Kinlochbervie pupils rack up over 1000 miles to see victorious Scots – twice!
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Pupils and staff at Kinlochbervie proved they were willing to go the distance to support Scotland when they travelled to Hampden twice in four days.
The Kinlochbervie High School pupils and some Primary 7 transition pupils took on the 265-mile each-way journey to watch the Scotland men's team beat Cyprus then Spain in their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
It meant the north-west pupils had completed well over 1000 miles by the time they returned to Sutherland after last Tuesday's stunning victory over Spain – arriving home at 5am.
Despite two 18-hour days within four days, the pupils – and staff – agreed it was well worth it to witness Scotland's famous victory.
A spokesperson for the school explained: "Having begun to travel to Hampden Park to support the national team in 2006 it has been great to be able to continue this legacy and bring a new group of pupils into the experience as a fan but also as a social transition experience for our P7s moving into high school.
"On Saturday, March 25, 10 pupils and four staff left Kinlochbervie at 6am and made our way to Glasgow. For some this was their very first trip to Hampden to support their national team and the excitement levels were high, singing all the way down the A9!
"Traffic was heavy but we just made it in time for the 2pm kick off. It was a nervy game but Super John McGinn stepped up in the 21st minute and scored Scotland’s first goal of the game. It was very tight after that with lots of dodgy refereeing decisions, according to the pupils, but in the last six minutes Scott McTominay made Hampden roar, scoring two goals, and we left Glasgow delighted with a 3-0 win and a great start to the group.
"We arrived back home around midnight and despite the early start and super long 18-hour round trip, P7 pupil Lachlan MacLeod said it was the best day ever!"
The following Tuesday, 12 pupils and staff – most of whom had been to the game on Saturday as well – got ready to make the trip down to Glasgow again for a tougher game against Spain.
"We thankfully had a later 11am start and made it to Glasgow in plenty of time for the 7.45pm kick off to our nearly pitch-side seats. We knew this would be a much more difficult game but the pupils and staff were thrilled and gobsmacked when Scott McTominay scored seven minutes into the game.
"The singing practice on the way down was put to good use for the rest of the first half, with songs and chants galore helping to mask the nerves. Despite the nerves, Scotland started the second half strong and once again Scott McTominay scored seven minutes in! We couldn’t have had a better start and our group were singing and dancing in our seats for the rest of the game.
"We finally got home at 5am and, despite the second 18-hour day in four days, the pupils agreed it was well worth it and they can't wait for the next game in June against Georgia."
