Rental Car

Well, all of the tour members scattered towards home or other adventures. The big truck with 16 bikes left for Munich last night, to be used on the next tour week after next. Most members were heading home, but a few went to other places in the UK for a few days.

Our Car

Gary and I left with the hotel van to pick up our car for the next few days. We got to the rental car place at the airport after winding around many circles for a while. I had no idea where we were or how to get back to the hotel.

Gary had reserved a compact car for 4 days. When he checked rental rates with his phone a couple of days ago, he found that we could get it cheaper for a whole week if reserved for a week. So, last night we decided to change the reservation for the cheaper rate. Alas, when he went back into the website, the rate shown was much higher!

So, I checked with my tablet and got an even lower rate. So, I reserved it and Gary canceled his.

Realizing how bad our sense of direction was in getting to the rental agency, I asked about the cost to rent a GPS to help us find our way. The agent checked and offered a larger car with a built-in GPS for £8 a day more. We took it.

After a cursory demo on how to use the GPS, we took off for the hotel. No problem now in getting back to the hotel.

We picked up Linda and the luggage, found a way to set the GPS for Edinburgh, Scotland. And off we went! With me driving!!!

Speed at Which I was a Safe Driver

Boy, what a shock it was to sit on the wrong side of the car, shift the 5 speed with my left hand, and work the controls otherwise normal. The car feels about 10 feet wide! With the small, narrow roads, it's truly an ordeal for this old man to keep it in my lane. It's a lot harder than I thought. I keep the car too far to the left, resulting in hitting rumble straps frequently, brushing against vegetation on the left side, and hitting an occasional curb! I think Gary and Linda are scared of my driving, but don't want to fuss. Fussing too much might result in me boycotting the driving and making one of them drive! And neither of them wants to drive.

So, I drove the about 200 miles to Manchester to Biggers, Scotland without hitting anything important. It was wild.

The car is a Nissan, mid-sized with a backup camera and a HUGE moonroof. It's a good value and runs ok. Slower is better, and it's pretty slow.

We're in a little village named Biggers. It's a quaint little place near Carmichael, where were returning tomorrow.

First Hotel After the Tour

We're staying in a hotel/tavern right in the middle of the village. Our room has a double bed for them and a twin for me. Getting to the room is an adventure. You enter the tavern, climb up a set of stairs to a landing. Then up another flight. Then a right turn through one door, down a hall to another turn at another door. Then up a flight of stairs to a small hallway and down a flight of stairs. Finally, through an unmarked door to the end of a short hallway to our door. It's a workout to get to the room.

We were told of a horse parade with a bagpipe group that was going to walk through the
village. We had a drink and then walked outside to watch the parade. Very unique indeed!

I Think She Caught a Whiff of Horse Droppings!

So, this was our first day on our third adventure of this trip. A good day.

Parade

Stay tuned....