Hi We are Ian & Angie Snowdon..We are both from Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England.. After 30 odd years of treading the corporate “Dreadmill”, we decided to quit our j…

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The Legendary “Scottish Weather” made us re-think our original plans of visiting the Isles  of Skye, Lewis & Harris.. The forecast was for more of the same as we had encountered over the last few days, so we made the decision to stick to the mainland, and head south, leaving the isles for another trip.. We’ve  skirted around the coastal route but could quite easily have spent a month touring the Highlands, and yet only managed to scratch the surface of this awe inspiring country.. In hindsight writing this post, we can both say that the beauty of Scotland is indeed equal to anywhere we have ventured in the last 13 months.. The photos really do not do this country justice..

On the way down we visited Ullapool, Fort Augustus, Loch Ness, Oban and Luss..

A few years ago we toured Cornwall and it seemed at every point, we were paying for the pleasure of visiting the area.. Parking fees, No overnight camping, No motorhomes etc but with the Highlands your made to feel welcome and not fleeced for the privilege of visiting such a stunning part of the world.. I don’t wish to offend the people of Cornwall, but their local authorities could learn a lot from their Scottish counterparts.. Of course the Pasties are second to none 😉

Special mention to St Conans Kirk Church which we stumbled upon.. Were not churchy people but this one was quite beautiful and in a great location on Loch Awe..

Ullapool.. Great fish & chips..

Fort Augustus

WOWZA..

New top box :))

More Oban..We met an awesome fella called “Jock” here, who used to be a boxer …

Oban wildcamping..

Scotland earned a place on the camper 🙂

Church Courtyard

According to wikipedia, the church is renowned for the fragment of bone that is rumoured to have come from Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.

Angie lit a candle for Mam xx

St Conans Kirk Church, located on Loch Awe..

End Mileage 13,312 (1,000 miles done)..

You simply can’t visit the Scottish Highlands without visiting Applecross.. You will read on many a blog or Facebook post about the treacherous mountain path which takes you there..

Firstly we have to mention the “Smile invoking” little road (B869) we took to Lochinver before arriving at Applecross.. 33 miles of pure joyful driving, along a single track road, following people on horseback, herds of Highland cattle, on a road that resembled the “Wild Mouse”  ride i once rode at Blackpool.. If yr in the vicinity, then make the effort to drive it..

So this is the sign yr greeted with when you first arrive…

THE sign !!

I think its there to put the “Scaredy Cats” off, because its no worse than any roads we’ve driven in the Lakes or the Alps..  Definitely give it a go, because it is a brilliant experience !! The worsening conditions did make it more sphincter twitching for Mrs S, as we wheel span around the 1:5  hairpin bends on the way up lol..

Once there the Applecross Inn serves delicious home cooked food (generous portions) in a lively atmosphere.. There was no mobile signal at all and the wifi was very patchy, which was giving Mrs S,  DWS (daughter withdrawal symptoms) 😉

We settled down for the night in the pub car park, looking out over the stretch of water to Skye..Yet again our sleep was thwarted by the strong winds, and we retreated to a car park a couple of hundred meters away, where we slept soundly until morn..

We decided to leave via the “alternative route” to take in as much of the scenery as possible, and even though the weather was again very blustery and rainy, it was still visually, a beautiful journey.. I don’t think even Scotlands worst weather could, detract from the Gorgeous Gorgeous scenery this country has been blessed with..

End Mileage 13,123

Ok so first our apologies for not adding any blogs this year, but we have been busy having far too much fun  🙂

We watched the sun rise in the same Northerly sky as we watched it set the night before, and drove along the coast to Dunnet Head, which is the actual furthest point north of Mainland Britain..

Its pretty cool down here Ange, come and see, er no thanks babe I’ll take  your word for it 🙂

Again the puffins nesting here were AMAZING to observe..

We took the A836 and followed the coastline “anti-clockwise” around the top of the Highlands.. Never having been this far north, we were stunned and amazed by the sheer beauty of this part of Scotland..  Around every corner we were greeted by a truly breathtaking vista.. We could not believe that on one side of the single track road we travelled, there was a beautiful green Glen, and on the other a picturesque unspoilt beach with golden sands and turquoise waters.. We were WOWED over and over each time we turned a corner or went over a brow of a hill.. So much so that it became almost expected (and we were never disappointed)…

Oh oh not sure if I can get up here honey.. Nice foot wear for the climb Ange!!!!

Scotland’s many Archipeligos ..

We continued along and stopped at Smoo Cave.. The caves are quite unique within the UK as there formed by both salt water (outer cave) and fresh water (inner caves).. All in all well worth a stop along the way..

Smoo Cave..

I love it how you make me go first… it looks pretty dark in there eek !!

Leaving Smoo, we continued our journey through the truly astonishingly beautiful Highland roads..

The journey was taking much longer than it probably should, as we were stopping every 5 mins or so to jump out and take photographs…We started looking for somewhere to stop as the night was drawing in and the wind had started to pick up.. We arrived at Kylesku, and parked up in the car park just off the main road.. We togged up and headed into the village to explore.. At the end of the road we stumbled into the Kylesku Hotel, where we ate a delicious meal whilst overlooking the Loch.. Fed and watered we headed back to the Van.. The weather had really took a turn for the worse (typical July weather)..

As we walked through the village we were stopped dead in our tracks by a Stag not more than a couple of yards away, grazing in the garden of a house on the shoreline.. We stopped and videoed this magnificent animal (see our You Tube channel) said hello and watched him bound off into the night.. We looked at each other and laughed at the randomness of what had just happened, and walked back to the van, where we bedded down for the night.. The weather was rocking the van so bad, that we decided to pull down into the village for some shelter.. We drifted off to sleep happy and contented at our days adventure.. It was a Thursday and we had started to compare what we would have been doing on that particular day, if we had still been living “normal lives” Me on a building site in Middlesborough and Angie in a dreary office on the Team Valley in Gateshead..

End Mileage 12,965

Ohh Hello Gorgeous !!

View towards Kylesku..

Kylesku looking out over the Loch…

John O Groats..
Well we finally made it to JOG.. The most Northerly point on Mainland UK .. Oh no its not !! That title actually belongs to Dunnet Head, a few miles along the coast (which we visit tomorrow)..
JOG is a nice enough place but not much there and a bit touristy.. Looking for Free or Wildcamping spots We were directed to a car park aprox 2 miles away at Duncansby Head Lighthouse..
WHAT A STUNNING LOCATION.. Our view was out over the sea towards Orkney.. It was a view to die for.. we levelled the camper onto the chocks and set off to explore the coastline..
Within minutes we were at a stunning Crevasse teaming with hundreds of sea birds, and in particular Colonies of Puffins.. Again seeing these wild birds so up close in their own habitat was truly humbling.. We walked on further and were greeted by one of the finest sights on our trip.. The Duncansby Stacks.. Sheer rugged beauty and Mother Nature at her finest.. It always makes the experience more enjoyable when you are not expecting something and then you stumble on something Extra Extra special.. The photos don’t really do the stacks justice but it gives you a fair idea of the beauty we stood in awe of..
We returned to the camper with a warmth in our hearts from our beautiful unexpected experience..
We thought this was a fitting time to open one of our leaving presents.. A cheeky bottle of Rose, given to us from Daughter No2 the Gorgeous Jade Scott.. We toasted her as we sat watching the sun drop into the sea over Orkney…

The Van…

Cheers Jade xx

Inverness & The Cromarty Firth
Leaving St Andrews, the first place of note on our route North was Dundee.. It was a drab and dreary day, so i don’t think this helped with our opinion of this particular Scottish City..
However they did have something that we needed ! a  B & Q store provided us with an opportunity to purchase some bits and bobs for our tool box.. Afterwards we headed North again towards Inverness..
After scouting around Inverness for a while looking for somewhere to park up, we received a tip off from My Neighbour Gary Hedworth about a site up at Rosemarkie which was up on the Moray Firth, so we headed up the coastline.
We pulled into the car park just down from the site, and marvelled at the views back down towards the road bridge at Inverness.., After a chat and a cuppa with a few other “Freedom Campers” we decided to set up camp there for the night..

Lighthouse Moray Firth..

Looking Back towards Inverness..

Grattans Catalogue pose 😉

Relaxed ….

It was then we noticed a group of people congregated at the waters edge.. Being the curious types we are we picked up the trusty Nikon and went to investigate..
It was moments like this that make this adventure of ours even more special..
There were 2 Dolphins swimming less than 20 metres away from us.. They were swimming against the fast flowing tide and every 60 seconds or so they would leap out of the water with a Salmon in their mouths, then dive back underwater to enjoy the feast of Scotlands finest..

This was the best of about 250 shots 😦

A marvellous site to witness wildlife in their natural environment.. Again my thoughts turned to my Nature loving Mama, who once again seemed to be with us as we continued our journey 🙂
The following day we set off around The Cromarty Firth and The spectacular Eastern coastline towards to John O Groats…
🙂

Mileage 12,673

Oil Rig in the Cromarty Firth..

A bit off the beaten Trac tor..,.

offshore Graveyard..

Even a Graveyard has a certain Beauty..

Refreshed and eager for action we ate a light breakfast and tidied the bedding away and headed for the Forth Bridges..Iconic structures that never fail to draw me in, to stop and wonder at the marvel of Engineering !

After photographs crossing the road bridge and underneath the rail bridge, we considered our route (as we had only basically planned John O Groats as the first real waypoint on our adventure)..
St Andrews jumped off the map at me !! it was coastal and they held the “Open Golf Tournament” there on occasion, so that satisfied 2 of our criteria for places to visit (well thats 2 criteria for me anyhoo) .. St Andrews it is then confirmed the co pilot..
As we drew nearer we started to see the familiar yellow AA signs indicating a large event was along the route somewhere.. Apparently the 2015 golf tournament had been held there this year said I .. As we drew closer it was evident the event had not taken place yet and as we drew even closer it became more apparent that we were actually arriving on the Eve of the start of the competition !! Parking Hell!! was my first thought, but then curiosity got the better of me and we headed into town..
A quaint Scottish Town filled to capacity with hundreds of folk waling around in various “Pringle” outfits.. We parked the van on the main drag and started to explore our surroundings..
Our initial plan was to do this epic adventure not so much on a budget, but being careful with our cash, as who knows where or how long it would last ? That was blown on the 2nd day as i wondered down a curious cobbled archway and poked my head around the door of “Forgans” Restaurant.. Quaint and old worldly (which ticked 2 of our boxes for places to eat) so I reserved a table for 2 at 7pm.. Back to the van and a quick change and a freshen up (as who knows, its a posh joint so we could be rubbing shoulders with the worlds “Elite” Golfers !!)… We Plumped for “Smart Casual” (who knew my black jacket would have seen service so early on) and found ourselves back at the restaurant, sharing our dinning experience with a hoard of “Pringle” wearing golf enthusiasts ha ha..

you’d never know we lived in a “Van”

Smart Casual..

Forgans

A delicious meal ensued, washed down with a nice bottle of the vino and 90mins later we left, my wallet £££s lighter (so much for the budget-Blown on the second night 😉
We returned to the van and slipped into something more comfortable, and had a wander around the old town and part of the 18th Hole….

The Hallowed 18th..

..

Taken by a kind American Guy..

Tired and contented, we bedded down for the night, and slept well with our stomachs still bloated from the feast 🙂

Mileage 12,468

Night Night All 🙂

Its Sunday the 12th July 2015 and were in the Pavillion Pub, having a few drinks and saying goodbye to some of our dearest friends, family and neighbours….

Today we start our “Campervan Adventure” !!

3 years since the thought “Hatched” in my brain, that Hey ! maybe there is an alternative out there to working yourself so hard that by the time you reach “Retirement age” yourr to knackered and infirm to actually enjoy it !?

Some said “Its Madness” – “He’s having a mid life crisis, “It will never work , but here we are nearly 3 months into our adventure, and we are parked in a small picnic area, next to a beautiful waterfall, 750 metres up at the west end of the Lyse fjord in Norway .. A childhood dream (one of several) either already “Ticked off” or about to be accomplished …. To be fair nearly every one before we left and everyone we have met so far on our travels, has said “Good on you” “Go For It” “Its Amazing what you are doing” “Your actually living the dream” !! Support has been fantastic and we appreciate every single comment…

Our House rented, our careers on hold (or finished ?) and 6,500 miles and 10 countries travelled… Here’s our journey so far…..

After our Tearful farewell at the Pavillion, we fuelled up our faithful Campervan, and headed North up the A1 towards “Bonny Scotland” (or Bony Scotland as Ange posted on Facebook lol)..

Bony Scotland 😉

We felt we couldn’t explore the further reaches of Europe without first visiting the parts of our own shores, which we had yet to see..

It was bright and sunny as we headed up the Northumberland coast, windows down, sunglasses on, and the radio playing some chilled out tunes.. Excitement written all over our faces at what might lay ahead for us.. Two and a half hours to Edinburgh, which was our first planned stop, on our route.. That should get us there for about 8.30pm I thought.. We finally arrived in Edinburgh at 10.30pm having taken a short detour to explore North Berwick & Dunbar ! This was to prove the way forward on the adventure. With no particular timescales to work to, plans and routes can be changed at the sight of a place name on a map, or a picture on Google of somewhere along the way..
I had been to Dunbar as a young boy and had very vague but fond memories of the trip, so indicating right, we took our first of many diversions..
A small but pretty little town, with a quaint harbour.. We pulled the van up next to the RNLI station and got out and stood peering across the harbour, with the evening sun warming our faces.. A small grey seal popped his head up out of the water, and seemed to be welcoming us at our first port of call.. What made this seem more poignant was only a few days earlier, my Brothers and I had scattered our beloved Mums ashes into the North Sea from the rocks at St Mary’s Lighthouse, and 2 Grey seals had swam up within 20 metres of us.. It seemed very fitting to us as Mam was an avid animal lover, and it was as if they had come to welcome her into the cold but fond North Sea waters .. Mams wishes were to be scattered somewhere with a nice view and with her “Furry Friends” as she called them.. So with the seals watching on, we set our Mam and the ashes from every cat & dog she had ever cared for, off into the view we had sat at so many times on a Sunday afternoon, enjoying a 99 ice cream.. We said goodbye to her, happy that she was finally at rest..
Seeing the seal was if Mam was with us on the first leg of our journey…

Scattering Mam and her “Furry Friends”

We arrived in Edinburgh and settled into our first “Wild Camping spot”, a canny little cobbled street, North of George Street, one we had used for Hogmanay earlier in the year..

Starting Mileage 12,304 miles..

Day 1 done Goodnight …..