[GUEST AUTHOR] --> Nick

Well, Karen has graciously allowed me to be the first ever guest poster on the round the world epic website. It's an Honor.

Karen popped into London on Wednesday and we promptly took the first plane we could catch to Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands.

In 5 days we packed a lot in. Biked to Loch Ness for a fine pub lunch on Friday, spoke with the monster, who declined to be photographed, then spent 2 nights in a remote bothy on the edge of the world, with a Scotsman on the edge of madness. (A bothy is a simple stone cottage that exists for anyone who happens to wander past to take refuge in, and as for the Scotsman, I'll let Karen wrap that story up). Then we carried on to Dundonnel on the shores of Little Loch Broom, and made our way to the summit of An Teallach, saw a few amazing waterfalls and got a lift from a nice, less mad, Scotsman back to Inverness this morning!

It was my first time in Scotland and I was incredibly impressed. It's stunningly beautiful, didn't rain much (emphasis on much), and the people were almost universally friendly, polite and generous to a point I've certainly never seen in the southern half of this enchanted isle. If you've never been to Scotland, get up and go now! It's awesome.

Photo: The intrepid mountaineers conquer the summit of An Teallach, one of Scotland's most formidable and beautiful peaks.