Day 2 of the journey . . .

So, a new day!  Up early and Shelagh got me to St Andrews just after 8am.  The plan was simple.  Buses.  Lots of them, they are free so why not?  Bus to Dundee, bus to Perth, bus to Inverness, bus to Dunbeath, bus to Scrabster, ferry to Stromness, Mike meets me and we are home by 10pm.

It started off okay, I settled down with my knitting and watched the scenery, then there was a bit of snow when we were on the leg between Perth and Inverness, on the A9.  Suddenly the bus stopped, there had been an accident a few cars ahead of us.  After a while the police and ambulance arrived, then more police cars, followed by a fire engine and then later a helicopter.  The bus driver, a woman, was great.  She told us initially it might be an hour or so, but kept going and getting up dates on what was happening.  It was getting pretty cold, snowing hard.  They were having to cut the patient out of the car, it could be several hours.

She kept turning the bus engine on to keep the temperature up a bit, but couldn't keep it running all the time.  "Remember being little at school and raising your hand to ask to use the toilet?" she asked.  It would only work with the engine running so if we wanted to use it, we had to let her know!  

We shared chocolate, the bus driver lent her coat and jacket to folk who were chilly, and gave out some biscuits and tablet (fudge) to people who didn't have anything with them.  Folk chatted to each other and even the children on the bus were patient and understood the seriousness of the situation.  Eventually the helicopter and the ambulances left and darkness fell, but the police still had to finish their investigations before we could drive on.  

After six hours we started moving again.  We got to Inverness about 8pm.  My bus had left at 2.30pm.  Using my phone so much I had exceeded my monthly units so I borrowed the chap sitting behind me's one and booked a hotel, that he and his wife suggested, for the night. They walked with me to the door and we said goodbye, feeling we had all become good friends.  

It was a horrendous accident.  I don't know what the outcome was, but some serious injuries at the very least.  We were just lucky that we weren't involved, and that we had such an attentive and caring driver too.  She thanked us all for our patience and understanding and wished us a safe journey home.