Le Tout P'ti FC

I can't agree that Black Isle Bar is a rip-off. £4/£5 for a pint is pretty much par for course these days, certainly in the pubs I drink in. There's definitely cheaper pints of Big Brewery Beer available nearby, but ultimately if you're going out for four or five pints of a night on a fairly irregular basis then the price point is not really your biggest concern. If the beer tastes good (which it does), the surroundings are amenable, and you're not surrounded by utter bams then that's all as important. The food is pretty mid market in pricing. My pizza and salad, which were excellent, was less than £20. I could have got a cheaper pizza elsewhere in town, but I didn't care to seek it out. As regards hipsters, the crowd on Thursday night near me was this: a young family, a small group of 30s/40s guys in Berghaus fleeces, a young couple just finished work, an older couple on holiday from Brexitland, a big group of guys of mixed ages 20s to 60s all sporting their finest checked shirts and jeans, and a couple of solo travellers reading their books or playing on their phones. Then yesterday I went to the Fort William bar for lunch, and the crowd was pretty much the same mix. That's a pretty balanced group of customers, not remotely screaming hipster to me. I'll happily go back next time I'm in either town.

I've had three days meandering around the Highlands, based from Inverness. Excellent wee break, very much welcomed change of scenery.

Scourie. This place is unbelievable, a wee photo doesn't do it justice. Probably the most scenic drive to any football ground, anywhere, other than no doubt some postcard ground in the show pony Faroe Islands. Wonderful.

Hurricane Laura is a big beast. Forecast of an "unsurvivable storm surge".

Jeane Freeman is standing down as an MSP at the next election.

They stayed here: https://roulotteretreat.com/ Fished on the Bermersyde Estate near Melrose: https://bemersydeestate.com/ My pal lives two miles away in Redpath. Lovely part of the world.

I was a regular in his pub in Dalkeith from the age of, erm, 18 for the best part of the 90s. A great man. Much missed.

There's a hill with a view.

It would appear the Shankly memorial was relocated last year. It's certainly much further along the road into the village than Google Maps suggests. Here's a news cutting about the rededication: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-bill-shankly-glenbuck-village-16873907 Anyway, my tour of Ayrshire continued with a trip to the greatest stadium of them all, Townhead Park, and a glimpse of a Talbot floodlight from Auchinleck Tesco. Then a trip to the Barony A Frame and chips on Ayr beach at sunset. Glorious day. Walked 20 miles so I earned the chippy for once!

Oh no, you'll kick yourself when you see how close you were! It's hidden from view from the car park. You go just a wee bit further on and it's in a wee sort of bowl.

Next stop: The Jaggy Bunnets at Lugar Boswell Thistle. Delighted to creep through a turnstile again.

Next stop: Ladeside Park, Muirkirk. Home of Muirkirk FC until 1986. If you close your eyes you can just about hear the shouts of "haw you sir, haw you" at a poor referee who really had better things to be doing on a Saturday than putting up with this pish. Muirkirk lost 70% of its population between 1901 and 2001, probably more since. The moors where the football ground lay used to be a hive of industry.

Stop off in Glenbuck on way through to Ayrshire. It has a modicum of Scottish footballing history!

I used to travel for a week at a time in my trainee days. All sorts of weird and wonderful places. Eating on expenses was wonderful. I remember one heavily subsidised blow out week in Ghent fondly. One night was fine food, another night would be Belgian Beers with a chippy. One of my colleagues brought five pot noodles with him and stayed in his room all week rather than exploring a tremendous European city by night. Weirdo.

Hendry v Bond has went to a decider. On red button.

Drivetime on Radio Scotland keeping all over the COVID news. Just confirmed with a guy from a bingo hall that the bingo pen is called a "dabber" and not a "dobber".

A chink of light.

The way everybody involved in Scottish football struggles to pronounce the word "situation". A word which they love to use in every conceivable situation.

Lunch at Oystercatcher, Otter Ferry. The spot is hit.

One of the best things about WFH has been getting out into countryside after work. Tonight ventured over to Peebles and up Cademuir Hill. Three hours around. Excellent walk.

If you've only got a short amount of time on Islay, the first place I'd head is Machir Bay near Kilchoman. I see a guy on Islay has started Fat Bike tours. Taking a bike with massive tyres off-road along The Big Strand behind Machrie. That's what I want to do next time I'm over.

Should have added an honourable mention to the Ben Cruachan Inn at Loch Awe. Had a really enjoyable night staying there. Excellent food and Fyne Ales on tap.

For the purposes of this thread, is Dundee in the Highlands? And can Brechin decide which region they're in whenever it suits them? Random tips from dozens of trips: 1. Always take the Corran Ferry and drive around to Arisaig that longer way. 2. Oban Seafood Hut is always worth a visit. Superb value Oysters. 3. Sipping a pint whilst sitting in the beer garden of the Glenuig Inn at sunset is about as relaxed a state of mind as you can possibly achieve. 4. The best cup of coffee in Scotland can be found at the Slaughterhouse Coffee cabin on the ferry slipway in Cromarty. 5. Calum tells the same jokes on every Calum's Seal Trip from Plockton, and I don't mind that one little bit. 6. Glen Affric is an overlooked gem of a place to visit. Excellent walking country. 7. Drive past Bruar and hold your pee until Ralia. The sandwiches are massive, and massively over priced, but you feel better for ignoring Bruar. 8. The venison pizza at Black Isle Bar is worthy of a trip on its own. The beer list is smashing. 9. Try not to get stuck in Fraserburgh without a car, a change of clothes but with an important meeting to attend the next day. 10. Scotrail Highland Rover. Four days unlimited travel for £95. A superb bargain.

Walk out to Henderland Hill Fort near Mountain Cross. Barely a pimple of a hill but very scenic.

This looks delightful.