Jute, Jam, and Joy: Jute Jam and Joy does... the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014

Pure, Dead, Brilliant!

At the end of July we were super excited to attend two Commonwealth Games events. The first took place in Carnoustie or Barry Buddon, to be more precise, for the shooting. Then we hot-footed it to Glasgow to Ibrox stadium for the final instalment of the Rugby Sevens. Even the amount of walking we had to do didn't put a damper on an amazing day.

Mish was slightly over-enthusiastic when it came to applying for tickets and didn't realise she had applied for two events on the same day. So when she received confirmation of the tickets she had secured, it came as rather a big surprise, and the mother of all planning missions began! Should we drive? Will the trains run on time? HOW MUCH FOR A HOTEL ROOM?! (Travel Lodge saved the day!)

Part of the lovely Carnoustie countryside

The big day finally arrived (woop woop) and we got into the spirit of things from the get-go. We parked near the Carnoustie Golf Hotel and enjoyed a pleasant stroll in the sun as we made our way to the designated bus stop. Hurrah, we found the bus (couldn't exactly miss it could you?) and promptly made a beeline for the backseats. What complete badasses we were. Off we trundled to Barry Buddon, where we embarked on another mini hike to the 'enclosure'. We bumbled around, had a peak at the indoor events and then yet another walk to the 700m shooting range (walking is a recurring theme in today's post).

One of the many paths walked that day (all worth it though)

700m Shooting Range

It was a close round

The staff were all really friendly and helpful and we had a great time watching the men's qualifiers. Sadly we couldn't stay to watch the finals as we had a strict schedule to stick to. It was time to leg it to Glasgow. Hence, our experience of the shooting was short and sweet. Side note- the amount of people not wearing ear plugs was frankly baffling, how did they manage not to go deaf?

We got home in time for a bite to eat and a quick change of outer layers (we were rocking long cardigans, kimonos, lightweight jackets throughout the trip- you name it, we wore it) before shooting off to the train station. Mish's organisational prowess saw us arrive at the station over an hour early. The poor love had misread the times on our tickets and had a bit of a red face (...sorry Tori!) however we found the (newly?) revamped bar at train station and enjoyed a couple of cooling beverages.

Scotland really has some beautiful views!

The time flew by. We eventually boarded our train and enjoyed a little quiet time before finally arriving in Glasgow. We battled the crowds at Queen Street Station before discovering the taxi rank had moved. Ack- nightmare! Finally we got cab to our hotel. The driver was lovely, a hive of local knowledge, his advice included but was not limited to: the best route to Ibrox; and, which roads to steer clear of (lest we encroach on the territory of erm, ladies of the night. God forbid.)

Proper footwear was a must!

We settled into our room and indulged in a few snacks and a quick spruce up before we went in search of Ibrox. We caught a bus, almost missed our stop and went for another walk. We arrived, couldn't find our seats, eventually got to our section and it then transpired that nobody was actually sitting in their designated seats. Humph! We managed to bag a couple of aisle seats in the right row and settled down to enjoy the games.

Wales v.s England
Such a tight match, but England nabbed it in the end!

Our old school even popped up much to our surprise- they sadly lost but they made a good effort nonetheless. The atmosphere was great even though we felt like the only sober supporters there! As the sun went down and the pitch lights came on we really got into the swing of things. After a series of failed and then successful Mexican waves and a few terrifying trips to the ladies, it was almost time to call it a night. South Africa claimed a shock victory over the reigning champions, New Zealand. Cue uproarious cheering. We slipped out a few minutes early and managed to avoid the hoards, picked up a chip supper, briskly walked through the muggy Glasgow air and arrived at our hotel shattered but very content. We cracked open some Crabbie's alcohol ginger beer and kicked back on our massive shared bed (minor planning slip-up). What a day!

The next day we had time to do what we wanted so we went back to Glasgow City Centre and soaked up the Commonwealth atmosphere!