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A Firsthand Account of Scotland Preview
By Jared I. Greene ’12
The mornings were soft and dewy, with low-intensity ambient light from the sun shining through the clouds. That meant one simple thing: no sun glasses needed. Our weather was outstanding. It rained once, and it was just a light mist, nothing to get in the way of our mountain biking and kayaking. The water was cold when I flipped my kayak playing a Scottish kayaking version of tag, but it was nothing that couldn't be endured with my constant paddling.
Our transportation was quite sufficient with free chartered bus rides to our destinations thanks to Arcadia. They provided us rides to go to places like St. Andrews, which is where the game of golf originated, to the beaches of Portobello, Falkland Palace, and Loch Tay. Loch Tay was an exciting place in which students participated in physical activities like the kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, road biking, and more. Everything was provided from expensive professional mountain bikes to performance kayaks to shoes and wet suits (which proved to be very useful). To say the least, this was one of the most exhilarating points of the trip in which we got to see some of the best of Scotland's beautiful countryside land and waterscapes.
Our hotel was a few paces from the Royal Mile, which contained a massive quantity of shops and restaurants. During free time, one could walk up all the way to the Castle of Edinburgh. Students were also given the opportunity to go the legendary Loch Ness and experience the draw of the Loch Ness Monster Nessie.
From crawling around in an old mine used for siege upon the castle at St. Andrews, to walking on the ruins of the castle in which dozens of clansmen were slaughtered, Scotland definitely provided us with an experience to be never forgotten. I can now say I have gone swimming in Scottish waters and sat in a tree where prisoners were hanged in ancient times, not something that one does every day.