The reason behind the journey … to deliver a very scared little GSD cross to her new foster home. Mishka came over from Bosnia and to cut a long story short was so terrified of people that she needed specialist rehabilitation.
I was a convenient stop-over for the first night, so rather than upset her further we left her in the crate as she was too scared to even consider venturing out.
Even my little Miz-mouse could not convince her that it was okay.
Finally, we made it to John O’Groats. Taking no chances, we downed sea-sickness tablets and, as it was dark, windy and still pelting it down on deck we settled ourselves in the lounge on the ferry. It was a much smoother crossing than we expected, but we were still relieved when after an hour we docked.
The main street through Stromness is amazing, like a place that time has forgotten.
Then another 125-miles onto Loch Lomond via Glencoe, but as it was dark we didn’t get to experience the full majesty of the dramatic volcanic mountains, including Ben Nevis. However, there is often a bonus to everything and whilst during the day the prolific abundance of signs warning of wild deer seem to be a bit excessive, because it is very rare to see them in daylight, at night they are everywhere. They come down to the road edge to feed on the grass verges and were constantly just a few feet from the side of the car. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the passenger seat looking up at a huge stag right next to the window that I appreciated just how large they really are. The Trossachs National Park saw the end of the rugged landscape, with the last 50-miles getting increasingly built-up until we reached home on the Firth of Clyde, overlooking the coast towards to Irish Sea.
It was not only three days of amazing scenery, new ventures and exciting things to experience but also a weekend of great company, new friends, surreal events and laughter … which is always a sure guarantee to regenerates the soul.
Thank you so much to all involved for allowing me to tag along.
There is still a long way to go but Mishka is making so much progress already - all thanks to her lovely foster mum and, of course … Gypsy :)