Forfar, Bilbernie, North Berwick and Northumberland

Forfar was on a flat plain which had once been a bog but just down the road was this little gem. The photo is of Glamis castle, the childhood home of the Queen mother. It's a beautiful place and houses the wedding dresses of Royal family members from after Queen Victoria's reign (all except the latest one of Kate). The queen mother was married to George V1 in the early 1920's and her dress was stunning, definitley worth a visit.

 We moved down to the caravan club site at Glenrothies the bottom side of Dundee, across the Tay Bridge. The following day we crossed the Forth Road Bridge and skirted Edinburgh travelling eastwards to North Berwick. (Our intention had been to stay over in Edinburgh but we struggled to find a site with availability as it was the bank holiday weekend and Edinburgh Tattoo). The site at North Berwick was made from reclaimed land and had a beautiful beach with hardly anyone on it. We had a good walk along the sea shore to North Berwick itself around 3 / 4 miles. I would return here as there's lots to see - so another place on my list.

These two pictures are from Cragside in Rothesbury in Northumberland

This is an absolute gem. Cragside is now owned by the National Trust but was built by Lord Armstrong in the 1860's. He was an engineer from a humble background who invented many things we still use today.  His house contained the first hydro electric power system created from his lakes and pumping station. This enable him to have 'all the mod con's of the day' in his house for example: electric driven spits for roasting on the fire; a dishwasher; a lift to all floors and best of all a health spa in the basement - definitely worth a visit   

Last but not least we called at 'my mum's' in Scarborough for a week. This picture is at Hutton le Hole, a lovely little village with a folk museum and a few shops but very beautiful. Had lunch here and they served gluten free scones - a bonus for Eric. Note the sign on the Honesty box!

It says Honesty box not in use - please pay at machine

Just having a break now til we go off on our travels again - back over the water.

Aberdeenshire and Braemar

After driving around the outskirts of Aberdeen to find a camp site to no avail we stopped around 23 miles inland at a  lovely site next to the river Dee. Didn't get back to Aberdeen as only staying one night so it's on the check list for another day. Apparantly this was the nearest campsite to the 'capital of the north' I think someone's missed a trick her on tourism. Still it did mean we saw another part of the country and had a lovely walk around 8 miles all round along a cycle track and then at the side of the river where we saw a very big salmon leap up out of the river. A fisherman was up to the top of his thighs in the middle of the river but he missed it. After 4 miles we arrived at a little village where they were serving tea and homemade cakes and scones in the village hall. The little old ladies that served us were making the most of walkers dropping by on a Sunday for their community funds so we went in and had tea in china cups and warm buttered scones - it was like a mirage in a desert.
We moved on the next day to Braemar in the heart of the Cairngorm mountains - I've been here before when skiing at Glenshee and it's a magical place. We saw a couple of red squirrels and some red deer as well as an abundance of heather, pine forests and moorland. We must have walked over 10 miles that day but it was such a lovely sunny day and the place is so beautiful. I could live here.

Sunday treat in Braemar outside the Fife Arms

Hope you can read this - Queen Victoria's outing with John Brown (Balmoral just down the road)

Giant ant nest  - heaving with millions of the little creatures

We stayed a couple of nights and then moved down through the glen to Forfar just above Dundee

Loch Ness, Culloden, Inverness and Nairn

Left the Isle of Skye and travelled to the edge of Loch Ness at Fort Augustus. Found a good site in the village and had a lovely day looking at the boats coming off the Loch and into the Caledonian Canal for the passage across from one side of the country to the other. The canal was built by Thomas Telford in the 1790's and is still used today via a series of locks for small boats, yachts, barges, long boats etc.
Fort Augustus is a haven for the rich with their yachts and the local pub reflects that - we went out for a drink at the local pub in the evening and paid over £8.00 for half a beer and a glass of wine! We moved on the next day up the side of the loch - it's enormous.

Just north of Fort Augustus - a clog shop

Arrived at Culloden just a few miles outside Inverness where we were booked in for a couple of nights. We visited the museum of the battle of Culloden and the battle fields. It was the final battle that changed the path of history and had a real impact on me - fascinating history and worth a visit.
We spent a day in Inverness, a modern city and looked around the shops and yet another museum showing the geology of the area - how the mountains were formed and the role of the clans in shaping the future . At one point I tried on a traditional kilt - you had to lay on the floor to put it on - it was so bulky I don't know how they managed to do anything let alone fight.

Inverness castle

The following day we moved on to Nairn - we were not staying there, just visiting. What a fabulous place, it's on the Moray Firth and has a great sandy beach with rock pools, lots of parks and they were just setting up their Highland games for the next day. I wanted to stay but had already pre-booked the next site, so we decided to make it a priority visit next time in Scotland.

Nairn rock pools - I think these birds are Dunlins - red beaks and legs

We moved on to Huntly - the home of many of the whisky companies. The area is completely different there, quite flat and agricultural. It had lots of sports facilities but the town looked quite run down and presume it has suffered from the recession. We moved on to the Aberdeen area the next day

Isle of Skye

We went over to Skye via the Bridge and headed North to our farm site - previously booked.

We stocked up with food as I thought it might be remote and it was! Two miles down a track in a field - there was one other caravan with no occupants and the field was boggy. The farm where we were supposed to pay our £8.00 per night was also not occupied - so we were on our own in the wilderness. It was cold and wet so we stayed in and cooked - no tele, no website and no mobile so we played trionimos and then went to bed. Moved on the next day but the bonus was we saw 2 eagles as we left and headed over to Dunvegan on the other side of the island.

As we arrived at Dunvegan we saw a campsite next to the loch and managed to book in - we had a pitch right next to the edge of the loch and the sunset was stunning - see picture. I've never seen anything like it - the clouds first turned a mottly pink grey and then the pink went deeper until the water and the hillside were red. This must be like the northern lights and it makes me want to see that as well. The next morning we visited Dunvegan castle - the home of the McCleod clan - a really homely house with lots of history.

We left there around 2.30pm and went up the coast to a little fishing village with the oldest pub on the island - I tasted the beer made specially for the pub - The Stein Inn was built in 1790 - the ale - Sliding Deck - best beer I've ever tasted
We left the island the next day and vowed we would return a magical place to be - rugged but beautiful.

Photos and Morvich, Bridge of Shiel

We're parked just across from the Isle of Skye and will be going over tomorrow morning. Morvich is a tiny hamlet in the middle of the mountains with very little in the way of shops or restaurants (well the nearest is around a (Scottish) mile - which we reckon is around two). Have just walked to a little shop near the bridge to buy a bottle of wine which has cost me £7.99 at least £2.00 more than what I normally pay - but I need it tonight after my 10 mile hike down the glen.
We set off down the trail at 10.00am this morning and saw no one except sheep and cows. The scenery was stunning with sheer rock faces at either side and the river in the bottom - all the rain we've had was flowing down the mountain sides and into the river in a series of waterfalls down the glen. It continued to rain - but that was beneficial as it kept the midges at bay and now we're geared up for it - it  becomes part of what we've become accustomed too and doesn't stop us going out in the rain.
Attached some of the photos from the past week.

Note the Scottish lingo

Bay at Fort William

Ornish Campsite - right on the water

Walking down the glen at Morvich

The view before us as we walk down the glen

One of the many waterfalls

Gushing streams from the mountains

Viewpoint at Glen Garry - spectacular

We're staying on the island tomorrow as have booked a CL site (the only one) on Skye - would doubt if there's any internet so will do a post in a couple of days.  

Welcome to Scotland

We set off around ten days ago and spent the first week in and around Durham before heading further north into the wild blue yonder. For anyone who has never been around the Durham area - it's a place to visit with beautiful scenery and lots of tea shops and cafe's with home baked scones and quiches. We stopped at the caravan club sites at Richmond (I know that's North Yorks), Barnard Castle, Durham and then went on to a 'UK Campsites' site in Consett - this was where the rain set in and it poured and poured. We headed off for Jedburgh the next morning and stayed on a farm site near Kellso - this little town is a place to re-visit - it's pretty, has nice shops and a castle - will probably call for a longer look on the way back down. From there we headed up to Lochearnhead a little to the west of Stirling. This was a CL site on the trout farm and right on the shores of Loch Earn. It was a nice sight but it lacked the amenities of local walks as the mountain sides were so high - the place was a haven for watersports and fishing - neither of which we wanted to do. The next morning we set off for Oban - what a wonderful setting just up from Oban itself the sight overlooking the loch - it was idyllic to wake up in a morning and gaze across the loch / firth. Oban was easy to get to by local transport so we hopeed on a bus to discover the delights of the town. We stayed two nights in Oban but the second day it rained without stopping the whole of the time - even so we went out for long walks and got soaked to the skin. Invested in overtrousers and a rainhat.
Moved up to Fort William for the following night - weather starting to clear up and we're now just about ready to move off to the Bridge of Shiel - opposite the Isle of Skye.
Stay posted for the next installment

Last few days in Dixme - relaxing

Spent the last week just pottering - doing little jobs around the house in Dixme and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. It's warm and sunny but with quite a breeze sometimes - but perfect for me as I don't like it too hot. We've put some fat balls hanging on the peach tree and this has attracted some little bluetits - but they're not blue - more of a sandy colour with a greenish upper. They have a definite black stripe across the eye and a greyish cap - but hang up side down on the fat balls and (other than they're not blue) look and act (and are the same size) just like a bluetit - if anyone has any ideas let me know - my bird book doesn't know!
I've attached a photo of the finest loo you could have - it is in the shed with no glass in the windows (so never smells). No flush - just an earth closet  - I give it a clean now and again as it does get a bit dusty. We do have another two inside the house should anyone despair at having to use a loo in the shed (however very popular with the men at evening barbeque's - there's some kind of basic instinct there)

It's water on the floor where I've thrown a bucket over it - not where someone has missed!

Weekend in Arcachon

After a couple of days with Lizzie and family just outside Bordeaux we set off for a weekend camping with all the family and one extra (Lewis's friend Harry). Adults to sleep in the camping car and children in the very large tent. Hence not much sleep for any of us on Saturday night! However a good time was had by all.
We found a lovely campsite 'La Foret' next to the dunes of Pyla. The campsite had all amenities you could need including a very cold pool, and was set in lovely surroundings of pine forests. The pine cones were bigger than any I've seen before and the bird life was fantastic. We had swallows, martins, redstarts, sparrows and very small little rock sparrows that were very much like your ordinary sparrow but smaller, more distinct markings with a black stripe above each eye - had to look them up in my bird book and they're only found in southern France and Spain.
Main feature of the weekend was the dunes - they're enormous - around 100 metres high and stretch for 15 kilometres along the coast from the Arcachon basin. From the site there is a metal stairway going straight up the dune finishing about 20 foot from the top. The kids were up like lightening but it took me ages to climb up - a bit scary when you're about 300 steps up (there's 410 altogether), however I reached the top and the view is tremendous. We took a parachute type kite - which got into a real mess as the wind just wound it round and round and Josh took his small remote controlled plane which worked very well until the battery ran out. Altogether I managed the dune twice but avoided it Sunday as it was so hot - something like the Sahara at mid day - however the bar, restaurant was no mirage and we could take shelter in it! Eric and I stayed for Sunday night as well to have a bit of down time and relax in it's beauty (and also to have a very nice meal for two in the restaurant). Set off Monday morning back up to Dixme to do a bit of washing and clean the sand out of the camping car before heading North again.
Pics of campsite and the Dune

Overlooking the atlantic ocean - from the top looking over the other side of the dune - sand bank in the middle.

A bit like the poster - footprints in the sand in real life.

Had to stop four times on he way up - but made it!

Laura and Harry waiting for the call to let go. Its a parascending paradise as well - they just jump off and go up with the thermals

Family barbeque

Didier in charge - more smoke than fire

A very French Laura

I'll grab the first one!

How's this for doing homework

This is Thouars Chateau which is currently used as a student college - behind it there is another old building which houses the museum of the second world war. We visited it with mum as there was an expo on of the French resistance - all local women. Their stories were unforgettable - one woman was over 80 years old when she was caught by the Germans - they detained her for only three weeks and then let her go on grounds of being 'too old'. There's hope yet!

A little more

Mum wanted a bit of something for her lunch so asked for a ham sandwich and a few chips- result below

Ann and mum have gone back to the UK now so leaves just Eric and I - we've spent a couple more days in Dixme just chilling before coming down to Bordeaux - have added a couple more photos of us just getting ready to go out for a meal in Quinge (a new restaurant a few kilometres north) - it's a very small village -, the restaurant opened on the 2nd May but we'll definitely be going again. We had a four course meal with a litre of wine and coffee at the end followed by a brandy on the house. It cost us 16 euros each (around £14 per person).

We're now just outside Bordeaux - in the middle of the vine country - lots of little country lanes- so we've borrowed a couple of bikes from the kids and have done a little bit of exploring.

As we've still got an abundance of cherries - I'm cooking clarfoutti tonight (it's a bit of a cheat though as it's a packet from the supermarket) - recipe as follows:

Place freshcherriesin a buttered dish, mix one of the sachets (there are 2 in a pack) with half a litre of cold milk and whisk, pour over cherries and bake in oven on no.7 for about 40 mins. If it works - I'm bringing some back - can take orders!









At last I've managed to get onto the blog - internet access has been a major problem - anyway with patience -have eventually managed it through the French dongle - borrowed from Liz.
It feels like I'm in a different world not just over the channel - we set off about three weeks ago 'ish' stopping off in Boulogne sur Mer to meet up with my sister and mum. Stayed on the 'Aire de camping car' which was free! The next day travelled down to Broglie and camped for the night - another 'Aire' which cost 5 euros for four of us and then continuing down to Dixme- a joint home we have in the south of the Loire Valley, just below Thouars. The birds here are amazing - there are goldfinch, blackbirds, sparrows, cuckoos and woodpigeons just twittering all the time and breaking up the silence as there are no main roads around for miles (or kilometres).
We've been here a couple of weeks but spent a few days earlier this week touring the Loire Valley between Tours and Blois, staying on campsites (mainy for the facilities as there was four of us) in blissful peace and tranquility except for the birds and the frogs of an evening. We visited a few chateaux's and seem to have eaten and drunk far too much - but has been a fabulous few days.
We arrived back on Friday and gathered cherries from the garden - for lunch we had a little pate or cheese as a starter with a bit of baguette followed by crepes with home made cherry compote and icecream - it was 'heaven on earth'. We later made pots of cherry jam - the remainder we've left on the trees for the birds - they usually have them anyway as we're not usually here at this time of the  year.

Attached photos of Azay le Rideau chateau and cherries have put other photos on facebook

Picture of motor home

The motor home is a left hand drive Dethleffs 2003 model

Welcome to my blog

To date we've been experimenting with our motor home - gathering our essential items ready for our European trip in a few weeks time.
We've stayed on caravan club sites in the Cotswolds, Norfolk and Peterborough and although the weather has not been great have enjoyed them all.
The satellite dish has proved a little more complicated than I first anticipated but I think we've sorted it now and hope that we can pick a signal up on our journey through France in a couple of weeks time. We've also bought a couple of folding bikes which I hope are going to be just the ticket when we're on site and want to go to the local village. However first time out (Clumber Park) Eric's pedal dropped off so they're parked up until the new pedal arrives from the manufacturer.