Milngavie

Judy. For years, I've been wanting to walk the John Muir Way, a trail in Scotland that goes from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Forth. I was hoping for this year, but Ted convinced me that the weather was so iffy in Scotland (true) that we might not enjoy the hike. He suggested instead, a commuter village outside Glasgow, called Milngavie, where several "walks" in the country were easily accessible. So, in the spirit of compromise, I agreed.

And it was a brilliant choice!

Milngavie is a charming town of about 13,000. While it's somewhat spread out, the downtown area (about 5 minutes from our apartment) has everything we need--M & S Food Hall, Tesco, at least four pubs, four charity shops (my obsession), coffeeshops and bakeries (only one is a chain), pharmacies, health food stores, you name it. The train station, which whisks us off to Glasgow or Edinburgh, is even closer, a block from our house.

These flowerpots are everywhere

Quiet morning

One of several pubs

They sell real newspapers! And deliver!

Local whisky shop

Clock in the center of town

It's also the starting point for the West Highland Way, a 96-mile trail from Milngavie  north through the Highlands to Fort William. This has become quite a popular walk, and every day groups alight from the train with their backpacks, grab a coffee, get their "passports" (stamped along the way to prove they did it) and head out. While we sometimes hear American English, it's only as they're on the way to the trail.

People are incredibly friendly--a one-hour walk usually takes and hour and a half because people stop to talk to us and make suggestions about things to see. One night we went for pizza, and a woman came to our table to tell us she had extra vouchers for two free pizzas that were about to expire, and she wanted to give them to us! In the M & S Food Hall, while buying bread, Ted asked the baker about whisky, and she recommended a local distillery, and also walked with us to the part of the store that sold whisky, pointing out the best, and also suggesting the local shop where we could buy a smaller bottle. Patrick, the ticket agent at the railway station, makes sure that we understand when the cheapest tickets are for the smoothest trips, and tells us about his favorite places to visit.

Our first Sunday at St. Andrew's Scottish Episcopal Church, we were welcomed like long lost family, gifted with home made marmelade, and told stories by a man who's hiked all the Bens (mountains). 

A welcome in English and in Gaelic

I found a yoga studio, Yoga Jo's, and have been delighted at the instruction, even though I can't always understand Haley's brogue. She won my heart, though, when, during savasana , she murmured, "Imagine your eyelids are wee, soft blankets, gently covering your eyes." How can you not relax with that image!

The village name, which is pronounced "mul-GUY", is Muileann-Gaoithe in Gaelic (see Ted's post). While Wikipedia insists it means "windmill", local lore says it's named for Gavin's (or Guy's) Mill, located on the Allendale Water. The old building is still there (at least its 18th century iteration) and is now a popular cafe and gift shop.

Train station sign

Gavin's Mill

Front view

Our apartment building is located next to the Lillie Art Gallery, which houses temporary showings (presently paintings made by Glaswegian artist Alastair Strachan), youth artworks (I want to take the classes they take!), and a gift shop carrying works by local artists. 

Our front door

Nice to have an art gallery next door!

We've taken several walks while here, about every other day, but in addition to those, we've not lacked things to do.

Little town, big surprise.