Menootandaboot; Bus-y, Bus-y. Part One

I have been on the buses.

In the Bonny Land, once a buddy reaches the ripe age of 60 years, a card is issued by which one can travel absolutely anywhere - for free** - on the buses of this fine country. There is little to commend being this age, really. However, it just got better with this not-so-insignificant perk!

First and foremost, it means I can travel to and from the Hutch-Edinburgh with minimal costs. The ferry is not entirely free but is heavily concessioned. As I sold Li'l Ren back in June, the bus is now my favourite way to travel. Not really, I can get motion sickness in them, but I am learning to arrive very early, get to the front of the queue and pick the front seat with 'driver' view and thus am okay. I am also learning that such travel takes virtually twice as long as it would in the car. That's okay. Am adjusting well.

The central run will be made regularly, as it was in the Ren. However, now I shall be exploring the land of my birth in a way I never really did before. First significant trip off the rank was the one to Inverness. I decided to go there for a couple of nights and make a tour of that city before connecting with Bertie Boffin and his Gail.

From the Hutch, I first take the ferry across to Gourock, where I catch the Glasgow bus. At Buchanan Street Station, I had only a short wait before boarding the M10 to Inverness. It is the only direct route - all others in the day require changing buses at Pitlochry. (These are the things one must research and double-check before travelling. Thankfully, I have always been a keen planner and studier of timetables and maps!) On that bus, the driver introduced himself as Ian and was very informative about the expectations of the route, what we might see on the way, how the weather would be, and so on. Our ETA for Inverness was 14:55, departure was at 11:10h.

Sadhu Mouse and I settled in for the four-hour ride. Unlike travelling distances in OZ or the States, the countryside is ever-changing. One simply cannot be bored looking out the window! I would also say, the promised wifi service worked excellently. Much better than my experience when travelling by air. On flights, I have to pay for the service, but the buses here provide that as a free service. I had no great need of it beyond letting the family know I was okay and on the road, but it was good to know it was there and working.

For this kind of travel, I have to experiment all over again with packing. In many ways, it is similar to air travel. However, there is very little need for me to have a suitcase. At the father's place, I have a small wardrobe of items and only require to carry Voovoo the Vaio and odds and ends with me. To make other trips in the Bonny Land, I would prefer to have everything with me by my seat, rather than putting items in the luggage bays. On the first trip I did use that, but two things became obvious; packing the laptop in the suitcase meant I was concerned about it getting 'stamped' upon by larger luggage; and at the end of the trip I had to ask the driver for assistance as the case had been shunted right to the other side and I was no way climbing in there!!! If I were heading to an airport, then that would be okay, but mostly I only require a few changes of intimate apparel, plus two or three items of outerwear. I am a 'wash and go' gal.

I borrowed a rucksack-style backpack from dad for this trip. Voovoo is a 17" laptop, and quite heavy, being an older gal. It fitted nicely into the bag, and I was able to pack all said clothing, plus necessary accoutrements such as washbag, umbrella, electrical leads and chargers, etc.

Also, I had a 'dillybag' slung over my front with the picnic and the YAMroid (tablet). The food packed was not only for lunch on the bus trip, but to serve for that evening's meal at the bed and breakfast. I was well-pleased with myself, although I did note that the rucksack was not at all padded and neither was it particularly stable, requiring to be propped against something when putting down. I found myself concerned that anything hitting the front of the pack could potentially cause damage to Voovoo... there will be more on this story later.

Back on the bus with Ian, the driver. We were going well until Perth. At the scheduled stop there, he was requested by another driver to take on a side-delivery; an enormous spare wheel for the local bus company. Ian didn't know where the depot was, so had to go by the directions given. This proved frustrating for him, as it turned out the road suggested was closed to traffic... and then it took twenty minutes of driving in entirely the wrong direction before he could find a suitable place to turn the monster bus around. Needless to say, there were mutterings in the seat behind him as the elder couple out of Glasgow had a play to attend in Pitlochry. They were on the phone to their taxi cab every ten minutes giving a running commentary on how long it would be before they arrived. It wasn't only Ian who heaved a sigh of relief when we got to Pitlochry, and they alighted!!!

In spite of being delayed by this favour for fellow 'bussies', Ian was able to make up time, and we were only eight minutes off schedule when we arrived at Inverness.

It was only a short walk from the station, along the main street past the railway station, the main shopping street and then up Market Brae Steps to reach Kinloch Lodge. More on that and this northern city on Thursday's post!

**well...the sort of 'free' that comes from having paid taxes (in my case for the twelve years before emigration).