Wife's 8,000-mile trip for spouse

A pilot from the US has told how she keeps her long-distance relationship alive by making 8,000-mile round trips to visit her husband in Scotland.

Donna Clark travels the distance between the States and the Isle of Skye twice a month to visit partner, Bryan.

The airline captain met her husband while on holiday more than a year ago.

She uses a combination of plane, train, bus, car and ferry to make the 24-hour trip from Cleveland, Ohio, to visit Mr Clark every fortnight.

The 41-year-old said: "It does feel like a fairytale romance."

Mrs Clark arrived in Glasgow on holiday last May and set off to climb Ben Nevis.

After the ascent she picked up a hitchhiker, a fellow American, who persuaded her to head to Skye.

She reached the northern tip of the island, where she came across the Dun Flodigarry Hostel near Staffin.

It was there she met Mr Clark, 48, who is the hostel manager.

"At times I have to pinch myself and say 'This is real, she's actually doing this'"
Bryan Clark

They hit it off and spent the week together, after which Mrs Clark began making regular trips from her home in Ohio to Skye.

The couple married in April.

Mrs Clark said: "Before I start the journey, I feel pretty bad.

"But it's OK when I'm travelling, and then I see the green hills coming into Glasgow and I feel at home.

"It's like a dream land. I can hardly believe that this is the place where I belong now."

The pilot, who flies on internal US routes, is in the process of converting her US licence into one that can be used in Scotland, and plans to take a job with a UK airline.

Mr Clark said he was extremely flattered that his wife was willing to travel so far to see him.

"It's the most amazing compliment you could ever get," he said.

"It feels like you are part of a film that is actually happening.

"At times I have to pinch myself and say 'This is real, she's actually doing this'."

Free flights

Because of her job, Mrs Clark can get free flights from the US.

But she has to wait for whatever flights become available and they do not always make the eight-hour journey straight to Glasgow, but instead go to other parts of the UK.

If things go smoothly, she flies from Cleveland to New Jersey, where she boards a flight to Glasgow.

On arrival, she takes a bus to Queen Street railway station.

She then travels five hours by train to Mallaig, and hops on the half-hour ferry to Armadale.

Her husband meets her there and drives her two hours to his hostel.

The total length of the trip is 8,318 miles and takes about 24 hours.