We arrived in Cairnryan in Scotland by ferry well after dark and made our way to the parking lot of a different ferry line where we planned to park overnight. This is the same place Steven and I stayed in June on our way to Ireland. It seems weird to park at the ferry company we didn’t travel with, but they have more space for motorhomes and don’t seem to mind. If they do, they didn’t tell us. We slept well and were up and on our way fairly early the next morning.
We had a long driving day ahead of us. Fort William was our destination, which was about five hours not including stops. And of course there were stops, mainly for photos and lunch.
One of the many things Scotland is famous for is midges, those teensy biting beasties that can swarm around in the zillions. We had been keeping an eye on the “Midge Forecast Map” that shows how bad (or not) the outbreak is in any given area across Scotland. Our destination, Fort William, consistently showed the highest count.
We were prepared with “Smidge”, the Deet-free spray favored by locals to keep the beasties at bay, but we also had some Deet sprays of varying strength on board just in case. To our surprise, we didn’t need any of them! Thankfully, we enjoyed a midge-free Scotland, probably due to the fact that we visited in mid-September.
At the time we were planning our trip, the Glen Nevis campground in Fort William was having a special, four nights for the price of three! We figured this would be a great place to catch up on laundry, cleaning and shopping and also leave plenty of time to explore, so we signed right up! In addition to completing our chores, we set our sights on two expeditions: The Jacobite Steam Train and a hike up Ben Nevis. At 4,413 feet, it’s the tallest peak in the UK.
When Kelly first made reservations for the steam train, we were all prepared to splash out on a private car, but the only seats available were in steerage! The cheap seats! What a bummer, but we decided it was better than not taking the trip at all. But as we were checking in, Kelly inquired about upgrading our seats and she got us moved into First Class! For a hefty price, of course, but we nonetheless got out of steerage and into First Class where we got comfy seating, a cup of tea and a little package of cookies. We also got a blast of burning coal everytime we went into a tunnel because our car was so close to the steam engine. But hey, First Class! We did notice that a few other passengers had snack boxes filled with scones and clotted cream, which of course we would have ordered if we had known that was even an option! Alas. We nibbled on our tiny little shortbread cookies (2) while we looked on with envy at our fellow passengers enjoying their scones and clotted cream.
Our goal in hiking Ben Nevis was to make it as far as we could to the halfway mark. Beyond that, the climb gets significantly more difficult and we were not prepared to take on a big challenge like that. Kelly was eager to take on part of the hike, even purchasing a set of hiking poles for the journey. But understandably, she was nervous about taking on too much. So when we reached the point where her comfort level was strained, she and I turned around and headed for home. Steven and Bill motored on making it all the way to the halfway mark before turning around. It was a great hike and we lucked out with some lovely weather and, in spite of being told to “Smidge up”, no midges! Perfect!
We enjoyed our stay in Fort William, but were ready to move on after four days. We had so many more exciting places to visit! Up to this point we were not yet on the NC500, which officially begins in Inverness. Once we passed through Inverness we spent the next three nights making our way along the west coast of Scotland through Dornoch, Dunbeath and Gills. Along the way we visited Cocoa Mountain, which is an actual chocolate shop and not something we could hike. We indulged in a disappointingly mediocre hot chocolate that, due to a clock-watching barista near closing time, was neither hot nor very chocolatey. Plus, it was missing the all-important dollop of whipped cream. Two out of five Chouting stars for the Dornoch Cocoa Mountain!
We hiked out along the cliffs to visit the Duncansby Stacks in the far northeast corner of Scotland before making our way to the village of John O’Groats for what turned out to be the best fish and chips of our entire trip. And that’s not just me saying that, the feeling was unanimous. The waitress told us the fish came from a little port just a few miles down the road. The fish was delicious and the portion was about the size of my head. I can’t stop thinking of that fish, so we will have to go back and have more. Also, it was in John O’Groats that we adopted Smoo, a Highland Coo.
If the name John O’Groats sounds familiar to you, it is probably because it is the end point of the cycling route from the extreme southwestern point of the UK (Land’s End) to the most northeasterly point of the part of the UK which is traversable (John O’Groats). While we were there a big cycle rally was arriving and they had taken over the famous signpost with posts of their own. I didn’t realize this until I looked closely at our selfie.
From the northeast corner of mainland Scotland we headed west to Sango Sands Oasis in Durness, a new campground for my Top Ten List! (Yes, I realize there are a couple of dozen campgrounds on my Top Ten list, but who’s counting?) From our site on the cliffs, we looked over the North Atlantic and the beach below our campground. It was stunning.
We did a lot of walking during our stay at Sango Sands. Nearby was the very interesting Smoo Caves. (Yes, this is where Smoo the Coo got his name.) Bill and Kelly took a tour while Steven and I took a walk down the local lanes. We also sought out the must-try food truck offering grilled cheese sandwiches. I have to say those sandwiches were really delicious and I’d like another one, frankly. A second location of Cocoa Mountain located in Durness is walkable from the campground. Of course we had to give it a try and we had high hopes this location would be better than its sister store in Dornoch. I am happy to report that our hot chocolate and all our treats were delicious! Five Chouting stars!
After visiting Cocoa Mountain we continued our walk out to the coast where we found the most north-westerly 9-hole golf course on mainland Britain. It was a well-kept course that I dare say gets more walkers than players, at least that was the case when we were there. Plus, there was a sign reminding walkers to heed the “Fore!” call if heard. Not a soul was around except for us, but the clubhouse was open, so someone must pop in now and again during the day.
After three days we packed up and headed south along the western coast of northern Scotland. This section consisted of mainly one-lane roads with lots of pull outs to let folks who travel faster than we do get around us. Even if it was possible to drive faster, the scenery was gorgeous and I found myself just poking along so I could take it all in.
Our first stop on this travel day was Ullapool where we had lunch at The Seafood Shack. Guess what we had? Wrong! Not fish and chips! Close, though, it was a wrap filled with haddock fried in a tempura batter. So essentially fish with no chips, in a wrap with a bunch of veggies. Still good, but hey.
We had originally intended to spend the night in Ullapool and it turned out to be a cool little town, but plans changed as we got further into our trip. Bill and Kelly had signed up to tour the Balvenie Distillery in Dufftown and they wanted to stay overnight there to be closer for the morning tour, so Steven and I continued our trip toward Falkirk. We would have gone with them on the tour, but even though Kelly made reservations months ahead of time, they were sold out and had no room for us on the tour! So we said goodbye after lunch and last saw them heading down a different road when we split up in Inverness. By reaching Inverness we had completed the NC500 loop which we had started just six days earlier.
We met up again with Bill and Kelly in Falkirk, about 30 miles north of Edinburgh. Falkirk is famous for two things: the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies sculptures. Parking overnight was free at the Kelpies, plus, they are lit up at night, so we stayed at the Kelpies and moved on to the Falkirk Wheel the following morning.
Our final day on the road in Scotland brought Bill and Kelly full circle. Five weeks earlier they had arrived in Edinburgh and picked up their rental motorhome and began their tour of Ireland and Scotland. Those five weeks just flew by and we were all feeling quite sad. We saved enough days at the end so we could visit Edinburgh. Our daughter Tara made a quick visit from the States, too. We also managed to meet up with Bob and Aleja, a couple relatively new to RVing in Europe, but not to world travel. We had been chatting online with them for quite a while, but finally managed to meet up in person while staying at Mortonhall Camping in Edinburgh. This is the only photo of the evening that I am willing to share, because we ended up having a Progressive Whisky Tasting that involved all six of us cramming into each of our little motorhomes and well, we just look awkward. I must say that Bijou was the most comfortable, because she is just perfect that way. Perhaps I am biased.
We had such a great time with Bill and Kelly and it was tough to say goodbye. I knew that we would be exhausted by the time they left so I had booked a few more days at the campground before we began our trip back to France. That turned out to be a smart move on my part, in ways we could not have anticipated. Tara was with us for a couple of more days and we enjoyed hanging out with her. There was a garden center just down the road from the campground that had a huge shop with all kinds of wonderful things for sale. Tara bought a candle and gifted it to me the morning she left for the airport. I lit the candle thinking it would make Bijou smell so nice. A few hours later I had such a dry cough, I said to Steven that I thought the candle was irritating my throat. He said it was bothering him, too. I blew out the candle but the cough persisted. Things for both of us went downhill from there and after all this time and all the traveling we have done, Covid finally caught up with us. Though we didn’t suffer much after the first couple of days, we extended our stay at Mortonhall and isolated for a few more days before finally saying goodbye to Scotland.
And finally, here’s a few more photos of food we enjoyed during our trip to Scotland. We did enjoy eating out more than we usually do, but how many photos of fish and chips do you really want to see? 🙂
And finally, an art contribution from Steven. He is currently honing his skills by copying and learning from some of the masters of the past. This one is his version of a painting by American artist John Singer Sargent called “A Morning Walk”. If you would like to see more, you can keep up with what he’s doing by following his Visual Art page here.
UP NEXT: Onward to Paris!
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Your posts are so inspiring! We are currently planning a fall RV trip to Norway based on your earlier post. Now I want to go to Scotland too! Maybe we should just sell our RV in the US and buy one in Europe. LOL
Oh, Janet! How exciting that you are taking a trip through Norway! There is a set of islands just north of the NC500 that are a part of Scotland, but they are actually closer to Norway than they are to Edinburgh! Of course my mind started racing of how easy it would be to catch a ferry from Shetland to Bergen, but then I found out there is no such ferry. How disappointing, because it would be so fun to see Norway and Scotland! I hope you have a fabulous time on your trip and I think when you are done you will seriously consider moving over here. 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions!
Oh! What a delight! Scotland is still a place I’d love to visit! Funny, I just finished a book where some characters visited Ullapool, and I’d never heard of it! But the Kelties and the Falkirk wheel I definitely would enjoy! Wish you liked warm weather more, but hopefully we will connect somewhere.
I had never heard of Ullapool either until we started planning our trip. And it looked a lot more interesting and inviting than I thought it would be. Next time maybe we will have more time to explore. You would love all that Falkirk has to offer, and then on to the spiky skyline of Edinburgh! You should put it at the top of your list and maybe we can meet up! 🙂
This was so interesting! What a gorgeous country. The light in some of the photos is just awe inspiring! I sure appreciate all the beautiful photos and the excellent commentary.
Thanks so much, Sydney. Steven was in awe of the light in Scotland which was probably more dramatic given the time of year we visited, which was mid-September. Just perfect!
LOVE this post! So many amazing memories! Now I have to catch up!
I am surprised I caught up with you because you have done such a good job of consistently posting! What a fantastic trip we had together! I am so glad you guys made it over and that all our planning paid off. We look forward to our next adventure together!
I must say that when I open up my email and see a post from you, I get ridiculously excited! Your stories are told with such humor and the photos…well the photos just fill me with the best kind of travel envy! Alas, traveling vicariously through your eyes will just have to do at the moment. Thank you for taking me along with you! And…we were in Isle of Arran last July. It’s a beautiful place, but now I just go to the mainland! Thank you!!! Can’t wait to go to France…again as that’s where you were when I first started following you…I really want to go to the Dordogne region thanks to your posts!
Thank you for your kind words Joyce. I get ridiculously excited when I get your comments, so we make each other happy! 🙂 I hope you make it to the Dordogne, it is one of our favorite places. We were there just days before a second lockdown in France, so there were very few people there. It was lovely. I have read about others visiting the Isle of Arran but we haven’t been ourselves. So many places, so little time!
Wonderful, wonderful post! Full of such gorgeous photos, food pics & stories.❤
Thank you, Cindy! Happy Holidays to you and Bill. I hope all is well!
I totally agree with Joyce above. I get so excited when I see your blog post. Steven, your art is just amazing, as are your photos. I had dinner with a doctor friend last night and he said after covid, you’re good for 90 days for not catching it again. Take care! xox
Thanks so much, Jennifer! It is good to hear about the 90 day thing because we are about to get on another trans-Atlantic flight, which always makes me nervous! Happy Holidays and I hope all is well with you and sweet Rori!
what a great trip and awesome photos. As always you do a wonderful job writing your blog. If you ever give up your day job, you could write for a living. Put me down for your first novel. Sorry you had to get the virus but glad you got through it. Vern in Boise. (Always reading just not commenting)
Such kind words, Vern, thank you. I wish I had the know-how and patience to write a book, any kind of book, but I don’t. I can barely keep up with this blog. That said, it is important to me to document our travels because how else could I win arguments with Steven about where we were at any given time? 🙂 Always good to hear from you and very happy to know you are always reading! Happy Holidays!
Now I want to go to Scotland, and I didn’t know I wanted to go to Scotland. (It reminds me a lot of Nova Scotia…which makes sense.) Your posts have a way of making me want to go everywhere that you go! It looks like you had a fabulous time with Bill and Kelly. Love the photo of you with your daughter. And your new travel mascot is adorable.
So sorry to hear that you got Covid. I hope you’re both feeling much better now.
Well, I know how you feel, because I have been thinking I want a tiny house in a tiny house community! That just sounds so perfect and I envy you guys for making it happen. We can’t seem to decide where to settle down, so instead we just keep rolling! 🙂
I’ve been reading your blog for years. Then i stalked you, corresponded with you, met you, and now I’m in the blog! Overwhelmingly honored. Chouters!
Five Chouting stars for new entertaining friends! 🙂 Glad we could finally meet up, and Edinburgh was a pretty great place to do it! Happy Travels, hugs to you both!
This was a wonderful read, lovely pictures? Great fun!
Thank you, Dolores. Good to hear from you!
This was a wonderful read, lovely pictures? Great fun! Was rather disappointed tho, that no Outlander references or visits… Maybe u haven’t read..
I haven’t read the books and I barely made it through the series. Steven is the Outlander fan. To be honest, visiting Outlander sites never crossed my mind! We didn’t purposefully set out to see famous Harry Potter sites, we just happened to be there. I guess we didn’t come across any Outlander places. If we make it to Scotland again, I’ll keep my eyes peeled. 🙂
As usual, love your posting. You may remember, Connie and I were moving to Europe in 2021 to travel fulltime, bit COVID and family issues changed that. For now, we just make extended trips. Next year, we’ll be renting a motorhome in England for 6-weeks mid-August to visit England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. The NC500 is on the list, and we’ll follow much of your path. We’ll probably only have 2-3 weeks in Scotland. Do you recommend making bookings for the campsites? What about joining the CCC? Sorry to hear about your COVID!
My gosh you are doing it right on your extended trips! What a wonderful trip you had to NZ and beyond! About making reservations, it wouldn’t hurt to make them in advance if you know where you want to be. I wouldn’t worry too much about keeping a night or two open if you are unsure, because there are plenty of places to boondock. We also wondered about joining the CCC but didn’t, in the end, and it was no problem to find places to stay. As I’m sure you already know, park4night is the best app to use. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have more questions, happy to help. Connie has my WhatsApp number (if she is still using that). Also, Kelly wrote a very comprehensive blog post on renting their RV and planning their trip. https://bkamericanodyssey.com/2022/10/07/prep-and-arrival-ireland-scotland-1/
Another great post. We will be in Scotland for a month next year and had planned a similar route so its great to get a preview. We got married in a castle outside of Edinburgh over 30 years ago, so we will have to revisit that as well.
Oh, my! I can’t imagine getting married in a castle! I’m sure you are excited to return, no doubt things have change in 30 years! Thanks for taking time to comment, and have a wonderful time in Scotland!
Wow, just wow! NC500 is on my bucket list and you captured it so beautifully. Great pics and trip (apart from the COVID pressie at the end of course). What a treat to read this.
Nina
Thanks, Nina! I feel the same about your Wales posts and look forward to visiting there, too! Covid wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but as you know, we are vax’d to the max! 🙂
So nice for Bill and Kelly to have you guys for tour guides. As usual your photos are spectacular! We both got COVID this week but are over the worst of it. Safe travels!
Oh, my, so sorry to hear Covid caught up with you! I guess we will all get it eventually, but I am so thankful we were vax’d!
You are killing me with this blog. We are so done with RV travel. So done. Done, I tell you.
But now I want to buy an RV and drive around Scotland.
UGHHHHHHHH.
You’re right about the landscapes being beautiful no matter the weather. I usually find overcast skies to be kind of uninspiring, but it adds so much to these pics. So moody and dramatic. Like me. 🙂
Love the kelpies at night and Steven’s painting is fabulous!
Sorry about Covid. It seems It be catching everyone these days. Hope you’re feeling better.
Honestly, I don’t know how to be done with RVing. We talk about it all the time but somehow we just keep on rolling down the road. I guess we will go until we get too old, or fall off a cliff, whichever comes first!