Tag: Waterfall

Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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It’s Santa’s birthday week, and he’s chosen to celebrate by spending a few days in Wales. We packed up the car and set out on the 3 and half hour drive to our Airbnb base. To break up the journey, we stopped for a stretch and a breath of fresh air at Penllergare Valley Woods, a hidden gem that lies just off the M4. This peaceful spot was once the estate of John Dillwyn Llewelyn. We walked through the winding woodland trails, surrounded by towering trees (unfortunately some of which didn’t survive Darragh) and the rushing sound of the waterfall. There’s also quaint bridges, chirping birds and scampering squirrels. The various paths and routes however weren’t well marked, making us especially grateful for our trusty Alltrails app to guide the way. 

As we arrived at our destination, we were pleased to discover that we’d found yet another quirky Airbnb. Nestled in the picturesque village of St Dogmaels, located on the scenic estuary of the River Teifi, our cozy cottage oozed charm and character. We were pleased to to find a welcome gift left by our host – a bottle of Prosecco, and some KitKats, which Santa eagerly scoffed.

St Dogmeals – we kicked off our adventure by exploring the village, and what luck it was that our first day landed on a Tuesday, because that meant diving straight into the award winning local food market! Although not as big as I had hoped, it was still bustling and sold goods such as fruit, veg, cheese and cakes. Santa tried his luck at the tombola and hit the jackpot with a bottle of delicious Welsh cider—what a delightful surprise! Just a stone’s throw away from the market are the ruins of the abbey, which was built in 1113 and upgraded to abbey status in 1120. It met its fate in 1536 when, along with hundreds of other houses throughout England and Wales with an annual income of less than £200, was suppressed by King Henry VIII. Next to the ruins lies Y Felin, a traditional working water mill that’s one of the last of its kind in Wales! There’s plenty of fresh bread and various types of flour to purchase.

Aberaeron – one of the many colourful seaside towns in Wales. It is thought that this acted as an architectural waymarker to help weary fishermen find their home long after the sun had set. Unfortunately there is a lot of construction work, meaning the views of these rainbow house are currently obscured by cranes. Instead we hopped around many of the independent shops, and enjoyed a coffee and mince pies from one of the local bakeries.

Borth – this sandy beach is the longest in Ceredigion, but the reason we were here was to try and catch the sunken forest. We carefully timed our visit to coincide with low tide, eager to witness the Pine, Oak, Birch, and Willow stumps. The scene was both eerie, reminiscent of something out of a disaster movie, and magical, filled with legend and mystery. There are so many ways to describe this place. It was an experience to walk amongst the remains of this ancient forest, which is estimated to extend twenty miles out into Cardigan Bay. The trees have been carbon-dated and are believed to have died between 4,000 and 6,500 years ago. During our visit, we encountered only a handful of other people. We ended up spending much longer here than we had anticipated because it was all so fascinating. As the tide receded further, more stumps were revealed. We concluded our day with a brief exploration of the sand dunes at Ynyslas before the rain set in. Momma’s camera was put to good use today! 

As it was Santa’s birthday, we made sure we found a restaurant with a suitable beer selection, and he was delighted to try every single one of their own ‘Dai’ craft beers. 

New Quay – the forecast for today was a gloomy one, but luckily our time in this small town was a dry one. The harbour beach is backed by steep limestone cliffs and colourful houses. We met a volunteer who counts the local wildlife, and he helped us spot Bottlenose dolphins swimming and diving as they followed shoals of mackerel into the bay. We also saw seals and a variety of seabirds. We finished our visit by enjoying a teacake that was the size of my head.

Cmwtydu – a beach we didn’t plan to visit but discovered on Google Maps, so we decided to stop by. It’s a hidden gem, offering beautiful views and the sound of crashing waves. The small pebble beach was scattered with the remains of blue lobsters! It was so quiet and secluded in the past that it served as a hideaway for smugglers in the area. There’s a coastal path to explore, but since we had more activities planned, we only managed to walk a small portion of it.

Tresaith – we visited Tresaith a few years ago and decided that seeing the waterfall cascading down onto the beach was worth another trip. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was pouring rain, the wind was howling, and we hadn’t timed our visit with the tide properly. Although the waterfall could have been accessed by climbing over some rocks, we deemed it too dangerous given the weather, so we admired it from the beach instead. The town was clearly shutdown for the winter, as all the cafes and shops were closed. However, Tresaith is definitely worth visiting during the summer months.

Mwnt – a hidden cove with golden sand, rolling waves, and a Grade I listed church dating back to the 13th century. Unfortunately, it was not only pouring with rain but also getting dark, so our visit to Mwnt was all too brief. I decided to trek up to the top of the hill for a better view, and even on this dreary day, the sights were still fantastic.

Lantern festival – we had a message from out Airbnb host to say Cardigan was hosting their postponed lantern festival, so we decided to walk down to the town to check it out. Despite the bad weather, the turnout was great, and you could truly feel the community spirit. We were even treated to a fireworks display! It was a wonderful way to spend our last evening of the trip. Once back at the house, Santa enjoyed some port and nearly a whole block of Welsh cheese!

Poppit Sands – before we began our long drive home, we decided to take a walk along Poppit Sands. It turned out to be quite a bracing experience! The wind was fierce, sand was blowing everywhere, and the waves were crashing; we were struggling to walk, but we loved it! After that, we thought, “Why not?” and also squeezed in a visit to Newcastle Emlyn and Cenarth Falls.

Mauritius – The North 🇲🇺

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The drive to our next hotel was a soggy one, and the rain continued right up until we were a few miles away. I think our taxi driver felt bad about getting us late (that or he was finished for the day and wanted to get home) and spent the drive weaving in and out of traffic and pushing the speed limit. It’s safe to say we both felt quite nauseas 🤣 Our next hotel is part of the Lux group, and that meant 7 days of 5* luxury. We were greeted with a lovely refreshing drink, had an explanation of the huge complex, and got shown to our room. The bed was enormous, we got fluffy robes and slippers, and a large balcony with a view over the beach. We headed to the bar to get some drinks, where the conversation with the waiter soon turned to football. This however meant Mark bagged himself a free beer (we couldn’t afford all inclusive 🤣)

We spent the next two days on the sunbeds with a book in the adults only section of the hotel (because who wants screaming children ruining the ambiance 🤣). The sun was shining and we finally had 2 whole days without rain. We also played some pentaque and tennis, before heading to the enormous buffet restaurant in the evening. It had live cooking stations, foods from all cuisines, and a walk in cheese fridge. Heaven! We also got dressed up for the posh restaurant in the hotel, and the food here was absolutely divine, and totally worth the extra cost.

We were really keen to explore the capital whilst in Mauritius, so we booked a food walking tour with a company called Taste Buddies. The waiter in the previous hotel had also organised his friend to be our chauffeur for the day, to take us to the capital, and anywhere else we fancied. Unfortunately, not long after we got in the car, the sliding door flew open. He tried to quickly fix it but wasn’t able to, so between me and the driver, we held it shut for the journey for to Port Louis. We met our guide Rudi and set off to try lots of local treats. We started off with Dholl Puri – similar to a tortilla but made using yellow split peas. The queue at this vendor was huge, which is always a good sign. The wrap itself had quite a sandy texture, but the filling was spicy and delicious. We then had roti, again with a tasty filling, and lots of other treats along the way. We walked through Chinatown (which isn’t allowed outside food vendors) and saw all of its graffiti, which is interactive with an app! We finished up at the central market and had Alouda to drink. We walked through the fruit and veg, and then decided to brave the meat. This was a decision we quickly regretted, as a man was hacking away at a cows head, and the smell in the poultry section was beyond revolting. It was absolute heaven to be back outside in the fresh air. After the tour we tried to continued to explore Port Louis, but the heavens opened again and the rain was now torrential, and without an umbrella meant one thing – a local bar.

We met our driver with his newly fixed car door, and he took us to the citadel which has great views over the capital. There was even some horse racing, which we were able to watch. We then went to the Botanical Gardens, and luckily, Sunjay had an umbrella in his car we could borrow. They are the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere and are famous for its long pond of giant water lilies. The site is huge and you could easily spend all day here. We then visited 2 local beaches before finishing our trip at the famous Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice de Cap Malheureux, or just simply, the red church.

We were meant to have eaten at the hotels Creole restaurant tonight. However, due to the weather (as its an outside restaurant), they had to close. All was good, because Newcastle were playing and the hotel has a huge cinema that plays PL games. Unfortunately, the storm meant that the connection was terrible, the WiFi went down and we were unable to watch the game, or even keep up with the score!

Our lovely friend John (1/4 of the Sweden Survivors) has friends all over the world, and at the start of our trip, linked me up with his Mauritian friend, Pliny. Today, we took a taxi to the next town, Grand Baie, to meet Pliny and his partner Jay. We had a fabulous time, trying more local food and finding out more about the country and their culture. Jay’s mum had even made us some treats because today was Diwali. As the weather was beautiful again, we explored the beaches of Grand Baie and watched the hustle and bustle within the village. We then headed over to McDonald’s 🤣 and it was here that I got an email from Air Mauritius – your flight home on Tuesday has been cancelled and rebooked for Wednesday. All the thoughts were going through our heads… we now needed to organise an extra night at the hotel, we needed to rearrange the transfer, etc. Luckily, it was all quite easy in the end! And it meant an extra night in paradise.

We had been told by various people that the best thing to do during Diwali is to get a taxi to a town half hr away called Triolet. They have a large community who celebrate and therefore decorate their houses with lots of pretty lights. We contacted the driver who had taken us to Grand Baie that morning, and he drove us through lots of little villages (who also celebrate) on the way to Triolet. Unfortunately, this seemed to be an incredibly popular thing to do, and the traffic was beyond awful. We decided to get out of the taxi and arranged to meet him further down the road so we could take in the atmosphere. The houses were so colourful, full of twinkling lights and candles. One family even invited us over and gave us a large box of Indian sweets. All the locals had the gates open to their houses and encouraged you to go and admire their lights, and everyone was wishing each other a Happy Diwali.

We had been debating whether to do a boat trip, and research suggested that taking a trip to Ile Aux Cerfs would be a good option. It was another glorious day, so we got an early taxi and drove through part of the country we had not yet seen, to the place where we would be catching our speedboat. We got to the island, and it was stunning! White sandy beaches and crystal clear water. We decided to do parasailing, and the views we got were incredible. After a couple of hours paddling and lazing around, we got back on the speedboat and headed to a waterfall via lots of monkeys! We then headed to another island, where we had a delicious BBQ lunch and unlimited drinks 🍷🍺 It was a really lovely day, and although we hadn’t done anything strenuous, we were both exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel.

It was now our last day, the day we should have been flying home. Air Mauritius paid for us to keep the room we were in for all our drinks and our evening meal that day. What a winner! Of course, the last day was spent dodging the rain 🤣 but we managed to have a float about on a pedalo and a few hours with a book. Mark made good use of the weather and went to get his beard tidied up ready to go back to work 😭 We made good work at the buffet and literally ate everything in sight, before settling down in the bar to play Scrabble, because we are cool 👍🏻

Despite the awful weather we have had, Mauritius has still been an absolute dream, and just the (sort of) relaxing trip we both needed. If you are planning on putting it on your bucket list, I’d 100% visit both the North and South as they are so, so different. I perhaps wouldn’t stay in Grand Gaube (North) however, as you are quite far out from the main shopping areas and bars, and the sea here isn’t the crystal clear waters you expect from Mauritius. I’d also consider hiring a car as it’s actually quite reasonable. Just don’t drive in Port Louis unless you’re a very confident driver!

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…)

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!

N.I Day 3 ⛵️

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Today’s POA was to tackle some of the other half of the Coastal Causeway Route, as well as a few hidden inland gems. It has mostly consisted of waterfalls, small towns and villages, and A LOT of rain dodging – but that’s all part of the fun!

Carrickfergus As we have already done Belfast (the start of the Coastal Route), we decided to begin the day in Carrickfergus. It is County Antrim’s oldest town and one of the oldest towns in Ireland as a whole. It also has one of the best preserved castles in the country, which we decided to admire from the outside rather than go inside (because we’re tight 🤣) We personally didn’t find much going on here, so decided to have a coffee and cake (obvs) to kick-start the day. Unfortunately the heavens opened and we had to run back to the car in the torrential downpour.

Glenoe Just a short walk from the car park on a winding path through the glen, we arrived at this magnificent 30ft waterfall. All the rain we’ve been having made it more spectacular (every cloud) as you could hear it thundering away way before we got to it. And, because its not featured in the National Trust handbook, it makes it less known, so we had it to ourselves for the majority of the time we were there.

Glenarm We arrived to cars parked absolutely everywhere! We then heard lots of screaming and loud music. Turns out today is ‘Dalefest’ weekend, headlined by The Vamps and Sam Ryder. This meant we were unable to see the castle, as it’s grounds were holding the concert. The village of Glenarm is small, but has a lovely harbour, and a very enthusiastic man in the Tourist Information. Unfortunately, they had the WORST toilets ever. I used cleaner ones in SE Asia. Thank god for epic hovering skills.

Carnlough Another stop for another waterfall! Cranny Falls (best name ever) is a 1.5km walk from the car park, and again is one you can hear way before you get to it. The walk there was a bit slippery and muddy thanks to all the rainfall we’ve had, but was mostly along a well maintaind path. There is a viewing platform so you can see it safely, and all the luscious green flora framing the falls gave it a tropical feel. On the way back there was a gorgeous cat rolling around and sunning itself. A young girl came up the path to the cat, to which Momma asked her ‘is this your pussy’ 🤦🏼‍♀ Puss did belong to her, she was called Tilly and was being naughty because she wouldn’t go home for dindins. Carnlough itself is another small village with a harbour, cafés and an ice cream shop. We were going to get one, but then the heavens opened once more, meaning we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy our tasty treat.

Cushendall A small coastal town with lots of bright coloured shops, a sandy beach and a backdrop of the Glens of Antrim. It had started raining again and the wind was getting up on our arrival here, so it was unfortunately a quick jump out and look around.

Cushendun After a big but quick downpour, we were luckily able to explore Cushendun in the dry. It’s a village steeped in character and folklore. Here is where you will find Cushendun caves, another location for GoT. The caves are thought to have formed over 400 million years ago, and these incredible rock cavities in the cliffs on the coast have been naturally eroded over time by wind and water. We were lucky as we were the only people here, as research suggested that since GoT, the caves have become an incredibly popular location for tourists. There is also an Irish pub (which was full of rowdy lads lads lads) and a Costcutter (which didn’t sell any alcohol, much to Santa’s annoyance!)

Just as we got back to the car, the heavens opened again, and as the drive back to Portstewart was a little over an hour, we decided to call it a day. Unfortunately, we got stuck behind a horsebox, and then we got stuck behind an incredibly slow driver who kept slamming his breaks on for no reason.. but we eventually made it back. Top tip – listen to dramatic music (we went with a Hans Zimmer collection) on the coastal drive, it makes it much more fun! Tonight, we decided to book a highly rated Italian restaurant, and it certainly lived up to the hype. The food was absolutely delicious!

We were hoping for a sunset tonight. However, the clouds had other ideas. We still, however, managed to see some dramatic skies and the sea crashing over the rocks.

Day 5 – Entering the North 🇮🇸

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This morning we woke up and decided to try some Icelandic food, so after a shower in water that was at least 1000°, we headed to the local N1 for a hotdog – the best way to start the day. They’re topped with raw white onions and crispy fried onions, ketchup and a sweet brown mustard called Pylsusinnep – this sauce is the DB and we will definitely be using our remaining weight limit to bring plenty of bottles home 🌭

Sausage surprise

After gobbling on our sausage, we drove to our first stop of the day – Stuðlagil Canyon. Unfortunately we read the AllTrails wrong, and ended up in the campsite car park rather than the canyon car park, which happened to be on the other side of the canyon.. so it was back in the van to find the correct car park. By this point the beautiful weather we had been having had decided to leave, and the wind and rain had arrived. The wind was so bad that within minutes my face was brown from all the dust that had been blown into it. It was even stuck to our teeth! After battling the elements we finally arrived at the canyon – The basalt columns tower over a turquoise glacial river, making it one of the most stunning places we’ve been. We decided to climb down to the bottom using a rope that someone had kindly installed, and we were rewarded with a much more spectacular perspective.

As we arrived back to the van, the wind had died down and blue sky was peeking through the clouds, which meant we should have had a glorious drive to Dettifoss. The majority of the drive was glorious, but we decided to do the East side of the falls as you get much closer to it. The road leading to this side however was one of the worst roads we have driven on, and I thank God for a decent pelvic floor. It was 30km of unmaintained gravel, boulders, volcanic rock and anything else you can think of. Although we did make it (about 30 mins extra to what Google Maps says) the van isn’t built for speed on these types of roads, so we were left in the dust of the Dacia Dusters that flew past. We eventually got to the car park and began the walk to the falls. As it’s one of the most powerful in Europe, we could hear it way before we could see it. The thunderous fall has an average water flow of 193 meters cubed per second (6,186 cubic feet). It is 100 meters (330 feet) wide and plummets 45 meters (150 feet) down. It really is mind blowing.

Soggy

After visiting Dettifoss, we decided to extend the walk and head to the often overlooked Selfoss. There is a town in the South also called Selfoss which we nearly drove all the way to thinking it was the waterfall! The walk involves a bit of clambering over boulders but it’s nothing too strenuous, and again we were rewarding with another amazing waterfall.

Walking back to the van we had one thing on our mind.. we had to tackle that road again. Luckily it seemed slightly easier on the way back, but still not one we want to drive on again any time soon. As we’ve done so much walking on this trip we decided we were due some relaxation, so headed to Mývatn Nature Baths, the Northern equivalent to the blue lagoon. Floating around in hot water, with mountains in the distance and beverage in hand.. what more could you want. It was the perfect end to the day, and luckily our planned home for the night was only 5 minutes way.

Campsite views taken at 01:30

Day 4 – The East 🇮🇸

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After a very much needed sleep, we woke to glorious morning number 4, and headed to Netto to stock up on car snacks and other bits and bobs to keep us going. After shopping in Bonus and Kronan, that’s all of Iceland’s ‘discount’ supermarkets now ticked off the list, although prices are more similar to those in Waitrose. We then had the next difficult job of trying to work out how to fill the van with diesel, as the pump system over here isn’t the easiest to navigate. Even the bright yellow Happy Camper next to us couldn’t work it out! Luckily the lovely lady in the shop helped, so £120 and half a tank later we headed to our first proper stop of the day.

Campsite views

We arrived to Stokksness beach and paid the fee to drive down to the 3 parking places, the first one being a Viking film set. It was built in 2010 for a film by universal studios, however it couldn’t be made due to monetary issues, and now lies in wait for all the tourists to come and explore. Grass topped wooden buildings lie waiting with the incredible mountains as a backdrop, and over time they have been hit with the elements, giving them a more authentic look.

Further down the road and you arrive at another black sand beach, with Mount Vestrahorn standing proud. There was a lot of cloud cover today so we were unable to see its iconic peaks, but it did give it an eerie feel. The beach is also covered in little green dunes giving little bursts of colour against the jet black sand.

The rest of our time spent in the East was mostly driving, and dodging sheep who just stand in the middle of the road staring at you. Although I have to say, its clear why the wool here is so expensive! The drive is incredible and the landscape changes every minute, with waterfalls, mountains and miles of moss covered land. Its so hard as the driver to keep your eyes on the road and not the amazing scenes going past.

Road views

We did have one last stop before we reached our camp for the night and that was a small hike to the 3rd tallest waterfall in Iceland – Hengifoss. In between the basaltic layers are thin layers of red clay (thanks Google) making a really striking falls and one we had been looking forward to seeing. Again we were really lucky as there was hardly any people there so we were able to sit and enjoy our surroundings.

This evening the home for the night was in the pretty town of Seyðisfjörður, home to the church with the rainbow road. This campsite was super busy due to the ferry leaving the following morning, but we were able to squeeze the van in by the bins 🤣 and still get a great view of the town to wake up to.

Day 3 – The Southeast 🇮🇸

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We woke up to another glorious morning and started the day with an Icelandic tradition – a communal shower bollock naked! The first campsite had cubicles however this one was very much everyone in and let it all hang out. It was one for males and one for females fortunately. After a cheeky wash we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast in the converted school bus on the campsite. The bagels and proper coffee definitely set us up for the way, although like everything else in Iceland, incredibly pricey.

Bagel bus

The first stop of the day was Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. At 2km deep and 100m it’s incredibly impressive! I decided to buy a drone for the trip, however buying one for 40 quid off eBay rather than spending a bit more for a decent branded one was a massive mistake as the instructions are in Chinese and we cannot work out how to make it fly! So I sat and watched a man with his definitely expensive drone fly it into the canyon instead (I’m not jealous.. honestly!)

Whilst driving around Iceland you need to keep your eyes peeled at all times as there’s often places to stop on the side of the road, and we came across a fabulous little waterfall. The one downside to having a minibus sized vehicle is you can’t just whip it easily into the often tight spaces on the side of the road.

Our next stop was another waterfall, and the drive to it meant we got our first glimpse of the spectacular Vatnajökull National Park. In 2019 the park was given UNESCO status which meant I had another to tick off my expanding list. The walk to Svartifoss definitely got the heart rate going, but it was a great little falls and the ideal place to sit and have a thermos of coffee. We obviously chose the best time as there was hardly anybody else at the falls for the majority of the time, meaning we got to properly take in the beautiful surroundings.

If one canyon wasn’t enough, we decided to hike to another! Múlagljúfur Canyon isn’t signposted so getting to the car park can only be done after a bit of research, and what a hidden gem it is! The hike to the top is pretty hard going. At one point I didn’t think I’d be able to carry on (mostly because we’d already walked about 26000 steps) and my tired little legs felt like lead.. but once we got there – words cannot describe the view 😍 it was beyond stunning, even with the rain, and so so worth it. We then met a very enthusiastic American man who suggested we climbed a bit further, saying the view is like you’ve had ‘a big bang of coke’ so with that, we carried on. I can’t say if the view is a comparison to a coke hit, but I can say it was like you were looking into another world.

As it was now pretty late we decided to find a campsite, not realising the closest one was miles away. So we decided to make good use of the constant daylight and stopped at diamond beach. This gets its name due to the icebergs which fill the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon washing up on shore, creating a stark contrast with the volcanic black sand. We were also lucky as there was a rainbow, which meant we got some incredible images. As you usually associate the beach with hot weather, it’s so bizarre to see have lumps of ice washed up on the shore.

Opposite diamond beach is the lagoon itself, where the still blue waters are full of enormous icebergs. As it was now way past midnight and we could not be arsed to cook, we sat down with a carbonara in a pot and enjoyed the fantastic scenery, as well as watching the seals swimming around – they have no idea how lucky they are that this is their playground.

We eventually arrived at the campsite just before 2am, so it was a quick set up and straight to bed ready for the day ahead.