Category Archives: UK

We spend a couple more days in Portree on some final errands, including getting Nettle’s annual MOT check sorted, then it’s time for a change of scene. We’re only headed to another caravan park — a cheaper one! — as we’ve still got some things to do before we’re ready to enter travel mode again. It’s been a windy week, … Continue reading

Today we drive to the Isle of Skye. We’ve been looking forward to the Isle of Skye since before we left Australia. Don’t bugger it up Scotland! The weather has cleared up a bit today, and we’re rewarded with an impressive mountain-scape as we drive to Portree, where we’re meeting Keith and Sarah. Our short drive through the little town … Continue reading

We get up at noon, feeling a little seedy. We’ve been vacillating as to whether or not to drive to the far north for a driving tour that Lonely Planet describes as “perhaps Scotland’s most spectacular road trip, … a scenic feast, almost too much to take in.” We’ve accepted that we’re not going to see and do everything we’d … Continue reading

We have a very sociable few days coming up. First, we’re meeting up with some quasi-distant relatives of Mike’s and then an American couple who we’ve met online through the travel twittersphere. We drive back via Loch Tay and Glen Lyon, as we can’t get enough of scenery like this: We do a walk on the way to meeting Dennis … Continue reading

Having arrived after a quite dramatic introduction to Perthshire, we awake beside our very own loch to howling wind and rain (which kept Katherine up all night and dogged her dreams with visions of a flooding Nettle), and rather quickly our plans for a day-long hike dissolve. To be honest, I’m personally not so shattered at the idea of spending … Continue reading

An oft-abroad friend had waxed lyrical about a spot in the lower highlands called Loch Tay, and so it’s there to which we point our trusty steed as we leave the sheep-dotted fields and tidy urban sprawl of Edinburgh. The countryside rapidly increases in prettiness, as we pass by escarpments adorned with ancient-looking rocky buildings that might well have simply … Continue reading

I’m really looking forward to Edinburgh. The Lonely Planet’s description of the city is enchanting: “Edinburgh is a city that just begs to be explored. From the vaults and wynds that riddle the Old Town to the picturesque urban villages of Stockbridge and Cramond, it’s filled with quirky, come-hither nooks that tempt you to walk just that little bit further. … Continue reading

Puffins are the cutest birds On. The. Planet. It is undeniable. Nobody who would disagree. And we are going to see hoards of them today! At least we better. I’ve got no idea what to expect, but from what I’ve experienced of these types of wild-life spotting tours in the past, I’m not getting my hopes up (except that I … Continue reading

Photo by Kris Van de Sande It just so happens that a Belgian friend of ours is going be in Glasgow at the exact time we’re in the area. We hadn’t actually planned on going in to Glasgow, as from what we know and have seen of it, it looks like hell on earth. At first, however I’m surprisingly keen … Continue reading

We awake to an ever-increasing bustle outside Nettle as our free camp for the night — a small car park by a stream, stone bridge and all — fills up with the other half of humanity whom I will never understand — morning people. It’s yet another beautiful day, although still very hazy, so we decide to take a sedate … Continue reading

Here’s what the Lonely Planet has to say about the hike up to the peak of Helvellyn: …the ridge narrows to about 2m in width and you’re on the jagged teeth of Striding Edge, with precipitous slopes on either side. You’ll need to use your hands in places and less experienced walkers may feel decidedly vulnerable. Our actual experience of … Continue reading