How Many Types of Rain Is This?

8:32 AM

Lol, we start the day with drizzle. We’re curious how many types of rain we’re going to encounter here. Maybe we can tick them all off. 😅🌧️

Drizzle – fine, sticky mist
Light rain – fog with delusions of droplets
Spitting rain – scattered, light drops
Changeable rain – sun, rain, sun, repeat
Sunshower – confusing and wet
Downpour – three seconds and you’re soaked
Pouring rain – tap fully open
Cloudburst – everything at once
Cold rain – stings and creeps everywhere
Wind-driven rain – rain inside your jacket
Horizontal rain – straight through everything
Blowing rain – under your poncho
Dew rain – looks like nothing, still wet
Sneaky rain – soaked before you notice
Soggy rain – even the air is wet
Rustling rain – audible in the leaves
Cloud rain – walking inside a wet cloud
Glasses rain – pure drama, can’t see a thing
Cloudburst deluxe – Scottish drama at its finest
Lashing rain – needs no explanation
Street rain – everything splashes up to your knees
Bloody rain – everything’s wet, mood included

9:48 AM

We walk along the Kelvin Walkway to Milngavie (pronounced Mull-guy), a route of about 17 km following a winding little river.

It’s very manageable — maybe even a bit too easy. The temperature is kind to us, and before long we’re walking in shorts.

At first we pass through Kelvingrove Park — a calm, green city park with wide paths, tall trees, and dogs at play. In the middle of the park stands a striking fountain, surrounded by the twelve zodiac signs. Aries, Taurus, Gemini… all beautifully carved in stone. It feels magical, almost fairytale-like. We pause for a moment, walk around it, recognise our own signs. An unexpectedly beautiful start to the route.

9:52 AM

Even the squirrels are spoiled here: they have their own bench, complete with a little umbrella above it 😂.

11:16 AM

It’s green. Very green. 🤔 Moss-green stones, grass right up to the path, trees forming tunnel-like canopies above us. Everything here feels alive — as if even the asphalt is photosynthesising.

We pass the Kelvin Bridge — impressive and old, with its arch over the water. Beneath it, the river flows calmly on, as if it too has nowhere it needs to be. The city is long out of sight, though every now and then you still hear a faint echo of traffic high above us.

It feels a bit like walking through a forgotten pocket of nature, hidden away between the edges of Glasgow.

12:55 PM

We naturally don’t pass up a well-earned, cosy pub. The Tickled Trout — soup of the day and a lovely hot cup of tea. Exactly what we needed. On the floor is a tartan-pattern carpet 😂. You almost want to take your shoes off and do a little dance.

2:47 PM

We’ve arrived — right in the middle of Milngavie. A very small, cosy village with snug houses, nice little shops, and yes: the official starting point of the West Highland Way.

3:03 PM

We treat ourselves for a bit: a small apartment, all to ourselves. After all, it’s a holiday. And since we start the West Highland Way tomorrow, we’re enjoying a real bed just a little extra 🥳.