Scotland fans out in force as Euros convoy sets off on road to Germany

THE Scottish Sun’s mascot Sunny got a hero’s send-off today – as he began his epic road trip from Inverness to Munich.

Our intrepid paperboy set off on his 1,100 mile journey from the Highland capital at 10am on the first leg of his tour to Germany.

And footie fans honked their horns in appreciation as they spotted our red-headed ambassador, dressed in his splendid Scotland top, kilt and Glengarry hat as he posed outside the Caledonia Stadium then the city centre.

Pensioner Norma Macaulay, 82, from Inverness, said she hoped Scotland would win the opening game against Germany.

She said: “I’m really excited. This is a very special time for Scotland.
“I hope Scotland win against Germany on Friday. I think they have a good chance. The whole country is behind the team.”

Mum-of-three Lauren Sturrock, 25, queued up for a selfie with Sunny along with 18-month-old son Hudson along with her pal Jax Nicholson, 22, and her son Daniel Spence, one.

Lauren said: “I think there will be a draw with Germany and Scotland playing 2:2.

 “I hope we can win. But Germany is a very good team as well so anything is possible.”

British-German Bettina Stoddart said she looked forward to the competition despite not being a football fan, but her grandson Jack, four, was a clear about his affiliations.

 He said: “I hope Scotland wins.”

The Inverness young team also got behind Scotland and posed for snaps with mascot Sunny.

High school pupils Phoebe-Ella Powis, 16, Leel Simmons, 17, Isla MacDonald, 16, and Katie Goodall, 16 all lined-up for a conga with our lad.

Kelly French, 42, a carer and a mum of two, from Inverness, got in on the action along with Rosella Hobbs, 54, a mum of three and shop assistant from Alness.

Our mascot received a police escort from PCs Ritchie and MacKenze as we held a last minute training session ahead of Munich.

And they were sporting Scottish Sun saltires that we’ll been giving away enroute to Germany.

From Inverness, we made the cross country drive to Pittodrie in Aberdeen, where Sunny paraded under the Sir Alex Ferguson statue.

Then we headed to Dens Park and Tannadice in Dundee, where airport worker Sarah Lyttle was keen to get a photo with Sunny.

The 33-year-old from Dundee, who was walking her dog Loki, said: “I spotted Sunny from my flat and wanted to get a picture with him, but I don’t think Loki was so sure about him.

“Anyway I hope the trip to Germany goes well and that we beat them 2-0 on Friday.”

Painter and Decorator Stuart Agnew, 47, from Arbroath, also caught up with Sunny for a pic along with his two younger colleagues Logan Handforth, 17, from Carnoustie and Thomas Callander, 18, from Dundee.

Dad-of-three Stuart said: “It’s good to see Sunny is a true Scotsman with the ginger hair and the kilt. Hopefully he brings some luck to the team.

“As long as we don’t lose on Friday then I think we’ll do alright.”

Thomas added: “Sunny is a good bit of fun and it’s good to see him here in Dundee.

“As for Friday I think it will be a 2-0 win for Scotland.”

By the time The Scottish Sun tour rolled into St Johnstone’s McDiarmid Park in Perth we had completed 200 miles on Day One of our epic drive at.

But from Tuesday morning we leave Perth heading to Hampden where we plan to meet fans outside the home of Scottish Football at 10am.

From there we will drive to the overnight P&O Ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, stopping at the services at Abingdon, Gretna Green and Scotch Corner along the way.

Our team is travelling in an environmentally friendly way too, in the all-electric BYD Seal – who are an official partner of UEFA Euro 2024 Germany.

And German-born reporter Oliver Norton and Scotland fan feature writer Matt Bendoris will be chatting to the 200,000 strong Tartan Army along the way.

Matt, 53, said: “It was just 7C in Inverness when we set off but Sunny managed to warm the hearts and bring a smile to the faces of everyone he met.

“We’re hoping that the temperature rises as we get closer to the kick-off in Munich, but we want to hear from Scotland fans along the way.

“So if you see our grey BYD Seal, with Scottish Sun tour signs and UEFA Euro 2024 Germany logo on the side, come and say hello and we’ll help document your epic journey in print and online.”