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The 1st Young Professionals Weekender, Loch Lochy Youth Hostel, Scotland
The Scottish Young Professionals held their first Weekender event at Loch Lochy Youth Hostel over the weekend of 23rd–25th March. Some 15 people travelled from as far afield as Northallerton and Warrington to give up their weekend for what was to be a thoroughly enjoyable break from the normal routine.
After travelling through the spectacular Scottish countryside via Glencoe and Fort William, the party reached the hostel (exclusively reserved for the attendees) in the early evening. Sarah O’Donnell of Edinburgh Bus Tours and Len Crooks of Lothian Buses set about creating culinary masterpieces for the enjoyment of everyone there while everyone got to know each other that little bit better through the use of teambuilding tools such as the very testing ‘Jenga’, a team game of ‘Cranium' and mass discussion about buses; the logistics contingent getting some harsh realities on the subject of bus enthusiasts and the extreme measures they will take in order to see a particular kind of bus.
Of course, the weekend involved much more serious activities such as Hide and Seek – an excellent way to get to know fellow transport professionals and a much more ‘informal’ atmosphere – except for those who are scared of the dark!
Saturday morning, after a delightful breakfast saw some of our number walk around Loch Oich, some 14 miles, while the others took the easier option and travelled by gondola up the north side of Aonach Mor, the eighth highest mountain in Britain where the views from the top were simply breathtaking. For some, this trip was the furthest north in the UK that they had travelled and they were lost in the beauty and tranquillity of the Highlands at their best, on a clear day in the sunshine.
Saturday evening saw us gather again in the hostel for more revelry including a brilliantly prepared and executed quiz by David Lee-Kong our resident ‘cheesy’ quiz master. Some of the quiz questions were tasking, some were more simple albeit the more simple ones seemed to be the ones causing the most trouble such as the question – “Who sang Uptown Girl?”, to which one of the groups replied – Petula Clark – obviously the wine had at this point taken its toll. As the night progressed the inhibitions disappeared, the result being some funky disco dancing and a number of embarrassing photos to prove it. Some sore heads were to be had the next morning.
Sunday morning started with a deliciously prepared breakfast by our resident chefs, Sarah and Len, followed by cleaning, tidying and packing ready for late morning departure. Before leaving, the group reflected on what had been a truly excellent, enjoyable and worthwhile weekend where like-minded young transport professionals got to know one another in a relaxed environment and promised that they would definitely participate in another similar event.