Floating to the Fringe: On Tour to the Edinburgh Fringe in an Electric Milk Float by Thompson Paul

Author:Thompson, Paul [Thompson, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Paul Thompson
Published: 2020-08-03T16:00:00+00:00

11

The Outer Hebrides

It was 2am by the time we arrived at the ferry port in Oban, and I was so tired that I just found the first lane I could, and parked Bluebell, hoping we were in the right place to catch our ferry to South Uist in a few hours. I woke again at 6am to the sound of walkie-talkies, and when I looked out of the window a queue of cars was behind us. It turned out we were in the wrong lane, and had been holding everyone up. Eventually I found the lane for the South Uist ferry, and woke Jade up who was still asleep in the back of Bluebell.

I felt really drained from the previous night, and after driving onto the ferry went in search of some breakfast. This turned out to be a big mistake, as not long afterwards we were out into a choppy ocean and I started to feel sick. Lying down in the ship’s lounge only made things worse, and I spent the next half an hour in the toilets throwing up. Afterwards I made my way back to the lounge feeling sorry for myself, and fell asleep for almost two hours. When I woke again, we were approaching Lochboisdale on South Uist, and I felt really annoyed with myself for having missed the journey.

South Uist is one of the largest Hebridean Islands, joined to North Uist by Benbecula, a tiny land mass in between. The Uists lie just above Barra, the bottom most of the Outer Hebridean Isles, which I’d visited on holiday a few years before. I’d had a wonderful couple of days staying in a small B+B with my brother and his family, hiring bikes to cycle round the island and doing some canoeing. It gave me a taste for the Hebrides that had made me want to come back, but I never would have guessed that I’d be returning in a milk float.

The hills surrounding Lochboisdale were covered in mist and drizzle, and the village looked sparse with just a small shop, a few houses, and the Lochboisdale Hotel, where we were staying for the night. Karen the owner was very welcoming, and more than made up for the cold and damp weather. Originally from Yorkshire, she and her husband had visited the island on holiday and fallen in love with the place, making the brave move to sell up their house and start a new life. It seemed to be working well for them, as the hotel was full. The Uists attract visitors from all over the world, who come to fish its small sea lochs (known as lochans), where wild trout and salmon are abundant.

After getting Bluebell on charge I went for a lie down in my hotel room as I was still feeling sick from the ferry journey. My throat was hurting and I wasn’t sure whether I’d be well enough to play that night, but after a good meal I felt much better by the time I was due to start.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.