Scotland

So best laid plans and all that it has been another fortnight since I’ve written (Smack on hand).  More big changes It’s just Nicky and I again, we cut my parents loose to find their own way J I kid we saw them off in Inverness Bus Station at the start of their long journey home, Inverness to Glasgow by bus and flights Glasgow to Heathrow to New Zealand.  By all accounts this all went without major incident.  So for the purpose of my story they were still with us until Inverness.

I left you when we were due to reconnect with my parents in Falkirk after their visit to Edinburgh.  Before we needed to meet at the Train Station we went to Callendar Park to view CallendarHouse, short walk and a few quick snaps.  After a successful rendezvous at the station we went to the FalkirkWheel, which lifts boats about 30 metres from one Canal to another.  Mum and Dad took the tourist boat ride while Nicky and I took a short walk to see Rough Castle and the Antonine Wall and viewed the action of the Falkirk Wheel from shore.

Next stop was the Bannockburn Heritage Centre (Robert the Bruce defeating the English 1314) just outside Stirling, quite interesting and I got to dress up.  After checking in at Nicky’s favourite campsite Witches Craig we sent Mum and Dad off to walk up to the Wallace Monument as it was only a mile or so and Nicky and I had been on our Highlands tour from Edinburgh last year.  Then after shopping it was time for one of the best things yet the Harness Racing at Corbiewood.  They race American style with all races one mile mobile starts but their track is tiny it is like a training track in New Zealand.  They raced thick and fast every 15 minutes (usually 30mins in NZ) but with no TV schedule to worry about they were 30 minutes late by the end.  So locals told us about one meeting last season where it got so dark in the last race they could only see the horses when they passed the finish line, which they do 3 times the track is so small.  The bookie system was interesting very different from what I’m used to but had it worked out after a few races and decided to place my one and only bet of the night, unfortunately a dud.  A good night was had by all and we didn’t even begrudge the £8 each entry fee.  Given I think Cup and Show Days are the only times I’ve ever paid to go to racing is interesting given if Corbiewood was in New Zealand I’m confident it would rate as the poorest track and facilities in the country and this is one of the UK’s main tracks (it holds the most meetings per year by far).

The next day we sent Mum and Dad into Stirling on the bus as Nicky and I wanted to attend to some jobs and take advantage of the camps Wifi.  Next stop was Loch Lomond where we climbed Duncryne Hill to get views of the Loch, then stopped off along the shore before settling for the night at Tyndrum.  The next day we really started to get into the Highlands and we visited the Glencoe museum and visitor centre and the West Highland Museum in Fort William.  One further brief stop for photos at Eilean Doonan Castle and then it was onto the Isle of Skye.  After a pint at the pub we cooked our own dinner on the waterfront at Broadford.  On Skye we visited Dunvegan Castle and took Dad to Talisker Distillery as he wanted to tour a distillery.  A bit of Nessy hunting at Loch ness followed, I think I’ve got some pretty compelling photos!! J.  We did something called the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition which was an entirely Audio Visual thing not exactly my cup of tea and I struggled to see my value for money on that one.  Culloden Battlefield near Inverness was our next stop where the Jacobite Rebels were heavily defeated and from which they never recovered and the Stuarts were never a serious threat to the crown again.  Our final site with my parents was the Inverness Floral Hall, a good value display of plants in various indoor and outdoor settings.  This final night was the first time we ever had trouble finding somewhere to stay, our preferred choice campsite in town was full so we had to drive a few miles out of town.

I think you'll agree my photos clearly prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster

Dunvegan Castle on Isle of Skye

Glen Coe in the Highlands

 Some Highland Cattle Calves

 Part of Inverness Floral Hall

Mum and Dad left on the bus the next morning and Nicky and I spent some of the day browsing the city centre and very fortunately came across a competition to win tickets to the Scottish Open.  It was a closest to the pin competition on a golf simulator.  Just for participating they gave us 2 tickets to the Pro-Am the next day and later that day we heard that we had also won 2 tickets for any day of our choice of the actual tournament (all up we got £100 value).  We finished Inverness with a visit to their Museum before a bit of attempted birdwatching at Nairn.  We looked for waders at the beach but no luck.

So two days of Golf ensued, you were only allowed to take photos on the Pro-Am day so all photos are from that.  I little damp and miserable on the first day but the rain just managed to stay away in the second, although the spectator areas were very wet from earlier rain.  Despite some reservations Nicky found that see really enjoyed watching the golf (there is hope yet then), in fact it was me that ended up calling time at 5.30 after almost 9.5 hours on the second day.  Players we watched included, Luke Donald (photo above), Colin Montgomerie, Angel Cabrera, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Thomas Bjorn, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, Jose Maria Olazabel, Anders Hansen, Francesco Molinari, Sandy Lyle & Thomas Levet.

Not satisfied with two days of walking a golf course we then climbed a hill called Ben Rinnes, for two reasons because Nicky wanted to walk up a mountain and I wanted to try and see a Ptarmigan (a bird a local birder said probably less than 5% of Scots have seen).  We mission accomplished hill climbed and Ptarmigan found with 2 chicks no less, suffice to say I was a little excited.

Ptarmigan

Aberdeenshire was next where we visited Fyvie Castle & Pitmedden Garden before watching a 3^rd grade Shinty match at Aberdeen University vs Lovat, along with about half a dozen other people.  Our last stop of the day ended up being Fowlsheugh RSPB reserve, almost by accident as Nicky spotted the reserve symbol in our 1993 readers digest touring guide.  This is a coastal cliff teeming with nesting seabirds.  Very cool, NZ should be just like that but the introduced predators have wrecked it.

Fyvie Castle

Shinty

The raucous crowd could hardly be contained.

Based on a tip from some Australians last year we went to Dunnottar Castle, which we found to be good but not spectacular.  We felt perhaps the Aussies hadn’t visited that many castles and that we might be suffering a bit of castle fatigue.  Next stop was J M Barries Birthplace (author of Peter Pan) in Kirriemuir, then on to Loch Kinnordy to try and see Osprey’s, and after a while one did oblige although my photographic evidence of poor at best J.  We did attempt to visit the Angus Folk Museum at Glamis but arrived about 20mins before closing and as no one else was there the attendant was trying to close early so we missed out on that one.

Rainbow over Dunnottar Castle

Osprey at Loch Kinnordy

Our plans had had to change due to the cancellation of the Stonehaven Highland games on the Sunday.  So on the Monday we went to the Burnt Island Highland games.  Burnt Island is across the firth from Edinburgh, we got a good view but it just didn’t work for photos.  I have many pictures and video clips from the Highland Games which I will attempt to make a coherent video out of at some stage.  We spent the night at East Lomond which provided incredible views of Fife, this time with the photos to prove it.

A thorough trip around Falkland Palace followed with quick photo stops at Clackmannan tower, Menstrie Castle and Alloa Tower.  We were particularly disappointed to arrive at Alloa Tower to find that the guide book has a mis-print and they are actually closed Tuesday-Wednesday.  We got to stay at Nicky’s favourite campsite Witches Craig again J.

The morning greeted us with torrential rain and the camp was gradually taking on the appearance of a lake as we packed to leave.  The weather had been generally atrocious throughout Scotland, especially considering it is mid July the height of summer, but it was just ridiculous.  Incredibly as it had teemed almost all the way when we parked up in Glasgow at the Kelvingrove Museum it wasn’t actually raining and throughout our short visit we managed to stay dry ish, although the sky was threatening the unload again at any moment.  So we saw the Museum, Tenement House and walked down some of Sauciehall Street.  That evening through more torrential rain we drove to Hadrians Wall Camping and Caravan site to visit Graham and Sue again.  Unfortunately the terrible weather is having a big effect on visitor numbers to the camp.  It proceeded to tip it down most of the night before coming out in reasonable day in the morning.  We rather lapped up the bits of sun, we took all morning before heading off for Whitby Abbey.

Goathland (Village used to film Heartbeat) followed Whitby Abbey.  This gave us an opportunity to see the North Yorkshire moors and for the GPS to send us the long way round on a small steep road instead of the much easier and shorter road we left on!  We finished the day back on the coast at Robin Hoods Bay which is very beautiful and was great for an evening stroll.

Scarborough was next on the list and we had a good find at the Sports Direct, New Zealand flags for £2 each so we have one each now ready for the Olympics.  One is currently “flying” in the van.  Visited Scarborough Castle which provided great panoramic views of Scarborough, which although more big city and not a picturesque as Whitby still appeared to be a desirable location.  We also stopped at Anne Bronte’s grave in Scarborough.  The Humber bridge had been in our minds for some time and that was our next stop before we finished the day with Thornton Abbey and Gatehouse, where an archaeological dig was in full swing.

Yesterday we went to Lincoln, which I had wanted to do but not for any particular reason, and we were really rather impressed.  We did the Cathedral, Medival Bishops Palace, visited the markets and historical shopping area called Steep Hill which lived up to its name.  We also had our first experience of the Walkabout bars a chain of Aussie themed bars throughout the UK and we were pleased with the cheap food, free wifi and cricket on the TV.  I dragged myself away or was dragged, anyway we left and went to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life and the Ellis windmill.  At the end of the day we went for a run in the woodland and we saw a deer.  Then we tried having a shower in the van for the first time which was reasonably successful which was good.

Today – Sunday- now that I am finally finished writing we are heading off to Flag Fen Bronze Age centre near Peterborough.

Bring on the Olympics.

Some promised shots from the Farne Islands. Artic Tern chicks and Puffins

Touring Again

Once again I have let far too much time pass between updates and again so much has happened.  When I last wrote Nicky and I were gainfully employed in London but we’ve tossed in our jobs moved out of our houseshare and hit the road again in our campervan.

When I left you last I was working at Hireright doing pre-employment screening for the financial services industry and Nicky was in her role as sole chef at the Roastery Café.  With the London lifestyle not appealing to us we decided to pack it in and travel again this summer.  The added consideration being that my Parents were coming over and we could spend some time with them on their holiday.

So mid June we packed up our stuff, left most of it with my brother and put the bare essentials in the van, and picked up my parents from Heathrow.  We got straight into it visited Hampton Court Palace before showing them where we lived in London and getting them to Victoria Station to go and visit Gunam and Sunita in Chichester.

I had arranged their train tickets to go to Chichester, West Sussex then to Dawlish, Devon and then to Bristol, where Nicky and I would meet up with them again.  This gave Nicky and I a couple of days on our own and we did a few things in the south, Lullingstone Roman Villa, Darwins House, Chartwell (Winston Churchill’s House), Salisbury (including Mompesson House and Old Sarum), Stonehenge.  We were wild camping in the van again during this period and reused a spot just outside Winchester that we had found last year.  The second night we stopped in a little Somerset village called Wellow as they had a large discretely located carpark/field.

 Mozaic at Lullingston

 Darwins House

Salisbury Cathedral

Stonehenge

The next day we rendezvoused with my parents at Bristol Temple Meads and since they were due in 20mins and we were on 20 mins free parking it was just enough time for us to literally run around to 2 english heritage sites and return to find their train was delayed 10 to 15 mins.  So with Nicky protecting our now illegally parked van from a conspicuous parking warden I anxiously waited.  First stop for Mum and Dad was SS Great Britain (Brunels Steamship), while Nicky and I took a walk around the riverside, then we all walked to get a view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.  The afternoon was spent in Bath with visits the Roman Baths, Assembly Rooms and Fashion Museum, the circus (a street), the Royal Cresent (another street), unfortunately I had hoped to go to Prior Park for the view but by the time we got up there it was closed, so we finished the day with a drink and a stroll in a picture postcard village called Castle Coombe reputed to be the most beautiful in England before heading to a campsite near the Cotswalds town of Bourton on the Water.

 Roman Baths

Castle Coombe Village

The morning saw us in Bourton on the Water to stroll through the town and visit the Cotswalds Motoring Museum.  We had planned to visit Hidcote but on arrival we found a stream of cars queued out the drive and the few cars coming the other way were suggesting best give up as the car park was chocker, so unfortunately for Mum but fortunately for Dad we retired to a pub another National Trust site the Fleece Inn for Lunch.  We got back on schedule by heading to Stratford Upon Avon to visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage and Shakespeare’s Birthplace.  It turned out there are 5 Shakespeare related sites in and around the city and for the less than the individual entry of the 2 above you can go to all 5.  So the next morning back into town we went for, Hall’s Croft, his eldest daughter’s home with her husband Dr Hall and then the site of Shakespeares former home which unfortunately a previous owner who resented paying taxes on the house had it demolished.  They are currently in the final year of a few seasons of archaeological digs on the site and Nicky and I were able to see it in action and spend 20 mins or so speaking to the archaeologist overseeing the project which was very enjoyable.  Charlecote Park followed, a grand rural resident but due to the day of the week the house was closed, no bother as it was the grounds we had come to see anyway.  Next stop Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Castle, unfortunately we were very pressed for time because this was the day we were taking Dad to the Jaguar Heritage Museum and he was confident he would need 2 hours there.  So quick whizz around and view over the garden and we were off to Coventry and after driving straight past the Jag Museum we got there in the end, it was a rather innocuous building which was being completely detracted from the swathes of advertising banners and flags for the new housing estate next door. Turns out the museum is not nearly as expansive as Dad had imagined as we were all out within the hour and Dad managed to stretch it to almost 1.5 hours but he had looked in every nook and cranny.  I got the impression he was a little disappointed in the number of vehicles on display, about 30 perhaps.  A planned stroll through Coombe Country Park had to be abandoned due the traditional English summer weather (the torrential downpour).

Anne Hathaways Cottage

The next 3 nights we stayed with my brother Mark and his fiancée Dana, Mum and Dad in the spare room and Nicky and I on the street in the van.  We visited Silverstone to see Marks workshop and the track, then Bletchley Park (Britain’s WWII code breaking centre).  The next day I took all the women to Oxford and the Ashmolean Museum while Mark took Dad to Duxford Imperial War Museum (trainspotters of our Blog will know that Nicky and I went last year), the aircraft one.

After leaving Marks we stopped in the oldest pub in England for a beverage, it is Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and is built into a rock crag in central Nottingham.  Newstead Abbey, home of Lord Byron, was next followed by Bolsover Castle, Bakewell in the Peak District to pick up some tarts, then onto our destination Much Wenlock, where we watched England get knocked out of the Euro 2012 in a local pub.

In the morning we visited the historic Ironbridge Gorge area before starting our canal boat holiday in the afternoon.  So for the next few days the pace totally went out of our holiday as we cruised leisurely along the Llangollen Canal, visiting Chirk, Langollen and Ellesmere (you travel slower than walking speed).  This was very enjoyable and we all felt it very worthwhile.

Canal Boating

We returned the boat early on Friday morning a set off on our long trip around North Wales, stopping at Porthmeirion, Caenarvon Castle and Abergele only before camping just outside Rhyl.  The next day we walked around Rhyl, Chester and Holmfirth (Last of the Summer Wine) and then drove a couple hours North and stayed at Scotch Corner.

Beamish Museum took up the vast majority of the next day with just enough time for a quick visit to Corbridge Roman town before we stayed at Hadrian’s Wall Camping and Caravan Site, the site Nicky and worked at for 10 weeks last year.  Our old bosses Graeme and Sue were very kind and put on a big dinner for us all.

I took Mum and Dad out to the Farne Islands to see the nesting seabirds, including Puffins and we stayed in Berwick upon Tweed the extreme North of England.  From here we shipped my parents off to Edinburgh for a couple of nights and Nicky and I visited Berwick Ramparts and Barracks, Bamburgh Castle and a few sites (Flodden Battlefield, Heatherslaw Corn Mill, Etal Castle and Village) in an area called Ford and Etal Estates (Northumberland) before driving to Falkirk to meet back with my parents which we will do in the morning.

Well if you lasted this long thank you I appreciate your interest J.  I’ll endeavour to update more regularly as we are on the road again.