And finally it has come. Another adventure. A tough challenge. Across Scotland from Edinburgh to Aberdeen on a skateboard.
I walk up to the counter at the airport in Amsterdam where I can drop my luggage. The bamboo board is strapped on my backpack. Of course, the dimensions are far above the maximum listed on the website. I try to say nothing and pretend that I don’t know. And sure enough, I don’t have to pay extra. Moments later, I’m sitting on the plane. The engines starts and I fly together with 100 other people into the sky.
“Ay, how can I help ya?”, says a guy behind the reception desk. I’m on the bussation at the airport in Edinburgh. I ask if there is a road from the airport to the city center. The boy looks at me a bit confused. “On ya skateboard?” I nod enthusiastically. “There is a road but really, on ya skateboard?” I make once again clear that I mean it. He steps out of the reception booth and beckons me to come. “I’ll take ya to that road.” And not much later he drives me in his van to the right road. A road of 12 kilometers that goes straight to the center of Edinburgh. There is no bike lane and cars roaring by at 80 km/h. For the first time I’m on Annie with 15 kilograms of luggage on my back. A good start, I think to myself. The correct way to see if it all works out.
Erwin is waiting for me in the center. Erwin isn’t looking confused. He tried it himself on rollerskates throughout England and Scotland. He had a hard time. Hospitable people on the way offered him a bicycle. Erwin had to proceed in a different way because of the pain in his legs. This bike seemed a perfect way out.
And so I went on this eight day adventure together with Erwin. And today we leave Edinburgh towards the Scottish mountains.
The wind is sweeping over my tent. The raindrops tapping gently on the canvas. Cracking trees are waking me up. Oh no not for real, I think to myself, my airmat is leaking. I’ll give it some air and sleep again quietly. When I open a bit later the zipper of my tent I understand perfect life again. This is why I occasionally want to do this. Wild camping is simply amazing, especially in such an environment.
We make breakfast and a little later I’m on my longboard again. And yes, it’s hard but I’m excited. I need this. To escape the busy life of the city. To feel one with nature. Here I have nothing else on my mind than an acidified leg and where I’m going to sleep tonight.
This is it, I think, cruising down a hill, after two days I already feel completely free.