Month: October 2023

Skye 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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The forecast for the next 2 days was awful with severe weather warnings in place, so we knew we wouldn’t be able to do everything we had planned whilst on Skye. We started off the soggy day with breakfast at the highly rated The Coffee Bothy. It was a really cool vibe inside, with the most incredible cake display and the really friendly staff. Unfortunately, it was style over substance.. Mark ordered a lorne and bacon roll, which was a bit dry and lacked flavour. The cake was moist but had a slightly strange flavour.

Portree As with everywhere we have been so far, there are plenty of places to pull over for a view and a quick photo. We spotted a waterfall and P, so we parked up, and I popped over the road for a closer look. Unfortunately, there was a large family who had got there first. They started by all having individual photos, then various group photos.. they were completely oblivious that others were trying to admire/photograph the falls. I got fed up waiting, so I took a photo, edited them out, and went back to the van to continue the journey. Portree is the colourful capital of the Isle of Skye and is a lovely little seaside town. It’s full of cafés, bars, restaurants, gift shops and of course, whisky shops. A trip here wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the viewpoint for the multicoloured houses or a walk around the harbour to see them up close. On a nice day, there are plenty of cafés to choose from to sit back and watch the boats bobbing on the Loch with the stretch of hills in the background.

The Old Man of Storr This was one of the walks we were both really looking forward to, and luckily the rain has stopped and the skies were clear. One of my favourite things to do on a hike is to look at what other people are wearing. My favourites from here were hotpants with knee high boots, ankle boots with a heal (she had to have people either side to help her down) and pyjamas 🤷🏼‍♀ The Old Man of Storr is an iconic landmark on the Isle of Skye, with a towering pinnacle of rock perfectly set among the landscapes of the Trotternish Peninsula. The hike is a steady slog straight up the side of a hill, and due to the amount of food I’ve been consuming this past week (I’ve definitely put on a stone) I had to have regular stops just to catch my breath! There are so many photography opportunities here, and each turn just gets better and better. The rock formations are enormous and impressive, and the views out to the lochs, mountains, and surrounding islands were incredible. We really were so lucky with the weather!

Lealt Falls & Kilt Rock And that was where the good weather ended. It continued to rain for the rest of our time of Skye. One good thing about Skye is a lot of the waterfalls are easily accessible. You park up and walk to a purpose built viewing area. Both of these falls offer just that, and are definitely ‘must swing by’ falls. Lealt waterfall crashes into Lealt gorge and is surrounded by rugged terrain. Kilt rock is an ancient cliff resembling a kilt, with Mealt waterfall plummeting from the top of the cliffs to the rocky coast below.

Staffin As mentioned in the previous blog, there aren’t many campsite options this late in the season. But we found a small one in Staffin, which is located near to the dinosaur beach. By now the rain was heavy, but I was determined to find the dinosaur footprints which are located on various rocks around this black sand beach. We hunted for them, but soon gave up, which by the looks of it, so did a lot of people judging by the amount of footprints drawn in the sand instead. On a clear day, the Quiraing dominates the skyline here, so if you are fortunate with the weather, you should definitely add this beach to your list. The campsite for the night was small and settled, but despite multiple signs saying do not dry clothes using hand dryers and hair dryers, people were drying their clothes with hand dryers and hair dryers.

The Quiraing This was meant to be one of the hikes we did, however today the weather was even worse than yesterday. Due to the uneven ground and steep sections, a lot of reviews on AllTrails (and other websites) suggested that you don’t attempt this in adverse weather unless an experienced hiker. So… as we are absolutely not that, we thought we would try the viewpoint instead. This is one of the most photographed places on Skye, but unfortunately we just didn’t have luck on our side, and by this point, a small stream was also forming on the roads. Instead, we got a coffee and a bacon roll from the van at the car park (we were his first customer) whacked the heating on, and gave up on waiting for any of it to pass.

Fairy Glen A delightful and enchanting miniature landscape of grassy, cone-shaped hills. The Isle of Skye is rich with faerie lore, however, the unique geological formations here are actually the result of a landslip (but dont think about that, let your imagination go wild). This is very easily accessible, with lots of parking and the whole area is a lovely walk. There is a large rock formation in the middle, known as Castle Ewen, which you can climb up for views across the whole site. Unfortunately, we chose to do it whilst it was quite busy, and I got wedged in the tiny gap used to get up to the top. Conscious that people were trying to get up and down, I managed to unwedge myself, but gave up giving it another attempt. We spent a bit of time exploring the area, but as the rain continued, the ground just became too boggy to enjoy it anymore. Luckily, everyone had decided to leave, so I gave Castle Ewen one more try, and with a bit of manoeuvre, managed to make it to the top.

Dunvegan Castle We knew we would have around an hour to explore here (in hindsight, we should have sacked off Neist Point to spend longer here) so we only paid to visit the garden, and not the joint castle ticket. Dunvegan boats 5 acres of formal award-winning gardens, including the water garden, rose garden, walled garden and woodland walks. You can tell they’ve put a lot of money and effort in to try and restore the gardens to their former glory, and were full of autumnal colours. They have a waterfall, and offer seal boat trips (these finished on 30th Sept) and the views of the castle across the water are stunning.

Neist Point The road here towards the end was absolutely terrible and full of pot holes, and the car park was rammed with badly parked cars. When we arrived we were greeted with heavy rain and thick, thick fog.. I left Mark in the car whilst I popped out for a look, with everything crossed that the fog at least would lift. However.. that wasn’t to be the case. The round trip walk down to the lighthouse was around 2 miles, and I was really conscious that we were booked in for a tasting at Talisker later that afternoon. There was, however, a cake fridge at a house by the car park! So to try and cheer us up, I got a lemon and a coffee and walnut slice.

Talisker As this is one of Mark’s favourites, we had to make sure we factored in a visit here (and also a perfect excuse to get out of the rain). Talisker offer a tasting experience, without having to do a distillery tour, so this was perfect for us (on the whole, if you’ve done one distillery tour, you’ve done them all!) As I was driving, I was given a drivers pack so I (Mark) could enjoy them later. We were taught the importance of sniffing the whisky with your mouth slightly open and sniffing it through one nostril at a time before trying the whisky neat, then adding 2 drops of water. Mind-blowing! You also get 10% off in the shop for attending the tasting, which is great considering how much some of it costs. The area around Talisker Bay is also meant to be stunning, but we really were fed up with the rain and wind putting a downer of Skye, so decided to head back to the campsite.

Sligachan Bridge We had stopped here yesterday for a walk around, but it was so so busy. Luckily, the car park and the bridge itself were now empty, so we parked up and had another look. It was now only drizzle rather than torrential rain.. hooray! The legend of Sligachan states that if you dip your face in the river water by the bridge, you will be granted eternal beauty. Knowing my luck, I’d fall in, so as tempting as this sounded, I decided to give the dipping a miss. The bridge is surrounded by mountains in the distance, and the weather makes it more atmospheric. When the water level is low and the sky is clear, you are able to get a really cool framed mountain shot through the arch of the bridge. There is a campsite here, but unfortunately, it closed for the season on Sept 30th. There are so many amazing photography opportunities here, so it’s really worth stopping, whatever the weather!

We were so looking forward to coming to Skye, but unfortunately, we’ve just been a bit underwhelmed. The bloke at the campsite we stayed at said they hadn’t seen weather this bad for a very long time.. so that obviously hasn’t helped. We missed out on Fairy Pools because the walking route was too deep with water. We’ve also been really spoilt with the incredible views of the west coast, and other tourists on the NC500.. Unfortunately, Skye was full of inconsiderate people, people parking in passing places, nobody said hello when you walked past.. and my biggest annoyance of all, nobody thanked you on single track roads for letting them passed. We’ve just been very unlucky. But I’d definitely return to give it a second chance in better weather!

Obviously as we left Skye.. the sun came out 🤣

Gairloch to Skye 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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This morning we woke up, glad that the van was still standing. It was blowing a hoolie all night that everything is the van was shaking. It’s our last full day on the NC500 before heading into Skye this evening, so it’s a long day of driving ahead.

Victoria Falls Not to be confused with the falls on the Zambezi River 🤣 Scotland has its own Victoria Falls, named after Queen Victoria, who visited in 1877. From the car park, it’s a very short walk to the viewing area to see the falls, as well as views over Loch Maree. This was a super quick stop as it was on the way to our next destination. We got back into Ruby, ready to drive off, and a dirty man decided to have a wee right in front of us!! No shame…

Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve The rain continued on arrival to the car park. If we had better weather (and more time), we would have taken on the mountain trail, but the trail leaflet suggested 4 hours, and it was wet, foggy, and cold. So, instead, we opted for the woodland walk. It’s the Caledonian pinewoods here that led Beinn Eighe to be designated as Britain’s first National Nature Reserve. Before you start the walk, you can pick up an information leaflet that explains the views, trees, and other things you might see en route. Unfortunately, due to the weather we had, we didn’t have the best views of the mountains or lochs.. but there were plenty of other interesting things to look at, including multiple varieties of fungi (which Mark thoroughly enjoyed 🤣) It was full of autumnal colours, rushing streams, and rustling wildlife. If you come at the right time, you may see Golden Eagles! When we got back to Ruby, the rain had eased off, so we were able to sit on a bench next to the Loch for a while and just watch the world go by.

Bealach na Bà Have you even done the 500 if you haven’t driven this road 😉 It’s a winding single track road through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula, and the name is Scottish Gaelic for Pass of the Cattle. On the drive from the nature reserve to the start of Bealach na Bà, as we turned a corner, loads of things flew off the shelf, which meant we had to pull over to put it all back. As we got into the parking area, we noticed loads of people were taking a photo of something – a stag! He was just walking around and sticking his head into people’s windows! He’s obviously always there, as there is a sign saying do not feed me. Obviously, certain people chose to ignore that.. but it was so lovely to see him up close. After a little Google about him, it turns out the locals have called him Callum 🤷🏼‍♀ we got back on the road ready to tackle Bealach na Bà. Boasting the steepest ascent of any road in the United Kingdom with its hairpin turns up to the 2,054 feet summit. Described as remote, scary, challenging, and breathtaking. So.. we did it twice! Mark did both drives, so I could concentrate on getting all the content 😉 unfortunately on the way up, we got stuck behind two cyclists, who just wouldn’t pull over to let us go by! I understand it would be difficult for them to regain momentum going uphill…. but poor Ruby’s clutch 😭 Luckily we did it on a reasonably clear bit of the day, and we got incredible views on the way up and the way down.

Applecross Everything you read online, and even the owner of the campsite we had just left, absolutely rave about The Applecross Inn. It’s the absolute best food you will ever eat.. so obviously we had to try it! I ordered haggis and oatcakes and had enough haggis to feed the 5000. It was super tasty, though. Mark had crab salad, and we both had fish and chips for the main. It was nice, but it certainly wasn’t the best I’ve ever eaten. And it definitely wasn’t worth the price we paid for it. What was lovely, though, was we saw yet another stag! Who just wondered through the village and settled himself down next to the side of someone’s house.

To Skye We left Applecross, drove back down Bealach na Bà, and headed for Skye. I’d seen a couple on Instagram take a selfie in the ‘Kishorn Selfie Box’, so much to Mark’s delight, we stopped for a selfie. I just wish they had left a box of props 😉 The last leg of the journey was foggy and raining, and we couldn’t wait to get settled into the campsite. Due to the time of year, there aren’t many campsite options on Skye, so we chose one in a village called Broadford. Unfortunately, next to us was a load of lads lads lads, who decided to be noisy until quite late. It’s not a massive issue, but we have been so used to the quiet 500 campsites 🤣

Ullapool to Gairloch 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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We decided to treat ourselves to a nice breakfast today due to being just a few minutes’ drive from Ullapool, and therefore a selection of cafés. We chose Cult Cafe and opted for avo on toast with feta. Now we’ve done a lot of avo breakfasts in our time, and this one was up there with one of the best we’ve ever had! We then popped into the deli over the road to see what treats they had to offer. They had a huge selection of cakes, meats, and cheeses, as well as an extensive deli roll menu. We decided to grab two to have for lunch later, however it did take them an absolute age to make them (which is ok because they were absolutely delicious) I think they felt sorry for us because we were given an off cut of a piece of millionaires shortbread for free whilst we waited.

Lael Forest Garden
Mark decided he needed a bit of a rest (which involved a book, a whole cafetiere, and 3 French fancies!), so I did this one solo. Due to the recent heavy rainfall, it was very slippery in the areas where the tree roots were above ground. I took the upper path first and was a little bit underwhelmed by the whole thing. The view of the falls was also really obscured, and it was just too slippery to get anywhere near them. The lower half of the trail was much better, with loads of different species of trees and fungi. It was a nice little mile long walk to get the day started.

Corrieshalloch Gorge We pulled into the car park and saw it was a tenner to park a campervan! I’m all for paying for car parks to help maintain the area, but I think £10 is a bit steep..especially when our van can fit into the same space as a car. So we ended up being one of those.. and drove off in search of a free parking area, which luckily we found quite quickly. Corrieshalloch is said to be one of the most spectacular gorges of its type in Britain. And it certainly was spectacular! Only a short walk from the parking area and you come to a suspension bridge (which I can imagine is a massive pain in the summer as only 6 people are ‘allowed’ on at a time) and here you can marvel at the colossal gorge. It stretches approximately 1.5 kilometers long and plunges to a depth of 60 meters. The Falls of Measach that cascade into the depths of the gorge create this amazing sight. There is also a woodland walk in which at present, the native trees are rich in Autumnal colours.

Ardessie falls
We parked up on the side of the road (only spaces for about 5 cars) and tucked into our rolls before tackling the next waterfall walk. Getting to the start involves walking along a narrow path by the side of the road, and some delightful creature decided to drive their car straight into a massive puddle and spray Mark.. luckily for him, he was head to toe in waterproof gear. There are no obvious paths. It’s literally a case of scramble away in the direction of the falls. The beauty of these falls is that there are many segments to them. Watching the water gushing furiously around rocks and down deep gullies in a series of rapids, as well as stunning views across Loch Broom and surrounding mountains, what more could you want! There was an option to cross the falls, but that looked far too dangerous. There was also a massive wedged boulder, which, when stood on, would make a really cool photo. However, one wrong movement would send you plunging into the falls below.. so we sacked that one off, too! We spent quite a long time at these falls.. we really loved the beauty of the area. The scramble back down as usual, boggy and slippery, but with good shoes and good balance, we would definitely recommend this walk.

Firemore beach
The weather was now closing in, but we decided we could squeeze one more thing in for today. Firemore is a red-hued sandy beach, and due to its rural location and single track road (and probably also the weather), we had it all to ourselves. There are no facilities here, just a small parking area. On a clear day, I can imagine it would he a stunning place to be, but we got wind, rain, and fog, and so after a quick walk around, decided to call it a day.

We arrived at our campsite and realised there was a pub next door. This is very rare as most campsites are in the arse end of nowhere! Excited, we walked in, expecting a cosy atmosphere, full of locals and campers having a lovely time. Instead, it was just the two of us and a slightly strange barmaid. After about 10 minutes, another couple came in, but all she did was moan out loud that she couldn’t have a pint of Coke. They only sold it in a can. She then decided to read the whole food menu out loud, and her and her husband had a very lengthy discussion about what haggis bonbons were (Mark heard his haggis bonbon bowel movement the following morning 💩). We drank up and headed back to Ruby to enjoy some beers we bought earlier and a mushroom stroganoff with microwave rice (little things…)

Clachtoll to Ullapool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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We woke up to a dry morning after a night of wind and rain, and decided to change breakfast up a bit and have crunchy nut instead! The plan was a bit of everything today – a waterfall, a castle, a cave and finishing next to a beach.

Clashnessie Falls Located just a short drive from where we were staying and with a slightly bigger parking area than the falls yesterday. If you don’t fancy the scramble to get there, you can actually see the falls from the roadside, but we were up for the challenge and set off for a closer look. Due to the heavy rain the night before, the route was very boggy and very slippery. Half way into the walk we saw a sign to the falls pointing us to walk across the water, however this was impossible due to how deep it was. We therefore had to scramble across boulders and stones in a very narrow area to avoid trespassing into the grounds of the cottage by the falls (there were signs making sure this didn’t happen 🤣) The falls were full and dramatic, but also tranquil. There was an easy path to admire the falls from above as well. As long as you have the right shoes, we would definitely recommend these falls.

Lochinver I had read about the best pies ever in Lochinver, so we were keen to try these out. Unfortunate the dine in option wasn’t available today, but fortunately it was a lovely day and we were able to sit outside next to the Loch and enjoy the pies with the view. I opted for the pork, apple and cider.. and it really was delicious. Deep filed and full of flavour.. what more could you ask for. You can even get the pies posted to you! Check out Lochinver Larder if you appreciate a good pie 🥧

Ardvreck Castle The ruin of Ardvreck Castle stands atop a small promontory of land on Loch Assynt. It is easily visible from the road and easily accessed from 2 roadside car parks. Mark decided to enjoy some peace and quiet and sat with a coffee, enjoying the views, whilst I went off to explore. It’s in a stunning location, and although just a fragment of its former glory, this scenic ruin is a must-see. You can see why Clan Macleod decided to build it here.

Bone Caves We nearly didn’t visit here because all of the instructions online seemed a bit vague, saying things like its difficult to park, and look out for said boulder and if you miss it you’ve gone wrong. It also wasn’t on Alltrails, and obviously neither of us can read a map 🤣 But… we love a challenge, so why not! Luckily, the car park is very clearly signposted and big enough for loads of cars. The paths up to the caves are also really obvious, so we’re really glad we decided to do this hike. We headed up the limestone valley to visit the caves, to the loud grunting noises of rutting deer nearby. They get their name because when they were excavated, they were found to contain the remains of species such as lynx, reindeer, and polar bear, which once roamed the area. Pretty cool! You need to be ok with heights with this walk, because around the caves, the paths are very narrow, but I really enjoyed this one. Until the very end.. when the heavens opened and it absolutely poured with rain, and unfortunately we were just too late for the coffee van at the side of the parking area.

There was some lovely P stops on our way to our home this evening. It’s so difficult not to pull over into every single one! We popped into Ullapool to check out the pub scene, as Newcastle took on PSG. Unfortunately there was only one pub showing football.. and that was showing the wrong game.. so because Mark was too scared to ask a Scottish barman to change from Celtic to Newcastle, he grabbed some beers, and we got ourselves settled in Ruby, ready for a night of top quality football. I dread to think what the others on the site must have thought with all the shouting and jumping up and down, thanks to their 4-1 victory!

Durness to Clachtoll 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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We woke up to rain.. and lots of it! It was therefore ponchos on and make a dash for the showers. We had our staple porridge pot, packed up Ruby and headed a few minutes down the road to our first stop.

Smoo cave We pulled into the car park at Smoo Cave and noticed that the cheese toastie van (which everyone raves about and says is the best toastie you will ever eat) was closed, despite their website saying it was open! So.. I got straight onto Facebook messenger to enquire, especially with missing out on Crumbs yesterday. Luckily they replied quickly and had decided to open at 11. This meant we would have plenty of time to explore the cave and then return to a tasty treat. Smoo is a dramatic and spectacular sea cave set into the limestone cliffs. The cave entrance and main chamber have been considerably enlarged by sea action and is now the largest sea cave entrance in Britain. The inner chambers, where the waterfall is located, were formed through freshwater rainfall erosion. During the summer months (and autumn months when the weather behaves) you can go into the cave via boat, however this wasn’t an option for us today. Once we had explored the cave and checked out the waterfall, we headed towards the sea for some rugged views, and was greated by a rainbow. We were the only ones up there, and as the rain had stopped we sat and watched the waves crashing on the cliff edges. We walked back to the car park and luckily, the cheese toastie van was open! We ordered our cheesy treats from the most Scottish woman we have met so far (most people working here are not Scottish!) and just as they were ready, the heavens opened again.. so we ran back to Ruby and had them there. They were INCREDIBLE and so so cheesy 🧀

Oldshoremore beach As this often appears on the list of the UK’s best beaches, we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Crisp white sand, turquoise blue water – it was like being on a beach in Thailand. It has parking and toilets which was an added bonus, and after navigating a steep sandy path, we made it to the beach. It would be the perfect place to sit with a picnic or just read a book. It was so tranquil and so so clean! It really is a hidden gem in the Highlands.

Kylesku Bridge We got back to Ruby and bashed off our boots (the hire company really doesn’t want a sandy van) and set on our way to our next destination. During this drive we were lucky to see not one, but two animals associated with the Highlands – a stag who ran out into the road and gave us the dirtiest look before running off, and Highlands cows. Mark popped in to get us a latte from the local petrol station (which was awful!!) whilst I went for a closer look. As I love a good fact in this blog.. here are some about the gorgeous heilan coos. They are the oldest cattle breed in the world, male horns are thicker than female horns, and the most exciting fact – the most common breed in the Highlands is the ginger one. After spending far too long looking at the cows, we headed for the famous NC500 bridge. The bridge crosses Loch a’ Chàirn Bhàin, replacing the old Kylesku Ferry, which linked Kylestrome to Kylesku. It was designed to blend into the Highlands it sits within, and even has a viewing area on either side.

Wailing widow falls Doing the NC500 at the end of the season means we have been really lucky with parking. The parking area for these falls fits about 4 cars, and there was only one more there when we arrived. It’s definitely classed as a hidden gem because unless you’ve done your research, you wouldn’t know it was there, especially as there are no signposts to it. There are lots of stories and legends relating to this waterfall, with the most popular one being the name comes from the local legend that a young man was hunting deer in the fog, and sadly didn’t see the gorge of the waterfalls and fell to his death at the top of the falls. Distraught, his mother (a widow) came to see where he had died and, consumed by grief, threw herself off the top of the waterfall. Because of the weather, the route to the falls was rather twitchy arse, and excellent balance was needed as we scrambled over wet rocks and waded through soggy bog. It was worth it though, even if I did nearly slip over at least 100 times as they were really impressive!

Achmelvich Bay & Hermit’s Castle Another award winning beach and said to be one of the most popular on the NC500, although is a bit of a pain to drive to because it is accessed via a single track road. We were really fortunate that again, we had it all to ourselves. Access to the beach itself is super easy and doesn’t involve climbing down sand dunes or other steep paths, and again it feels like you’re on a tropical beach. The water really is a stunning colour. I’d also read about another hidden gem – Hermit’s Castle, and it’s known as Scotland’s smallest castle. The instructions were just keep walking across the peninsula for 10 minutes, but keep an eye out because you might miss it as it’s camouflaged. After wading through sheep poo, we managed to find it quite easily.. and what a strange little structure it is! I think the word castle is a bit of a push.. more like a concrete bothy maybe? It certainly fits into its surroundings, but it just seems a bit pointless! Apparently it was built in the 50s by a bloke called David Scott. It took him 6 months to build it and he only stayed one night 🤷🏼‍♀️ shame really because it does have incredible views!

Home tonight was a lovely campsite in Clachtoll. It had a communal fire pit, a games room, a microwave and a herb garden you could help yourself to. It even had inspirational quotes in its jazzy toilets. What more could you want!

JOG to Durness 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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We woke up to a glorious morning, and decided to have breakfast at one of the cafés in JOG. Most were actually closed 🤦🏼‍♀ but that seems to be the case on Monday’s when the season is beginning to wind down. Mark enjoyed a fry-up, complete with tattie scones and haggis!

Dunnet head Our first stop today was another lighthouse. But not any old lighthouse! It’s the lighthouse at the most northerly point of mainland Britain. A lighthouse fact – it has a range of 23 miles and flashes white 4 times every 30 seconds. In previous times it was run by a series of lighthouse keepers, whose job after dusk was to keep watch in the lightroom and ensure that the light flashed correctly and to character. How many times can you say lighthouse in one paragraph… It’s also an RSPB site as it’s home to many seabirds. But again.. we had another very poor seabird show. Another exciting thing about Dunnet head is it has a trig point. So that’s another one bagged in our trig bagging quest. We were really lucky with the weather, and because it was so clear, we could easily see the Orkney Islands.

Whilst doing my research I’d found a bright pink cake cupboard which is situated on the side of the road at Bettyhill. Everyone raved about it, saying it was the best cakes and treats they’ve ever eaten. Today however.. it was closed.. obvs. A bit further up the road we found a cute little cafe and treated ourselves to a haggis sausage roll. We found a scenic P along the route and stopped to make a coffee and to enjoy the sausage roll with the views.

Coldbackie beach A lot of the places we have marked on our map are a bit of a faf to find.. and this was no different. Once we found somewhere to park Ruby, we then had to find out how to actually climb down to the beach. We eventually found a gap in fence and headed down the hillside to the hidden shores below. Golden sands and clear blue water, with little signs of life.. it was absolute heaven. We had the whole beach to ourselves. If we didn’t need to reach our next campsite by a certain time then we would definitely have stayed there a lot longer. It was just so peaceful! And the photos really don’t do it justice.

Castle Varrich Because we missed out on Castle Sinclair, we really wanted to make sure we got to a ruin. Castle Varrich is perfect because it has a superb prominent position overlooking the Kyle of Tongue. We parked up in Tongue in the small parking area outside a hotel, and began the climb up to the castle. It’s such a beautiful walk, with views over the dramatic rocky peaks of Ben Loyal. After zig zagging our way through the trees, and a final ascent we made it to the castle ruins. The views were incredible, and you are now able to climb a metal staircase to the top for an even better lookout. The precise origins and age are unknown, but it is thought to be associated with the Bishops of Caithness, the Mackay clan or the Norse.

The rest of our day was taken up driving, but with each turn came something more breathtaking. There are so many places to pull over and take in the views and get some incredible photos. It is a game of dodge the sheep however! We arrived at our campsite for the night – Sango Sands Oasis. We were really keen to stay here because we had heard good things. And they were right! It’s situated on a cliff top with views over the award winning beach below. We had originally parked Ruby on the edge overlooking the sea, however it was on a bit of a slope and the wind was getting up, so me being a massive wuss, we moved further back so we didn’t roll off during the night. The rain then came and decided to stay for the rest of the night, which meant cooking in the van. I made a bloody good chicken curry which enjoyed with a glass of wine. We also decided that sleeping in the pop roof probably wasn’t a good idea due to the weather, so spent our first night on the ground level bed, which was actually very comfortable!

NC500… The Road to John o’ Groats 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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Before we get started.. this Scotland series is in memory of two very special people who we sadly lost this year. First is to my wonderful Grandad, who spent many happy years in Scotland. Second is our dear friend Jayne, who also had a love for travel, and a love for these blogs 🕊

After months of research and multiple post-its on our map, it was time for the long drive to Scotland to collect our campervan. Because of the distance (and due to Mark finishing nights on the Friday morning) we chose to break the journey up by staying in Stirling (because this was far cheaper than Glasgow or Edinburgh!) Obviously the M6 had other ideas, and after only 2 stops, one of which obviously including Tebay, and 8hrs later, we eventually arrived in Stirling. As a treat before 10 days of potential terrible sleep, I booked a posh room at the Premier Inn. Unfortunately, due to my terribly English accent, he couldn’t understand what I’d said my surname was, and told me they didn’t have my booking. The hotel was also full due to a wedding and a run happening in the city that weekend. This was not the news we needed after such a long drive. I gave him my booking ref, and after a few minutes said ohhh Hannah WOOD. I asked him what he thought I’d said, but he didn’t want to say 🤷🏼‍♀️

After a lovely sleep in the posh room, we decided to have a little walk around Stirling and then head to Culloden battlefield. In hindsight, we should have booked a guided tour, as to us we were essentially walking around a massive field with a few flags, with no idea what we were looking at! We headed to Tesco to get some shopping before getting the van, but unfortunately picked the enormous Tesco Extra which is next to a retail park; and that meant not being able to find anything because the Tesco was so big, and then getting stuck in traffic on the way back onto the main road. We then got stuck in more traffic heading over the bridge, which meant we had a phone call from the campervan hire, essentially asking where we were. Luckily, at this point, we were only a few minutes away, but she informed us we had got stuck in the two main traffic jam areas in Inverness. After a very long (but much needed) lesson on everything our camper Ruby does, it was time to be on our way. Unfortunately we were booked into a campsite that required you to be there at 6pm, and due to the time it meant we had to just go straight there, rather than do one of the waterfall walks we had planned.

We arrived at Dornoch campsite and parked up, ready for our first night. We walked to the beach where we got some food from The Highland Larder – a seafood focused food van. We both had the haddock wrap with tartar sauce and a side of truffle fries. They were absolutely delicious. After a walk along the beach, it was back to the van to set everything up ready to sleep. We decided to go in the pop roof as the wind was at a minimum, and after a bit of faffing about, we managed to get everything sorted ready for our first night sleep.

We woke up to a glorious morning, so were able to have our porridge pots and OJ Al fresco. We battled with the pop roof, packed Ruby up and got ourselves ready for our first full day of adventure. During our research, a popular recommendation was Cocoa Mountain – which apparently does the world’s best hot chocolate. To be fair.. they were right. It was delicious and not too sickly.

Big Burn Our first stop was Big Burn (or for the football fans out there, Big Dan Burn as Mark calls it) a lovely short woodland walk, up a gorge criss-crossed by footbridges and ending in a waterfall. It was so peaceful and we only saw two other couples.

Dunrobin Castle A romantic castle and the ancestral home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland, and often called the Jewel in the crown of the Highlands. It has 189 rooms that you can walk around a good chunk of, which are accompanied by good quality information boards (saving the awkward and super long chats with the sometimes slightly over enthusiastic room volunteers). There is also the beautiful grounds to explore, and a falconry display twice a day. It’s £14 per adult to get in here.. such a shame it doesn’t belong to NT!

Whaligoe Steps After a quick stop at a scenic P for a coffee and a pastry, we arrived at the tiniest car park for the walk down the 365 Whaligoe steps. Whaligoe Haven is surrounded on three sides by 250ft cliffs and forms one of the most remarkable harbours in Scotland. There is also a ruin of a building once used to store salt for curing fish. Unfortunately after the decent, comes the ascent.. and it really is one to get the heart pumping. But as long as you can get a space, we 100% recommend coming here.

Castle Sinclair Considered to be one of the earliest seats of Clan Sinclair and comprises of the ruins of two castles: the 15th-century Castle Girnigoe; and the early 17th-century Castle Sinclair. Unfortunately the one and only road to this Castle is closed until 10th Oct.. we could have walked from the closest town, but this was just over 2hr round walk, and we just didn’t have enough time to do this ☹ which is a massive shame!

Duncansby Stacks Sat just off the northeast corner of mainland Britain lies the natural wonder of the Duncansby Stacks, as well as the lighthouse guarding the perilous shores. The first is a rocky arch, the second a group of large jagged sea stacks. This area is often missed for the much more touristy JOG, but this is technically the ‘real’ northeastern tip of the British Mainland and the furthest point to Land’s End in Cornwall by a mile or two. There is usually a wealth of seabird activity here, including puffins. We however didnt even see a single gull. There is also a lighthouse built in 1924, and it became fully automated in 1997. With the added bonus of free parking, the stacks and lighthouse shouldn’t be missed.

John o’ Groats We arrived at our 2nd campsite still with enough light to explore what JOG has to offer, included getting the all important photo by the sign. As I was walking towards something else super touristy, I nearly went arse over tit because someone had left their fishing rod buried in the grass. Safe to say he wasn’t happy about it.. but neither was I! As the weather was still relatively warm we decided to have a BBQ, and then pop to JOG brewery for a fantastic finish to the day.