Still Game Location Tour - Part 2

(Part 1 is here)

It was time to say "Cheery-bye" to Edinburgh. I headed to Edinburgh Waverley station but I couldn’t find the main entrance and wandered into Waverly Market, where all sorts of items were on display.  I browsed them while looking for the way to the platforms. Then, something caught my eye.

How brilliant the hue of Winston’s face is. I was tempted to buy but I didn’t notice the “frames not included” sign and thought it’s a stupid thing to carry a framed picture with me down to Glasgow. So I gave it a miss. Clever girl.

Shortly after, I succesfully found my train, and left Edinburgh.

Road to Osprey Heights

George Square was my first Still Game filming location to visit, because the hotel I stayed was right next to it. I imagined sitting there, having a lunch while a half naked man dancing around. Well, if you have seen the news about the square, you know that did not happen.

Can you see me noo?

It is, of all days, temporarily closed for refurbishment and it’s behind hoardings at the moment. But look, there's your bonus ball right there. A peephole!

Unfortunately, this was all I got. I’ll definitely come back when it’s reopened, which will be next year. It was a rare sight, though.

Next morning, I left the hotel to take a long walk to visit other filming locations in central Glasgow and then eventually, my goal - to Osprey Heights. The route was like this: Navid's shop - Buchanan Street - Glasgow Central Station - Queen Street - and then, take a train to Maryhill where Osprey Heights is located. Here we go.

Harrid’s Convenience Store (Navid’s Shop)

Navid’s shop in Townhead district is in walking distance from Geroge Square, it took about 10 minutes. I was really looking forward to visiting this place, but it turns out that my research wasn’t plenty. I learned hours before that its owner had changed twice and it is no longer the place I was familiar with. I couldn't spot the shop at the first sight but when I got closer,

The man was there.

By the way, one of the loveliest moments I had in Scotland was spotting Sanjeev Kohli on Tunnock's advert. You can watch it on YouTube at home, but watching it on the telly in Scotland was totally a different experience.

Anyway, I was meaning to sit on the bench in front of the shop, but to my disappointment, it was taken by two boys. A “Hot Seat” scenario.

Glasgow Central Station

My next destination was Glasgow Central Station, where Victor waited in vain for his son to arrive.

"Faimly", the second episode from series 1, is among my top 3 favourite episodes. To me, Glasgow Central Station is like King's Cross station for Potterheads. I knew what I was going to do there.

Sit on a bench (guess what I will do in Victoria Park). This time, it was a success thanks to the massive amount of benches. I couldn’t help but watch a clip from "Faimly" on the spot. If you look closely, Starbucks is still there. There was no fast food shop to get myself a tongue-burning apple pie, though.

Winston mural at Queen Street

A few months earlier I read that a mural of Winston appeared at Queen Street. I put it on the list immediately.

“Steeevieeee!”

This is remarkable. It’s located right in the corner of the street. I could have easily missed it hadn’t I known what the nearby shop looks like, or if I’d come from the other way around.

Excited, I turned the corner to face the mural so that I can admire it for a while. But I had to bin that idea because two ladies were standing there, chatting. This is one of the downsides of solo travelling. If you have a companion, it would be alright. You have someone to share the moment. Imagine being there, staring into a wall and grinning, alone. You're a fucking weirdo.

Rendezvous Cafe / Osprey Heights

Past the mural, I walked to Queen Street Station to take a train to Maryhill, which was used as a major filming location of Craiglang. Despite the journey to Osprey Heights from Maryhill station takes only 10-15 minute walk, it was a hell of a cardio in this unusual heat that swept across the country that day.

My early itinerary included dining in at Robyn’s Nest. It’s known as "Rendezvous Cafe" in the series and located on the way to Osprey Heights. It even had Still Game-inspired menu. I was devastated when I heard that it went out of business in May. I was too late.

I got quite emotional seeing the state of it. It was such an iconic place for fans, and it must have been a great loss for the community. I do hope its future owner will keep a bit of Still Game element to it.

By the time I got near to Jack and Victor's home, the road was getting uphill. I started to pant. Almost there…

I. Am. In. Craiglang.

I forgot every single pain when I saw this. It was more magnificent than seeing it on a screen. I kept on going to the foot of the building.

Impressive. I lost for words, but then I remembered I was on my own and there was no one to tell my thoughts after all.

One final look at Osprey Heights.

I thought about the number of miles I had traveled to be there, the people I met along the way, beautiful sceneries and ever-changing Scottish weather. Craiglang may be a "shitehole", but Scotland had got hold of my heart. It had been a meaningful trip.

That’s it for now. My Still Game location tour had come to an end. There are more places to visit for sure, but I will save them for later to visit this lovely country again. Cheery-bye!

Extra: It’s time for tea

Watching the series, I was always curious what the heck were Tea Cakes, Rich Tea and Curly Wurly. Especially Tea Cakes, the very sweets so delicious that Jack ate not two, but four. At first, I thought these were made-up brands because I believed BBC is not supposed to mention brand names. But Google told me otherwise. I had to buy them.

The quest was pretty easy, as they are popular products in the UK and available almost everywhere. I couldn't find Curly Wurly bars like the one Navid sold (I bought Curly Wurly Squirlies instead, but didn’t like it), but I was happy.

Job done.

Still Game Location Tour - Part 1 (Prologue)

I have travelled Scotland recently.

The reason I chose this country for my holiday was not because of its stunning scenery, historical landmarks or Harry Potter locations, but Still Game - a quirky Scottish sitcom about pentioners who live in a fictional town called Craiglang, located in surburban Glasgow.

Like many others outside Scotland, I discovered this series on Netflix. As a matter of fact, I didn’t pay any attention for a while. It looked like one of those obscure sitcom that no one gives a shit about. But one day, mostly out of boredom, I hit the "play" button.

Here’s what happened. I finished the first series in one go, and in less than a year I have watched every single episode at least three times. Let’s be honest, it’s not a perfect sitcom. There are a lot of flaws and later series are not as well-written as earlier series. Some episodes are downright cinge. Despite that, I fell in love with its silliness and strange warmth of Craiglang community. Still Game has unique charm that other sitcoms have not. I was completely hooked.

At that time, I was thinking about going on an international trip. I’m not particularly an avid traveller, let alone going overseas, but I needed some adventure, like Jack and Victor’s trip to Canada. But where should I go? Now it seemed obvious - Craiglang. So I decided to embark on a journey from a small town in a far-eastern country to the sacred place.

But the journey did not start in Glasgow. It started in Edinburgh.

Here’s Looking At You, Kid

It was mid-August and Edinburgh city was full of Fringe-goers and Oasis fans. I was there to attend one of many Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows. That show was: Casablanca The Gin Joint Cut. A play starring Gavin Mitchell, a.k.a. Boabby the Barman. I found out about this a few months before the trip, and I nearly panicked at the thought of seeing him in my own eyes. Is is really happening!?

Just hours after my arrival, I found myself standing in front of a bar called Ghillie Dhu, the venue for Casablanca.

A bar! Just so you know, there is no way that an introverted nerdy Asian lass like me to be familiar with such a place. I was a bar virgin. And seeing a play there? I felt like Boabby in the City Chambers. I arrived an hour before the door opened, as I had no idea about the rule of thumb. There were no queue outside. I stood on the porch for a moment like a lost child. After a while, I finally mustered up enough courage to go in to the bar. I catched nearby staff in desperation and asked if I was in the right place. She said yes, but it was actually an upstairs auditorium that I should go. I was thinking of coming back later, but she was so kind to tell me I could wait here without ordering anything. I took a seat and ordered food and drink anyway. I couldn’t bear if my stomach started rumbling throughout the show. Now I felt much better.

All I had to do was just wait, and wait, and wait…

Clock striked seven.

This was the entrance I should’ve come in.

There was a little mishap before going upstairs (the QR code I was given from Ticketweb was totally useless) and by the time I arrived at the auditorium people were already starting to gather. I secured myself a middle seat in the fourth row. The audience were mostly middle-aged couples, chatting merrily with pints or glasses of wine in their hands. I was completely out of place, but I tried not to care. I kept telling myself I was going to have a good time.

It was hilarious. I had seen the film before (it was actually one of the subjects of subtitling course I took a few years back) and I wondered how on earth they were going to turn this classic into a comedy, but they nailed it and Gavin Mitchell was surprisingly spot-on as Rick. I’m glad that I came all the way down to Scotland to see this show. I felt rewarded. I cloud have stayed longer just in case the cast pop in to the bar (I’m half joking), but I was completely star-strucked by then and left the room as soon as possible before embarrassing myself.

Back in the hotel, I was reminiscing about what I had experienced. I was beginning to feel sad that it’s over, almost on the verge of crying (I was exhausted).

And then, I heard a familiar tune coming from the telly. I looked up, and saw this:

Sunday. 10PM. BBC Scotland. Boof!

My sadness flew away like Winston's false leg.

The journey had just began. Why feel sad about it? I had more ahead of me. Next day, I was going to take a train to Glasgow, where it all began.

(Continue to part 2)