This post is dedicated to those who have to make small talk at corporate dinners.

I was sat at a yet another “networking” dinner last week and spent the latter part if the evening persuading the dinner guests that, in a world of hyper-awsome-viral-trending -must-see, seeking out ‘the underwhelming’ is the perfect antidote.

Scotland’s synonymous with scenery but it’s possible that you didn’t know its also home to the World’s largest hedge. Yes, Scotland’s Meikleour beech hedge holds the Guinness World Record for both longest and tallest hedge on planet earth.

My first trip to the hedge was a bit of a risk. I’d recently met a new suitor and decided to take him on a “fun mystery date” . The hedge is over an hours drive from my home near Stirling and I felt that perhaps I needed to add more to the days itinerary to make it really really fun – more about that later.

“we’re here!”

“where?” He looked at the muddy  layby, bewildered.

I broke into a grin

“The world’s largest hedge! Tadah!!”

Then there was a moment of stunned silence. And then he started to laugh.

Essentially in winter – The Meiklour Beech Hedge exposes itself as a cleverly coiffed row of trees..

Now I had prepared for him to be a little underwhelmed so had some other sights up my sleeve including:

The village of Dull (twinned with Boring, Oregon, USA)

And the Fortingall yew tree – much debate about the age of this tree. Some report it as being the oldest tree in Europe but this is contested.   Legend tells of Pontius Pilate being half Scottish (yes he of bible fame) dancing beneath this tree as a child.

The day’s excitement didn’t send him running for the hills.

In fact we returned for a second look at the hedge in summer – I bribed him with a pub lunch at the Meiklour Arms this time.

Back to the corporate networking dinner. By the end of the evening, my dinner companion was enthusiastically researching underwhelming things in London to visit with his girlfriend…who knew Britain’s oldest door was hiding in plain sight just yards away from our dinner?

To be continued…