We are starting our half term break a week later than usual now that we can take our holidays outside of the normal school term. We have not been to Scotland for a while and, after much deliberation, decided to head up to the Highlands - a place we love! We left at lunchtime and enjoyed beautiful sunshine and blue skies as we headed up towards Stirling. We stayed at Blair Drummond Caravan Park last year as we went to the Safari Park on Kevin’s birthday before heading home. It is a lovely site contained in a walled garden and, as we are heading off tomorrow, we will still have to return to do the forest walk to Doune Castle. We had a relaxing evening although I am still not totally in the swing of bringing everything we need! We seem to have very few towels and I am so used to having the basics in terms of food that I didn’t bring the pasta for our Bolognese tea! Still we were able to rearrange our menu and had a lovely salad instead.
We left Blair Drummond just before 11am. The weather is amazing! We have never had weather like this in Scotland before as we usually come up at Easter. We drove to Callendar which is known as the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’ as it leads to the Trossachs National Park and Loch Lomond. Callendar is a lovely Scottish town with a variety of shops, many of which seem to have survived the Pandemic. It is popular with tourists and was very busy. There is a superb car park with motorhome and caravan parking which makes it so much easier for us to visit. We spent a couple of hours looking around and agreed it was a place we needed to revisit so that we could explore the area more as there is a lot to see and do here.
We continued our journey towards Glencoe and hoped to call in at the famous Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum however it was very busy so we kept going until we found a parking bay with a view for lunch. Kevin took a photo of our parking view and it looked just like a picture hanging inside the motorhome! It is a spectacular place despite it’s appalling history. Again we were struck by how green everything was as we are used to coming when there is snow on the mountain peaks and the slopes are grey and bleak. We had lunch and continued onwards. The roads and laybys were very busy the closer we got to Glencoe. Today is the last day of the English school holidays so many families would be enjoying their final day in the sun before heading back home. We noticed that the waterfalls we usually see were non-existent due to the dry and sunny weather we’ve had for a couple of weeks - the scenery appeared more ‘friendly’ and less imposing. We arrived at the site at about 2.30pm. It is situated next to the Glencoe Visitor Centre which we have visited before with my Mam and Dad after staying at Fort Augustus. The pitches are very spacious and all have views of the mountains. The toilet block is not the best, and it could do with a bit of decorating but it is clean and serves it’s purpose.
We went for a walk to Glencoe Village which takes about 35 minutes. The walk passes by the ruined house at Inverigan which dates from the late 1800s. A former dwelling house on the site witnessed brings home the brutal Massacre of Glencoe, when a total of 38 men, women and children of the Clan MacDonald were murdered by government troops on 13th February 1692. Nine Scots pine trees commemorate the nine inhabitants who are thought to have lost their lives on this very spot. The walk to Glencoe Village is a pleasant one however with fantastic views of the mountains and also of Loch Leven. Afterwards we took a steady walk back in the sunshine, had tea and then watched TV until bedtime.
We woke to glorious sunshine again today. We both slept well which we always do on holiday. We had a quiet morning just pottering and, after lunch, walked back to Glencoe Village to visit the Glencoe Folk Museum. It is housed in an old 18th Century thatched croft cottage and contains information about the history of the local area and the life of the people who have lived there. The artefacts are varied and include everyday items that would have been found in the home during Victorian times and through to the 1930’s as well as items from the Jacobite period including costume, paintings and military memorabilia.
There is a brief audio account of the Glencoe Massacre of 1692 where the Scottish army massacred male members of the McDonald Clan and burned down their houses, leaving their women and children to die in the winter cold. Troops were under the command of Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll, whose Clan has sworn allegiance to King James II who had been replaced on the English and Scottish thrones by William III. The government instructed Clan leaders to change their allegiance to William III or be treated as traitors. Although Chief of the McDonald Clan, Alexander McClain of Glencoe postponed his submission until December 31, 1691, he signed and submitted his oath. In Edinburgh, Lord John Dalrymple was the Secretary of State despised Highlanders and particularly the McDonald Clan so he refused his oath sealing their fate. Troops that had been befriended by the McDonald families in Glencoe, and had lived in their homes, were ordered to kill all males and turn out all females and children to die in the cold. Whilst much of the blame was placed with the Clan Campbell, very few took part in the massacre and was driven by other senior members of the Scottish establishment.
The museum is small, and I expect it has looked the same for many years as the exhibits are tired and could do with being updated and refreshed. They appear to be arranged quite haphazardly which makes it difficult to put them in order of historic period. Nevertheless, it was interesting and I learned a bit more about the history of the famous massacre.
We walked through the village and took a forest trail which eventually led us back to the road that runs alongside Loch Leven. There is a lovely caravan and motorhome site overlooking the Loch which might be worth a visit another time. We walked back to the site and then took some time to relax doing our own thing. Today has been another glorious day - we have struck lucky with the weather! The midges have also finally arrived!
Today we travelled to the Isle of Skye via Fort William where we stopped to pick up fuel and groceries. We left Glencoe at about 10am, and the drive up to Fort William was just fabulous. The mountains and lochs have never looked so beautiful as they did in the sunshine and under clear blue skies. Scotland at Easter time can feel cold, dormant and bleak with snow on the peaks of grey, cloudy mountains, and we have got used to seeing it like that. The landscape was full of life today - green and lush with sparkling streams and lochs, many signs of wildlife and sounds of birdsong, and radiating a sense of peace and calm. It was good to soak up the beauty of the Highlands as we drove up what are now quite familiar roads for us.
After stopping at Fort William, we continued towards the Kyle of Lochalsh along the A87 which has to be one of the most stunning journeys in Scotland. We parked up at the side of Loch Garry to have lunch before continuing our journey. I discovered and downloaded a nifty app called Peak Finder which allows you to identify the mountains around you. It’s brilliant! You can take photos and the names of the mountains appear as an overlay which you can save in your Photos. At times the splendour of the landscape was breath taking, particularly when approaching the bend towards Dornie where you catch your first glimpse of the spectacular Eilean Donan castle. We have visited the Castle twice in the past but couldn’t resist making a stop to take of photo or two as it stood in all of its glory today. We continued towards the Skye Bridge (no ‘bonnie boats’ needed these days!) and, although we drove to Portree in the car on our silver wedding anniversary in 2011, we couldn’t recall it being so far north when we travelled there today. The scenery is dramatic in parts as you drive alongside the Isles of Scalpay and Raasay towards Portree. Further north, in the distance, you can see pointed, jagged rocks which form part of the mountain ridge called Trotternish, including the Old Man of Storr.
We arrived at the site at about 4.30pm. The location is stunning and overlooks Loch Greshornish. We didn’t manage to get a lochside pitch but we still had views from ours as they are spaced well and you can see between vehicles. This particular part of Skye is less mountainous but is a great place to relax away from the hustle and bustle. The facilities on site are excellent and well-maintained. After tea, we went for a short walk and I did a video call for the first time with Mam and Dad via WhatsApp which was an experience! It was nice to show them where we are and have a chat rather than just sending an email and photos. We are planning to have a relaxing day tomorrow after all of our travelling.
Today started a little greyer and cooler than it has been so far this holiday. We spent the morning pottering and doing our own thing. I went to have a shower before lunch as they are cleaned between 10.30am and 12pm so I can get in before anyone else does! We decided to take it easy today and have planned our next two days to do some sightseeing on the island. The sun came out again in the afternoon but there is a breeze along the loch which makes the temperature cooler than we have been used to over the last few days. We went out for a stroll later in the afternoon along what was the site dog walk trail but we were able to continue along the loch side in the sunshine. Jonny and Holly are on holiday near Aviemore with Aurora so we have seen photos of what they are up. Dan and Naomi are in America and have just reached Las Vegas after travelling from Albuquerque along Route 66 to the Grand Canyon - what an amazing time they are both having there!
We drove to Dunvegan Castle today which is west of Edinbane. Dunvegan has been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of clan McLeod for over 800 years. It is not the most attractive castle to look at however the setting is very beautiful as it sits high on a basalt rock overlooking Loch Dunvegan and the mountains beyond. Each castle or palace that we have visited has a memorable and unique relic. The most historic and treasured artefact at Dunvegan is the Fairy Flag which is displayed in the drawing room. The Flag is made of silk and dates back to the 4th Century AD. There are many legends associated with the Flag which originate both from the crusades and fairy folklore.
We discovered that the castle has links to Flora MacDonald who assisted Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape from government troops following the Battle of Culloden. Flora spent her some of her final years at Dunvegan which was the home of her daughter Anne, who had married Major General Alexander MacLeod, the largest landowner in Skye after the MacDonalds. He was tutor to the young Chief of the MacLeod’s. The museum has some interesting historical artefacts that once belonged to Flora including a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hair contained in a locket together with her pincushion.
After touring the castle, we went back to the van for lunch and came back to visit the gardens. The rhododendron’s have been superb wherever we have travelled this holiday and the gardens here were no exception. The walled garden was full of colour with displays of giant poppies, colourful lupins, clematis and other flowering shrubs. There was also a well-stocked herb garden containing a wide variety of medicinal herbs that are associated with old fashioned remedies and potions. It must be a challenge to grow things in such an unpredictable climate but it was a pleasure to walk around especially in the warm sunshine.
We then drove towards the Black Cuilins to visit the Fairy Pools. We were not quite sure what to expect although I had seen photos online. We had parked in a smaller car park further away from the start of the hike but were not aware how much further it was until we walked down the steep bank. Ahead we could see a clear gravel trail winding upwards through the mountains. The path descends at the beginning but we knew it would be a hard climb back up. We continued upwards towards the first waterfall point. There has of course been very little rainfall over the last three or four weeks and the waterfalls and pools were not as impressive however it was still possible to see the turquoise blue water which makes the Fairy Pools so famous. The highlight for us was the walk into the mountains as it was stunning and - I am going to use this word so many times this holiday- breath taking. There is something wonderful about being so close to natural beauty. It is so inspiring and is the source of so much creativity - art, music, poetry, literature and much, much more. It inspires you to want to capture the moment using all of your senses in whatever way you wish. The view was every changing as the clouds move high above the mountains casting shadows as they travel. We made our way down anticipating the final walk uphill which took us to the road. It was difficult and we just took our time and paced ourselves. After reaching the road we continued our walk uphill towards the car park, which really was a challenge, but we made it! We had a drink in the van before moving off and taking a steady ride back to the motorhome site.
The roads vary enormously and, in places are single track with passing places. We had to avoid some huge potholes! Some people drive too fast or take chances when overtaking so Kevin is always alert and this must be tiring for him at times. Instead of returning via Dunvegan, we took the single-track road from the Fairy Pools towards Merkadale and then continued eastwards through the Red Cuilins towards Sligachan and then north on the A87 towards Portree as the roads were much better. This journey was also wonderful in the evening sunshine.
After walking so much today we each had a Magnum after tea which was a lovely end to a very memorable day.
Our second exploration day took us north along the right Major General Alexander MacLeod hand fork of the island towards Uig. It was overcast when we left but the sun eventually broke through giving us another bright blue sky to enjoy. We headed to Kilmuir on the north coast to visit the Museum of Island Life. Across The Minch we could make out the faint outline of the Outer Hebridean islands of Harris and Lewis in the distance.
The museum is made up of five buildings which show the history of life on Skye one hundred years ago. The first cottage dates back to the mid-19th century and was first open to the public in 1965. Historical information regarding the family who lived their and their everyday life are displayed as well as a collection of household and personal items relating to the period. The cottage is set up as it was when the family lived there. We learned how families were self-sufficient by producing their own cheese and butter but were unfamiliar with the word ‘crowdie’ which we learned was cream cheese hand-rolled in Scottish pinhead oatmeal and crushed black peppercorns.
The other buildings included the Barn, the Weaver’s Cottage, the Old Smithy, and the Ceilidh House. All were really interesting but I would have liked to have been able to buy a guide book as there was so much information, I found it difficult to read it all and take it in. The Scottish History timeline is slowly coming together, the more we learn about it when visiting places like this. A crofter’s life was a tough one - the idea of walking the 25 miles from Kilmuir to Portree to buy goods would be a challenge for most but even children made this journey. What the museum did convey very well was the sense of community shared by crofting families. They shared experiences, supported and assisted each other through challenging times, traded produce and skills, and lived and worked hand in hand with their surroundings and nature. It must have been an incredibly hard life, especially in the winter.
We had lunch and then went for a short walk to visit Flora MacDonald’s grave. Kevin also noticed a large granite headstone in the cemetery opposite which marked the burial site of the renowned fashion designer, Lee Alexander McQueen whose ancestors were from Skye.
Our next stop today was An Corran beach near Staffin on the east coast. We drove through Flodigarry with the Quaraing on our right-hand side. The Quaraing is a bit too challenging for hiking for us and it is formed by a series of landslips along the Trotternish Ridge Peninsula. It is quite spectacular and we learned that it is the only part of the landslip that is still moving. The roads are testimony to that as we encountered some huge potholes and uneven roads which apparently are repaired each year.
As you drive down the eastern side along the coast, the Highland Mountain peaks can be seen in the distance. The track to An Corran beach is narrow with passing places but it looks out towards Staffin Island. This is an uninhabited island which is used for grazing cattle during the summer months. Cattle are encouraged to swim across at low tide by the crofter.
We made our way down to the beach to see the famous dinosaur footprints that were discovered in the rocks in 2001, and they are dated to the mid Jurassic Period - 170 million years ago! It took us a while to find one but, as there were a number of people searching, we managed to locate three of the eighteen that are there. It was a real bonus to discover that they were here on Skye as we thought we would have to travel to Dorset to see anything like this. We went on to visit a small and very unique museum on the outskirts of the village of Staffin. The former Gaelic school house has been painstakingly rebuilt and restored to house one man’s collection of historical artefacts which he began collecting at the age of 15. Dugald Ross created the museum to prevent the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow taking his collection. The historical periods covered by this unique and varied collection includes not only fine examples of dinosaur fossils but items from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, including a Neanderthal axe, a pot, and arrowheads which he discovered when he was only 15. Other objects include a cannon ball, a Spanish sword, a child’s shoe from the Victorian era, and many, many other fascinating items. His daughter told us all about the collection and was able to answer questions about different objects - it was very interesting to hear the personal stories about how these items were discovered on Skye. It is quite unbelievable that one person could have discovered so much, and now it is all documented and preserved in this humble building - so much history in one place!
Our next stop was the Old Man of Storr which is a tall rock pinnacle and is also part of the Trotternish Peninsula. We parked up and decided to give the walk up a go although we knew it might be a challenge as it was very steep. Like the Fairy Pools hike, a gravel path leads you up to the pinnacle although it is not possible to see it for the first part of the walk. What you can see are amazing views of Loch Leathan to the south and the islands of Rona, Arnish and Raasay to the east. The weather was stunning so you could see for miles but the climb was hard, especially after our hike to the Fairy Pools yesterday. Still we persevered and we finally reached the Old Man of Storr. There was a further series of natural steep steps which would have taken us closer and higher but we both decided that these may be steps too far! We took a different route back down and found ourselves on our own. It was a longer route down but very peaceful and again we had brilliant views. We also heard a cuckoo calling repeatedly as we walked down the gravel path towards the carpark - these moments are so special as you would never notice these in towns and cities as it is too noisy. We were tired when we got back to the van but were proud of ourselves for even attempting the climb.
We returned to the site via Portree and settled down to watch TV for the evening. What a week this has been so far! Bursting with so many experiences we will treasure for a long time!
We reluctantly left the Isle of Skye this morning but must return to investigate the South side of the island and perhaps take a ferry to Raasay. The journey towards our final destination this holiday - Perth - is a beautiful one and looks so different on the return journey. As we drove through the Kyle of Lochalsh, we noticed signs for the Seaprobe Atlantis trips which are glass-bottomed boats. This is something we will have to experience - the chance to see dolphins and even whales around the Skye coastline would be amazing, even though I am not the most enthusiastic sailor! We continued to Dornie and Eilean Donan in all its splendour enjoying the mountain views as we drove towards Spean Bridge. We stopped for lunch at our little parking bay overlooking Loch Glengarry before driving the final part of our journey to Perth (via the supermarket!). We have lots of little tweaks to make to Phoenix to secure some of the objects that are still moving around. The Highland roads have challenged shelf fittings, non-slip (or not!) mats, tension rods, door clasps, fixtures and fittings - it has been a good test and will help us to prepare for our trip on the Continent in August.
The site at Scone is located in a woodland setting and we arrived there after a long journey at about 4.30pm. The pitches are well-spaced and the facilities are clean as always. We had our tea at about 5.30pm and then settled down for the evening as we are going to have our last day of adventures this holiday tomorrow. We heard from Jonny and Dan - Jonny and Holly will be traveling home tomorrow with Aurora after their holiday in Newtonmore, and Dan and Naomi have been to Hollywood! Alma and Claire have just returned from the Lake District and have had a lovely time too. We are all so lucky to be able to get away and find out more about these fantastic places.
We were going to visit Scone Palace today which we visited a few years ago, before we started motorhoming, but instead we went to Stanley Mills as we hadn’t been there before. The mills were built over 200 years ago, during the Industrial Revolution, and stand on the banks of the River Tay. Richard Arkwright, known as the ‘father’ of the English cotton industry, provided financial support to a group of Perth merchants and the first mill known as the Bell Mill was built. The mills closed in 1989 following a downturn in the cotton industry, and dispute diversifying into spinning acrylic yarn for knitwear. Like many old buildings, the mills deteriorated over time and became derelict and one of the main buildings was gutted by fire. Historic England bought the site in 1995 and the museum is housed in the original Bell Mill and part of the Mid Mill. The rest of the Mid Mill and the East Mill where the cotton was spun have now been turned into private apartments.
The museum is very interesting although very little of the original machinery is held here. Much of it was sold off when the mills closed. Four of the original carding machines from the 1950’s, which were used to comb the raw cotton fibres into finer strands for weaving, stand in their original positions. There was a recording of the noise that was generated by the machines which was deafening. Workers were unable to talk to each other when the machines were running and developed their own form of hand gestures to communicate. Many workers suffered from hearing loss as a result of working in this room. In addition to hearing loss, the workers also experienced breathing problems as a result of inhaling the fine fibres in the atmosphere. It was interesting to read about the evolution of the mills but the museum was very quiet and I wonder how long it will be able to remain open in a world where children and young people are entertained by interactive and vibrant exhibits that give them hands-on experiences. The museum assistant told us that they are occasionally visited by schools and universities as part of their studies about the Industrial Revolution, and the video and audio recordings of former workers provide first-hand experiences of working in the mills. I think the next generation will find this type of museum difficult to access as they cannot relate to these experiences which is a shame. Still, it was interesting and we were glad to have visited.
Today is the last day of our holiday in Scotland and it has been one of the best weeks we have had, made all the more enjoyable by the wonderful weather. We will be heading home tomorrow but our new motorhome is starting to feel more like ours at last. All of the unfamiliar objects are becoming familiar and it is starting to feel like our little home on wheels. It is still hard to believe that we had a different van less than a year ago but we are looking forward to more adventures in Phoenix when we go away for our long summer break.