The World is for exploring in anyway you can

About 3 months ago my sister Charlotte called me up to notify me that there was a fantastic seat sale on flights to Scotland and that for my birthday she would like to take me and the girls to see my friend Carolyn in Edinburgh.

Take a minute to think about that. She was offering to fly with me and two small children IN AN AIRPLANE. Never mind the financial cost of this endeavour, imagine the psychological cost. Never mind the children, I am a super anal retentive traveller.  I hate surprises and I insist on bringing my sanity saving rules and systems with me whereever I go.

They keep me from going....too feral. Charlotte was the very picture of accomodation and flexibility which was nothing short of the perfect gift.

J joined the party for his first trip to Scotland and it seems that the perfect adult to child ration is 3:2. It allows some time off for some adults some of the time. I might add that ratio to any conversation I have with couples thinking about having children.

After our 6 hour night flight we took a bus to Glasgow Centre.

Then a train to the Isle of Arran where we would finally enjoy the beautiful landscape and Fenner would run off the ill effects of Eastbound jetlag.

Running in Glasgow Central

We rented a small flat for the weekend and enjoyed some hiking, some pints and some Irish Sea swimming. The point of going to the Isle before Edinburgh was to stretch our legs and give us and the kids lots of space to have fatigue induced tantrums.

Charlotte and I enjoyed a swim in the Irish Sea.

This is where we swam, seriously

It was amazing. Locals say that the Isle of Arran is a miniature Scotland, that it has everything that Scotland has to offer on a small island.

It was beautiful. Edinburgh will have to wait until tomorrow.