STUNNING SCOTLAND, IN A MOTORHOME - PART 2
In Part 1, we explored the general look and feel of Scotland’s beauty. Although every landscape, camping ground, picnic spot and road had something to offer, our three most memorable spots were Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and the treasure at the end.
But first, let’s talk about food.
What we ate.
Our regular readers would know by now that we love to eat. Doesn’t matter where we go; we always manage to find something yummy to eat, photograph, write and talk about. But the food is only some part of the experience since the environment, and shop fitting usually plays a big role.
With our kitchen with us at all times, we did dail-down quite a bit on the dining-out part of our trip (read more about our first van life here).
Nevertheless, to get a pass on cooking and cleaning when in a hurry was always welcome, plus we can’t resist a good cafe or bakery.
Eating in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh was the start of our trip, and just before our motorhome adventure started, but feel like we have to show off some of the food we ate.
Mckenzie Bakery.
We love a piece of dough, no matter the shape or size. That’s probably the reason we have a slight resemblance of the Pillsbury dough man.
Mckenzie Bakery is in a town called Portree on the Isle of Skye. With the smell of freshly baked everything, the fully-packed bakery quickly makes sense.
We only intended to buy some rolls for lunch, but as always ended up with a whole bag full of goodies.
Probably the best doughnut I’ve ever had. I know I said I and not we, but that’s because T wanted to be adventurous with his doughnut choice.
I went with a safe cinnamon sugar, whereas T went with the Bacon and Maple. For many, this isn’t such a strange combo, but for us the confusion in our brain of smelling a salty piece of bacon and eating a sweet doughnut was different.
Nevertheless, the dough was light, fluffy and not the usual oily base, plus the buns we initially went for were also terrific.
Corner on the Square (C.O.T.S) Deli.
We’ve stumbled upon Corner on the Square in a town called Beauly. It’s a stunning little town, and C.O.T.S is a gem. It’s a deli that sells delicious coffee, yummy-made confectionary and light meals, and fresh and unique produce. They have a “local first” focus, giving you the Scottish Highland experience.
Our sweet tooth once again took reign, and this time it was the honeycomb crunch that was crowned the winner. After devouring one with a cup of coffee, another one was added for later.
The Commercial Hotel Restaurant.
The commercial is in Tarland, a tiny village with a population of 720 people and a school with 90 pupils. The bee movement was one of their main talking points in the town meeting minutes, which were displayed on the square.
Back to the food and restaurant. The restaurant is part of the hotel and one of two eateries in town. The decor looks stuck in another era, but the food definitely isn’t. The steak and Guinness pie I had, was another one for the records.
Isle of Skye.
The Isle of Skye only has one road on and off the island. We thus decided about two days earlier to take the ferry onto the island and the road off the island. Mostly to try and see as much as possible. The booking system was pretty easy, but we recommend it be done before the trip as spaces are limited.
We had the clearest, most spectacular sunny (although a bit cool) day to do the ferry trip, and knowing what I know now, we were super lucky.
Armadale Castle.
On route from our disembarked port was Armadale Castle. Although the castle is only a ruin now, it was extremely photogenic. The gardens and views were spectacular, and everything was so peaceful, with next to no crowds.
The turn of mother nature.
Then, as stunning and bright and sunny as the day had started, everything changed and fast. After an already breezy morning, the wind picked up even more, the clouds came rolling in, and it started pouring with rain. As mentioned before, we love rain, but this was insane. Poor T had to drive in it, and most of Skye’s magic was hidden behind masses of clouds and buckets full of rain.
The camping ground didn’t want us to park on a grass pitch, as they were convinced we’d get stuck. This was also the only ever hiccup we had with our van, as the heating (ambient and water) stopped working.
Whenever the rain would lift just a little, we would suit up, jump out, dash to a viewpoint, capture one or two photos, and go back to the comfy, dry and warm van.
Skyeskyns tannery.
With the following morning a little less rain but still wet and cold, we were off. The first stop was Skyeskyns, which is a family-run tannery. We had a quick tour of the process used to prepare the sheepskins. We were sadly a little early to see the process in action but still managed to get a good sense of how much work goes into it.
Of course, we had to end our time there with something to eat and drink. The YURTea & Coffee was snug, with the best hot chocolate.
Loch Ness.
Loch Ness was one of those pleasant surprises. As mentioned in Part 1 of this post, everybody knows loch ness and its monster. Thus making it a tourist hotspot and generally not our first go-to. But this time around Loch Ness, the surroundings and especially the campsite (I think our favourite of the entire trip) was incredible.
The loch is more significant than photos can tell and more transparent than most swimming pools (colder as well), and we loved all the farm animals roaming about.
Bluebell hunt.
Because we piggyback on T’s work trips, we seldom travel for a phenomenon. Unless we get kinda lucky. While researching our itinerary, I somehow came across the bluebells.
Google: “when is Scotland bluebell season?” Answer: Between April and May.
Yay, now, where to find them… I plotted away possible locations, and during the entire trip, nothing. Wood after wood, we would go and be disappointed.
On our second last day on the road (the day before giving back the motorhome), our route got derailed. We planned to visit a distillery and castle, but neither was possible due to road closures for a cycle race. With our detour, I saw we would pass a possible bluebell location.
And then, on our last night, after many failed attempts, we found a treasure. The sea of purple was unlike anything we’d ever seen, and words just left us.
We spoke to a passing local, and according to her, it’s been the best bloom she’s seen there in years, and that a mere three days prior, there was still nothing.
The following morning it was pouring with rain again, and we were on a tight schedule to get back to Glasgow to return our van.
We couldn’t believe our luck, we had a window of a few hours where all the bluebell stars were aligned, and we could observe this incredible phenomenon. We stayed right until the end of daylight, and I took so many photos, trying to capture this flawless beauty.
On our last night, we found the highlight of the trip.
Conclusion.
The trip in the motorhome was one for the books and an adventure we’ll never forget.
We ended up at a bit of a crossroads.
On the one side, we wished we had taken it slower. We stayed one night at most places, but in hindsight, would have made it two to three nights at a spot. Then we could take a boat cruise, go for a hike, explore on a bike, and get everything we can from each location. The problem with this statement is, “ok, but where would that be then?” And the answer is, we don’t know; take a map, throw a dart at it, and we’re pretty sure you’ll find magic there.
On the other side, having said that, we were moving too fast and not seeing enough. This trip led us to magical moments and the grand-finally, which was the bluebells. If we did take it slower and only did a portion of the trip, the chances are that we would have missed our highlight of the entire trip.
What I do know is that no matter the decision, Scotland is a magical place. I understand why it’s the birthplace of Harry Potter. But most of all, T always adds an extra sparkle to the mix.
Thanx again for a spectacular trip and for safely driving our temporary home around the whole of Scotland.
This felt like the end of the trip to us, but since we were flying back from Glasgow, we still had two days left.
In our next post, we stay in the best Airbnb we’ve ever had, and we finally visit a distillery.
Wandering off now…
T & Me
