Firbush Point Field Center

Over Valentine's Day weekend, I went with a group of about thirty American students up to the University's Firbush Point Field Station on Loch Tay. It's about a two hour drive up to the Loch, which is northwest of Edinburgh. We left on Friday evening, and returned on Sunday night. I must say that having spent a month with Scottish students almost exlusively, it was a real shock to be immersed in a pool of Americans again.

Above all, it made me realize two things. First, it made me really appreciate how great my flatmates are. I lucked out to be placed with these guys because a) they're all British and b) they're really good flatmates. I think that most of my fellow American students have found themselves in flats with at least one other American (some with a majority of American flatmates, even). This is not to suggest that I don't like American students, but I think my situation has really forced me to involve myself more fully in what it is like to be a student at a Scottish University.


Second, the notable dearth of top-notch females made me realize that I have been spoiled my whole life by the exceptional quality of the women to whom I have been exposed. Mom, aunts, grandmothers, and mom's closest friends have established a standard that I don't think many girls can stand up to. And this disparity can not be accounted for simply by age differences alone, as I certainly know one college girl in particular who is most excellent... I'll come back to that. The point is, this excursion, which featured about a 4:1 female to male ratio, has made me really thankful that I know such cool gals.

I should note here that I did like quite a few people on the trip, and we got along just fine.

Ahem. So, the trip itself was awesome. The highlands are beautiful and we did some really fun activities. On Saturday, we hiked (or hillwalked, as they say) for the entire day. My group began in Balquhidder, which is home to the grave of Rob Roy (see photo). We did not realize at the time that the name of the town would be so appropriate for the day's events. You'll see why.

We toured the graveyard and the nearby church before departing up the hill. The going was moderate until we hit the proper snowline, then it became moderately challenging, I would say. People were slipping frequently, but our 76-year old guide, Colin Crookshank(s), pushed on undeterred. This man was a true champ, and I admire him very much. We got to the summit only to find that there was basically no way we were going to go down the other side (you see, the two groups had begun at opposite ends of this trail and were going to exchange bus keys at the summit). So, we turned back and went back down to Belquhidder, where we received a quitter's welcome. It was a really fun hike in the snow. We were all wearing gaiters and sturdy boots and everything. Unfortunately, we were enshrouded in infamous Scottish mist almost the whole time, so we missed out on what we were promised were spectacular views of the highlands. Great day nonetheless.

That evening, we partook in a traditional Burns Supper. We were really lucky to have Colin, who addressed the haggis, and an older gentlemen who played the bagpipes for the evening's activities. This man, it turns out, is the president of the Scottish Bagpipes Association, so he was pretty rubbish. Psyche. After the meal, we all took part in a ceilidh in the dining room. It was ultra triumphant. Bob, another instructor of about 55 years, taught us numerous Scottish ceilidh dances and everybody was up for a good time. I was really impressed that nobody held back. Bagpipes were played. Colin delivered a biting poem that he had written about the vegetarian haggis to which many Firbush visitors limit themselves. It was very funny, as Colin is a wonderfully animated story teller (reminds me of Poppo in many ways).

After the dancing was complete, some time was allotted for people to recite poetry or sing songs that they knew. This part didn't go as well, as it was dominated by a pair of students who are studying in Aberdeen. The girl made me particularly unhappy. She thought, for some strange reason, that this would be a good time for her to break out some musical theater. I'm talking tunes from Rent and such. What compels a person to sing musical theater immediately after the president of the Scottish Bagpipes Association pours his heart into the third set of pipes that he brought along? This could have been an SNL sketch, and luckily the girl next to me was similarly amused/dismayed and we did the classic eye contact followed by the "is this really happening?" face multiple times per minute.

This girl's terrible taste coupled with her commitment to the Nasonex School of Song made me really miss Martha and her voice. Sheesh.

So anyway...

The next day we were given the choice of a few activities. Among them were kayaking, mountain biking, orienteering, canoeing, road biking, or an Historical Tour of Loch Tay led by Colin. Obviously I did the historical tour. I figured I can do these other activities elsewhere, but nowhere else can I get a tour of Loch Tay with Colin Crookshank. He had proven his vast knowledge and storytelling abilities the day before, but he really kicked it up a notch for the historical tour.

There is way too much to try to describe in this blog, so I'll have to be selective. We went around the entire Loch, stopping along the way at significant sites and often walking up the hills to see certain things. At one point, Colin decided that we needed to see the MacNab family graveyard which is located on an island in the middle of a river and is only open to the public in the summer. So, he said, "we'll need to climb a sort of wall to get inside, but I'll show you the proper technique." 76. When I get back, remind me to tell you all about the MacNab v. MacNish royal rumble smackdown.

We also saw a 5,000 year old stone circle. Nobody knows for sure, but most scholars agree that the stones were built for the sheep to play hide-and-go-seek. The other widely held belief is that the stones constituted the legs of one of those big trampolines. It was likely disassembled when Smooth John MacNab accidentally knocked his two front teeth out on its rim. One thing is for sure, however, and that is that this stone circle was the architectural inspiration for the Drop Zone ride at "Paramount's Great America" in Santa Clara.

Ok. One more thing from the tour. We went to a cave on the South side of the Loch that was used in a famous comedy film of British origin. Can anybody guess the film? Here's a photo.