A kiss with my red, red rose

scot on December 29, 2024

A year in 20 photographs 19/20 – a kiss with my red, red rose on The Hebridean Way

Kirsteen and I walked down the aisle at Kinclaven Church on 29 December to the melody of A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns.

Cycling guide Scot, who runs cycling tours and holidays in Scotland shares a kiss on the Hebridean Way with his wife who he calls his red, red rose.

The next chapter in our lives was ahead of us and I could not have had a better person to share it with.

A female rider in an orange jacket enjoying cycling through the mountains on Harris on the Hebridean Way cycling holiday in Scotland.
No matter how big a climb was ahead Kirsteen always had a smile on her face

Kirsteen is the reason Skinny Tyres is where it is today. She has supported me with every pedal stroke of the journey. It was her enthusiasm for my initial idea that pushed me forward. Each time I felt overwhelmed by the mountains ahead, she was there to get me to the top. In 2020, it looked like everything was falling apart because of Covid. I was working any job I could find; from deliveries to working on a checkout in a supermarket. Kirsteen was always positive that it would all turn out well – and it did. Her enthusiasm for life, kindness, and willingness to be there for everyone is incredible.

Despite all her support over the last 15 years of Skinny Tyres, Kirsteen had never been on a cycling holiday, let alone a Skinny Tyres cycling holiday. So, 2024 was the year to remedy that. Kirsteen joined us on a Hebridean Way trip. The Outer Hebrides holds a special place in her heart. Her enthusiasm for the islands led me to start running trips there several years ago.

Kirsteen joined our tour in July 2024 and at the end of the week, we celebrated her completion of the Hebridean Way with a kiss and whisky.

Today is our 21st Wedding Anniversary and I think we will again celebrate with a kiss and a whisky.

Scot Tares, the bearded founder and director of Skinny Tyres cycling holidays in Scotland, in a selfie with his wife at the end of the Hebridean Way. Both are smiling happily.

A Red, Red Rose

O my Luve is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;

I will love thee still, my dear,

While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!

And fare thee weel awhile!

And I will come again, my luve,

Though it were ten thousand mile.

By Robert Burns

Join Skinny Tyres on a cycling holiday in Scotland.

Skinny Tyres logo showing the silhouette of a female cyclist against an abstract background with the words Skinny Tyres in white in the foreground.