This was a trip with a difference. For many years I had been travelling up from the south to attend games but, on this occasion, I tackled it from the north and viewed the journey through the eyes of Guzz and Uncle Albert. These two fanatical supporters live out in the sticks in �County� country in the village of Ardgay. (Now moved to Inverness) They also travel many miles in their quest for entertainment, are season ticket holders and also attend many away games although these are becoming fewer due to the time and distance involved as you�ll see from the following. It�s easy to overlook the fact that, even for home games, these two have to endure the delights of the A9 and a 80 miles round trip. I asked Guzz and Uncle Albert why they don�t go down on the supporters club coach for a tenner instead of spending money on petrol. Basically, they said, the bus usually goes at 1000 so they�d have to leave Ardgay by 0900, drive down to Inverness and find somewhere to leave the car for the day. The bus usually stops on the way down for 30 mins or so which sometimes leaves little time at the destination for a drink or food before the match. It also stops on the way back too which means they don�t get back to Inverness until at least 2100 � sometimes later depending on where they�d been. So, by the time they�ve got back to Ardgay it getting on for 2300. I see their point now!
So, Saturday morning dawned bright and breezy, it was up at 0800 and breakfasting by 9. Uncle Albert was telling us all we needed to be on the road by 1000 at the latest as he needed to pop into Inverness to top up the tank.
We departed more or less on the nail and headed out along the A836 (once the A9 of course until the bridge was built over the Dornoch Firth) and turned off along the B9176 and over Struie Hill. The views across the Dornoch Firth were fantastic and even at this early hour there were a couple of tourists at the viewpoint. As this road re-joins the main A9 at Evanton there were panoramic views across towards Invergordon and the distant towers of the drilling platforms and rigs could be seen.
The A9 is now our tarmac and we make good progress to Inverness where we top up the tank. From here it was a straight run down the A9 taking our place behind the steady traffic and the inevitable Tesco lorry. This road has been travelled down so many times it�s a wonder there aren�t permanent grooves in it (Well, in some places there are). Unlike the supporter�s coaches, we never stopped on the way down and reached Dunfermline in plenty of time to take on refreshments and food before going to the game.
The match it self, as I recall, wasn�t a classic but a Liam Fox strike saw us secure a 1-0 victory to give us smiling faces for the trip home.
The run back was uneventful and, again, was non stop as far as Inverness. We called in at the Innes for a quick tipple. It was also a tradition of Guzz and Uncle Albert to take home with a Chinese take-away from their favourite outlet in Inverness. The order was rung through and we picked it up and the way home. We eventually reached Ardgay at around 2200 making this a 12 hour round trip to support the boys.
