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Post by wendy on Jun 4, 2007 12:11:42 GMT
Just got back from our trip to Scotland. We've cycled a bit, walked a bit and driven quite a lot as we went up the east coast, along the north coast and then down the west coast.
The cycling was curtailed by the really strong winds that seemed to blow all the time that we were away. We saw dolphins in the Cromarty Firth and had a trip to John o' Groats and Dunnet Head (most northerly point of the mainland). Orkney looked very nice, but the sea looked a bit too choppy for a trip over - we'll save that trip for another time.
The west coast was quite wet, but the waterfalls looked really good and the rain didnot deter the little midgies!
Stayed at lots of nice sites - club sites, CLs, CSs & commercial sites. The Dimension performed well and we made good use of all the on-board facilities.
If anyone is interested, I can provide more details of our trip.
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Post by Pauline on Jun 4, 2007 14:12:36 GMT
Have you been away? ;D Of course we missed you, wasn't the same without talk of cake  |
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Post by mike and heather on Jun 4, 2007 14:54:29 GMT
Just got back from our trip to Scotland. .... If anyone is interested, I can provide more details of our trip. Hi Wendy and John We'd love to know some more details, especially the East Coast. Is it true there are no midges there? We went to Islay in the Western Isles last year and the midges took a particular liking to me!  I know the West and North Coasts are spectacular, but is it worth seeing the East? Looking forward to seeing you at Hayfield. |
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Post by wendy on Jun 4, 2007 18:48:50 GMT
We didn't have any trouble with midges on the east coast, but there was an awful lot of wind, so maybe that kept them away. The east is not as spectacular as the west and north, but we wanted to see the dolphins, as when we were last there we didn't see any. Also we had relations to visit near Aberdeen - another reason for going up the east coast.
We'll try and remember to bring some pictures to Hayfield - really looking forward to seeing everybody again. Also to seeing your new Dimension, Mike and Heather.
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Post by yamaha on Jun 4, 2007 21:55:22 GMT
Wendy said "but there was an awful lot of wind, so maybe that kept them away". Oh dear, Wendy - sorry to here that - was it curry powder in the cake mix, maybe?  Glad you had a good holiday - we must do Scotland one of these days. Mike |
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Post by Barbara and Graham on Jun 5, 2007 9:00:41 GMT
Hi Mike and Heather You were asking for info about Scotland, especially the east coast. This is a reply I posted earlier to Dora when she joined. I think I'll also put it in the Bonnie Scotland thread we started a while ago - it might be more use there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In reply to your enquiry about Scotland it's hard to know where to start. We've been living here for 36 years and still haven't seen it all by any means. The east coast is our home territory and parts are well worth seeing - the fishing villages in the East Neuk of Fife, beautiful beaches at St Cyrus and Lunan Bay north and south of Montrose respectively, Dunottar Castle, Stonehaven and, of course, Edinburgh. The Festival is on 10 August - 2 September and the Fringe 5-27 August. There's a great buzz about the place then. Even if you don't go to any events there's plenty of street entertainment. I believe the CC site is very convenient because you can get on a bus into the city centre. I would guess you'd have to book at that time. For scenery most folk head for the west coast and it is spectacular - see a couple of photos we posted recently in a new thread, Bonnie Scotland. We stayed on the the CC sites at Onich and Kinlochewe - very different but both excellent. Onich is beautifully located and if you like to be able to walk to the pub/for a meal out you can do that at Kinlochewe. The drive through Glen Torridon is stunning and Shieldaig is a pretty little village but they're just examples - wherever you go you won't be disappointed - unless the rain is lashing down! In the Highlands, unless you're right on the coast and it's windy, the midges can make life misery, particularly in August. The bad news is that they're reported to be moving east. There are various anti midge products available. Some folk swear by Avon's Skin So Soft - even the Marines are said to use it. It's also supposed to help if you take brewer's yeast before and while you're exposed to them. In our old camper we used to use coils that you lit which were quite good, though we did all smell as if we'd been sitting round a camp fire. I think you can also use an electrical gadget with tablets that give off some sort of vapour. Whether you're happy about breathing the smoke or the vapour is a different question. There's a web page where you can find a midge forecast but it's not operational till May: www.midgeforecast.co.uk/home/forecast_fx.aspAnother of our favourite parts is Perthshire - Loch Tay, Dunkeld, Pitlochry, all of which can be busy in the summer (although the Scottish schools go back in the middle of August). There's a good site at Blair Castle in Blair Atholl (though we haven't been there for many years). In Pitlochry there's a genuine repertory theatre where, if you're interested, you can see a number of different plays in a few days, though it is quite pricey. The main route north, the A9, is very scenic but has a reputation for being dangerous because it alternates between dual and single carriageway. I could go on and on! The Argyll coast, the Trossachs, Loch Lomondside, Loch Ness, Deeside, Dumfries and Galloway are also worth a look, as are the Borders. If you enjoy walking there are opportunities just about everywhere and there's a fair sprinkling af National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland sites all over. If whisky interests you then head for Speyside, although you'll find distilleries in many other areas too. Two weeks won't be enough and, especially if the weather is kind to you, I guess you'll come back. I hope that helps. If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask and I'll try to answer. Enjoy your holiday when it comes Barbara |
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Post by Graham on Jun 5, 2007 21:33:23 GMT
Welcome back John and Wendy
Your trip to Scotland sounds great I bet it set you back a bob or two in diesel, but worth it I am sure. Did you get the recipe for Dundee Cake while you were there?
Its great to have you back on the forum, we've missed you. We look forward to seeing you in Hayfield after our French adventure.
Graham
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Post by mike and heather on Jun 6, 2007 8:50:29 GMT
Wendy and John, we are looking forward to hearing about your grand tour of Scotland when we meet up next month. We did the West and North coasts about 20 years ago, but now prefer to be away for less time, not wishing to leave our two cats for too long.
Thank you Barbara and Graham for the great ideas for places to visit in Scotland. We shall certainly try the Montrose area before too long, with the hope of avoiding the midgies. It's a long way to Scotland and it is tempting to try and cover a lot of ground, but we may pop up just to the one area and relax there for a week. A couple of years ago we went to the North Berwick area in East Lothian, where we hardly saw an English person, just locals relaxing, and it was great. We travelled in to Edinburgh, missed the park and ride, drove all around the centre of the city(!) and finished up in a Sainsbury's car park for the day, but that's another story.
I expect people from Scotland have the same feeling with England, ie where to start or do we just do a grand tour? Living here we still have lots of places to visit within 50 miles of home so the idea of seeing a whole country in one visit is pretty impossible (or left to the Americans).
Our new Romahome Dimension 2 has a trip computer and from it we can read out our mpg as we go along. We are very pleased to have discovered that we are averaging anything between 36 and 40 mpg on journeys. The readout does encourage us to be more light-footed. So perhaps we will be popping up to Scotland regularly for shorter breaks.
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Post by Pauline on Jun 6, 2007 8:51:46 GMT
You are back and we are off! (Nothing personal  All ready for out French trip and the weather sounds like it is going to be good. 500 walks book is all packed Yamaha, will let you know how many we do! :-) See you all soon. |
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Post by yamaha on Jun 6, 2007 9:10:29 GMT
Have a great time, you two - and put my name on a few walks, then I'll feel refreshed !!  Mike |
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dora
New Member
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Post by dora on Jun 12, 2007 11:27:07 GMT
Hi Dora here...I have booked the sites for our trip ..........Onich on the way up and on the way back down - the site does sound like it's in a fantastic location. Although we originally planned to go up the East coast and down the West I think it was too ambitious so we are stopping in Clachtoll near Lochinver for 11 days. Any info on this area Wendy? As the site is right next to the beach I am hoping the midges won't be toooo bad. Someone recommended using one of those electric bug zappers and we do have a small portable one. Has anyone tried them?
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Post by wendy on Jun 12, 2007 20:08:42 GMT
We didn't stop on the west coast apart from the overnights as it kept raining. Even so it looked lovely and the waterfalls were going really well.
Not much help to you, Dora, but hope that you have a lovely time. The midges were troublesome on the west coast despite the rain.
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Post by djsooz on Jun 13, 2007 17:38:38 GMT
Glad to see everyone so keen on visiting bonnie scotland  Barbara and Graham have given a very good account of great places to stay/visit. I like to add Glencoe, Skye, Wester Ross and the Moray Coast to the list (the Moray coast is particulaly good if you want to avoid midges). Dora - I've been to Clachtoll It's set above a beautiful beach with great coast walks all around. Not much of a problem with the dreaded midges (they keep coming up don't they ) as there is always a breeze. You'll get a great welcome from the site owners and the facilities are always spotless. Clachtoll is pretty remote though - no shops/restaurants/bars - just the site on its own. The nearest shop is in Lochinver. I don't think I would stay for 11 days as you would do most things in 4 or 5. You really need to be lucky with the weather. I recommend taking a kite. I had a great time flying one on the beach. Also I'm a body boarder (for those who don't know that's someone who wants to be a surfer but has no balance ;D). So if anyone's into this, take a wet suit and your board to Clachtoll. You often get perfect waves. Think I'll add my advice on midges to the bonnie scotland thread as everyone asks about them. Sooz (from Dundee where ofcourse we live on cake!) |
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Barbara and Graham have given a very good account of great places to stay/visit. I like to add Glencoe, Skye, Wester Ross and the Moray Coast to the list (the Moray coast is particulaly good if you want to avoid midges).