It was the summer solstice last Sunday. So, as we head towards the summer holidays and, hopefully, lots of warmth and sunshine, we thought it was a good time for this blog.
Does summer smell? You may be asking yourself that very question. Well, to us, there is definitely a smell that signifies summer.
It’s not the aroma of sun cream. Although that’s a great smell because it means it must be sunny outside! Nor is it the scent of ice cream, definitely another sign of summer. Choosing from the vast selection of flavours in an Italian gelateria is a daily holiday highlight. For our money you can’t go far wrong with pistachio and white chocolate. But we digress! And it’s not the smell of the sea, much as that brings back fun memories of childhood summer holidays.
Our smell of summer is a bit hard to explain, but there comes a moment as you walk or pedal upwards when suddenly it hits you. The smell of dry bark and pine needles catches the back of your throat and fills your nose. You can somehow taste the trees in your mouth and for us, at least, the first thought is “summer at last”.
It can only happen on a dry, hot day, which is why it only happens in the summer. We don’t get it as much in Scotland as some other places, but then again most people don’t visit Scotland expecting a heatwave. It still happens, though. A grove of Scots Pines is perfect territory to experience it. Luckily we have plenty of those in the Glengarry Forest.
So we will keep going out on the trails and the road and we’ll keep hoping for that moment to occur when you know it must be summer.