Firbush Outdoor Centre, March 12-14th Weekend before Spring Break

The weeks have been going by so fast!
I had the best experience ever, and it happened just by chance. Patty, our director, got a call from the Firbush Outdoor Centre saying they had a group that could not make it for their scheduled weekend. The director had asked Patty if any of us would be interested in taking part of the activities for the weekend. I am so glad that I said yes and I know everyone else who was unsure about going are glad they said yes too!
Firbush Outdoor Centre is located on Loch Tay (lochs are like lakes) and 2.5 miles from the town of Killin. I never made it into town because I was having too much fun at the Centre. The Centre itself was located on its own small island with the boathouse on the shore. There was a small bridge that connected us with the shore.
There was a small group of about 23 that went, along with our chef, Seth. We left for the Centre at 5 pm on Friday night. Dennis and Bob, the leaders, picked us up on Friday night. I road with Bob and let me tell you, he was the craziest driver ever! I am not going to complain about American's ways driving anymore. The road leading to the Centre was a one lane, half gravel, half black-top road. The scary part about it though, was that vehicles traveled both ways on the road. So if we met somebody we quick pulled off to the 2 foot shoulder! I felt like I had taken my life into my own hands by choosing to ride with him. Luckily we made it to the Centre safely and right at sunset.
Once there we were shown our cabins/rooms. I roomed with two girls. They were very nice and even had our own sinks in them. Right after getting settle in our rooms we were served supper. It was three courses of goodness - greens, ham, bread, dessert, and much more! No offense to Seth, our chef, but I wish all of our meals were like the ones we had at the Centre. Two guys from our group were our bartenders for the weekend, too. They received some quick "training" from Bob and Dennis and were ready to serve us. We ended the evening by figuring out the activities we wanted to do for the weekend and getting instructions and gear. I chose to do cross-country skiing all day on Saturday with Bob. Then on Sunday I chose to do kayaking with the whole group.
Saturday morning we were up early to get breakfast and then be on our way. Of course we were served another wonderful meal to start off our day, except then for lunch we had to pack our own lunches with the supplies they provided us. I have cross-country skied a couple of times before in the Blue Hills so I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. Well, I was wrong. We went to the Scottish Highlands, which are basically mountains that they think are "hills". As soon as we got there the winds were about 30 mph, very chilly. It was a good thing we had gotten gaiters, waterproof pants and jacket, multiple pairs of mittens, scarves, and hats. We practiced at first, then did some touring, and after lunch we made our way up the mountain to about 2200 feet. In the beginning I didn't fall too many times, but after getting tired from skiing all day I started falling a lot. The views were amazing, but after a long day, we just wanted to be back at that little white van on the hill. On the way out of the mountains we came across some Shorthorn cows in our way. We had to wait for them to move. I thought it was entertaining. :) We had another great meal and then had a dance, which they call ceilidh's. We learned quite a few dances. The night was ended by playing card games and enjoying a few ciders.
Sunday morning I was not as sore as I thought I was going to be from skiing. After breakfast we got all geared up for kayaking. I was sort of nervous because I thought we were going to freeze in the water. I shouldn't have doubted Bob and Dennis. The hot looking (joking here, haha) wet suit I wore kept me very warm. Our group broke the record for having the most people flip their kayaks, I was not one of the lucky people, however. We practiced paddling our kayaks in the bay by playing games. After awhile of those we took a tour of the loch. I just couldn't believe I was kayaking on Loch Tay in the Highlands of Scotland! When we were done with that activity we had sack lunches again. In the afternoon before we left my friend and I walked around the grounds and down the road taking pictures.

This weekend was the best weekend in Scotland!