Edinburgh, Scotland to Lake District National Park, England – Mar. 21 – 23, 2012

More Pictures!

In planning our limited time up north we initially ranked both these locations as “ok to pass by.”  (Even despite receiving multiple recommendations to visit the Lake District.)  But as luck would have it (or more specifically, as gaining knowledge would have it) we made better time heading south than we thought; thus opening up time for these two delightful stops.

You see, we have discovered there are different types of “A” roads and, the really great part is, we are beginning to distinguish them on the A to Z!  We have found A roads to be anything from relaxing two-lane highways to a harrowing single lane shared in both directions, sometimes with no center line.  But with our new map reading capabilities, our trip south was much faster than our trip north.

Thus we earned one night in Edinburgh at the delightful Edinburgh Caravan Club Site.

We woke in Edinburgh to the first cloudless day we have had in the United Kingdom.  Our plan was to drive to the Lake District as soon as possible, but with such nice weather and a bus stop only a half-mile away we decided a quick tour of downtown Edinburgh was a requirement.   It was very quick, but definitely worth the trip.  Dogs were not allowed into the castle, but that didn’t stop us from taking Rosco’s picture out front to the amazement of our fellow tourists.  They just couldn’t believe he would sit there all by himself so calmly.  I, on the other hand, knew I was safe unless he spotted the UPS van coming up the hillside.

Pictures and bus tour accomplished, we hit the road for the Lake District National Park and what a treat that was!  I realize I have to stop relating everything as “gorgeous” otherwise who will continue to believe me?  So I’ll move on to stunning.  It is unbelievable how quickly the geography changes as you leave the middle of England and head west:  From low, flat farms to the seemingly endless Cumbrian Mountains snuggled against each other, and it all happens in a matter of a few short miles.

With our late start from Edinburgh, we didn’t reach Keswick (an almost cute town) until around 5:00 p.m.  We had no reservations and it being a warm and sunny Thursday leading into an equally promising weekend we knew we might have trouble securing a spot.  So we carpe pitched ’em at the first caravan park with an opening; indeed, gaining their last pitch.  The English are rightfully crazy about this National Park of theirs and with the sunny weather they were nearly out of their minds with delight.  Happy, hiking people were everywhere.

We weren’t thrilled with the campground and realizing that we would need reservations for our Friday night stay, SP spent some time finding us the delightful Gillside Farm Campground for our second night; conveniently located just minutes from the jumping off point of our hike to Angle Tarn.  That task accomplished, we gorged on driving day pizza and went to bed early.  We knew we needed an early start for our mountain hike.

And what a great hike it was!  But let me tell you, the English are a much tougher hiking clan than we Americans!  Not only are their “moderate” ratings much closer to “strenuous” but they do not use switchbacks. So if the hike gains elevation it does so by simply going straight up.  And that’s what we did for a good three miles – but check out those views! 

On the way up we survived The Great Sheep Herding Incident of 2012:  Forgetting that we were crossing pasture land in the beginning of the hike, we let The Noses off leash.  Unfortunately, they spotted some sheep before we did and took off after them.  The sheep were no fools and immediately escaped across a small waterfall-filled river but with The Noses in hot pursuit.  Rosco’s pursuit was so hot he almost ran himself off a giant boulder and down a 20’ waterfall.  Stopping with a squeal at the cusp just in time, he apparently decided that was enough and (finally) heeded my calls to return.

After that we kept them on leash until we were sure we were out of pasture land.  But that didn’t stop River from jumping up and down every time she caught a whiff of sheep.

The hike was delightful in the hazy sunshine and low 60’s temperature; I only wish the day had been a bit clearer.  In the pictures you can make out the silhouettes of the mountains layering their way to the coast.  On a clear day it must be spectacular.

We loved our little spot on Gillside Farm (purchasing some fresh eggs and milk while we were there.)  A short walk into Glenridding for coffee the next morning was a perfect ending to our Lake District adventure.  Definitely a Must See but not a Must Return due simply to the crowds; we thought Friday was busy, but the endless arrival of hikers on Saturday was stupendous.  And this wasn’t even the peak season!

After an incredibly long day in Curry (we did try to stop on the way but everything was booked—still sunny, still crazy, still a weekend!) we arrived one day early at our site near Portsmouth, the Rookesbury Caravan Club Site.  Thankfully, they had a grass pitch available—one of only three spots left—and we set up for the night.  The next day we moved to a gravel pitch where we will remain for the duration of our stay. 

Eight glorious nights in one spot!

-K

Scottish Highlands & Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, U.K. – March 18-20, 2012

More Pictures Here!  (But remember, it is Winter so the trees are bare and the heather has not flowered.  Can’t imagine how stunning it will be in a few months.)

Surely the painter who named all the earthy colors did so while sitting in Scotland.  Driving through the Highlands you discover a patchwork of colors likely seen on any palette:  The Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber hillsides sprinkled with Davey’s Grey rocks;  the pastures of Hooker’s Green dotted with white sheep; and, when the clouds part, a sky so completely Cerulean Blue it makes you wonder if you have ever seen a blue sky before. 

Was that description too artsy?  How about envisioning endless rolling hillsides running up to snow-packed peaks, with towns nestled next to rushing rivers or calming lakes?  (And let’s not forget the scotch!) Scotland has the beauty of Switzerland (and you know I love Switzerland) with the rustic feel of Spain topped off with the friendliness of Italy. 

Unfortunately, it has the weather of Iceland.  (Indeed, Dalwhinnie is tied with Iceland as having the coldest average temperature at 6° Celsius.)

But it wasn’t only the scenery that marked Scotland as our first Must Return location; we just didn’t get to see as much of it as we would have liked.  As I mentioned before, we have been somewhat stymied by the time of year (not a lot of caravan parks are open yet this far north) and the inflexibility of Curry.  There were so many tempting roads leading into the valleys of Cairngorms National Park that we would have jumped on in the Pepper (after detaching Salt, of course) but could not even attempt with Curry. 

As for the drive up, we left Faskally and headed across the Glen Spean area of A86 (a Must See) and over to search for Nessie in Loch Ness.  Alan had hunted up a couple of caravan parks that advertised “Open March to September” so we thought we were safe.    But apparently “Open March” really means somewhere near the end of the month; one place we stopped at opened the following day (19^th) the other opened on the 23^rd.  So we had a nice long drive around Loch Ness before heading to the site that advertised, very definitively, “Open All Year”, at Granton-on-Spey.  (A reminder:  All our camping sites are further described in the Campground page at the top of the blog.)

Now the town of Granton-on-Spey doesn’t rank terribly high in the cuteness category, but it makes up for it with its useful stores (butcher, baker, money maker [bank]) and welcoming people.  We took many a long hike from the campground up into the hills, crossing pastures, meeting horses and tiring out The Noses before heading into town for a half of Best.  Okay, a full of Best.

It was during one of these morning walks that we met some fellow travelers and fell into a conversation.  I felt like I hadn’t spoken to someone in such detail for ages!  Then I realized what it was; they were English and not Scottish.  Therefore we could actually understand what they were saying thus making for a much more interesting conversation.  It was from these nice people that we learned the European description for what we are doing—it is not a Holiday but a Gap Year.  (Incidentally, the Europeans are not shocked at all that we are on a Gap Year.  It seems traveling abroad for a year or more is much more common over here.)

If it wasn’t for S&P’s imminent arrival (or so we hope) we would have stayed much longer.  There is a fantastic system of trails that link the towns throughout the valley and we were disappointed that we did not get the opportunity to hike to any of them (bussing back, of course.)

We are on our way down south now, one night in Edinburgh at the gorgeous Edinburgh Caravan Club site (the US had a lot to learn about RV Parks) and two nights planned in the Lake District.  Including a quick visit to the Airstream dealer. 

Upcoming postings include a Scenic Drive of the North York Moors National Park (if I can ever get a strong enough internet connection to get it uploaded) and details on adjustments we are planning for Salt’s evolution from a US Travel Trailer to a European Caravan.

-K

Isle of Arran to Killin, Scotland, U.K. – March 14-17, 2012

More pictures here!

As it is with all travel, some experiences don’t live up to your expectations while other, seemingly innocuous experiences turn into fantastic memories.

The Isle or Arran falls into the former category; I would rank it up there with Iceland on the marketing scale and the experiences were much the same.  They are both islands, they have incredible scenery and wonderful hiking, but neither lived up to their marketing material when it came to picturesque towns or gourmet restaurants.

Both nights on the island we stayed at the functional Lochranza Campground (and golf course) and managed one hike.  Most people hike up Goat Fell (the highest peak on the island) but we decided to hike the Gleann Easan Biorach trail mostly because it started about ¼ mile from the campground and wound its way along a river and back into a valley.  I love a good valley hike!

It started out as a great hike but quickly turned to a slog- and bog- fest.  The recent rains (and snow) had left portions of the trail in deep quicksand-like mud.  We often sunk to depths over our boots and the dogs were black up to their stomachs.  Not being in this for torture, we turned at two miles, returned to Curry, got cleaned up (washed the dogs in the outside shower) and hit the Arran Malt Distillery tour.   Following the tour (and tasting) we loaded up on two bottles; one that was finished in a Port cask for me (it is a delightful apricot color and a bit sweeter than the others) and a more traditional single cask number for Alan.  We made it back to Curry just in time as the rain and wind set in for the night.

It was a long and mostly sleepless night with Curry swaying around in the wind (these European motorhomes are so light it doesn't take much to make them move.)  So we were up early and ready to hit the ferry.  A quick stop at the local bakery in Broddick garnered us a delicious loaf of multigrain bread and two sweet pastries. 

Now, a side note here:  There are lots of great reasons to travel in the off-season (like touring a castle by yourself) but it is much more difficult in a motorhome as most of the camping areas are closed.  So we knew we wanted to head to the Highlands but couldn’t find an open campground along the way until Killin.  In Killin, after a long day that started on a ferry and involved many highways and by-ways including the busy traffic through Glasgow, we decided the caravan park that was open just did not look comfortable enough so we backtracked to the very comfortable looking Bridge of Lochay Hotel.  And this became a prime example of a destination that exceeded our expectations.

The Hotel itself was charming with a large sitting room where guests mingled, cocktails in hand, around the fire before enjoying their gourmet meal in the restaurant.  For our dinner, we had to sit in the “back bar” so The Noses could participate but we were cozy next to the wood stove and perfectly happy with our homemade pumpkin tortellini and Scottish beef fillet.  The presentation too was gorgeous and the service perfect.

After a great night's sleep, two long, hot showers and an equally delicious breakfast of free range eggs and porridge (Alan is still practicing how to pronounce that after being given a lesson by our waiter who was sure he kept saying, “poached egg”) , we set off to hike Sron A’ Chlachain, a one mile trail straight up the hill overlooking Killin and Loch Tay (apparently the hearty Scottish do not need switch-backs.)   The hike provided us with stunning views and a great way to work off that delicious meal.

Leaving Killin we headed north toward Loch Ness and had no stopping spot in mind other than to find a caravan park that was open.  If the road doesn’t give you a heart attack, the views will along the A827 between Killin and Aberfeldy surely will.  And if you are in the area during the right time of year (which seems to start April 1) there are two excellent caravan park options one in Killin (Margowan) and one in Aberfeldy.  Both are pretty parks with nice big gravel pitches and sit along a river within easy walking distance to town.  If either of these had been open we would have stayed in the area much longer.

As it was, we continued north and when the clocked chimed 4:00 it was time to carpe pitchem:  We have an agreement that if we are on the road at 4:00, we must take the first open caravan park we find--no debating.  So we stopped in Faskally at a completely serviceable caravan park.  The following morning I discovered another unexpected joy:  It had a great trail along the river that I enjoyed in the frosty early morning sun with The Noses.

-K

Practicalities:

-        As I mentioned, most caravans use a cartridge system for their black and grey water, but we are finding quite a few places that are starting to put in “Motor Home Dumping Points” which, at a minimum, allow you to drive over and dump your grey tank water down a sewer connection.  Still hoping to find one that accepts the same process for the black tank.  Salt time is near!

  

 - For hiking, most people rely on "OS" Maps (Ordinace Survey), they are easily found at all tourist information sites (for a small fee.)

Maidens & Culzean Castle, Scotland, U.K. – March 14, 2012

More pictures here!

A day that begins by watching newborn lambs frolicking on a hillside and ends on an island off the coast of Scotland just deserves a posting all by itself. 

Making our way to the Isle of Arran in Scotland, we opted to stay one night in Maidens, a small town near the coast.  The Scottish are a very friendly people and Alan was warmly greeted by the owner of Thomaston Farms.  They had a nice conversation during which Alan thought he had communicated his needs, but as they began walking toward the camping area, the farmer looked up at him and asked, “Well Laddie, wha ken I do for ye?”, leaving Alan wondering just what he had agreed to during the previous conversation.  And thus began our first struggle with a foreign tongue.

The farm was a lovely place to stay surrounded by pastures full of sheep on one side and views of the ocean on the other.  When I woke up, I looked out the window of Curry and watched as two newborn lambs ran down the hillside, kicking up their back legs as they tumbled along. 

We wanted to leave for the ferry by 10:30 so we quickly made our way down to visit Culzean Castle claimed to be “Scotland’s favorite castle.”  It certainly should be Scotland’s dogs favorite castle as they are welcome to run around the grounds off leash as long as they are under voice command.  (Although The Noses have mastered the art of selective deafness, we decided to let them off as we were completely alone.)  The castle was a short walk from the campsite and the interior doesn’t open up until the end of March but the grounds were open and we had a great time enjoying the sites on our private self-tour.  (Rosco too was running around like crazy which made us all feel even better.)

On the way back to the farm we saw a lamb on our side of the fence.  I held The Noses (now on leash, thank goodness!) while Alan walked ahead to attempt The Great Lamb Rescue of 2012.  But the lamb wouldn’t have anything to do with him and kept running along the fence, trying to force his way back to the other side.  Meanwhile, the anxious mom was baying like crazy from the hillside.  Eventually the little guy found his was back under a railing and took off as fast as his new legs would carry him up to his mother where he received a sound sniffing.

A quick change and making of coffee for the road and we were headed to the ferry port in Androssan right on time.  The crossing only took 55 minutes during which we decided to try some ferry food.  Studying the menu, I was happy to see a “Curry of the Day” and had planned on selecting that when I reached the front of the line.  But guess what it was?  Lamb.  I opted for the Scotch Broth soup.

Docking in Brodick, we had a short drive (mileage wise) to our campsite in Lochranza but we had one stop to make along the way:  The Isle of Arran’s distillery.  After all, we had been in Scotland for more than 24 hours and were scotch-less!  What better place to start than in a local distillery?

Opting to take the tour on another day, we purchased a sample pack of four to enjoy during our evening celebration of local foods:  Scotch, potatoes from Thomaston’s Farm (£1 for five pounds of freshly dug potatoes!) and fresh eggs from a farm in Robin Hood’s Bay (£1.50 for 10.)  And for entertainment?  Wild red deer and domesticated sheep walking right up to and around Curry.

The Noses just couldn’t figure that one out.

-K

PS:  I have one scenic drive video queued up for YouTube, but a solid internet connection is difficult to come by.  Coming soon to a computer near you!