my bag again, checked into my hotel, and went out again to eat a little something before tonight’s run. The Craftsman Company sadly doesn’t roast their own coffee anymore—the old machine broke down—but they do make a nice cheesy eggs and bacon bagel! I had a little bit of time left, so I popped into BrewDog Union Square for a beer.
Changed into my running kilt, I was then picked up to go a little bit outside of the city, to run with Aberdeen H3. There was a big turnout, with quite a few visitors, all of them hashers who were at the Shetland event as well.
Once back home, after a shower and a change, I went for a nightcap at BrewDog Castlegate, the only one of their three Aberdeen bars open until midnight on a Monday.
This weekend was all about the main event of my trip, the Shetland Simmer Dim Hash! A hostel full of hashers running and walking on both Shetland proper and Bressay, and getting a taste of local culture, food, and beer!
After a restful night and a nice breakfast in the Magnus’ Lounge on the Hrossey, all the hashers gathered in the lobby to debark together. In the arrivals hall we were greeted by some local hashers—although only one of them actually lived on the island—and fiddle music.
There was a coach already waiting to take us to the hostel to quickly drop off our baggage, and then on to the start of trail, a good hour’s drive away.
I’m sure a run around Lerwick would have have been lovely, but Saturday’s trail was just stunning! The weather was very un-Scottish as well, since it was incredibly sunny, albeit quite windy, and the bogs invariably soggy…
After trail we had the opportunity to visit a wildlife sanctuary, which was hosting a grey seal, and the caretakers passionately told us all about it. Others were crazy enough to take a dip in the cold sea…
We then had a sandwich lunch and circle at a nearby hotel—also serving local beers—after which the coach took us back to Lerwick so we could get settled in our rooms. It had been a while since I had shared a room with ten other guys!
By sheer coincidence, just before we were about to leave for dinner, the Lerwick Midsummer Carnival parade passed right by our hostel. As so much on Shetland, it was very Viking themed!
Dinner and the rest of the evening program would take place at the nearby Lerwick Town Hall. The main hall was beautiful, with a wooden vaulted ceiling, and stained glass windows, many of them featuring Norwegian monarchs.
The dinner buffet was excellent—lamb pie made with local lamb—the beer aplenty—cask and keg from the local Lerwick Brewery—and the ceilidh—I even brought my dancing ghillies for it—a lot of fun for everyone!
Since it was overcast and rainy by then—we even had a thunderstorm that night—the ‘dim’ was a bit darker than it usually is… It still was a very short night, though!
Hangover Trail
As is customary at events like this, there was a hangover trail on Sunday morning—even though my hangover was less severe than on Saturday morning… Less customary was the trail length: even longer than the Saturday trail! Since I would need my trail shoes by Monday evening again, and I prefer them to be dry, I decided to do the walk.
For this trail we actually had to cross the water, as it was on Bressay. Considering the weather—mostly wet and misty—this had been a smart choice to not run today, as they most definitely would have gotten even wetter… As nice as the beach at the ‘swim stop’ looked, I couldn’t be tempted to go in the water! I did get to see a seal in its natural habitat, though!
After trail we had another marvellous lunch: I just couldn’t stay away from the buttered bannock with slices of lamb…And again: Lerwick Brewery beer on cask!
Then we had to run to catch the ferry to Lerwick again, where we had another drink together, before picking up our bags and the ride to the NorthLink ferry terminal.
Once on the Hjaltland, I enjoyed another dinner in the Magnus’ Lounge, before joining the other hashers in the front bar for the last couple of beers.
This Friday was to be another travel day: a train, two buses, and a ferry… Well, I could have saved myself the two buses, but then I would have missed out on a quick stop at a brewery!
On a check-out day, just having breakfast in the hotel is the most convenient, so that’s what I did. All packed and dressed for a hot day, I headed to Inverness station to catch the ScotRail train to Inverurie. Unfortunately the airconditioning wasn’t working, so even in first class, I was in for a sauna… Luckily the train conductor kept his sense of humour!
With a slight delay, I arrived in Inverurie, where I had a couple of beers in the local BrewDog, conveniently located right next to the bus station. There I got on the Watermill Coach that would get me to Ellon.
Those who know me—or beer—immediately realise that is where the main BrewDog brewery is, and the DogTap attached to it. Since my stay in Inverurie was too short to have lunch—especially after my train had a slight delay—I had my All the Meats Sub and some dragon fries at DogTap.
Stagecoach then brought me back to Aberdeen, where I met up with couple of dozen of hashers at the bar Krakatoa. It was no coincidence that we met right next to the harbour, since we all had the get on the NorthLink ferry Aberdeen – Lerwick, the “Hrossey”.
After boarding, I made myself comfortable in my room, had a curry for dinner in the Magnus lounge, and then joined the other hashers again for some beers. When I finally decided to go to bed, it was still light outside…
Finally! Another ‘big trip’! Not unexpectedly it’s to Scotland again, but with a very specific goal: experience the shortest night of the year—Simmer Dim—on Shetland. As usual, the first day is all about getting to Scotland: 1287 km in under 21 hours, including over 7 hours in London…
Faithfully filling out all those questionnaires from Eurostar meant I had gathered enough points to upgrade to Eurostar Plus. There’s no lounge access included in that class, but in Brussels that’s usually not really needed anyway. For me the most important advantage of class upgrades are the solo seats, but on trains to London, Plus actually includes a light meal and drinks as well! On the menu today: roast beef bowl with horseradish and lovage potato salad, green beans and courgettes, apricot bakewell. I also got to try the Two Tribes beer Nomad, brewed exclusively for Eurostar.
After arrival—just seven minutes late—I first headed to Hoppers for the second part of my lunch. Not that I didn’t enjoy the food on the train, but it was just a light meal, and definitely not enough for what was about to come… Also, Hoppers had been on my to-do list ever since I saw the founder as a guest chef on the SortedYouTube channel. So I had an egg hopper, the Lankan chicken kari, tomato chutney, pol sambol, and seeni sambol, all of that with a Toddy Ale by SALT.
I wouldn’t go too far from the train stations today, but still, taking my big wheelie bag—with a kilt roll and a smaller backpack strapped to it—would be quite annoying. So it was time to store my bag at what turned out to be the cutest Nannybag location I ever used. The lady running the shop calling me ‘dear’ all the time reinforced this even further…
After that I had some time to relax a bit and have the first decent coffee in days, at Store St Espresso.
From there it was just a five minute walk to The Queen’s Head. I’ve been to this bar a couple of times—probably already my very first time in London—but the beer menu never disappoints! To soak up a bit of the beer before my last stop, I finished off with a Mr. Barrick’s pork pie.
Then it was time to retrieve my bag while the shop was still open—even though the nice lady gave me clear instructions on what to do if it was closed—and head to my traditional pre-sleeper stop: the Euston Tap! It was sweltering inside, so after my first half, I ordered a pint to take outside.
I didn’t stay too long, since I hadn’t tested the new Caledonian Sleeper lounge yet. It’s definitely nice they have a space of their own now: you already get your room key card—pre-activated, so no messing about with double-tapping—and an announcement when it’s time to board. And of course all the shortbread and Irn-Bru—and coffee and tea—you can stomach! The lounge was quite busy, but I still found a seat.
When I was finally on board, I quickly dropped my bag in my room, filled out the breakfast card, and headed to the Club Car, for my traditional whisky and Scottish cheese plate. After my second dram, I decided it was time to go to bed, and spend most of the 914 km to Inverness sleeping. After all, breakfast will be served at 7:15…
So for now, time to take off my trousers and stash them away for the next two weeks, and get some sleep!
Reached this post by just scrolling through my blog? If you want to read about this trip from start to finish, instead of in reverse order, click here!
And then it was Sunday, and time to go home again… Bags packed, room cleaned, checked out, and it was time to walk into the village for the last time, to go to the station. Goodbye Kandersteg!
I had to take a regional train to Bern two hours earlier than I originally booked, which meant I had some time to walk into town for a coffee.
From Bern my EuroCity was supposed to go straight to Köln, but after standing still before and in Basel Bad for way to long, the train staff urged us to change onto one of the ICEs at other platforms. Just as well I took their advice, since the updated arrival time of the EC would have meant I would have missed my connection in Köln.
In Köln I arrived not much later than my EuroCity should have, so eventually the only train going as planned was my ICE 10 to Brussels…
Reflection
Even over ten years after the last time I was at KISC, it felt like home again straight away! The staff, my fellow members of the Dutch Work Party, the mountains… Seeing people of so many backgrounds and nationalities work together for a common goal, is truly inspiring, and it’s been a real pleasure and privilege to be part of that again.
It was also nice to wear my neckerchief again for a week, and actually do something hands-on for scouting again, and not just meetings and writing, even though that has its place as well.
So while I fully intend to help out with the 2027 World Jamboree in Poland in whatever capacity, I’ll definitely try to squeeze in another Dutch Work Party before then!
