Can hardly believe how much time has passed since our trip to Scotland at the start of August. I'm 'back to school', and the leaves are starting to turn (although today was one of those uncharacteristically warm September days which was quite pleasant really after lots of cloud over the summer holiday, even if I am so very ready to start wearing tights, scarves, and boots again). Already looking ahead to what and where our next adventure may be / may take us. It was really nice to get out of London for a real break this year.
I haven't been massively keen on flying anyway for the past few years (ahh, sweet travel anxiety), but especially with Covid-19 and our expired passports (no, I know they wouldn't have been needed for travel within the UK, but there was definitely a part of me that could totally imagine someone insisting on seeing them anyway) we decided that a drive could be fun, so opted for a hire car and a plan that went something like:
London-Edinburgh-Skye-Glasgow-London
Our drive to Edinburgh was fairly uneventful (in the right way; very little traffic, no diversions or other impediments), and we arrived into Berwick-Upon-Tweed in the early evening where we decided to re-fuel and stop a while to stretch our legs after a long journey.
Berwick is England's Northern-most town, and I'd been intrigued to visit properly ever since passing through on our train journey to Edinburgh a few years ago. We were very excited to find actual free parking and wandered a little along the harbour where we admired the many bridges crossing into the town and watched a swan couple bobbing along. It was possible to walk along the old town walls, which we did until I spotted the lighthouse a little way out to sea and so then of course we had to take a detour to reach it.
The walk along the pier to the lighthouse was extremely pleasant in the sunshine which was making a full appearance after a fairly overcast day. We met a friendly dog and his walker, and chatted a while as we walked alongside them (said dog refused to walk on with his owner until we, too, were headed in the same direction; my heart). Passed by a few local fisherpeople, and an amusing seal who was bobbing along on its back, presumably hanging around in the hopes of fish too.
We were struck by how incredibly quiet the streets were in Berwick, especially given that it was a Saturday night. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate an open public toilet (much needed after a drive with very few stops followed by a walk by the sea), but we did find a pub where the staff were happy to let us use their facilities, and we both agreed that it was definitely the sort of place we could see ourselves enjoying a pint of two if we were to return.
Onward to Edinburgh, and we arrived around 9pm by which time the hunt for something to eat was on! Having found a parking spot, and dropped our bags in our B&B, we walked into the City, and fortunately found a pizzeria who were just closing but willing to make us something to take away. We were even more surprised in Edinburgh by how quiet the streets were. But then we also weren't looking for a wild night out in the City, and were more than happy to enjoy our pizza back in the room where Steven settled for an Irn Bru as an alternative to a beer when we discovered that alcohol isn't sold after 10pm in Scotland (shocking)!
Our B&B was lovely; a great night's sleep (surprisingly quiet given that we were on a main road and by the City Centre; although perhaps not entirely surprising given how few crowds we'd found the night before) and a delicious breakfast which, although lacking haggis, included tattie scones, so felt at least a little Scottish.
From Edinburgh, we began our drive to Skye. We were aiming for Pitlochry for lunch as we'd been there before on a tour from Edinburgh and very much enjoyed the neeps, tatties, and haggis on offer in one of the local pubs. Last time we were in Pitlochry, we were on a bus tour, and had both agreed that we could have happily spent longer in the town. This time, we followed signposts that intrigued us; one to the Black Spout which was a waterfall at the end of a short walk through forest, and the other to the town's Dam with its salmon ladder. Still following in the footsteps of our previous visit, I did have a small serving of whisky ice cream as we walked after lunch which did not disappoint!
Back in the car, and we were Co-Op-bound. In Skye, we were staying in self-catered accommodation, so had decided that food shopping was required, and that it was probably sensible to make use of the shops that we passed before we ended up in the middle of nowhere (such townies, we are). Skye was our first holiday as a foursome (with a few honorary men-folk) since Pukkelpop almost 10 years ago, so it was all very exciting to be away together; especially as we all celebrated 30th birthdays this year without much actual celebrations thanks to various lockdowns.
..turned out that shelves were fairly bare in Co-Op on a Sunday evening, so we agreed on oven pizzas and to return the next day for other, more substantial, meal provisions.
Up and out early(ish), we spent our first full day at the Fairy Pools, South of the island in Glenbrittle. We were incredibly lucky to have chosen the sunniest of our four days to venture here. We walked up and along the river for a while to get a feel for the area, which was very popular with other groups on such a lovely day. Eventually, we found a pool a little further up from the main waterfall where the crowds had thinned, and decided to climb down to the river and make ourselves comfortable on a few large rocks where we sat a while before braving a paddle for some / swim for others before lunch.
Dried off and warmed up after sandwiches, we continued our walk up the river towards the Black Cuillins behind. Was one of those walks where every time we felt as though we might almost be at the 'end', the water just kept going! Eventually we had to admit defeat, and turned around to make our way back to the cars, and to bolognaise at the house. Us girls did manage to sneak in an investigation of the 'beach' close to where we were staying. Feels rude to be using inverted commas, but it was rockier than Brighton, so not entirely what we were expecting, although certainly worth the explore as the sun was setting.
Day two in Skye, and we managed two stops for an explore: Storr, and Portree.
I'm still not entirely sure where the old man fits into it, but The Storr was definitely one of my highlights. A fairly challenging walk for those of us more accustomed to the flatlands, but luckily the views were an excellent excuse to keep stopping to 'admire'.. The main path leading up to the top (I'm not sure it quite classes as a peak) was fairly busy, but not overly so, and again the crowds thinned out as we neared the craggiest parts as many of us strayed from the path in search of more adventure and views. Conveniently arrived at the main viewpoint just in time for lunch, so enjoyed more sandwiches in drizzle from the clouds which we'd watched coming over with some trepidation (never did turn into much more than drizzle, so we were lucky).
After more climbing and rambling off the main path on the way down, we made a tea and cake stop before heading into Portree for the afternoon. Nice to have a browse in the various gift shops, and a wander along the harbour with its colourful houses. We didn't stay long, but were soon back at the Croft again for yummy sausage pasta.
Day three in Syke took us to a few more viewpoints rather than on any long walks. We visited: The Falls of Rha, the Fairy Glen, The Quiraing, and to Kilt Rock for another waterfall.
Like the Black Spout waterfall at Pitlochry, the walk to the Falls of Rha was short and through woodland. It felt quite nice to be in woodland after a couple of days of very vast landscapes; something comforting in the familiar, perhaps? There were a couple of people swimming in the pool beneath the waterfall, but none of us were prepared for anything quite so brave on this occasion, so we continued on to our next stop.
The Fairy Glen was another highlight for me. Somewhat reminiscent of Castle Acre Priory where many a summer day in childhood was spent running around and climbing ruins, the hills and rocks at the Fairy Glen were great fun for climbing and running up or rolling (really, it was sliding) down. There was a little of everything here; a very small loch not quite large enough to house Nessie, a little woodland, a little landscape, and even a little (very little) waterfall. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch here as the sun shone.
Back to more vast landscape, the views across Quiraing were stunning, and especially dramatic as rain clouds began to gather. We walked a little, and encountered a few sheep, but then the rain came, and we decided we weren't overly keen to venture further along the single-track path with a sheer, slippery drop to one side. True to its namesake, the sky had cleared by the time we reached the cars again, so we perhaps could have carried on in the end, but then it's always nice to leave something to come back for!
Actually, the rain was back again by the time we made it to our final stop of the day. A mad dash out of the car in our waterproofs, to the waterfall at Kilt Rock and our first experience of Skye's cliffs and the sea below. Then it was a mad dash back into the car, and 'home' (because who doesn't call their holiday accommodation 'home' by the second or third day?) for chipotle pulled chicken to warm the cockles.
Our final day on Skye came around all too quickly. We opted for the Coral Beach in Claigan and it was so lovely to finally be within paddling distance of the sea (although having said that, only my finger tips actually had any kind of 'paddle')! The walk from the carpark to the beach had almost a Thornham feel although it was soon apparent that we were not in Norfolk as the white beach appeared, and more hills in the distance on the other side of Loch Dunvegan.
Again, we played; skimming stones, exploring the rock pools, and climbing a little more. Here, we had sunshine and showers, but not enough to have us running for the car this time. On our last day, we stopped for lunch out at a little café in Dunvegan where we timed it just right for a table as by the time we were tucking into our fish & chips and burgers, the waiting staff were turning others away.
On the drive back, we stopped briefly at another viewpoint; this time for a view of Dunvegan Castle (slightly precarious, to say the least, as we battled with midges and tried our hardest not to slip on incredibly soggy, incredibly smelly seaweed). Enjoyed a 'cheese and wine' night (plenty of cheese, but actually very little wine in the end), a bit of Mario Kart and some Smash Bros together on our final evening; definitely feeling like home from home by this point.
After some fairly emotional goodbyes were had, it was time for another drive; this time to Glasgow.
With a whole day ahead of us, we managed a couple of stops this time, which was great fun. The first was Eilean Donan Castle which we'd passed a few days earlier on our way onto Skye. We stopped here for a closer look at the castle, and to grab a cup of tea and use the facilities before we carried on.
I could easily write a separate post about Glenfinnan, and maybe one day I will if we go back (which we absolutely hope to), but I will try my best to keep it short here.. The viaduct has been on my list for some time, and we were hopeful that we would time our arrival just right to see a train cross it. We didn't. But there was still plenty of excitement, as the train was due to arrive into the station a few minutes after we'd parked up. So we waited for its arrival, ooh-ed and aah-ed, then headed into the station museum to ask for directions to the viaduct (I was still keen to see it, train or no train).
We were provided with a map which led us along the Viaduct Trail for a lovely little walk! By the time the train was ready to leave the station, we were at an elevated viewpoint so could watch it disappear into the trees and around the mountains whilst also admiring the view across Loch Shiel in the other direction. The trail took us on a circuit right up to and under the viaduct then back along the road to the station.. where another train had just arrived. Pretty spectacular timing (not sure whether in a good or bad sense, really), we joined more excited onlookers to watch this one leave, then headed into the Museum for a little bit of railway history and a cheeky puzzle purchase in the giftshop.
Our timing this time getting back to the car was spectacular in the right way as the heavens suddenly opened, and torrential rain followed us most of the way to Fort William where we stopped at KFC at the base of Benn Nevis (as you do). Decided that the carpark wasn't quite the Scottish setting we were hoping for for dinner, so we drove on with our food until we found a carpark with a view at Loch Leven. After eating, the rain had finally relented, so we got out of the car for a little leg stretch. There was a pleasant loop which took us along the edge of the Loch. By this point, a few others were also enjoying the dry evening; some with dogs, others perhaps taking a break from driving like us.
Back in the car, we continued our journey to Glasgow where we managed to find a beer for Steven (and for me, who am I kidding?) in a German Beer Hall within walking distance of our hotel.
I like to think we planned our break pretty perfectly, really. It worked out well that we effectively had an extra day on the end of the week as we were in Glasgow and hadn't visited before. It was agreed that we could drive back to London in the afternoon with a view to arriving home that night, giving us time to explore some of the City.
We ventured out from the hotel for breakfast, and found a lovely place called Café Gandolfi with a lovely atmosphere, and even lovelier staff. From breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to check-out then left our bags and basically went back in the same direction to explore a little further. We quite enjoyed Glasgow's grid system as by the time we left that afternoon, we already felt as though we could find our way around with ease.
If it's not exciting signposts, it's graffiti leading my gaze, and so my feet, along. We basically ended up enjoying an inadvertent graffiti trail in the direction of the River Clyde and Glasgow Green beside it. As well as good graffiti, I like to try and find a good viewpoint when visiting somewhere new. Google suggested that the Necropolis was worth a visit as it sat on a hill with a view back over the Cathedral and surrounding buildings. So we ventured up there, rather warm by this point after lots of walking and with the appearance of the sun again (what was going on? We were prepared for wet and cold in Scotland).
Stopped for tea and cake in another café on our way back to the hotel, then it was time to tear ourselves away; Glasgow is another one firmly on the list for a full weekend some time in the near future, though.
More torrential rain followed us home, which was a bit hairy at times on the Motorway; especially where lanes had been narrowed for road works and there were impatient coach drivers undertaking everyone and anyone. Eek!
We made it back in good time, though, and were glad to be in the comfort of home at the end of a lot of driving. Was a bit strange not to be met with mountain views in the morning, and certainly South West London is a little less in the middle of nowhere. But the waterproof trousers are ready and waiting for our next adventure; and hopefully the wait won't be quite as long this time.
