When we rented a car to get around Scotland I knew that there would be a few ‘speedbumps’: driving on the opposite side to what we’re used to, using the left hand for the stick shift, manoeuvring traffic circles in a clockwise direction, and, as my parents had warned us, the tendency to hug the shoulder because of the perceptual challenge. But I didn’t think it would be as stressful as it actually was. We were both white knuckling the trip: Rob at the wheel and me trying to navigate while seeing that we are perpetually centimetres from sideswiping vehicles, bridges, and guardrails.
At one point we were driving on a road not much wider than Fifi, our red Fiat, when we came up behind a tractor pulling a long flatbed. Without any warning the driver put the tractor is reverse and started backing his rig toward us, causing us to scramble to reverse into a cutout we had passed. As he straight-line backed the flatbed beside us there were moments where there was a millimeter between him and our side mirror!
Needless to say, we were thrilled when we arrived in Wigtown (pronounced Wigt’n), our home for the week.
I distinctly remember booking this holiday. It was 2021 in the heart of Covid. We were in a coffee shop dreaming about all of the travel experiences that we wanted to do. Not knowing what the future would hold we booked The Open Book on AirBnB for the next opening, 3 years away, for July 2024!
And here we are! This is an unusual AirBnB experience where we stay in the flat above the bookshop and run the bookshop during our time here. It is very relaxed. We set our own hours and decide on what type of advertising, events, and activities we fancy while we’re here.
We got an orientation from Joyce, a wonderful resident and fellow bookshop owner. Wigtown is Scotland’s National Book Town and has about 800 residents and 15 bookshops! We had some good omens right off the bat: a decorative pillow with GordO’s (our God-dog) face on it and a Canadian flag in the cupboard! We set up 2 window displays, one representing us (2 travel books, a tennis book, 1 Beatles book, Anne of Green Gables, and Chris Hadfield’s book… it is mostly second hand books, so selection is limited), and one of DawnO’s picks (fiction books I’ve read or would like to read). We also set up our display of branded pottery that I made and carried here in my backpack!
Our first day we had 41 shoppers and 1 dog (Billy, who knows exactly where to find the dog treats!). Most of the customers were book loving tourists, including a couple of Canadians, Americans, and caravaning Englanders. We’ve also met many Wigtown residents, who have welcomed us and given good tips about the area. In our flat there is a shelf of books written by local authors so it has felt scandalous to be reading the memoirs of the people that we are meeting!
This has been a wonderful time to slow down, chat with people, sit in our window seat to read, and really feel like we live in a Scottish town. Hopefully the sun comes out in the next few days and we’ll do some touring the area after ‘work’.
