Martijn.be

Glasgow Day!

Published on 12 October 2026

Day four of my trip, and only now I got to spend the whole day in Glasgow! A day well spent, with lots of history, art, and of course some beer and running.

Since I enjoyed their breakfast burrito so much last time, I had it again at their new location; The Spitfire Cafe.

Then I had to rush to Glasgow Central to catch a train to Nitshill, for a Behind The Scenes Tour of GMRC I booked at the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre. It was a seriously impressive collection, and it was nice to get a glimpse of the workshops as well!

Behind the Scenes Tour of the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre

After returning to the centre and finding two of my regular coffee places shut, I had my coffee at The Devil’s Roast. Stylish place, but maybe too stylish for me.

At the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art I found remarkably little about St Mungo, but some impressive, moving pieces of art about atrocities committed in the name of religion instead.

The atmosphere at Rest was definitely more my style, and the coffee really nice. And right across the street was beer shop The Pursuit of Hoppyness, with even a beer on draught. They also had beers by No Limits Brewing, a local brewery I thought about visiting, but their taproom isn’t open during my stay.

After those beers it was time to change and head to Jordanhill for Glasgow H3 Run 2239. After a rather dark run–it’s October after all—we had Circle at The Three Craws, where I also had a steak & cheddar pie.

👣 Glasgow H3 Run #2239 (photo by Audrey)

Two more trains to get home, and that was the end of my first full Glasgow day this trip!

Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders

Published on 12 October 2026

So yes, somehow I ended up running through the Scottish Borders today. The Edinburgh H3 tends to hash a bit outside of the city, but this was extreme, even for them. Worth it though! After the run, I was finally able to enjoy a bit of Glasgow.

To get to an 11:00 run in the Scottish Borders, I had to leave quite early, and get a breakfast to go at the Greggs in Glasgow Queen Street, which I then enjoyed on my train to Edinburgh Haymarket.

There I was picked up by an Edinburgh hasher, and a 1h15 ride later, we arrived in Coldingham well in time for the start of Edinburgh H3 Run 2331. We caught a lucky break in the rain, and enjoyed many sunny sea views, and a few beers afterwards. Only minimal gravity testing…

At EH3 they traditionally have a pub lunch after the run. So shortly after circle, I found myself at The New Inn, eating the sizzling pork with wholegrain mustard, cider sauce, chips, and veg, with a pint.

After another long car ride, followed by the train back to Glasgow, and a short subway ride—while they were still going, the Sunday service is rather short—I had a shower and a change in my hotel before

dinner at Yianni’s. The chicken gyro pita I had there was definitely better than anything I ever had in the Rue des Bouchers!

Stomach lined, it was time to try all the beers at Shilling Brewing Co. Well, not actually all of them, but there were quite a few I wanted to try.

To end the night with a Glasgow classic, I had a dram—or two—at The Pot Still.

The Pot Still: whiskies stacked to the ceiling

Highlands Detour

Highlands Detour

Published on 10 October 2026

When I opened the window blinds after waking up, I had a first glimpse of the rainy Highlands. So yes indeed, I travelled quite a bit further north than end destination Glasgow, and I would be spending my Saturday in Fort William and Glenfinnan.

Of all the routes possible with Caledonian Sleeper London, the one to Fort William was the only one I hadn’t done yet. And I can now attest it is the best one: it is the one with the latest arrival, so plenty of time for breakfast, and the views the last couple of hours are incredible! Those views are best enjoyed while having the Scottish cooked breakfast: in the Club Car.

Good morning! What a bedroom view to wake up to…

After arriving a couple of minutes early, The Jacobite steam train was waiting at the other platform, which was a nice bonus.

The Caledonian Sleeper has arrived in Fort William!

After storing my bag for the last time this trip in another convenient Stasher, I first headed to The Wildcat, for a nice Dear Green coffee.

While had some time to kill before my next train, I visited the West Highland Museum.

I had no idea the area was so important for the training of commandos during WW II!!

After a quick visit to the Caledonian Sleeper Guest Lounge to recharge, I hopped on the ScotRail train to Glenfinnan.

So I had a perfect plan: hike up to a spot with a good view on the Glenfinnan Viaduct, get there to see The Jacobite steam train pass over it, to catch it on photo and video. I made it there in time, set up my camera to record a loop, and then… nothing!

Apparently the afternoon service stopped just two weeks before! I did get some nice photos of the viaduct though, but quite wet…

I then hiked back downhill and visited the Glenfinnan Monument & Visitor Centre , where I also picked up a NTS Member Passport. Woohoo, more stamp collecting!

The only train still going back to Fort William, was also the last train back to Glasgow, so instead I had booked a Peter’s Taxi to take me back to Fort William. That way I had some time for some beers at the Black Isle Bar, and a Venison Salami pizza, but even more important: retrieving my bag!

Then there was just one more train to take: the West Highland Line to Glasgow Queen Street.

After two very short nights, I couldn’t wait to check-in my hotel—Premier Inn Glasgow City Centre St Enoch Square—have a shower, and go to bed… Because tomorrow will start way too early for a Sunday!

First Stop: London

First Stop: London

Published on 9 October 2026

A trip to Scotland inevitably—for me at least—includes a train change in London. This time I really made the most of it, and included a visit to a museum, a brewery taproom, and an Indian dinner.

Of course it was a national strike in Belgium, disrupting public transport quite a bit. Luckily the lines I needed to get to Brussels Midi station were still running, albeit less frequent.

When I arrived—well ahead of time—the Eurostar terminal looked slightly different than last time… I soon found out what changed: whereas the British border control had been an automated passport scan for a quite a while already, the Belgian side now has similar gates as well. No human interaction at all required anymore!

After boarding, I quickly found my comfortable solo seat, number 61. Not the one The Man in Seat 61 usually books, since his is in Premier class, while I was ‘just’ travelling in Plus. Note to self: check which power socket a booked seat has, because a UK plug and a USB-C cable aren’t much use when the seat only has a EU socket and USB-A outlet…

Plus class includes a light lunch, and today it was grilled courgette and marinated fennel salad bowl, Sicilian gemelli pasta with tomato, capers and olives, and basil ricotta.

Seat 61 in Eurostar Plus, with my trusty PacSafe VentureSafe sling on the seat

After arriving perfectly on time, I first headed to a Stasher location near Euston station, to store my bag for the day. After a rather short night, I was desperate for a coffee, so I headed to Origin Coffee Shoreditch for my first one.

I picked that area to be already near the Museum of the Home, a free museum I hadn’t been to yet. It turned out to be quite nice! Although you start to feel old when the more recent interiors seem very familiar…

Time for another coffee at Gram’n Degrees, mainly to kill time until the Great Beyond Brewing Co brewery taproom opened. They were still in full Oktoberfest mode, but luckily had some non-lagers—brewed in house, of course—as well!

Since my stomach was still on Belgian time anyway, I decided to beat the Friday night dinner crowd, and head to Punjab restaurant early. I had one of their specialties, the Acharri Murgha, with some garlic naan and a mango lassi of course. Delicious!

Going down, at Whitechapel underground station

After picking up my bag, I made my traditional stop at Euston Tap, for a last pre-train beer. Or three…

The Caledonian Sleeper guest lounge wasn’t too full when I arrived, and I had my room key, some shortbread and Irn-Bru in no time.

Euston train station not winning any beauty prizes…

After boarding, I headed to the Club Car to hand in my breakfast card, and secured my stool at the window bar. While I was enjoying a Black Isle beer, the Caledonian Sleeper London Euston – Fort William departed perfectly on time. Just 925 km in 12h45 to go…