The city of Glasgow has a distinct architecture, and is particularly noted for its 19th-century Victorian architecture, and the early 20th-century "Glasgow Style", as developed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Mackintosh was an architect and designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and the main exponent of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom, designing numerous noted Glasgow buildings such as the Glasgow School of Art, Willow Tearooms and the Scotland Street School.
Glasgow has many industrial and commercial buildings of significant architectural merit, the most notable of which is the former Glasgow Herald Building. The lower floors were used as production space and the newspapers were dispatched onto the waiting lorries at the numerous openings all along Mitchell Street. The upper floors were used for the editorial and commercial side of the operation and again illustrate Mackintosh's unique style.
In 1999 the building was completely refurbished to celebrate Glasgow's status as UK City of Architecture and Design and renamed The Lighthouse Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City.
One of the stunning features of The Lighthouse is the uninterrupted view over Glasgow's cityscape from the Mackintosh Tower at the north of the building, which is accessible via a helical staircase from the third floor. It is this viewpoint that we intend to take our first steps in to he art of ‘Bulb Photography'.
Bulb photography is a technique whe
re the lens of the camera is left open for longer than usual (usually for some seconds).
The camera shutter is often operated manually and is left open for as long as the shutter release is pressed. The effect of this is that the camera often captures images not usually seen by the naked eye (such as the streaks left by car headlights, rather than the cars themselves).
Sadly the views turn out to be less dramatic than we had hoped for, not to be undone we venture over to the modern viewing platform at the south of the building, which forms the buildings sixth floor and is only accessible via lift. The ambient light conditions are unforgiving but the glass encased platform offers a stunning opportunity to capture some photo opportunities against the cityscape.
Battling against time we capture some stunning portraits before walking briskly to Glasgow’s East End for our 2:30pm appointment and Celtic Foot Park for an official tour of the stadium. The tour of course is a pure Eric self-indulgence and a return to the home of his favorite football club: Celtic.
The all-seater stadium is also known as Parkhead and occasionally nicknamed Paradise by Celtic fans. It is the largest football stadium in Scotland by capacity, and the third-largest in the United Kingdom after Old Trafford and Wembley. 
The tour leads us through some of the most prestigious behind the scenes areas of the stadium, including the boardroom, the trophy room displaying the club’s vast range of trophies from past and present including the European Cup. The Media Room, the Executive and Directors’ Box, the players' tunnel and dugout, finished with a 15 minute documentary on Celtics humble beginnings and the significant role they have championed for the poor and needy of the east end of Glasgow.
As we leave the stadium with a kind and genuine handshake from our friendly tour guide we happen upon a Celtic legend and all round nice guy, ‘Paul McStay’ who is standing in the reception waiting to meet a member of the clubs hierarchy.
Life can’t get much better than this ;-)
Scots have the world's worst records for heart attacks and angina fueled by the ingestion of junk food washed down with copious amounts of cigarettes and alcohol. For the more discerning palette Scotland has provided the culinary world with fine venison, salmon, beef, pheasant and whisky. It has also gained a reputation for the variances of food that it has invented over the years including the deep fried mars bar and haggis. It is the dishes of lesser renown and peculiar too only a certain generation of Scots that we seek out in our meander to Angus.
Angus sits between Aberdeenshire and the Perth/Kinross region and abounds with fine produce including succulent summer berries, the freshest seafood, the finest Angus beef, palate-warming whisky and savoury pastry. The county has 40% of Scotland's class 1 agricultural land and produces 28% of the country's potatoes.
O
ur first culinary stop is Kirriemuir which is notable for the gingerbread which can be found in most supermarket bakery shelves. Over 80 years ago, in a rural highland town at the foot of the Grampian Mountains, a baker named Walter Burnett created a gingerbread unsurpassed to this day. He christened it with the name of the town, which had previously been made famous by the author and play-write Sir James M. Barrie. Many will know the works of this famous writer, which include “Peter Pan” and “The Admirable Crichton” among others.
The wrapping design of Kirriemuir Gingerbread has remained unchanged for decades and centres around a picture of a house, with the caption “A window in Thrums” - the house (left) was at the centre of one of Sir Barrie’s earliest books of the same name, and Thrums was the name he used for the town of Kirriemuir.
Sadly, none of the towns’ bakeries could provide us with an example of the famous bread which has made the towns name synonymous with the product so we move on to the neighbourin
g town of Forfar which has gathered renown for its peculiar pasty, the Bridie. A Forfar Bridie is a horseshoe shaped meat product. It has a short-crust cover and the filling consists of beef, onions and seasoning. They originated in Forfar in the early part if the 19th Century. One story of their origin is that they were made for wedding meals (the Bride's meal) hence the horseshoe shape (for luck). Another story is that they were made by Margaret Bridie of Glamis, who sold them at the Buttermarket in Forfar. The pride and competition within the small town to claim superiority and originality over each other has resulted in shop warfare between the bakers and split loyalties amongst its residents who bicker over Sadlers and Maclarens bakers who traditionally use shortcrust pastry and A.Camerons the Fishmonger who uses flaky or puff pastry. We settle for the shortcrust Bridie as the alternative looks remarkably similar to the Cornish pasty.
Perhaps the most famous dish to originate from Angus is the traditional Arbroath Smokie and it is too here that we make our next venture in to the peculiarities of this small counties cuisine. These wood smoked Haddock are a delicacy that should not be missed. A culinary delight exclusive to the area, The Smokie is protected under European Law as a 'Protected Geographical Location' with the same regard as that maintained for Parma Ham and Champagne. A real Smokie is onl
y from Arbroath. Only haddock can be used to produce an authentic 'Arbroath Smokie'. Once landed and gutted the smokie pit is prepared. A hole is dug in the ground, and a half whisky barrel is set into it. The base of the barrel is lined with slates to protect it, and a hardwood fire of beech and oak is lit inside. The sticks of fish are then placed over the pit and a hessian cover allows the fire to breathe and maintain the required heat. The cooking time is usually a minimum of 30 - 40 minutes but only an experienced smokie maker knows exactly when they are ready. The resultant golden brown fish, eaten straight from the barrel is a truly mouth-watering experience that has to be tasted to be believed!
We take our Haddock the short distance along Arbroath promenade and devour with a gusto matched only by the waiting gulls who feed off the remnants of fish and bone thrown away by the many tourists who flock to this small fishing town annually to taste these smoked delicacies.
With our taste buds reinvigorated and our faith in Scottish gastronomic cuisine restored we return to Glasgow, the spiritual home of the deep fried pizza, kebab and pakora ;-)
Ben Lomond is for many the most celebrated of Scottish mountains. It is still the rival of Ben Nevis for the foremost place in popularity. This is due to its conspicuous and easily accessible situation, to the ease with which it can be ascended, and to the magnificence of the view it commands. Owing to its some
what isolated position at the southern extremity of the Highlands, it forms a conspicuous object from many points of view, whilst from its summit there is obtained a singularly extensive and varied survey of mountain and loch, valley and plain, with a picturesque middle distance of hill, wood, and water.
The most popular ascent of the Ben is from Rowardennan on the east side of Loch Lomond which attracts nearly 30,000 climbers per year and can resemble Sauchiehall Street at ‘chucking oot time’ over a sunny weekend. In search of solitude and in keeping with our pioneering spirit we assault the hill from the lesser trodden and least known ascent from the shores of Loch Chon which is situated 6 miles west of Aberfoyle and traverses the mountains north west ridge.
As we start our climb we recall Dr Garnett’s observations on the Ben’s early climbers. From his "Tour in Scotland" of 1798 he sagely regales "this mountain is visited by strangers from every quarter of the island." From a remark, however, in the same book we must not be surprised at the strange and marvellous sights some of those early mountaineers saw, for it is stated that "it is deemed impossible to reach the top without the aid of a bottle of whisky!”
These Dickensian trailblazers clearly embraced the idiom ‘fit to drop’ with some zeal ;-)
Our source of rehydration is taken from the little streams coming down off the Ben as we plot our way through the myriad of forests trails that will eventually take us clear of the forest cover and out on to the mountains broad open slopes chocked with brac
ken and broom and countless hidden boggy traps which Eric manages to fall prey too with alarming regularity. As we follow the last hissing stream to its source we climb up to the ridge of the mountain’s shoulder and look down on Loch Lomond sparkling a deep silky blue on our left, seemingly close enough to leap and dive into. As we climb the final zigzag flank towards the summit at 3195ft, small wisps of cloud appear that feel so close that one could almost pull them out of the sky with a tethered rope.
With the summit gained we take in the panorama of peaks, from Bens Cruachan, Lui, Nevis, More, Lawers and Stobinian with Ben Ledi and Ben Venue in The Trossachs, the Paps of Jura in the west and Goat Fell with its sisters on the Isle of Arran. To the south lie the islands of Incailloch, Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Inchconnachan, Inchcruin and Inchfad.
This remote trek up Scotland’s most accessible mountain took an exhausting four and half hours to achieve as opposed to the 2hrs the swarming hordes take walking the well worn tourist route. Sadly, we can only rest our weary limbs for 30 minutes due to restrictive time parameters before quickly retracing our steps back down the lonely route to Loch Chon, stopping briefly to gaze at a soufflé of clouds in th
e distance which gather like a small airborne crush of icebergs dissipating as they wander south.
Our return is not without incident as Eric rescues a lamb which has become separated from its distraught mother and got itself trapped hysterically in a small ravine. With mother and lamb reunited and Eric’s status as superhero reaffirmed we press on at great haste to reach the car in the cover of a glorious sunset 8 hours after our departure.
The Solway Firth on Scotland’s southern coast is often bypassed at great speed by motorists on there way to Glasgow and all points north
on the M74.
Oblivious to the hordes is the fact that this glorious stretch of coastline is internationally renowned for bird life, rare plants and offers a host of different habitats for many animals. The landscape surrounding the Firth is varied and includes sand dunes, salt marshes, raised mires and mud flats and is a rich agricultural area. The numerous small ports, harbours and towns that dot the intricate coastline have grown, shrunk and grown again according to the changing fortunes of farming and industry.
The Solway Firth can be a wild and sometimes treacherous place, and only recently have people looked on it as a place of quiet contemplation and pleasure. Previously, the firth’s shifting sands and muds were more or less known only to those whose livelihoods depended on them such as the wildfowlers and the fishermen. The poke nets and haaf nets that can be seen catching salmon on the Solway today are unique to these shores and together with the stake nets, have been used by local fishermen for almost a thousand years.
It is this neglected coastline that we make our first sojourn in to Scotland’s most southern county (Dumfries and Galloway) to visit Rockcliffe.
Rockcliffe is one of a number of small seaside villages along the stretch of the north shore of the Solway Firth known as the Colvend Coast. An arc of largely white-painted houses and cottages stand on the landward side of the road, looking out over the beach. The village stands on the east side of the mouth of Rough Firth, the estuary of the Urr Water.
Two islands are visible offshore. The more distant is Hestan Island, complete with
its lighthouse and cottages. Closer in, a third of a mile from Rockcliffe, is Rough Island. This is accessible on foot at low tide, either via a causeway of sorts from the north or directly across the sand from Rockcliffe when the tide permits. The island is a bird sanctuary and we are advised not to visit during the months of May and June to avoid disturbing the nesting oystercatchers and ringed plovers.
The NTS (National Trust Scotland) owns much of the coastal land north-west of Rockcliffe, and it is through here we take the footpath which leads to Kippford a mile away. En route we pass the Mote of Mark. This Dark Age hill fort overlooks the Urr Estuary and is thought to have been occupied for up to 300 years until being destroyed by fire in the 700s. It is said to be named after Mark, King of Dumnonia, and links have been made with the story of Tristan and Isolde and with the legends of King Arthur.
From here we travel slightly east to what is regarded as one of the most attractive villages in Scotland, Gatehouse of Fleet. Known as a "gait" after the Old Norse for road, the military road crossed the Water of Fleet over a wooden bridge. The local lairds, the Murrays, saw a commercial opportunity, and built a stone gait-house or inn on the road near the bridge to service the passing traffic. Over time the word gait passed into antiquity, and the gait-house became known as the gatehouse.
Given the current pace of 
life in the village, it's difficult to imagine that in the late 18th- and early 19th centuries, Gatehouse of Fleet was a thriving industrial centre with cotton mills, shipbuilding, a brewery and its own port and was known locally as the 'Glasgow of the South'. Today, little remains of Gatehouse of Fleet's industrial past. The Mill on the Fleet Visitor Centre occupies the one remaining mill building on the banks of the Water of Fleet, on the north side of the village. Unfortunately for us the VC and Mill are closed on our arrival but thankfully the renowned ‘Ship Inn’ was just opening for evening meals which we duly frequented and had an excellent dinner in sumptuous surroundings.
On our journey home we detour to visit Cairnholy burial site which is
situated a few miles east of Gatehouse of Fleet. On a gently sloping hill above Kirkdale Glen this superb Clyde-type chambered cairn has a monumental curving façade of eight tall uprights. The forecourt was used for ritual ceremonies and lying prostrate in front of the entrance there is a closing stone which dates from the 3rd Millennium BC. The standing stones are not in the Stonehenge class of course, but as the night sky envelops us we recognise the significance of the strategic placement of the stones and ponder at the funeral rituals of our predecessors, speculating if they celebrated a life well lived or mourned the passing of loved one to another world?
We undertake a unique meander this week as we attempt to go under and over a mountain in an effort to explore the highest point in Argyle and Bute, Ben Cruachan.
Ben Cruachan is one of the best-known mountains in Scotland and certainly one of the finest, with soaring ridges, dramatic cliffs and breathtaki
ng views. Situated on the pass of Brander near Oban it is also referred to as The Hollow Mountain, Cruachan is unique in that it has a power station concealed within its hollowed out rock.
Our planned itinerary of exploration is to go under the mountain today and then up and around the ridge above its dammed reservoir tomorrow.
To go under the mountain we call in at the visitor centre on the shores of Loch Awe and sign up for a Guided Tour that take’s us on a short journey deep inside the mountain to the power station one kilometre inside.
Once inside the mountain we are taken up the visitor's walkway, past sub-tropical plants that grow well in the warm humid conditions within the mountain, and then on to the visitor's viewing gallery. Once there, we see the generating hall that houses the four generators that are used to produce electricity from water stored in the Dam 1300ft above.
The station is capable of generating 440 MW of electricity. It can go from standby to full production in two minutes, thus it is used to deal with periods of peak demand on the grid. If the turbines are on "spinning reserve" (turning in air, awaiting the rush of water) full output can be achieve
d within 30 seconds. It can operate for 22 hours before the supply of water in the top reservoir is exhausted. Although Cruachan can operate like a conventional hydro-electric station, using run-off water collected by a network of tunnels driven through the hills above Ben Cruachan and draining into the reservoir, the normal operating mode is pumped storage. In this mode, the generators are used as motors to drive the reversible turbines to pump water uphill from Loch Awe to the reservoir, using the relatively cheap electricity available during periods of low energy demand, usually overnight. This ensures the station is always ready to meet peak demand during the following day.
The subterranean tour lasts for about 40 minutes, as we depart the electric powered touring bus we are treated to the sight of a couple of Ospreys nesting across Loch Awe.
On arriving at Oban we find our overnight accommodation is unavailable for a few hours, undeterred we walk down to harbour to seek out some early evening cruises. Oban occupies a beautiful setting in the Firth of Lorn. Oban Bay is a near perfect horseshoe bay, protected by the island of Kerrera. To the north lie the mountains of Morvern and Ardgour. It is the main ferry terminus for Mull, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree and Lismore; and there are also sailings from here to Barra and South Uist in the Western Isles. It is too the long low island of Lismore that we choose to briefly visit. As our mode of transport pulls in to the pier we look on in amusement as we realise that we are about to aboard the smallest ship in Caledonian MacBrayne’s fleet. The MV Eigg has a car capacity of 5 and seating for 75 many of which look as though they have been purchased in a fire sale from a local primary school. 
The ferry takes a sedate 50 minutes to cross Loch Linnhe and offers stunning views over Oban, Mull and beyond. Lismore has a growing population, of 168 at present, and enjoys one of the most unique locations, and some of the most spectacular scenery in the UK. Farming and crofting remain the Island's chief industries, but tourism is becoming an increasingly important part of the economy, with approximately 12,000 visitors per year. The peaceful island, in the Firth of Lorne, is also the home to around 300 species of plant and 130 species of birdlife (including buzzards, tawny owls and guillemots). Sadly, our short excursion affords us only a minimal time to take in the visual splendor of the island before we are summoned to re-board our chariot of the seas back to Oban.
The relaxed excitement of travelling under the mountain yesterday is replaced with the apprehensive feeling of exhilaration as we prepare to tackle the 3694 ft summit of Ben Cruachan and i
ts surrounding peaks. The Cruachan is not a single peak, but a sequence of 4/5 peaks forming an arc around the north of the reservoir. The lower part of the walk is on grass/heather/peat which becomes increasingly sparse with increasing height.
The weather conditions are typically Scottish as we arrive at the car park close to the power station, wind; mist and poor visibility engulf us as we walk up the rough road which leads under the railway crossing and onwards to the Dam at 1300ft. As we head north to the end of the reservoir the low clouds covering the ridge, pass at an alarming speed which alerts us to the reality that today’s climb will be fraught with danger. This percepti
on proves to be well founded as we attempt to traverse the south ridge towards the summit, the full force of the head on speeding winds make the task of standing upright impossible. So with a heavy heart we decide to admit defeat to the forces of nature and turn around and clamber back down to safety and draw the line between bravery and stupidity. On returning to the car our hearts grow heavier as the weather breaks and the clouds disperse to welcome brilliant sunshine over the peaks we had tried desperately to keep upright on shortly before.
Our forced abandonment of the climb affords us some spare time which we make use o
f by calling in at Kilchurn Castle at the head of Loch Awe.
Kilchurn Castle is a ruined 15th century structure on the northeastern end of Loch Awe. It was the ancestral home of the Campbells of Glenorchy, who later became the Earls of Breadalbane also known as the Breadalbane family branch, of the Clan Campbell. The earliest construction on the castle was the towerhouse and Laich Hall. Today, its picturesque setting and romantic state of decay make it one of the most photographed structures in Scotland. We spend a pleasant hour here basking in the sunshine before capturing one final shot of the dam dominated by the now welcoming peaks we failed to traverse a few hours previously.
The 9:45am ferry to the Isle of Arran, departing from Ardrossan on the Firth of Clyde is our first time parameter today as we set off in anticipation of a gentle ascent up Arran’s highest peak. On arriving at Ardrossan pier we find the stunning vista across the water to Arran that usually greets its visitors is today obscured by a heavy haze which sadly fails to lift as the day progresses.
The Isle of Arran is one of the most southerly Scottish islands and sits between Ayrshire and Kintyre on the South, West coast. It is 19 miles long by 10 miles wide but has a remarkable diversity of landscapes and seascapes and is often regarded as "Scotland in miniature". The pretty villages on Arran's beautiful coastline are complemented by a rugged and mountainous interior in the north and green rolling hills and woodland in the south which is home to the majority of the 4,500 people who live here.
Our gentle 55 minute cruise on flat calm waters is enlivened by a trial rescue mission by some of the ships crew as they clamber aboard the rescue RIB and take off at great speed on a phantom exercise. It is not until we reach a few miles offshore that the Isle opens up too us and we catch our first glimpse of the mountain we are about to ascend, Goat Fell. At 874 metres (2,867 ft), Goat Fell it is one of four Corbetts on the island. The name is believed to mean either 'Mountain of Wind' (from the Gaelic gaoth) or 'Goat Mountain' (from the Norse geita). It is a spectacular example of an open, rugged, upland landscape formed during the last ice age and on a clear day you may see as far a
s Ben Lomond to the north and the coast of Ireland to the south-west.
The start of our anticipated climb entails catching a local bus which conveniently awaits our arrival at the pier, then departing around the island at a leisurely pace it delivers its local passengers to their doorstep whilst stopping for a few seconds as we recognise a few seals lounging on some rocks. On being dropped at the small hamlet of Sannox we start our assault on Goat Fell. This is also where, with the benefit of hindsight that we make a wrong turn which eventually puts an extra 3 hours on our day and turns our anticipated gentle climb in to something a tad more exhilarating and rewarding. As indicated on the map above, we do not veer to the left on entering Glen Sannox but cross over the stream and head due east through the majestic Glen towards and a sweat inducing climb up ‘The Saddle’ whic
h separates Glen Sannox from Glen Rossa. While walking through Sannox, Eric narrowly escapes being bitten by Britain’s only venomous snake; ‘The Adder’, as he unwittingly strolls through open heathland.
From the top of The Saddle we head east up on to North Goatfell. An easy walk with a couple of harmless scrambles it wasn't long before we were perched on the slab of the false summit. From here we set off south for the top of Goatfell, half a mile away. A well graded ridge - Stacach - links the two peaks. This section calls for a steady nerve as we traverse over a set of delightful granite tors, the rocky bunions offering an array of handholds and ledges which were not listed in our anticipated itinerary.
The summit trig point offers a welcoming rest point as we take in the haze restricted view of the outgoing ferry leaving Brodick Bay far below. Our rest break at the summit is cut short on the r
ealisation that we must catch this outgoing ferry on its return to Brodick 2hr 30mins hence. Our descent from the summit takes on an almost comical element as we hurtle down the boulder strewn path at great speed in the quest to make the last ferry to the mainland. As we reach the final 2 mile stretch along Brodick beach we see the ferry in the horizon preparing to land at the pier. Once again we step up our pace and run along the promenade like errant children running for a school bus and we board the ferry with 5 minutes to spare.
Our return journey to Ardrossan is guided by partying Porpoises as they ride high on the bow waves of the ship, and as the haze begins to rise we capture a final sunset shot of the mountain where we took the wrong turn.
We take a nautical meander this week as we head to North Berwick which is located on the south-east coast of Scotland overlooking the Firth of Forth, in the county of East Lothian, approximately 405 mile
s north of London and 25 miles east-north-east of Edinburgh. It is a charming coastal town with a small harbour and excellent sandy beaches, with two defining physical landmarks being the 613ft volcanic crag North Berwick Law, which overlooks the town, and the 315ft Bass Rock.
Bass Rock is situated in the Firth of Forth, two miles east of North Berwick and one mile off the mainland, a huge trachyte plug rising 315 feet, with three sides of sheer cliff, and a tunnel piercing the rock to a depth of 105 metres. The island plays host to more than 150,000 Gannets and is the largest single rock gannetry in the world, described famously by Sir David Attenborough as "one of the wildlife wonders of the world".
The Rock has a rich and varied history and previously housed a State Prison which was constructed in 1671. In 1706, the Bass was sold to Sir Hugh Dalrymple, whose descendants still own it today. But the true owners of the Bass Rock are, of course, the birds, for almost every available inch is occupied by razorbills, guillemots, cormorants, puffins, eider ducks and various gull species. But the bird of the Bass is the Gannet with a breeding colony of 30-40,000 pairs, making the Bass a mecca for international ornithologists. It is thus only fitting that this superb sea bird's Latin name "Sula Bassana" should be derived from the word Bass.
Our mode of transportation to the rock is by RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) from The Seabird Centre which is located on a rocky promontory on the north side of North Berwick Harbour. From here we are fitted with our bespoke waterproofs and offered 
procedures in the event of an emergency which we are reassured have never been used. Fully kitted out in our bright waterproofs and life jackets we are marched along the harbour to the RIB like astronauts to a launch pad. The RIB is moored at the old pier and is equipped with two 250 horse powered engines. As we leave the speed restrictions of the harbour the horses are fully unleashed and we look on with wide eyed excitement as we crash through the high rolling waves.
The first port of call is a small island en-route known as Craigleith. Once used as a rabbit-warren to provide food, Craigleith rises to 80 feet and is now noted for its seabirds, including cormorants, shag, guillemot and puffins. Geologically, Craigleith is a laccolith, a dome-shape igneous intrusion, composed of essexite, a rock popular for the manufacture of curling stones. While cruising close to the ro
ck face we are visited by a couple of inquisitive seals who lead us to their cave which sadly is too small for the RIB to enter.
As we leave Craigleith we ride the high rollers once again as we make great speed towards Bass Rock. From a distance the rock looks as though it has been subjected to a cloud explosion of white emulsion, on closer inspection you realise that each white dot is in fact a Gannet. Like pixels on a computer screen the sheer volume of their numbers create a tapestry of colour that changes daily by the ever expanding numbers on the Island from April to October. The Gannets are obliviou
s to our presence and carry on with their mating rituals, preening and turf wars as we capture their bizarre rituals on camera. Alas the time passes all too quickly and we zoom off to moor south of the island to capture some distant snaps before riding the waves back to the tranquil waters of the harbour.
Back on terra firma we look over at the island like kids who have just experienced the exhilaration of their first fairground ride and draw envious looks at the next party of rock visitors as they get kitted out in their wetsuits in preparation for a journey that we know will live long in their memories.
re the lens of the camera is left open for longer than usual (usually for some seconds).
