UBC October 2025 - Dunfermline: Laundry Adventures and Storm Amy

I have a confession: I think I’m getting too old for this kind of traveling.

Packing for two weeks across three countries with wildly different weather is never easy. The compromise? Seven sets of clothes and a mid-stay laundry run. On North American road trips, this was never a problem. Every hotel, even motels, had coin-operated guest laundries. (Except the Holiday Inn Express at the Grand Canyon, I know for a fact it’s a water preservation thing.)

In Scotland, laundry turned into an unexpected challenge. Hotels may “offer” laundry services, but it’s pricey per piece, and you can’t just throw a bag of mixed items at them. Public laundries nearby might close at 5 pm on weekdays, yes, 5 pm! That’s how I ended up at a 24/7 laundromat chain called wash.me. What I didn’t realize: these facilities are located at gas stations. Outdoors. And it was raining. But desperate times call for brave measures.

Here’s how it went down:

1. Pick a washing machine: Regular or gigantic?

2. Fill it, close it, select temperature.

3. Pay via card reader.

4. Wait in the car. Thirty minutes! (Impressive for me, used to a home eco-friendly machine that takes 2.5–3 hours.)

5. Transfer laundry to dryer. Tricky in the rain with no basket. Dropped only one sock. 

6. Pay for drying.

7. Use the wait time to check into the hotel.

8. Return and retrieve freshly washed clothes. Fortunately the rain was taking a break!

Minus the outdoor location, I was impressed. GBP 13.50 (~USD 18) was pricier than a hotel coin laundry, but one less worry on the road.

Add to that the constant hustling: Food, accommodation, gas, I mean "petrol", navigation. Even with GPS and the internet, everything takes longer than expected, and people (me included) get hangry.

All of this unfolded in Dunfermline, a historic town about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Edinburgh, just across the Forth Bridge. Hotels in central Edinburgh over the weekend were absurdly expensive; think 800 bucks a night! At this point it doesn't matter if its British Pounds, Euros or US Dollars...

After a mediocre pub dinner, we treated ourselves to dessert at Tim Hortons. Not familiar? It’s a Canadian donut chain, originally a cozy community café started by hockey player Tim Horton. Sadly, after being acquired by Burger King, it’s lost much of its soul. Donuts - ordered on screens - now come in burger boxes, and it feels like any other fast food joint.

And then there was Storm Amy, barreling across Northern Europe that weekend.

With winds up to 150 km/h (96 mph) in Scotland and even stronger gusts in Norway, Amy cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes in the UK and Ireland. Roads were closed, trains disrupted, and fallen trees were everywhere. Scottish rail crews reported over 400 incidents in a single day. Flights and ferries were cancelled, roofs torn off, streets flooded, and sadly, at least three people lost their lives.

While we weren’t greatly affected, we witnessed the aftermath firsthand: Fallen roof tiles on sidewalks we’d just walked, huge puddles where roads had been poorly paved, and large trees uprooted or snapped in half. 

Driving towards Loch Ness the day after the next felt like navigating an obstacle course. Talk about Loch Parking Lot!

Scotland’s beauty comes with a side of challenge, from laundromat bravery to stormy streets, travel keeps you humble (and soaked).

Have you ever had a travel moment where everyday chores, like laundry, suddenly became a full-blown adventure?