Mel B Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Well, tomorrow morning we're setting off to Scotland, via Hadrian's Wall! :D Thought it would make a nice start to our escapade. We're going to go to Skye then across to Harris & Lewis, down to Uist, and finally back to Skye (Calmac Island Hopper no 14). Don't want to do the one alternative one to Ullapool as it's a long crossing and Lily doesn't like ferrys that much so don't want to push our luck! Any suggestions for places we just MUST see whilst we're up there? B-) We're also hoping to do a bit of kayaking and cycling too, weather permitting. Just looking forward to chilling out for 2 weeks without my boss breathing down my neck (I left work 90 mins later than normal today ... good job we weren't setting of today ... grrrrrrrr). I'm taking my netbook and dongle with me so hopefully I'll be able to log on from time to time. :-) Off to have a nice soak in the bath as it's the last one I'll get for 2 weeks ... well an intentional one that is!!!! 8-) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Grumpy Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 If you get the chance (dog allowing) make the trip to Handa, it's the perfect time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Fort St George. Just east of the A9 and Inverness airport. The fort was built over a period of 15 years, and was completed in 1653. Also houses the Museum of The Queen's Own Highlanders. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Don't bother with the dongle and lap top! You won't get a signal up there, You'll be lucky to get a phone signal in some places, so save the weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 If you go to the site at Glenbrittle on Skye you will be by the sea ( for kayaking ) and there are some good walks / views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 We had several weeks on Skye last year. Assuming you cross by the bridge, (we chose the ferry, going) the first town you come to is Broadford, there is a supermarket on the right, overlooking the sea, it looked like you could stay overnight but we did not. When in Broadford take the B8083 to the left, it's sometimes narrow with passing places but easy. Passing through Kilbride and Torrin eventually arriving at Lock Slapin (and beyond). We did not stop there either but it looked straight forward to do so. We were there in early July. Not a midge in sight. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annette66 Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Hi Mel B...newbie here...just wanted to say that I hope you took your dongle and lap top with you on your hol, as we have just returned from a three and a half week tour of the Western Isles, and were always able to get int access even in the remotest places with our vodafone set-up. We had a most wonderful time, a bit windy, but mild and clear, the scenery was just amazing. We took our inflatable canoe, and found many wonderful places to potter about on the water. Also had our bikes and golf clubs, but we mainly were quite lazy! We only stayed 3 nights on sites, and one of those, Horgabost on Harris, was more like wild camping, no EHU, but a magical spot, with a wonderful white beach. We had no midgies by the way, but that was probably because of the wind. Hope you have a great holiday....we'd return tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 "Scotland here we come!" You poor things......Can't you afford a proper holiday this year :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Hi You will get a 2g signal sometimes but if you go to remote places you will be lucky. Don't count on good connections. Try WiFi near to villages as often the school will be providing WiFi access. On Harris try the car park at Horgabost (if it is still open) and by the ferry at Leverburgh. If you get the ferry from Leverburgh to North Uist, there are a few places to stop on the Machair next to lovely beaches. South of there just take your pick. A word of warning though, CalMac's pricing last year led to a huge increase in Motorhomes in the Hebrides and a lot of wild camping spots are no longer available ( Overlooking the airport 'beach' in Barra being one of them) but don't let that put you off, if the weather is kind it is an unforgettable place and if it ain't kind, you'll still remember it forever! P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Judge BEHAVE (lol) We are going to Scotland this year as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annette66 Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 We had heard that there were now restrictions on wild camping, but we had no bother really. Maybe it was because we were there early and the big rush of visitors have not yet arrived. On Tiree they are quite strict about overnighting on the machair, though you are allowed to park there during the day....quite how they enforce that I am not sure, as we didn't try it. They have a camp site there, and also some crofts can have up to three vans on their land. On Barra, though I dont think Mel B will be going there on the Island hopper type they have, it is true that the parking at the airport has been stopped, though if you just want to watch the planes, you can park in the car park, and maybe have a nice cuppa in the tea room. There are plenty of other places to overnight, and they also have the crofter arrangement...you can get the phone numbers at the tourist info in Castlebay. On the Uists, camping is very unrestricted as far as we could tell. Fab beaches down any road to the west of the main N/S road on South Uist. Similarly in North Uist. Plenty of camping on Bernaray on the machair on the east, and various places on the west side. On Harris there were a few No overnight parking signs, but we were happy to go to the very cheap and cheerful site at Horgabost, as it was such a lovely beach - and good canoeing area. We found no restrictions on Lewis, except at Vartos beach, where the machair has been fenced off (though there is a car park), and we heard this was because last summer some horrible person had emptied their toilet there. Ferry terminals are good places to stop, also lighthouses if you want wild and remote, also strangely enough, burial grounds, which are often in remote places, always have a road to them, and usually have a carpark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 JudgeMental - 2010-06-06 11:43 AM "Scotland here we come!" You poor things......Can't you afford a proper holiday this year :-S Thanks Eddie I thought I was the only one who can't stand Scotland. Cold barren, wet, windy & I don't like whiskey. Much nicer mountains & lakes in Austria, Switzerland, Italy & France and a nice warm 30 - 35 deg. 'er in doors suggested we go to Scotland this year managed to get a compromise 2 weeks in Ireland (off this weekend) at least I can drown my sorrows with the black stuff & 3 weeks in France (or somewhere south & warm) starting last weekend of August. Grounded during July & August, daughter has too many hoildays planned so no one at home to look after the chickens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Take the chicks with you, a regular supply of nutriants. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 art338 - 2010-06-08 5:53 PM Take the chicks with you, a regular supply of nutriants. art Have you seen how much s**t chickens can produce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 14, 2010 Author Share Posted June 14, 2010 Hi guys Currently parked up at Pitlochry, hence the wifi working! :-D We had a nice tootle along Hadrian's wall going up into Scotland a couple of days later, and eventually on to Skye, we made our way around the east coast going north and ended up at Kilt Rock Waterfall for the night - very very windy and rainy at times. We decided not to do the full Island Hopper trip to Harris, Lewis and the Uists and instead just did a crossing to/from Harris - still cos us £91 though! Weather was a bit changeable so we couldn't see the point of the Uists too. Anyway, whilst we've had some nice but very windy days, we've also had some absolute stonkingly horrible windy rainy ones whilst we've been away, consequently we crossed over on Thursday morning and came back on Saturday evening (8pm ferry), as by then we knew we were just going to be kicking our heels and the weather wasn't good enough for the canoes even to poked their noses out of the garage! The bikes similarly haven't see the light of day, disappointed as we did see some lovely beaches etc that would have been perfect for a trip out in the canoes, but no way were they going to get out there, not unless we wanted to sail from Harris to the USA unaided!!!!! Anyway, we decided to cut our losses and came back to Skye and stayed there for the last 2 nights before coming to Pitlochry today. On the camping front, we haven't had to use a campsite at all, lots of wild camping places to stay, both on the way to and on Skye, and on Harris and Lewis. As for toilets and drinking water, there are a fair number of toilet blocks and community halls with facilities FOC so we haven't had a problem. We also found that the CalMac ferry has showers on board (a couple of cubicles at the end of the toilets) so on our way back across on Saturday evening we took our towels up with us and had lovely hot showers, FOC. Also on the ferry, you take your dogs up with you which was great - Romy snuggled on a chair (laid on Chris's jacket) and Lily snuggled on Chris's knee. Nearly forgot, wifi - 3 was virtually no-existent except in the harbour on Skye, the phones worked in places but were mainly for 'emergency calls only' so, if for nothing else, they were worth still having with us. Met a chap who'd got a full island hopper ticket (must've cost a packet) and had been on the islands for 3 weeks but had had enough, his opinion was pretty much that once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Would I go again - no. Pleased we went though but not a place I'd rush back to - expensive and not a lot to do if you don't have the weather and even if you do, you'd probably get fairly bored after a while. At least we can put it to bed now and stick to France etc - going in August/September - HOPEFULLY with good weather! :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 I go to the Islands on a regular basis, IMO anyone who thinks they are all the same must have a very jaded view of life and needs to actualy step out of their van, if it's wet we just put on coats and leggings, interestingly whilst in the Islands I've never experianced as cold or windy weather as our SW USA trip of last month 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magbrin Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Mel B - 2010-06-14 8:50 PM Met a chap who'd got a full island hopper ticket (must've cost a packet) and had been on the islands for 3 weeks but had had enough, his opinion was pretty much that once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Would I go again - no. Pleased we went though but not a place I'd rush back to - expensive and not a lot to do if you don't have the weather and even if you do, you'd probably get fairly bored after a while. At least we can put it to bed now and stick to France etc - going in August/September - HOPEFULLY with good weather! :-> Each to their own :-( But at least this attitude means a few less vans in the Highlands and islands, so more space fo those of us wh really enjoy them despite the weather, midges, costs etc :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 I agree Colin. We are just back from a weekend in Keswick. Wet weather and poor visibilty put a stop to the planned high level walk but a low level walk through the woods proved equally as good. Get out the van and explore. Anybody got a good method of drying out boots? The boots are in the garage at home now but are still wet. If we were away for longer than the weekend it would have meant starting the day in soggy boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 AliB - one method I've used is to stuff my boots as tight as possible with newspapers and leave them in a moderately warm place, changing the newspaper every 12 hours or so. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naittaw Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Believe it or not we do actually have mob. phones, wi-fi and even dongles in most of Scotland ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Oh Mel B! Did no one tell you, you don't go to Scotland, and especially the Western Isles, for the weather. You should assume that you will get four seasons in half an hour and dress accordingly. If you want to rely on sunshine, go to Florida. Having said that, Harris is the only place we've ever got sunburnt, and that was in May. We love Scotland, but do sympathise following a very wet and windy six week trip last year. Its now off our list for the next five years. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 You were warned :-S If any consolation we had a miserable time on French west coast and came home early due to weather *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Come on what is matter with some of you? We have never come home early just because it rained or the wind blew! If we are in France then that's enough for us. And if, but this is not often in France(!), the sun does not shine well the cafes, galleries, museums are still dry and the villages can still be explored even in the rain. If the worse comes to it then drive on to somewhere it is not so wet if it upsets you so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 It is not our idea of fun being stuck in a van in awful weather......when you only have a week 1000 miles return trip is far enough me thinks, and when ostensibly on a cycling Holiday it would be nice to be able to cycle without being blown of your bike. I am not complaining though, last few years the weather has been good to tolerable whitsun half term. Really looking forward to Italy this summer for a proper holiday and decent food...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm suffering from shock apart from a 10min shower when we came off the ferry Sunday evening, weather here in Ireland as been as good as home in the South East. Nice & sunny about 20 deg not quite shorts weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.