Scotland - to the northern most part of mainland and beyond

---

15 JuneThe Road to Elgin. We woke to a warm and still morning and prepared to travel on to Elgin our next stopover. We had a nice chat with our neighbours who it turns out are from Marlborough in Wiltshire. Marina’s starting to feel better. Our trip to Elgin took us through the Grampian Hills and presented some wonderful visitas. After missing our turning twice we eventually found the CL just a mile or so out of town and pitched up. It is a small and uneven piece of land with enough space for 5 vans. We found a fairly level area with an open aspect across fields to the woods beyond and did the usual preparation before settling down for a spot of lunch.

The site owner, Dennis, turned up briefly to introduce himself and see if we were OK. A kindly, elderly Scottish gentleman who suggested either a walk in the nearby walks or as an alternative a coastal walk between Hopeman and Burghhead.

We took the latter suggestion and drove down the 5 miles to Hopeman and took the coastal path to Burghhead. The path goes through bright yellow gorse and follows the course of an old railway line. It gave us some fantastic views across the Moray Firth with snow-capped mountains in the distance. We got a good close up of a nesting gull with two young chicks although these were by now quite large, passed St Aethans Well an ancient historic place and after 2 ½ miles arrived a Burghhead, a small fishing village passing by a large ugly factory which Marina wanted to find out more about and turned out to be a large maltery for local distilleries. We walked through the straight narrow streets with their small quaint houses and found ourselves on the other side of the village where there was a lovely sandy beach and dramatic views across Burghhead Bay. We met a couple of people who were on whale watch duty and had had spotted a Minky Whale some distance out with their high powered binoculars.

The walk back was quite tiring for us both but we made it expecting the car park to be deserted but were surprised by what we saw in the park – a football coaching session involving about 50 youngsters all kitted up in their orange and black football shirts and shorts. Parents in various role , half a dozen actively involved, some watching passively from the sidelines but most disengaged sat in their cars or outside the pavilion.

We watched the tide coming in for a while and the ever changing colours of the Moray Firth as the sun, still quite high in the sky at 7 pm came in and out of the clouds.

Drove back to the site, had some dinner and watched part 1 of a David Tennant thriller called Secret Eyes. Tomorrow we will drive into Elgin and look around

16 June A walk around Elgin. Walked around the ruins of Elgin Cathedral and the Biblical Gardens with their sculptures and lovely colourful shrubs. Then a short visit to the Johnsons Cashmere Visitor Centre an informative video show piecing the process and materials used to produce what they claim is the finest (and most expensive) Cashmere products in the world. Took a steak day special lunch in the local Weatherspoon before heading back to camp ahead of the rain that was forecast. Unfortunately we lost that particular race. Dennis came over again and invited me to see his tractors in case we had difficulty in getting off the site after the rain. We spent a good hour talking about his various business interests which are growing barley, quale eggs (he used to come down to Somerset to buy the hens and then sell the eggs to local hotels and restaurants) He has also invested in solar pv panels and a ground source heat pump as part of the build of his new bungalow which he also proudly showed me around. I gained the impression that Dennis is a very rich person but also quite lonely as he has no immediate family. He married late in life and his wife already had two children but they divorced after they all wanted to head south but he wanted to stay on his farm. He has a nephew in the states who is high up in the Exon oil business and I got the impression that he might take on the farm eventually.

Drove into Lossiemouth for a walk even though it was still raining lightly. We walked across a rickety old bridge to the beach beyond. It must be a great place when the sun is out as the beach extends for miles and it has a flat and lovely texture. Back to the van for part two of Secret Smile thriller and then to bed.

17 June. Inverness, Moray Firth and Brora. We packed up quite quickly for us and set off for the next leg of our journey. We drove towards Inverness along the Moray Firth and across the magnificent bridge that leads the A9 onto Black Isle. We stopped briefly at the Dolphin and Seal visitor centre which has the most fantastic view down onto the Beauly Firth where dolphins and seals are seen regularly on the tides. Although we thought we were too late Marina did see a family of dolphins while I was busy taking photographs of the vistas.

Travelling up the A9 and our introduction to the Northern Highlands. The road from here is amazing crossing Cromarty Firth and then Dornock Firth. For the most part the road follows the coast and the lochs as well as the Scottish East Coast Railway which was featured on the Michael Portillo series recently taking in Beauly (the shortest platform in the UK), Dunrobin Castle (which we will be visiting this week)

Brora is a small site set close to a links golf course. The wind assisted journey got us here in good time and we found a nice sheltered pitch to set up and have lunch. Things to do here include Dunrobin castle home of the Duke of Sutherland the train ride to Wick and some spectacular walking. However there is no phone signal or internet here so we are incognito for the next 5 days

18 June. Brora shore, seals and a certain book. Woke to a less windy and slightly warmer morning and after breakfast decided to shop for a few provisions. From Brora Harbour we walked south along the coastal path to search out the wildlife. We didn’t have far to go before we up close with cormorants, artic terns gulls and after about a mile or so we spotted about 5 or 6 seals in one of the coves no more than 50 metres away. It felt as though they has spotted us as they were looking at us and following our path along the coast path. The beaches here are simply stunning – the water is so clear and the views both ways, south towards Dunrobin Castle and north toward Helmsdale, are magnificent. The hills being so close make a wonderful backdrop. At times it reminded me of the Whitsundays in Australia with the lovely clear water and golden sands. People on this site we have bumped into include a couple from Tiverton and the wardens who are from Cornwall.

I have been making progress reading Jessie McQuaqrrie’s book Camus Calling, and a couple of things that have happened here remind me of chapters in the book including the approach to the site which takes in a hump back bridge and the fact that the shower block became flooded as a result of a blockage. Fortunately here, that problem was sorted quite quickly.

19 June A change of plan. Started off planning to take the train to Wick then changed our minds and travel to Loch Fleet. Got as far as Gospieth when we realised that we would be better off visiting Loch Fleet when we arrive at Dornoch in about 10 days time. So we eneded up visiting Dunrobin Castle and what a good decision that tuned out to be. Ancestral home to the Duke of Sutherland the castle built in the style of a French chateau overlooks the Moray Firth and provides a fabulous picture from below. The self guided tour is well supported by informative staff on hand to provide answers to many questions posed. There are many portraits of the family going back as far as the 16^th century and numerous collections of gifts personal possessions and trophies. We were treated to an excellent and witty display of falconry and able to visit the museum which was full of stuffed animal heads from all over the road. Indicative of a bygone age when shooting defenceless animals was considered a gentleman’s sport. There was also a collection of ancient carved Pict stones discovered locally. We felt somewhat uncomfortable surrounded by this macabre display and decided to go and have a drink and some cake in the tearoom.

We discovered a local walk known as the Big Burn and went and explored that. It was a short circular walk to a cascading waterfall – quite impressive.

Back to the site for tea, a bit of laundry and preparation for the train ride tomorrow to Wick.

20 June Great British Railway Journeys. Early start for the 2 hour train journey to Wick. The ride follows the coast as far as Helmsdale then cuts inland through a magnificent Glen to Georgemass junction for Thurso. It then returns to the junction before continuing on to Wick. The line runs alongside the forever winding River Helm? And en route we saw wild stag deer roe deer plus a couple birds of prey. We arrived at Wick around 11.30 and made our way to the harbour finding to our delight that there was an RNLI event on that afternoon. Our planned walk took us to the south of the harbour and headed for the Old Wick Castle known locally as the Old Man of Wick. The walk took us along a heritage trail which made references to Edward Bremner known for the many breakwaters he designed to protect this stretch of coastline, his heroic rescues of ships in distress and the raising of numerous wrecks the most famous being Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Also mentioned was the famous author Robert Louis Stevenson who spent 6 weeks here and Thomas Stevenson (his father or brother?) who designed an ill-fated breakwater/causeway that collapsed and still remains a danger to shipping today. The walk takes us past the history of the herring industry in this town, past a memorial to the 18 people who were killed in a daylight bombing raid on the town in 1942 and then through a now disused quarry that was a major industry in the town for over 100 years. About a mile and half on we reached the remains of Old Wick Castle. Built around 1160 for Harold Maddanson Earl of Orkney and Caithness, all that remains now is a tower but we got a good feel for the place from the information board.

We returned to the harbour where the RNLI Open Day was in full swing. There was an excellent turnout from the local community and a great atmosphere especially with the youngsters competing in the Scottish dancing event complete with pipes and drum. After soaking up the atmosphere and climbing aboard some the boats along the pontoon we headed into town for a coffee but instead ended up buying Tony and pair of walking shoes as the old ones were wearing a bit thin. Then back to the station in good time for the train journey back to Brora.

In the evening we had our once a week meal out this time at The Sutherland Arms in Brora which was a good one – duck for me and steak for Marina.

Sunday 21 June. Bit of a nothing day really – weather started promising quickly turned wet and miserable. Having watched Andy Murray win at Queens, we took a ride following the River Brora to its namesake Loch with every intention of taking a walk to Doll Bridge. However it was raining harder in the hills and it seemed pointless to get very wet so we returned to watch the Grand Prix. We did however manage a walk across the golf links to the beautiful Brora beach before dark fell at 11 pm!!

Monday 22 June. This is as far as we go (except by boat to the Orkneys) Followed the A9 up the coast with some fantastic scenery before turning inland across to Thurso. Stopped at Tesco for a shop before travelling the final 6 miles or so to Dunnet Bay. Lovely grass only pitches overlooking the fantastic bay – just a few steps on to the beach and wonderful view to Dunnet Head. Not much choice of pitch but there was one with probably the best view of the bay although adjacent to the gate to the beach. After setting we took a walk along the beach and into the dunes before coming back for dinner.

Tuesday 23 June The furthest point of the mainland. Set out for Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the British mainland. Walked around for a while before moving on the minor road to Mey where the Queen Mother and now Prince Charles spent their August. A lovely position overlooking the Pentland Firth and the Orkney Islands. We walked around the walled gardens and took in the spectacular views as the sun was now out at last and everything was starting to look much better. We then drove the few remaining miles to Jon O’Groats and then on to Duncansby Head. This turned out to be a revelation as we had not heard or seen anything about this but it was clear there was something special there to be seen. Literally thousands of birds – Guillemots, Artic Terns, Fulmars, Razorbills and Herring Gulls nesting in the deep ravines along the cliffs. We were able to get up quite close as well to view these creatures – we also experienced the cacophony of noise and the smells!. We walked along the cliffs for about two miles and eventually came up the famous Muckle Stack and Stacks of Duncansby – pillars of rock left standing where once they were connected to the cliffs.

Back home again for dinner and an early night as tomorrow we leave early for the maxi ferry/coach tour of the Orkneys.

Wed 24 June. John O'Groats, the Orkneys and Scapa Flow. Up promptly for the 25 minute drive to John O’Groats. The crossing was very smooth and took just 40 minutes before we docked at Burwick on South Ronaldsea. Here we were met by Stuary our tour guide and river and once on the coach it became clear that we were in for a special day. The coach was very modern and air conditioned and Stuart had won an award for the UK tour guide of the year 2013. I would say it was fully justified because he was so knowledgeable about the islands, his voice was clear (English) and the content was so full of anecdotes and facts about life as an Orkadian. The itinerary took us around the huge waters of Scapa Flow, across the Churchill Barriers (built by Italian prisoners of war to stop German U boats from attacking the English fleet) and onto Mainland to the main town of Kirkwall. Here we had 15 minutes for a short break and familiarisation before we set off to the lovely fishing village of Stromness. En route we had a continuous commentary from Stuart interspersed with some very good and not so good jokes and puns. The weather was getting better all the time and by the time we reached the Stone Age village of Skara Brae the skies were cleared and we enjoyed our packed lunch overlooking the Atlantic. Skara Brae was uncovered by a massive storm which ripped away thousands of years of sand which had built up into dunes. It is one of the most important archaeological sites which dates back further then the pyramids and Stone Henge.

Our tour then continued to an ancient stone ring at Broghar, past the Stones of Stenness and Maes Howe and back to Kirkwall where there was nearly two hours to look around. We visited the Cathedral and purchased a 12 year old malt whiskey and an Orkney ice cream. On resuming the tour we visited the wonderful Italian Chapel, built originally from two Nissen Huts during the war by the Prisoners of War working on building the barriers. The Chapel has had much time lavished upon it by people who were very creative in their design ideas many of which came from everyday re-used materials. There are many stories relating to the POWs and the local population which are a mix of interesting, humorous and sad. Stuart told us several of these both inside the chapel and again on the coach.

Finally, we crossed the Churchill Barriers again and boarded the ferry taking us back to John O’Groats having said goodbye and thanks to Stuart for a marvellous day. The crossing was smooth again but we got quite cold so bought fish and chips at JoG before driving home. All in all a great day and highly recommend the Maxi Tour.

Thursday 25 June a quiet day but (radio) activity - a quiet morning with chores before setting off for a short drive to Thurso to pick up some food at the local Lidl (the car park and store has a wonderful location looking east and north towards the Orkneys) We then headed west to Dounrae where we found a little place called Sandyside. We discovered that the strange looking buildings a short way across the bay was in fact a Nuclear Power Research Station. Undeterred and after our prepared lunch, we took a walk along the cliffs to Sandyside Head where we spotted a variety of birds nesting and hunting. The cliffs are crumbling here so we proceeded cautiously. On the way out of the car park there was a small sign on the outside of the public conveniences warning us that tiny radio active particles had been discovered on the beach and that we should not remove them. Ho hum!

We returned to Thurso for a coffee at Tesco and made good use of their free wifi. Then back to Dunnet before the rain and mjpist set in for the night.

Friday 26 June. The mist descending. A wet night and a misty start for the journey south to Dornock, our next site about 43 miles north of Inverness. It feels like the beginning of the end of the holiday yet we still have 13 more nights before we return to Curry Rivel. The mist lifted as we moved away from the coast and the drive back towards Brora and the A9 provided some wonderful dramatic views of the coast. However, by the time we arrived at historic Dornock it had started to rain again and setting up was a somewhat wet affair but fortunately did not take long. After a quick lunch we ventured out as the rain had lifted. We took the short drive to Embo and Loch Fleet and were rewarded by a magnificent view of a colony of seals along with a selection of birds and dramatic views of the hills beyond. It was all so peaceful, the water was completely calm and no wind at all. Then the peace was disturbed by a helicopter approach and all the seals made a dash for the water from the sandbank they were basking on. It was quite a sight and they came quite close with their pups.

We returned to Dornock to as the rain started again and spent the rest of the evening watching Glastonbury and playing scrabble.

Saturday 27 June a stroll around Dornoch. A sunny start and decidedly warmer so we agreed on a car free day and walked the mile or so across the marshes to the coast path. This took us around to the golf courses and eventually into Dornock. The walk was stunning – so peaceful and full of bird sounds. The sand was dry and we were able to take part of the walk on that passing a barefoot jogger en route. We walked into town and visited a couple of the historic p.o.i.s including the Witches Stone (site of the last public execution of a witch in 1722) and Littletown (site where people moved off the lands during the Clearances built new homes initially from grass and later from stone)

We took lunch in a local café and walked the mile and a half back to the site for an afternoon siesta. Needing some fresh air we took a drive around Loch Dornoch and found some hidden peaceful treasures providing fine views at Meikle Ferry, Bonar Bridge and Newton Point. Then back to town for tea and a drop in at Glastonbury.

Sunday 28 June. Loch Ness and Linnhe. Managed an early start for the 3.5 hour journey down to Loch Linnhe (8 miles south of Fort William). The night had been wet but we woke to a very still and quite warm morning. The route took us past Cromarty Firth and some spectacular scenery especially the reflection of the fields and hills on the mirror like waters of the Firth. However things deteriorated after Inverness and we hit some seriously wet stuff driving along the beautiful road alongside Loch Ness. Once that cleared we were entertained by the lovely glimpses of the loch. The journey took us to Drumnadrochit where we topped up with fuel and then on to Fort William, the Caledonian Canal and Loch Linnhe. Fort William saw us involved with an impatient driver who, having followed us for about 10 miles along winding roads decided to overtake and cut us up whilst hitting the brakes. Obviously didn’t realise that the stopping distance of a car towing a van is twice that of a car and we narrowly avoided going into the back of him. Even so the rude gestures continued.

We made it to the Caravan Club’s Award winning site at Bunree right on the shore of Loch Linnhe. We set up and within half an hour were enjoying lunch and a coffee. Showers were coming in at longer intervals so we ventured out for a walk into the forest behind the site to Inchree Falls. It was quite a climb but well worth it as the views of the Loch and the mountains are spectacular and the falls themselves like wise. These are used for canyoning and white water descent. The walk took us over 2 hours so we were glad to get back, shower and settle down for the evening.

---