Me and Danny ventured to Scotland in the Summer of 2022 to embrace the beautiful scenery of Loch Trool. We (or rather Danny) pitched our tent on the edge of the Loch, after a sweaty, stressful trek from the car park.

Despite marking up our route on a map, it appeared we had absolutely no idea where we were going, which led to a very overwhelming off-road de-tour, blinded by mist and feeling like the mossy ground beneath us was going to swallow me up. (A lot of tears were shed).

After dropping our bags countless times (smashing half of the crate of San Miguel I was juggling- mushy cardboard mixed with glass is not a good combo but I’m no litterbug), hobbling over fallen trees and weaving in and out of soggy branches, we made it to the spot. RELIEF.

You know when you have an idea in your head of how something will go and it turns out to be the COMPLETE opposite? I envisioned a short, relaxing stroll from the car park; instead it was an hour of undignified torture.

I hung my coat on a piece of bark sticking off a nearby tree, which I later discovered had become a hotel for spiders.

Blissfully ignoring the sheer panic I had felt, we laid on a blanket by a quickly put together fire, cracked open a bottle and watched ‘My Mad Fat Diary’ on my iPad, whilst devouring a multipack of Hula Hoops. A nutritious, yet well deserved reward.

After a night of tossing and turning (I have since bought an inflatable camping mat and a better sleeping bag, Bear Grylls WHO???), we unzipped the tent and admired the stillness of the water before discussing how shocked I was that a wild animal didn’t attack us while we slept.

This morning was such an eye opener to how much chaos and business is in our everyday lives. To wake up with no alarm, no un-necessary noise, nothing but the gentle sound of birds gliding into the water (and the occasional sheep bleating in the distance).

Time felt non-existent, being in such a quiet place surrounded by nature, it felt like a morning routine to brush our teeth on the little stepping stones near where we camped and we only did it twice.

We packed the essentials into a backpack, (cookies, sausage rolls, water and a banana) and headed off on a walk to Bruce’s Stone. This was only a short walk but the views were so picturesque. I’ll never get tired of flicking through the photos to re-live the beauty.

We decided that we would need more fuel for that night’s fire, so we drove to a nearby town which I was genuinely excited about. I’m such a child when it comes to exploring new places and seeing how different things are. We popped into a Lidl, where I felt utterly judged just for not being Scottish! Strangers trying to sabotage my excitement, the audacity! Saying that, I looked like an absolute tramp with my sweaty hair falling out of a loose bobble and muddy joggers tucked into my socks, so that could have contributed to the distasteful glances thrown our way.

On our way back, we spotted a friendly looking pub, on the corner of an old fashioned kind of street so we stopped for some lunch. “Save the sausage rolls for campfire snacking”, we thought.

The food was mediocre and again I felt like the whole room detested our presence but they had a super cute gift shop, where I bought my sister a fridge magnet of a sheep (I literally can’t go anywhere without bringing her back a fridge magnet- and it has to be the biggest one available, even if it’s the ugliest).

Our afternoon was spent at a quaint waterfall, observing the fresh water trickling through the rocks, on a journey to the unknown. The crisp air and sounds of birds singing cleansed me of any negativity; I must return to that waterfall again.

Thinking back to the fire we built upon our return to the Loch, with my Health and Safety brain now in full swing, it definitely was not safe. Flames galore. Lack of planning. Excessive smoke. However, my feet were extremely toasty.

Not to sound immensely cliché but we had a wholesome campfire chat before settling back into our Nylon home, with talks of the future and what may come of it. It’s funny reminiscing on this conversation two years on, all the changes that have occurred and how in the blink of an eye, you’re living through the “I wonder” if’s without even realising it.

We’ve returned to this area twice since this trip, with feelings of peace and nostalgia present. I wonder what we will have accomplished by our next cosy campfire conversation…