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This time we've decided on a two week trip to the Highlands in the motorhome. I fitted a piece of 2"x2"x1/4" aluminium angle to reinforce the rear panel where the bike rack fits, which worked a treat. After giving the van a clean we had a small problem when we filled the water tanks. We had a leak in the kitchen which turned out to be from the cold water feed pipe. Dick Lane Motorhomes kindly helped out with a spare pipe, so last minute repairs were made and we were ready to leave on time.
Day one was just a slog north to our first stop at Perth, from where the trip really starts.
Day two started wet, which wan't in the plans. We headed north and had a lovely drive up Glenshee with raging torrents rushing down the glen sides, thanks to all the rain. Fortunately the rain had eased by the time we reached Balmoral.
We had a lovely look around the gardens, but unfortunately only the Ballroom was open in the house itself. It's easy to see why Balmoral is such a favourite of the Royal family, as it must be bliss to get away from the hubub of London for some peace and quiet. We were surprised how forward the gardens were being so far north. Apparently spring comes late, but because of the extra day length in summer they grow more quickly and soon catch up with southern gardens. After Balmoral it was onto Dornoch for the night. The last witch in Scotland was hanged here in 1722. Her poor daughter had a misshapen hand and her mother was accused of witchcraft, and for attempting to change her daughter into a pony.
Day three was sunny with showers. After visiting the sites of Dornoch we headed on up to John o Groats.
I'm sorry to say no photos of John o Groats. It was awful. We had been warned that the only reason to go is to say you've been, and the warnings were bang on. It is really just a collection of scattered houses, though there is a newish visitor centre, and museum cum shop. The John o Groats House Hotel is fenced off and in a state of decay, adding to the air of gloom about the place. Once we proved we'd been there we drove on to The Castle of Mey, but it was 4.30pm and closing. We decided to look for a camp site, and decided on Thurso as it was a sizeable town with restaurants.
The next morning after a liesurely start we headed back to the Castle of Mey.
This is well worth a visit. It has been preserved just as it was when Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother used it, and has lots of personal memorabilia to see. Very welcoming guides who were prepared to tell anecdotes made this the best stately home visitor experience we've ever had. It also has a lovely garden, too, particularly the walled garden.
After The Castle of Mey we moved onto Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in Britain. Here there is a lighthouse on top of the 300ft cliffs. In stormy weather the sea has been known to throw up stones and break the glass in the light. We then saw Mary Anne Calder's cottage, a small croft preserved just as it was when the last crofter left in 1990. Mary Anne had lived in the croft all her life and it had never been modernised. Again we had a good guide who explained all about her way of life.
Day Five we chickened out!! We had a plan to take our bikes on the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness in The Orkneys, then cycle to Skarra Brae, the 4,000 year old Neolithic settlement. Kath wasn't really up for it in case it was wet and windy.
So we went to see the nuclear power station at Dounreay. This is being decommissioned and the visitor centre is now closed, and all that is left are some information boards. Evidently, the visitor information is available in Thurso.
We rolled onto Bettyhill where we visited the Strathnavar museum and learned about the highland clearances, when crofters were evicted from the land to make way for more profitable sheep. Just after Bettyhill we stopped at Borgie and got the bikes out and did a 10 mile circular bike ride taking in the harbour at Skerray. After lunch, now in brilliant sunshine, we drove on to Durness, finding the lovely Sango Sands camp site, with it's own restaurant.
Day six was a day off from travelling. We biked to Balnakeil Bay and walked along the beach and to the end of Faraid Head. We had instructions to find a puffin colony, which we did eventually, though we wouldn't have done if we hadn't first seen the "puffin cam" set up to observe them. We couldn't get too close, but it was good to see them through binoculars. We must take a bird book on our travels next time as we kept seeing birds we couldn't identify.
After lunch we took our bikes again and did a 6 mile off road route to Bhlar Duibhe. Kath came off twice, once an inelegant "through the frame" departure, and the second a "nearly over the handlebars" incident when she pulled on the front brake, causing a front wheely, then the back end to swing around. She sufferred a sore back, but it didn't seem to spoil her appetite in the evening.
On day seven we headed for Ullapool. We stopped off at Lochinver for lunch.
The roads up here are fantastic. Even the "A" roads are only single track with passing places, but there is so little traffic that it is not a problem. We just have to pull into a passing place to let traffic through coming the other way, or to let faster traffic pass. We did a 6 mile walk from Lochinver to get our daily dose of exercise then headed to Ullapool. We were feeling brave and took a very narrow road which said "No caravans, No buses, and no vehicles over 26ft long". We weren't disqualified on any of those so off we went. We had no bother and a lovely drive through delightful countryside.
We woke on day eight to beautiful sunshine. We spent the morning doing housekeeping and sunbathing, then in the afternoon went for a 15 mile bike ride.
We rode up Glen Achall which you would never know existed without local knowledge. The ride started up a steep road past the local quarry, to around 100m above sea level, then opened out into a beautiful flat glen with the lovely Loch Achall. We had a great ride along a, mainly level, gravel track, through scenery you could only describe as stunning. On our return we caught up with emails at the Ceildigh cafe restaurant, and in the evening had a meal at the Seaforth fish resaurant, recently awarded the title of best fish restaurant in the UK. We were not disappointed.
Day nine dawned hot and sunny. We can't believe the good weather we are getting. We decided to move to Gairloch today.
On the way we stopped off at Inverewe Gardens by Loch Ewe. They had been created by Osgood Mackenzie in the 19th Century on a barren headland, and caused quite a stir among the locals as he had to blast holes out of the rock in order to plant trees. I'm not surprised. Well worth a visit, but a bit of a coach magnet, with five in the car park when we arrived. The weather was so good we were in no mood to travel further, so after lunch we drove to Gairloch to the wonderful Sands camp site, 55 acres with loads of sites and a great shop, and chilled out for the rest of the day.
Day ten was another belter, so after lounging around till about 10.00am we biked the three miles into Gairloch, where we had a look around and coffee and scones at an interesting coffee shop called The Mountain Coffee Company. Talk about portion size...think of the largest scone you've ever had then double it. Needless to say we couldn't eat lunch after this so we lounged at the camp site for the rest of the afternoon.
We had been recommended a restaurant 7 miles down the coast called the Melvaig Inn, and we decided to head out there for the evening meal. There is so little traffic that cycling is safe so we took the bikes, and passed these Highland cattle on the way, I was very proud of Kath, who never got off her bike once though there were a few hills along the way. The restaurant turned out to be be music orientated, being owned by a guy who had been a roadie for Black Sabbath, and the food very good. We even made it back on the bikes, though this time a little pushing was necessary.
Day eleven dawned hot and sunny and we set off for the Applecross peninsula.
I had heard of the Pass of the Cattle, which at 2053ft is one of the highest passes in the UK. Add in that it is single track only, with passing places, and has Alpine style hairpins, and it makes for an interesting drive in a motorhome. People were a little surprised to see us, I must admit! Arriving at Applecross, our brakes were a little hot, and we were surprised to find the camp site fully booked. We needn't have worried as half a mile further on we found a lovely bay where we set up camp with quite a few other overflows.
We had a walk and found the Applecross Walled Garden and Potting Shed restaurant, where we stopped for afternoon tea. Back at the camp site we enjoyed the rest of the evening, had a barbeque, then wandered off to the Applecross Inn for a a couple drinks. A great day. Day twelve was hot and sunny. We had intended to stay a couple of nights in Applecross, but as we couldn't get in the camp site, and we needed to service the van, we decided to move on to the Isle of Skye. On the way we stopped at Lochcarron and filled up with food and diesel. (Filling stations are few and far between in the Highlands so best not to let the tank get too low).
We crossed the Skye road bridge, (can't see what all the fuss is about), and headed for Portree, which has a lovely harbour with colourful quay front buildings. We camped at the small Torvaig camp site, which was pretty crowded, and headed back into Portree in the evening for a meal. On the way back to the van, Kath had an unfortunate experience when a seagull flew over her and shat on her shoulder! What are the odds of that happening?
Day thirteen was the last real day of our holiday so we decided on a trip around Skye. We stopped at the Kilt Rock Waterfall, where volcanic rock overlays sedimentary rock and water falls 200ft into the sea. This was another coach magnet so we didn't stay long. We decided to go inland, so took a very narrow road over the island. This was very quiet, so we decided to stop for lunch and to sunbathe for the afternoon.
In the evening we dropped down to Uig and drove on to Dunvegan, where we stayed on the lovely Kinloch Campsite.
Day thirteen was a long slog to Stirling. Only 222 miles but it took 8 hours because of the narrow, twisting roads. On the way we stopped at the most photographed castle in Scotland, Eilean Donan.
Another stopping point for coaches full of Japanese, but pretty, none the less.
We finally arrived in Stirling to our first traffic jam for two weeks and found, probably the smartest camp site in Scotland, Witches Craig, near the Wallace Monument. The nearest restaurant was 2 miles away, but traffic was so heavy we didn't want to bike so went in the van. Had an interesting time parking up in the small Burnside Restaurant car park, but we managed with a little help from the staff, and had a lovely evening meal.
Day fourteen was another long slog, first to Peebles, where we met with friends for coffee, then via the A68 and A1, back home for 7.00pm. We had travelled about 1,400 miles, had great weather, and a wonderful time in Scotland.
