Le Tout P'ti FC

John Buchan Way is a really good day's walking. 14 miles Broughton to Peebles. Shorter walk up Cademuir Hill Fort and back along the Tweed is worth a trip. Routes for both on Walk Highlands.

The Oscar Marzaroli exhibition is open and is worth half an hour of your day. http://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org/event/oscar-marzaroli Short walk from there to West Brewery for socially distanced pints inside the beautiful Templeton Buildings. https://www.westbeer.com/westonthegreen/ The Kelvingrove Museum is worth a visit if you've never been. Quite a haphazard selection of artefacts, from Van Gogh to Dali to Spitfires to stuffed elephants to plastercast gurning faces on the roof. https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum If you want to get away from the throng, the parks are excellent. My favourite is Pollok Country Park, just near Ibrox but don't let that deter you. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16592 If you have a lot of time on your hands, a good pair of walking shoes and a fancy for making a completely pointless quest to walk around Glasgow in a massive football themed circle, check my post on Photographic History of Scottish Football thread yesterday. Picture of my route attached. If you fancy a shorter walk, picking up this Walk Highlands route and walking as far out as you fancy is not a bad idea. I'd definitely recommend you walk at least out to Maryhill Locks following this path. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/glasgow/kelvin-walkway.shtml

Only £69 online. https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/shop/toys-and-games/toys/vintage-subbuteo-stadium-grandstand-c140-boxed-hd_200203246?pscid=ps_ggl_OOS+-+Smart+Shopping+-+Arts+%26+Entertainment_Ad+group&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw8MD7BRArEiwAGZsrBT6bQ4THUJRq68R5qoiUOL49vdRshcp3HVBXMLctP2jKkF1DzgpbaBoC1ToQAvD_BwE

Doesn't count if you don't visit Edinburgh South. Only an extra 16 miles onto the walk!!

Army have turned up in my street to break up a house party. (Only kidding. Guy two doors down seems to have brought his work home.)

A mazy dribble around Glasgow yesterday taking in the football grounds as a way of seeing the city. Hampden > Lesser > Hampden Bowling Club > Cathkin > Shawfield > Velodrome > Left Cheek > Glasgow Green > Barrowlands > Oscar Marzaroli exhibition > City Centre > F&C Canal > Firhill > Kelvinbridge > Kelvingrove > SECC Tennent's Sixes > Waverley > Right Cheek > Bellahouston > Pollok Country Park > Pollok FC > Langside > Ruel St > Hampden. An utterly delightful walk, in glorious autumnal sunshine. Burst 50,000 steps, which took me almost nine hours, including a couple of pit stops. No doubt I've missed out some football heritage sites. For example, I could have easily detoured towards Park Gardens to pay my respects to Jim Farry, or it wouldn't have been much of a stretch to see Benburb FC. A perfectly good way to spend an otherwise idle day off. Would recommend! Highlight was undoubtedly Firhill which just looks magnificent when approached from canal, a route I've never taken before, affording a superb view into the stadium from the towpath.

Ruel St. Bring yer Maw.

King Creosote, Glasgow. 12 March 2020.

A quick whirl around Hampden this morning. Four stadiums within a few minutes of each other.

Progress update: Floodlights down Balcony lopped off upstairs of club Wee bit done on stand side Not much done on Hampden side Sun is shining.

If we're talking bridges... Kylesku is splendid. It's the sweeping curve that elevates it above many others in the pantheon of Great Scottish Bridges.

This looks superb:

Islay Beach Cottage on Kilnaughton Bay has the big house and the wee house next door, you'd probably get 16 in there. http://www.islay-beach-cottage.co.uk/mobile.html There's also Lipachlairy along the road which has two cottages next door to each other. Think that would only take about a dozen though. https://lipachlairy.co.uk/accommodation/ The other big place I can think of is the youth hostel in Port Charlotte, which is massive but no doubt basic. https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/port-charlotte-islay/ Somebody here mentioned the Storm Pods at Lagavulin. If you booked a few of those they'd possibly take a big group. https://islay-pods.co.uk/ Finally, it's my civic duty to add that the guy that runs Lach Mhara is an absolute twat. Please don't give him any money. I stayed nearby once and was left to entertain his B&B guests - overseas visitors tipped out a taxi, no car, pishing rain - because he didn't show up at the appointed hour to greet them. He ignored my calls to find out what to do with them and didn't give me a single word of thanks when he eventually turned up to collect them. Total cock of a man, the only person I've ever disliked on Islay.

I would vote for this.

They'll think of something.

Finally I've got something I can tenuously claim to be ITK about! I've spoken to somebody actually involved in the project. He says they think that the big roundabout outside Dunkeld will happen, but no chance of the big tunnel (too expensive). The good townsfolk of Dunkeld & Birnam will be getting a new bridge to the station instead.

Heston Rovers?

At Landmark at Carrbridge today. The highlight, for me at least, was watching a couple of red squirrels feed. Think my wee boy preferred that bloody roller coaster though. A good day out here, not as "Shan Disney" as I'd feared.

Was to have been the Camanachd Cup Final day today. We're up anyway as I'd booked a hotel for the weekend pre-COVID. Took a trip to the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore, which has a shinty exhibition within the old Boleskine Shinty Pavilion. Who knows if there will be a final to look forward to in 2021.

Big fan in my house. This is his rendering of Season 2. (May contain spoilers.) I'm enjoying the drawing of the sinister bit where Hawk stealths along the computer lab corridor. Great programme. We both enjoyed it!

I watched a bit of Highland v Heriots last October. The inside of the clubhouse is really well appointed. Good bar. Lovely hot plated food on sale: stovies, macaroni etc. I'd say the upstairs terrace easily holds 100 or so, but certainly looks like not many were very well covered. Should be ample for a Loch Ness FC game. I'm looking forward to taking one in.

Line up for 2021 is: Friday 19 March Bo'ness United v Kelty Hearts 7:45 (Alternative: LTHV v Penicuik Athletic 7:30) Saturday 20 March Dalkeith Thistle v Edinburgh South 11:15 Bonnyrigg Rose v Berwick Rangers 2:00 (Alternatives: Haddington Athletic v Kirkcaldy & Dysart 2:30; Tranent v Tynecastle 2:30: Preston Athletic v Lochore Welfare 2:30) Easthouses Lily v Glenrothes 5:00 Newtongrange Star v Linlithgow Rose 7:30 Sunday 21 March Broxburn Athletic v Sauchie 2:15 Mon the alternatives!

Looks like Groundhop is 19-21 March 2021. Bo'ness v Kelty Friday 7:45pm Bonnyrigg v Berwick Saturday 2:00pm Presumably Dalkeith, Easthouses and Newtongrange will be getting the other Saturday games.

Kelty v Bonnyrigg on Boxing Day. Bonnyrigg v Kelty on New Year's Day. That is outstanding scheduling.

Bad news for famous grouses.