Scotland finishing off unfinished walks

[DavidG58]

I usually try to post our travels, thought I had started a thread for our Easter trip but found all I had done was post about Lola’s passport having expired

That meant France was out this Easter so Scotland it would be, we love the place, particularly pre midge season

As most will know the pet passport is now irrelevant as Lola died early in February

That left us open to go to France but TBH the politics put us off and we decided to stick with plan B and head north

We head off next Thursday stopping at a load of places we have taken Lola to, but this time able to finish off walks she couldn’t make in recent trips , but also resetting dozens of memories we have from travelling all over Scotland with her over the last 10 years

There will be some tears and a load of smiles, the memories are all really nice ones, we appreciate the extra floor space we appreciate the lie in’s but we miss Lola lying right in the way and actually quite liked getting up for her, even if quite often we got up went out and Lola really wasn’t bothered

First stop Jedburgh Thursday night, then Edinburgh to meet some old friends not seen for 20 years and Chinese with Gerry and Lorraine to celebrate her birthday

Then northwards.........

To be continued

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Looking forward to your travels. Plenty pics please too . Have a lovely time xx

 

[ambulancekidd]

I'm pretty sure that Lola will be there in spirit & will certainly be in your head as well as your heart.
Enjoy yourselves.

 

[TinaLes]

Have a great trip, we will be up there also for our honeymoon trip.
Probably do D&G then Ayrshire to see family, then over the bridge to the west coast towards Argyle, then further on up the west, if weather is OK then maybe a ferry or two to the Hebrides.
No fixed plan, just follow our nose and wildcamp when possible.
Les & Tina

 

[big bertha]

Have a lovely trip, there will be sadness but smiles as well on your walks. We go to our favourite site in Somerset every year and always remember the dogs we have lost that loved the site.
As soon as my cast is off and if I can manage with a moon boot to get into van will be following everyone north.

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[Mousy]

Oh David, we’ve been away and missed you loosing Lola, so sorry and very sad for you both, she was a beautiful girl. I’ve fond memories of her, love to you both and I hope you have a lovely trip with sunshine and Lola walking beside you in spirit and your memories. Xx

 

[Stagman]

We cross the border on Sunday, so will be on the look out for the funster stickers. We will be taking in Orkney, Harris and Lewis too on this 8 week trip.

 

[houdini]

Have a lovely and relaxing trip, you both deserve it.

 

[DavidG58]

Although we don’t set off till tomorrow our holiday for us starts today

The Motorhome turning round is my start, just sitting in the drivers seat and starting the engine makes me smile turning round probably involves a total drive of 50m and half of that is in reverse but I love it

A trip to our butchers for a few vac packed portions of mince and fillet steak then check alcohol stocks, food stocks and put in some clothes

Mum goes away today for her first night which relieves the pressure at home and means we can get up and go when ready

M1 / A1 up to Newcastle turn off at at airport, fill with fuel there, shop at Waitrose in Ponteland for a few treats then trundle up to Jedburgh to overnight in town centre , from where I will check in next

 

[DavidG58]

Arrived in Jedburgh just as the shops shut

I will be back to finish this post, trying to upload photos from phone and lap top, not going well at moment

I’m back, we are parked in the centre car park, although there are no signs saying welcome the Jedburgh web site says park here there are no restrictions shown at all

As we left today Bev was crying st the door, turns out Lola’s collar had fallen off the coat cupboard door where it is hung when she went for her coat. She said it’s like she wants to come with us, so at least her collar is, and a fair bit of ‘association’

Today saw us trundle past here

Bimbling along at a steady 52mph 2000rpm saw the best ever mpg as we arrived at Jedburgh

We actually had 23.6 mpg before the climb up to Carter Bar

This is the view from the car park of the abbey

We have stopped here about 10 times now and love the short walk by the river, more often than not we see a dipper

Today the river was high and we didn’t see one, but commented on how much more quickly we had walked than when with Lola who loved new places and new smells she was never in a hurry anyway give her new smells and a quick walk never hsppened

Stood by river where we turn back to town and had a minute looking at the much faster than normal water and this stopped on the other side

Now had tea and a gin, we also walked further through Jedburghvthan normal and found a few nice clothes and gift shops to be revisited in the morning

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[TinaLes]

Hi @DavidG58 Where are you intending to park up in Jedburgh may I ask?, we see there is a CCC site but are there any FLT spots
I asked a similar question on The M6 Toll thread a moment ago.
Thanks
Les

 

[funflair]

Enjoy your Trip David and Bev.

Martin

 

[big bertha]

@DavidG58 bad accident on A1 today road was closed well into afternoon with diversions, hope you missed it with turning of at airport. Unfortunately there was a fatality.

 

[irnbru]

Looking forward to your updates and photos. Are you using your P900? I still cant get the hang of the macro.

Bev probably finds it comforting keeping Lolas collar around. I've still not removed Blues leash and muzzle. I like to think he's around in spirit.

Safe travels!

 

[DavidG58]

@irnbru

Still on the Nikon , for now

I literally only ever use full auto and zoom

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[DavidG58]

Hi @DavidG58 Where are you intending to park up in Jedburgh may I ask?, we see there is a CCC site but are there any Fork Lift Truck spots
I asked a similar question on The M6 Toll thread a moment ago.
Thanks
Les

This is where we were last night, not checked web site for some years but it use to say overnighting allowed for Motorhome, there are no restriction signs at all, although the car park by the rugby club does say no overnight parking

Hawick actually has dedicated bays for MH’s and is only 12 miles away

 

[DavidG58]

Today e have moved 50 miles north to Edinburgh, another gentle drive confirmed by mpg

Still not refuelled since leaving but we did fill up as we left as I had forgotten we came home with the light in last trip out

Will refuel in Edinburgh before moving on tomorrow

This was Jedburgh before we left, a castle we had not spotted before , explained in the Mary Queen of Scots exhibition we went round after shopping

Now parked at Edinburgh C & MC next to Gerry and Lorraine @lorger they heard we were arriving and went out off out for a walk by the sea now and a Chinese later

 

[DavidG58]

our walk was down to the firth of Forth, a clamber down some uneven steps to the most amazing rural promenade

weather still lovely , not quite south of France temperatures, but really nice for a walk

A couple of islands in the firth, one looks like it fortified, actually they both do, but one more than the other

waiting now to Chinese with our neighbours, tomorrow we are heading north, seeing friends for breakfast, not seen them for 20 years, so by friends we really mean people we once knew ex neighbours, but they were friends then so still are to us

Then on to taste of Perth for lunch, just north of Perth on A9, we have overnighted there before, but hope to get to the top of the Findhorn valley for 2 nights and a couple of 'unfinished walks' although both were really last done when Lola was still up for as far as we went she would one of the walks is right up on the tops, we saw white mountain hare up there last time we walked which was 2 years ago. Last two stops we couldn't, midges once, Lola and didn't want to another

Forecast not so nice for the morning, but we will not believe that till we wake up and look

 

[DavidG58]

Bit of catch up here, we left a dreich Edinburgh after breakfast out with friends we hadn't seen for best bit of 20 years, just got back in time for good byes to Gerry and Lorraine and receive some birthday cake many thanks

For a scot Gerry is very generous, he let us drink Lorraine’s gin on Friday night

We stopped for our first fuel at Perth, a warning for all , I have previously nearly run out north and southbound, there isn’t a single garage actually on the A9 between Inverness and Perth

I even treated our Mercedes to super diesel and have been sadly unrewarded with even better mpg but it is a tad hilly up here

We pulled into Ralia for a coffee stop, I did the walk I did with Lola when we stopped there (most trips)

The cafe is at just about the highest point on the A9!and the daffs are still in bud

Then we drove on to possibly our favourite ever wild spot at the top of the road on the Findhorn valley

Disappointingly cloudy but still beautiful to us

And a reminder for my log on distance and mpg

That is Edinburgh to Inverness effectively but a 12 mile detour due west from Tomatin

 

[DavidG58]

Yesterday we had a call from mums care place, she is being awkward with them about taking meds and is becoming aggressive

So we felt we should have a walk and get back to somewhere with phone signal, but in the walk we saw goats and mountain hare still with white fur, photos on camera but will post later

Moved north and currently parked up at Falls of Shin got phone signal and have spoken to care home, things not brilliant but under control so we are staying up here

Tomorrow we go on to Altnaharra for R & R never stopped there, but club site right beside a Loch

Distance and mpg today

Now ‘coping’ with stresses of mums phone call by trying a new to us gin from Alde bought at Perth just off last roundabout before heading north on A9

Cheers

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[Hamish the highland hymer]

I usually try to post our travels, thought I had started a thread for our Easter trip but found all I had done was post about Lola’s passport having expired

That meant France was out this Easter so Scotland it would be, we love the place, particularly pre midge season

As most will know the pet passport is now irrelevant as Lola died early in February

That left us open to go to France but TBH the politics put us off and we decided to stick with plan B and head north

We head off next Thursday stopping at a load of places we have taken Lola to, but this time able to finish off walks she couldn’t make in recent trips , but also resetting dozens of memories we have from travelling all over Scotland with her over the last 10 years

There will be some tears and a load of smiles, the memories are all really nice ones, we appreciate the extra floor space we appreciate the lie in’s but we miss Lola lying right in the way and actually quite liked getting up for her, even if quite often we got up went out and Lola really wasn’t bothered

First stop Jedburgh Thursday night, then Edinburgh to meet some old friends not seen for 20 years and Chinese with Gerry and Lorraine to celebrate her birthday

Then northwards.........

To be continued

Pre midggie indeed but the may flies are torture this year take your sprays and skin so soft
Good luck

 

[Drum Major]

Enjoying your posts although we live south of Perth near kinross and have travelled most of Scotland it's so nice to read your posts with pics of course enjoy your trip

 

[DavidG58]

Very distant photos of hare, taken today, one a mountain hare I presume by the colouring not sure if the second ne is a brown hare, both seen in same area and the mountain hare was only really obviously white when moving

 

[lorger]

Nice Photos David if not up to my usual standard , did i forget to put the bill in with the birthday cake

Enjoy your trip.

 

[BigStevie]

Midges about this evening in the far north....

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[Stagman]

Beautiful sunny weather in the west. On our way towards Mallaig. Can’t believe our good weather fortune

 

[DavidG58]

Very weak internet up here at Altnaharra, far too windy for midges but lovely and sunny

Moving down to Gairloch tomorrow, will try and add a photo now but will add more tomorrow

 

[BigStevie]

You're nearly passing my doorstep! Hope you enjoyed Altnaharra. BTW, All the forestry along the roadside going north from the site on Loch Naver is due to stripped out sometime this year, it's going to get busy down there!

 

[TinaLes]

@DavidG58
Liking your pictures, still stuck at home with shower mixer problems
when you get to Gairloch dont even think about driving up the single track "Privately Owned" road to the Rua Reidh Lighthouse.
The current owners think when they bought the Lighthouse Accommodation that they bought the actual lighthouse along with the entire road access and surrounding area also, but that is not the case as Trinity House still own the light house and the access road.
The "owners" are apparently very rude nutters and very protective as to who drives on "their" access road
If you want some evening entertainment, check out the trip Adviser reviews and return comments from the current owners.
By responding in the way they have to client criticism, I am not surprised they have it up for sale again. Such a shame could be such a lucrative business if they opened it up as a daytime cafe/diner also, and try and involve the locals a lot more.
The "Owners" put up PRIVATE ROAD NO ACCESS signs just at the end of the village to Quote : "stop the "Fat Bar####ds in their cars that are too lazy to walk the 2.5 mile road to the light house!", so the locals remove them just to wind them up Loads of coverage in the Scottish Papers in the recent past, honestly if you really wanted to sabotage your own business, you couldn't do a better job than they have The sooner they are out the place the better IMHO. Be interesting to hear what the local take on this is, as they dont seem to have have made many friends up there.
If we go up there now, we will definitely make a point of driving up to the light house, just to wind them up further and add to their totally illogical local "Conspiracy Theory".
Have fun Gairloch looks beautiful.
Les

 

[DavidG58]

I hope there is just enough internet left here to post this mornings view

Altnaharra CMC site , £15 a night with electrics £10.50 without

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