By: Holly Bagwell

I thought studying at the University in Glasgow in Winter would restrict the adventures I could go on, instead it forced me to get creative. The University of Glasgow has hundreds of clubs to join. They’ve got everything from the Shrek Club to the Whiskey Appreciation Club. Since I love adventuring in the outdoors, I joined the clubs which I could go on weekend trips with. I ended up choosing to join White Water Kayaking, Mountaineering, and Surfing.

The White Water Kayaking was my favourite. Every Thursday evening they’d have a pool session from 70m-10pm where we would practise skills, followed by an hour of canoe polo. As a club we went to the local white water kayaking park which was both terrifying and fun. We also paddled a section of the Tay. On both trips I swum (flipped over), but that’s part of the fun of it!

I joined the mountaineering club on a weekend trip to the Cairngorms and had no idea what I signed up for. Both days involved hiking in rain and snowfall. The landscape was completely white around us. If you’d have told me I was in Antarctica I would have believed you. We learned how to use ice axes and crampons and practised emergency drills. It was something that I am glad I have done but wouldn’t do again by choice as it was very intense. 

The surf trip was a completely different experience altogether. We drove a long way from Glasgow to find a beach with waves. Putting on the gear seemed to be the biggest workout as it was so cold that we had to wear thick wetsuits, followed by boots, gloves, and a hood. I had really missed surfing, so it was nice to go out again. The landscapes in Scotland look a lot like New Zealand. This beach could have been a New Zealand beach- just maybe in the coldest time in Winter. 

The best adventure was discovering ceilidh dancing. A ceilidh is a Scottish social with folk music, dancing, and lot of chatting. Everyone loves them and I do too! I’ve ended up at 5 ceilidhs in 3 months and want to go to more before I leave. The music is upbeat and everyone hops from side to side and spins round and round. You dance in partners, small groups, or with the whole room. People swing each other into walls and get really dizzy. At the end everyone stands in a circle and sings and then go back and forth running into the centre of the room. It doesn’t sound nearly as fun as it is, ceilidhs are the thing I am going to miss most about Scotland- apart from the friends I’ve made and the very fun Scottish accent!