The Wodening

We started our journey at 8 am precisely on the Saturday of the big day. I am really getting very good at this travelling to the highlands malarky, I don't even need a map anymore. So it was onto the M8 and over to Stirling then onto the A9 past Perth and all the way up. The weather, I had been advised by another wedding guest would by dry and 13o, well it rained off and on. Many trees have their summer plumage well established while many others remain in their winter garb. This gives the land that peculiar peaky nosed look of early pregnancy, full of portent and fertility underscored by the mood swings of Scottish weather.

We broke our journey at Pittlochrie for breakfast around ten and stayed rather longer than we expected as there was a church sale of work just where we parked the car... who could resist whisky marmalade and an eclectic collection of second hand books. And then there were these these terrific shops full of the most unusual glasses and wall hangings. And then of course there was the his and her matching buttonholes made from sea holly and white roses. And then of course, in a week where 90% of Brits think the UK is rip off, we had to find somewhere that sold what we wanted to eat, at the time we wanted to eat it, at a price we didn't require a bank loan to pay. Lets face it that last one is a doozy so it took us a while.

The road was not overly busy and we made good progress, I even managed to remember the way to Culloden from the A9 and we reached Culloden Battlefield Heritage Centre at 1 pm. As members of the National Trust we got our free tickets and made straight for the toilets with clobber and clabber in tow. By 1.30pm we were in the car park at Clava Cairns ready for the wodening ( giving the word wedding to the English language) at 2pm. We were first to arrive, save the bride and groom and they weren't even dressed for the big event which eventually got going at 3.30pm. I am told in pagan circles this is considered punctual.

The service began when the Priestess (Tuatha de Danaan) led us around the site... clockwise, then around the middle circle before we spread out. She then sang to the stones which best corresponded to the directions. The air vibrated with the energy emitted by the sentinals. The whole event was being filmed by the BBC and they were not very intrusive at all.... they even brought their own carry out to the reception!

The service its self was different to anything I have experienced before. When we were in place a horn was blown, which was answered be another at the far away cairn, from there the groom emerged. After a bit of grounding the bride was summoned from the opposite cairn and the wodening began in ernest. All day the weather had been temperamental but as the Gothi told Toby he could kiss Maggie the sun came out from behind a cloud and smiled on the couple. He stayed with us the rest of the weekend.

After the service we had to drive another hour or so to the reception place, but first we went for coffee and yet another visit to the loos at Culloden.

The journey took us through some of Scotland's most beautiful countryside, through Drumnadrochit along the shores of Loch Ness, (eyes peeled for the monster) by Urqhart Castle and through the breath taking Glen Garry, by the five sisters and along to Dornie and the great sea lochs which converge around Eilean Donan Castle. But first we had to get through Inverness and our guide got us lost. What is more the car following us got lost too, revenge is a dish best served cold.... but that's another story (-:

a map of scotland perchance?

The reception was a byre and a boothy and a tin hut in the middle of nowhere. The road up had to be one of the most awful I have ever driven on... the road back down was even worse. After booking into our bed and breakfast accommodation, in the shadow of Eilean Donan Castle we headed straight back up to the reception. The views from this place can only be described as heartstoppingly wonderful, totally inspiring , every other wedding reception I go to from now on will suffer by comparison.

We entered the boothy and were immediately offered a pipe. I smiled at myself... I really am a prude, I was shocked. Not half as shocked, it has to be said as I was by the facilities. Craig, our guide through Inverness, had been banging and working on the "toilet" for some time ( the tin hut). After asking what he had been doing he told me he was fitting a toilet seat for us ladies.... IT WAS A HOLE IN THE GROUND!! Apparently before you used it you had to bang on the side with a bit of wood, to check no one was actually in it before you went in. Can you imagine what it would feel like to be "sitting" in there and someone checks to see if anyone was in? I knew one person who was going to have to limit her liquid intake.

Every social gathering has its meal and this one was no exception, it was called the feast and incorporated the wonderful idea that the guest bring food, enough for themselves, enough for another and a little left over. What we were not supposed to bring was gifts... not a bad idea at all, at all. However come feast time the salad had to be prepared, no running water, no water at all in fact and guess who was ripping up the lettuce? Our Craig from the cludgie! Now guess who didn't eat any salad!

It was a wonderful night, not cold and no midges, the company was fantastic, the blether outstanding and the whole ambience entered the realms of fairy tales with bonfires and castles and lochs and stars...

However I had been up early and I driven hundreds of miles that day, just as the band was starting I knew I had to sleep. We left with regret but thankful for the joy not only due the bride and groom but that given to the guests.

In the morning our land lady was agog to hear about the wedding. There had been talk at the castle, no one was sure what kind of wedding it was but of one thing they were sure... neither the priest nor the minister were involved.... Oh, said I, there was a priest.................. and a priestess !!! She like everyone else now looks forward to the televising of the wodening.

I took David for morning coffee to a little hotel, the weather was astounding for May and it allowed us sit outside relishing the views.

Later we headed to Fort William and David got me a swanky room in a swanky hotel where we found it necessary to go paddling in the bath with the wine and the ice to keep cool. This was a weekend for fun and laughter and the ridiculous and I can't remember when I laughed so much so hard or for so long.

Then on the way home we stopped at the new visitor centre in the Valley of Tears ( Glen Coe) This place may be beautiful but it has an eerie feel, and the visitor center is fantastic.

My old guest buik

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