On a visit to see family in London, I set aside a few extra days to explore my Scottish roots… and ended up coming home a world champion bog snorkeller!
After a week in London I was overdue for a break from family so I caught the LNER Azuma train from King Cross Station to Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city.
The journey was five hours and provided the perfect opportunity to sightsee, passing through famous cities such as Durham, Newcastle and York, interspersed with endless views of rolling hills dotted with sheep and the greenest grass I have ever seen.
On arrival in Edinburgh I headed straight to my accommodation, The Balmoral Hotel and was greeted with a hearty ‘Welcome Home!’ which threw me until I realised that because my surname is Campbell they assumed I was Scottish.
The hotel is pricey but the experience of staying there was well worth it. One of Edinburgh’s great railway hotels, its clock tower dominates the landscape and its medieval architecture and tartan décor left me wishing I’d brought a kilt. It also has all the perks you could want from a grand hotel, such as a Michelin-starred restaurant, tea salon, spa and pool.
First up on the sightseeing tour was Edinburgh Castle which was incredible. Inside I learnt about Scotland’s history, and outside the immensity of the building left me in awe. In every direction I was surrounded by amazing views of the city.
My visit was in August, a busy time of the year as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs for most of the month as well as the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Surprisingly it was easy to get a last minute ticket to the Military Tattoo, which was outstanding. Marching bands and dancers from all over the world come together and there is nothing quite like being in an audience of thousands of people and linking arms as you sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Other highlights in Edinburgh were strolling through the Royal Mile which is peppered with historical sites like St Gile’s Cathedral and the Palace of Holyroodhouse and climbing to the top of the Scott Monument.
A day trip to Glen Coe, one of the country’s most visited glens, also provided a fascinating insight into Scotland’s history and the infamous Glencoe massacre that took place there in 1692 between Clan McDonald and Clan Campbell – spoiler alert the Campbells were baddies!
At the end of my trip a friend invited me to meet them in Wales for what they promised would be an exciting adventure. After a quick flight to Cardiff airport we drove a couple of hours to Llanwrtyd Wells, where I was informed I would be competing in the World Bog Snorkelling Championships.
The Brits are renowned for their crazy festivals (think cheese rolling or shin kicking) and this is another. During the festival this beautiful little Welsh village is overtaken by nutters, the first things I saw travelling down the main street were a lady on a horse, a man on a penny-farthing, and a hen’s party in a pink stretch hummer!
The rules of Bog Snorkelling are simple, wearing snorkel, mask and flippers you move 60 yards through a water filled trench cut through a peat bog relying on flipper power alone. There’s also the gruelling Bog Triathlon, with run, mountain bike and of course the bog snorkel.
And that’s how I ended up coming third in the Bog Triathlon at the Bog Snorkelling World Championships… well that and the fact that there were only two other people crazy enough to do it!
