Scotland - The Land of breath taking views, castles, whisky and not so bad weather;-)

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Scotland By Motorhome in 11 days

...once again because of the holiday allowance constrain we needed to split holidays in two ....as we plan to go to Sri Lanka later this year we had to think of a place that would be full of sights, picturesque scenery and good food - that is how Scotland Idea came up;-) it is also so close from us that it would a shame to visit distant places and not see this amazing land just half day drive time away.... as we usually do, we planned an itinerary full of sights and stops and we decided that the best way to do it is by Campervan ;-) so the plan was: driving to Lake District and then Edinburgh, Stirling, Doune Castle, Cairngorms National Park, Loch Ness, Inverness, Ullapool, Eilean Donan and Isle of Skye...

We did not expect great weather as there is no good weather in Scotland and most people imagine this place as very dull and miserable, yet green and somehow nice....it exceeded our expectations as except for Lake District - which is practically not Scotland- we had 10 days of amazing sunny 20C weather;-) ideal for walking around, amazing pictures and general relaxation....world looks better when it is sunny so trip was incredible;-)

We left London around 10 pm to drive overnight and getting the distance done much faster than during the usual daily traffic on motorways. We stopped around 4-5 am when T was too tired to drive anymore and we slept at the motorway services car park together with loads of other vans, campers and even tents ;-) Only later on this month we actually found out that it was not allowed to park there for more than 3h so we got a 50£ fine ;-( Would not be so bad as cheaper than a hotel for 5 people but normally the cost of a campsite for a camper is 10-20£ so still we overpaid for this night hahha

So we reached Lake District in early morning with really nice weather welcoming us ;-) We did not have any campsite booked as it was Bank Holiday and bookings were not taken. We quickly understood why - it was packed full with people, cars, tents, vans, dogs, horses etc.... we managed to find a spot at a local farm overlooking one of the Southern Lakes, very basic utilities but loads of people and just on the public footpath so perfect for trekking. We had breakfast, rest a bit, put our trekking shoes on and we were ready to go...unfortunately weather broke a lot during that time so we spent most of the time walking in rain - it was still beautiful though. Atos had so much fun chasing all sorts of animals and later on we found out that they have a right to shoot the dog if found chasing sheep - UPS!!!

Next on our way up north were 3 castle places : Edinburgh, Stirling and Doune. We spend one day in Edinburgh - amazing campsite just outside of the city with easy bus access. We went around the town, visited the castle, distillery, cathedral and had huggies for late lunch/dinner. Everybody happy and tired we head back to the campsite in the evening. We could have stayed in the town for longer to maybe see the night-life but with a dog we would not be allowed into any restaurant or club anyway ;-( Instead we had a pint in the campsite pub - really nice and relacing place. The castle was nice but a bit boring for my liking - it does not look like sth old anymore with all the modern restaurants and houses built inside. I much preferred Stirling castle we visited next day and the Doune Castle on the way as well. But Stirling is not really about the castle as such - it is more about the Monument of their hero - William Wallace ('Brave heart' character). It is a very nice hike up in the woods to visit it and then you have to climb up the tower to get the amazing view of the battle fields around. There is a very nice exhibition as well inside the tower showing the 'real' not Hollywood story of William Wallace (sadly no love story is ever mentioned hahha) and the centrepiece is his amazing and huge sword!!! And it is real not a replica and I must say it is as tall as myself almost (I am 163 cm) so he must have been quite a guy;-) Ticket was like 10£ but it was totally worth it;-)

Then we moved to the Rothiemurchus in Cairngorms Park. Beautiful site in the centre of the park with loads of possibilities to trek, cycle, canoeing etc We stayed there for two days, walking around and enjoying our time. Walking distance from the campsite is Hilton Hotel where we went for a drink. So nice to be in sync with nature and still be able to enjoy some luxury when you feel like ;-) Also if you are ever in the neighbourhood try to visit Aviemore - amazing scenery of mountains and lakes around. Also we decided to have full English breakfast there as local person recommended a nice coffee shop - Mountain Cafe - run by a Kiwi couple. Great decor and view on the mountains make this place ideal for a morning break and food was incredible. It was the best bought breakfast we ever had. They also offer homemade cakes and bread so we bought some for later ;-) Yum yum...

Next we visited town of Inverness - castle again, town and local pub (Lonely Planet recommended) where we spoke with local people and we were told that we came during the warmest time in a year- so really recommend beginning of June to visit Scotland then;-) After Inverness we went to see The Glenmorangie Distillery that is north of Inverness on the A9, half a mile from Tain in the Highlands of Scotland. I stayed in the van with Atos and the rest of the group went to sightsee and do some tasting;-) They were really happy with the experience and it was really cheap as well. Then we had to take a long and memorable drive through Scottish Highlands to cross on the west side of the island. AMAZING views on the way, almost empty lands of rock and green;-) It looked even better when we started to approach the cost as you could see this magnificent highlands with the background of crystal blue water;-)

Before we entered Isle of Sky we stopped to see the magnificent Eilean Donan Castle . Eilean Donan Castle sits at the point where three Scottish Lochs Meet and it is Scotland's Most Romantic Castle. In a superbly beautiful and romantic setting, Eilean Donan Castle possesses a dream like quality and it is the most photographed castle in Scotland. You can stay at the campsite overlooking the castle and have a great view when you wake up in the morning ;-)

The last place we visited for 2 days was Isle of Skye - astonishing views. We drove around to have a look at the Kilt Rock Waterfall and local beaches. Such a cool idea to have a lunch in the spot overlooking the ocean - so beautiful when its sunny ;-) One of our favourites places in Scotland I suppose. So almost 1500 miles in 11 days - easily doable;-)

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