It's Not St. Patricks Day, It's Kiltwalk Day

Sitting by the poolside is hard work, don't let anyone tell you different.

First of all there's the intense rays from the sun to contest with. Then there's the cocktails to worry about as there's too much choice. Finally and more of a concern is the "sun reflection" from my peely wally pals, who all seem to have become more 'reflective' as they've grown older. Or in other words, lets just say a bottle of sun cream doesn't last as long as it used to what with there being a larger surface area to cover.

It's fair to say that we've changed colour. We've gone from the Scottish "Winter Blue" colour, to pinkish in the areas we can reach with our hands and bright red across our shoulders and back area as us "West of Scotland guys" seem to have a problem asking each other to "cream our backs!!". I now understand and sympathise why you ladies treat our "gonae cream ma back" request with a degree of nausea every time you're asked.

Anyone enough of my trivial comments, time to try and post rationalise my "week away with the lads" as a Kiltwalk Warm Weather Training Camp.

Dougie, one of my pals, has a timeshare in Tenerife and a few years ago he invited the lads, with their lassies' to a week in the sunshine and a great time was had by all. So you can imagine my wifes delight when I informed her Dougie had invited everyone to Tenerife for the week. The slight fly in the ointment was that this time around it was stricty lads only!!

The reason for this "lads only trip" was down to the fact that Scotland failed to qualify for this years World Cup in Brazil and because we now wouldn't be travelling away, at great expense, for two weeks not one, then the thought process was we were due a week in Tenerife.

Seems perfectly reasonable to me, do you agree?

Of course the above was treated with the usual "go if you want" reply, which is the worst possible response as we all know what that means.

However when I explained to Mrs R that I was actually taking the opportunity to do some warm weather Kiltwalk Training, she totally understood. Well it was either that, or the no questions asked use of the credit card for the same period of time, so I think I know who actually brokered the best deal.

It's been a great week and we have genuinely walked 5 plus miles a day and that's only the evening pub crawl. I would also argue that the vertical hike up to our apartment is like a 3 mile work out on its own.

Before we departed I realised we would be in Tenerife during the annual St. Patricks Day festivities although I'm not quite sure when they started or finished over here as it was at least a four day event, or certainly felt like it. Anyway, Stevie and I (the guy pictured right above) agreed it was too good an opportunity to not get the Kilts and Kiltwalk T-Shirts on and spread the word to the large contingent of, middle aged, Scots that are always in Tenerife at this time of year. It turned out to be a great night and hopefully a successful one.

As we nudged our way into The Dubliner Bar the Kilts were quickly spotted and became a great talking point. After half an hour or so, Ange, who we met along with her other nurse pals on the flight over, came over and said "so you do The Kiltwalk then, so do I". Of course I immediately thought that was her chat up line (aye right Ian) so I challenged her and said "oh aye, which one" at which point, she launched into "that bloody one last year, when you made us walk 28 miles instead of 26" and it was at that point I knew "Ange" was indeed a Kiltwalker :-)

So she put me in touch with their trip event planner, Sarah, and she has promised that she can get six nurses from the RAH in Paisley to join this years walk, which is great.

I did, as you would expect, take full details, including her email and left her in no doubt that I'd be checking she registers and failure to do so will result in the release of the "pictures" of her and her pals that are safely stored away for bribery purposes.

And before you all cry "that's not right Ian" then can I just point out it is all for Scotland's Children so I'm sure you'll now agree bribery is acceptable :-)

Right my next cocktail awaits so catch you all later.