Scotland

Scotland was a feast for the eyes and its vast landscapes filled our souls. It was a country both familiar and wild. Dawn’s mom was Scottish and there was a sense of coming home as we visited the places we heard her mom speak of over the years and re-visited some places we had been with her. At the same time, we were stretching beyond previous visits to the outer reaches of the country where some of the greatest beauty lies.

*Our 13 day driving route through Scotland - definitely could have been longer- especially up in the northern Highlands*

We did not really explore the history of the country as we have in other places, but focused more on outdoor adventures and scenic drives. Highlights for us were:

Driving the far north section of the NC 500 (Thurso to Cape Wrath)
Hiking the scenic Glencoe Valley
Visiting the Isle of Hoy in the Orkney Islands
Isle of Skye
Hiking in the Cairngorms
Stirling Castle
Exploring Edinburgh

We arrived on the ferry from Belfast and headed north immediately, skirting Glasgow but not stopping. Living in a camper, we tend to avoid big cities, selecting a few in each country to visit. Driving into cities (especially in the UK, driving on the “wrong” side of the road - or the opposite side that we have been used to for 45 years) - with hidden traps like one way streets and Google shortcuts down narrow alleyways and through pedestrian walking areas is stress inducing and fraught with pitfalls. We try to choose the oldest cities with the most historic architecture and avoid the newer metropolitan areas. In the UK and Europe this often means skipping anything obliterated in WWII. When at all possible we camp outside the city limits and take public transportation in. We also find that our expenditures go up when we are in cities as we are exposed to a sensory overload of tempting food, drink and tourist activities calling out to us. All together, reasons for us to limit urban activity.

As soon as we hit the Scottish highlands we took big expansive breaths and relaxed. Then hiked five miles.

*Clouds and sunbeams playing on the mountains*

Although wild camping is legal in Scotland, we had a difficult time finding sites that were off the beaten path, public, and weren’t posted prohibiting parking or overnight camping. We sensed that the explosion of van, camper and caravan travel in recent years has pushed many local communities to the limits of endurance as their favorite wild spots are overtaken by tourists. As a counter measure, we found a variety of newer areas specifically being set up to consolidate overland travelers into acceptable areas - like the forest park pictured above. But it did not make for a very “wild” experience.

*Part of our daily routine - make the lunch, fill the water bottles, pack into a cooler which goes in the cab. Not hard to guess who eats a salad every day and who eats a sandwich.*

Another camper life note, we don’t often eat in restaurants. Even though it feels like we are on a satisfying never ending vacation, since we are living this way full time, we make most of our own food. In two months in the UK. we have averaged about $8 a day in restaurant expenses. Given that one pub meal with drinks can run you $50, that works out to one meal out in 6 days. We found restaurants to be expensive across the UK, even the basic pubs, but on the other hand, groceries were cheaper than in the US.

Most of our restaurant budget actually goes to our favorite weakness, bakeries. A stop at a bakery for pastries, happy stomachs for less than $5. Loved this friendly bakery in Inverness named The Bakery.

We had planned to hike somewhere near Ben Nevis but the weather didn’t cooperate so we set off up the coast from Inverness on the North Coast 500 scenic drive. Our first stop was the scenic cliffs of Duncansby Head. Having just driven much of the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, our bar was high for being impressed by a coastal drive. This first part of the NC500 was not our favorite, but later as we drove the far northern tip, the scenery transformed and became everchanging and breathtaking.

*Gills Bay Ferry Terminal - arrived an hour early for our ferry to the Orkney Islands - felt very lonely for the first half hour.*

Balancing budget with adventure, we decided to ferry out to the Orkney Islands and drive to Isle of Skye for our island trips. We thought about heading to the outer Hebrides as well but by the time we got organized the ferries were full. Driving the scenic areas of Scotland in May, we saw more campers on the road than we have ever seen anywhere. On some sections the only traffic seemed to be big white caravans motoring their way down narrow roads making use of the numerous passing lay-bys. Since we had not run into ferries being fully booked in the past two years of travelling, it was a surprise for us,

*Short person’s hack for popping up the camper. Dawn kneels on two dinette cushions to get the leverage she needs to push it up. Very doable, but Andy still does it 99% of the time.*

*Driving the first evening in the Orkney Islands, Mainland*

Because of some limited ferry schedules, we left Mainland (name of the main island in the Orkneys) and went the next morning to the Isle of Hoy.

*So much beauty, cliffs, mountains, stone crofter’s cottages*

After thoroughly exploring and enjoying the Isle of Hoy we returned to Mainland. More pastural and less dramatically scenic than Hoy, it had some fascinating historic sites,

*Earl’s Palace, Kirkwall, Mainland, Orkney Islands, built in the early 1600’s*

*Skara Brae - pre-historic stone village site, buried in the sand until a great storm hit the coast in the 1850’s and exposed it*

*More stone circles! Andy being buffeted in the wind*

*Narrow stone streets of Stromness, Orkney Islands*

Back to the mainland Scotland to continue the NC 500. Our favorite section - Thurso to the Cape of Wrath. We did a terrible job taking photos - so hard to capture the expansive beauty so we gave up.

*Driving the northern tip of the NC 500*

*Stopped to visit Smoo Cave - a great leg stretching walk, bonus was clean industrial laundry facilities in the parking lot.*

*Cape Wrath - one of our favorite coastal walks. The sun helped too.*

*Cape Wrath - we walked out to the end with the mistaken idea we may see puffins - not a one to be found.*

*Attempting to capture the beauty of the Northern Highlands. Plus posing the truck.*

*Loved seeing relics of the past along the way*

*Eilean Donan Castle near the bridge to Isle of Skye. Scenically perched on an island, worth a visit although heavily restored in the early 1900’s.*

*Lambing season - so much fun to watch the antics of the little ones everywhere we went*

The Isle of Skye was fantastic and made us more sorry that we didn’t make it to the outer Hebrides, but we felt like we got a taste of the majestic beauty of this coastal island chain. We were surprised by how mountainous and rugged it was.

*Hiking in the Cuillin Hills, Isle of Skye*

*Hiking the famous Fairy Pools trail - found a 5 mile loop*

Crossing back over the bridge from the Isle of Skye to the mainland, we began our journey south, driving through the beautiful Glenn Affric.

*Wild camping spot, just off the road but gorgeous views.*

Next stop, Cairngorms National Park. We entered through Aviemore, a town with an appealing outdoorsy feel, like so many mountain towns around the world.

*Hiked the beautiful Meall a’ Bhuachaille trail - 9 mile loop*

*Took a moment to remember Dawn’s mom at the top*

On to Aberdeen to try to trace some ancestral roots. We failed miserably. Inadequate advance planning (left documents at home, incomplete pre-research) meant we didn’t get very far, but we drove by Dawn’s mom’s childhood home, peeked in the gates, and collected resources and websites for future research.

*Spent a day wandering the streets of Aberdeen*

*Classic grey granite buildings of Aberdeen*

Leaving Aberdeen feeling unfulfilled with ancestral knowledge, we made our way to Glamis Castle so Dawn could indulge her passion for Shakespeare and Shakespearean history. Possibly a source of inspiration for Macbeth, Glamis castle is impressive in its own right.

*Taking he opportunity to pose the truck at Glamis Castle*

*Parts of Glamis castle date back to the 14th century*

Decorated to the hilt, the past is alive with evidence of famous visitors from Mary, Queen of Scots, and King James V. Also childhood home of the current Queen Elizabeth’s mother. (HM Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother)

*Andy joins the carving of Macbeth’s witches in the gardens at Glamis Castle. Double, double toil and trouble. (Dawn hides a Shakespeare quote in every blog page, that was an easy one)*

We resumed our driving tour, leaving the highlands behind and visiting small coastal villages along the way.

*Culross, dating back to the 6th century. Current claim to fame, filming site for “Outlander.”*

Some more food on the road notes, our two favorite breakfasts:

*Some version of an egg and potato fry up*

Stirling Castle was our paid adventure for the week and it was well worth it. Free guided tours are included in the admission and give a wealth of historical context. Perched on volcanic rock it held a key position in the wars between England and Scotland. It was also home to both Mary Queen of Scots and King James VI (or James I if you are English) who eventually united the two realms.

*Originally the whole castle was painted this golden color, representing wealth and power*

*Also wandered the streets of Stirling, a town rich in history*

Morton Hall Camping outside Edinburgh. Caravan camping in Scotland - typically in a grassy field, clean, nice shower and toilet buildings, the bigger ones have laundry, usually about GBP 20-35 a night. We use them when we need to do laundry or are camping outside a city.

Edinburgh was fantastic! We did an excellent free walking tour and were regaled by stories by our guide, Graeme. We did not visit the castle, as we had been on a prior visit. We opted to take the subterranean tour of The Real Mary King’s Close which had been recommended to us. This was our least favorite tour - an enthusiastic guide in period costume led us through some underground passages complete with video presentations and models of people. We didn’t learn much and it was pricey.

*Edinburgh city streets - history oozing from every brick and cobblestone*

*Back street courtyards and alleyways (“closes”) abound*

*Lunch out- fish and chips of course. Learned about the newest Scottish food craze - deep fried slice of pizza. We just couldn’t do it.*

Possibly one of the most history and art rich cities we have visited, we left Edinburgh feeling like we could have stayed longer. But family fun awaits us. We worked our way to the border lands along the England/Scotland border where there is a famous string of ancient abbeys. We visited the one reputed to be the best.

*Ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, established in 1150.*

And so ends our journey through Scotland. Next, a few days in England before we fly home to celebrate our daughter Claire’s graduation from Oregon State University. Next travel adventure will be Iceland -shipping for the truck is booked and preparations underway. Thank you for reading!

England

Wales