Thursday 27 April

• Duncansby Head

Thursday 27 th April
We travelled exactly 57 miles again  today. We wandered around Wick , visited the tourist office for a helpful chat , bought some extra thermals, drove back towards Helmsdale  to try and find the grey cairns (burial mounds at Camster ) but due to inadequate signage on the road itself ,we  missed the turning and were obliged to make our way back to Wick feeling grumpy after a fruitless  25 miles on a very narrow single road .
We called in at Tesco's to stock up and then drove to and parked up  p
at Duncansby head,  just out of John o Groats , with clear views of Orkney.We walked in the howling, biting wind along the clifftop by the lighthouse  to see  the amazing Duncansby stacks on the beach below  and spot the  different types of sea birds nesting down the cliff faces
After 5 mins, I couldn't feel my face so came back to the van to recover Andy made of stronger stuff , carried on for another 15 minutes and took the fantastic photos of the stacks here ..
Experiencing weather induced  grumpy  cabin fever , so retired to bed at 6.30 pm with a book.  (no TV, or phone reception here ) Hoping for warmer wind in the next few days ....

Wednesday 26th April Helmsdale - Wick

Travelled approx 50 miles today .Left Helmsdale having got the donation details of a woman called Suzanne who was in the pub last night  , who had just started  running from John o Groats to Lands end( for an ex service  charity)  2 days ago  ( high winds and severe cold  forced her to abandon her run prematurely today  ( She achieved 40  miles on the first day and  but down to 16 on the second because of rthe weather)   and with  her support team she had  booked  into accommodation at the Bannockburn  pub .We also bid farewell to a chatty campervanner from near Oban, travelling  in the opposite direction to us  and we drove on the A9
Stunning coastal views in cold sunshine, a series of attractive fishing harbours e.g. Lybster and some Celtic standing stones before ending our journey for today in Wick where we had the honour of being amongst the first to swim, steam and sauna in their brand new community pool which opened today!
Wick town centre was very run down in appearance .Will visit Wick

heritage museum tomorrow before heading for John o Groats

Tuesday 25th April Dunrobin castle /Helmsdale

Tuesday 25th April 93 miles travelled
Woke to flurry of snow showers at Dornoch beach  and  beautiful sunshine, but much too cold to walk in it ...
Dornoch has the distinction of burning the last witch/healer/wise woman  in Scotland in 1722, an elderly woman who they  coated in tar and rolled in a barrel through the streets to her pyre .
I'm amazed they want to  advertise this fact. Also famed for its championship golf courses.
Took to the A9 road and drove to Dunrobin castle £9 admission for us, full of English  Royal family connections and also of  Germanic ancestry, (big  coach party of German  tourists from cruise ship moored overnight at nearby Invergordon ,) Dunrobin was the castle of the first  Duke/Duchess  of Sutherland (Viking word for South land) responsible for great suffering and the displacement of the largest number of crofters 50,000 from their living in the fertile and sheltered glens, relocating them to crofts on the cliffs to eke out an existence  fishing in great poverty. (Possiby the fate of Andy's Scottish ancestors - the Ross clan - who emigrated to NZ to avoid starvation?)  the castle was unheated and over priced for a quick  tour of the hunting, shooting, fishing, and Grace and favour brigade, but it provided a welcome  brief respite from the biting cold outside. The museum in the grounds was  STUFFED with animal trophies, giraffes, lions,  tigers, elephants' ivory tusks and hundreds of antlers.

The museum  guide told us that  if it moved, the Sinclairs shot it!

Golspie (the nearby town) had few appealing wild camping spots so we moved on to Helmsdale, heart of both  the herring boom  (fondly known as the silver darlings) and a mini gold rush in 1800s. Now a sleepy one street village bypassed by A9. Decided this was our next wild camping spot , as it had good views (by the river,  as it enters the sea)  and was  a short walk to the Pub.
Went to the Timespan museum , which had a film of the last wolf shot in Scotland , and explained the massive negative  difference to the habitat this made to Sutherland, with a music score by none other than Aiden O'Rourke fiddle player from Lau/Kan/A9.
Pleasant evening and warm welcome in the English run Bannockburn Inn, toasty, real wood burning fire, staple pub grub and sheep shaggers local ale for Andy. Bought an NC500 T  shirt and a quiet night in the van

Monday 24 th April Dingwall/Nigg/Dornoch

Monday 24th April 2017 , 89 miles travelled
Very cold yet still strong sunshine- cleaned the van and aired the bedding,most satisfying .

Snow sleet showers pm, drove to Dingwall where we had a coffee to warm up  and then went for a swim and steam at the local leisure centre £5.90 for 2 !
Went to Tesco's cafe  for a highly mediocre light lunch and then back on the road
Snow showers, visited Nigg  church and Shadwick , following  the Pict trail , Picts were early inhabitants 3rd-6th century AD
Found a water tap outside public toilet in harbour at Shadwick - joy !
We wild camped overnight at Dornoch beach  (over the golf course). Stunning views of a wide smooth golden beach .

Pict stone carvings at Nigg

Pictish trail visitor centre - unfortunately we were too late to go in!

Sunday 23rd April 2017 69 miles travelled

Cycle ride around Loch Morlich first thing
Coffee at Glenmore view cafe
Shopping in Aviemore , long socks , warm gloves and groceries  purchased , warned by assistant that the ' lambing storms ' are starting tomorrow , (more predictable re  snowy wintry weather than at Xmas)
Black Isles tour commenced , going back in time ....
Conachry point visited , where the biggest herd of  bottle nose dolphins can be found playing in the Moray  Firth   (most  loyal dolphins are called jig saw and rhubarb ) v windy blustery cold ,long queue for the sole ice cream van on a Sunday afternoon ...
Camped at N Sutor headland start of the  Hugh Miller ( archeologist botanist artist architect , general renaissance bloke ) trail ,we walked 1.75 miles down hill along coast and  into Cromarty
Brilliant  late afternoon sunshine
Drinks in Cromarty inn, with subdued looking  bar person ...
Back up hillside enjoying  fab views of Cromarty Firth and the  oil rigs ( 6 in total )
TV reception poor on headland  , wild winds , caught just  half of ' line of duty'  and watched game of thrones ( great sets, but clunky dialogue and slow pace , not to mention type casting of both men and women )

Saturday 22nd April 2017- travelled 160 miles today
Ross off for an early morning 3 hour run with his mate Neil
Andy and I had breakfast with Jackie K and L , I played tin whistle alongside K's fiddle for a bit ,we  bid our grateful farewells ( veggie casserole generously donated for tonight's tea ) and set off for local retail park to seek advice about malfunctioning car radio . Halford's assistant (Robert - he left his name tag in our van ) inspected it closely , looked it up on the internet and advised Andy to  bang it on his knee , love and behold it worked! Happy bunnies to have music in our ears again .
On to Tiso's  outdoor pursuits  megastore (just outside Perth) where we always stop off ,  where we resisted buying a baseball cap, a buff, a beanie  and a pair of merrills respectively
Drove to Aviemore and turned off towards Loch  Morlich and walked 2 trails 5 miles  around Glencoe visitors centre in dappled sunlight.Parked up  and heated the delicious veg casserole and added TOFU,wonderful...
This  wild camp spot  (Allt Mor car park ) is the  other side of the  road  from the  lake ( all no overnight parking signs  lakeside) no reception for TV here but plenty of 4G
Good to speak to J who is just back from his first trip to Italy with K.
A contented day

Friday 21st March travelled 62  miles today
Clear coastal views after a buffeted  night hugging the hillside , drove through Galashiels and stopped off at Asda superstore to buy a hot water bottle in anticipation of the forthcoming cold snap in Scotland but no dice in Spring ( these hardy Scots) so on to Peebles after lunch to meet with friends and their  children and stay overnight with them
Went for a walk along the river Tweed with Jackie and Holly the springer spaniel , stunning wide flat be pebbled river , called in on Sue( local very talented artist mentoring Katy)
Did laundry , called round to see Jackie's  a mum and her beautiful new flat , ate a ready prepared  delicious tea, dhal and squash curry ( Jackie v good cook as well as  efficient ) a  very convivial meal with Ross and Jackie ,  delightful now sprung taller  children , a foot injury  consultation  provided for Andy ,' recipe for athlete  injuries, ill fitting  running shoes, too much sitting in between exercise'
Bed glorious, comfy, bed , I'm definitely a creature who equates space  cleanliness and comfort with contentment 🤔

Thursday 19 th April
118 miles travelled in total today.Our
overnight wild camp at Seaton Sluice was a good choice, small car park was excellent , no noise, stunning views of St Mary's Island, the light house and the coast.
Negotiated using the services at the Caravan club site next to the aforementioned public car park for a tenner and washed my hair in a wash basin in the shower block , such bliss to have clean hair ...Called in to NT  property Seaton Delaval but  not open for an hour and limited walks, so we elected to travel 65 miles further  to NT Wallington , a great river walk , woods , beautiful flowers in bloom in the wall garden, attractive house ( one room devoted entirely to fully furnished  dolls houses through the ages) Sunny, warm day, lots  of happy  children playing on the  lawn outside the NT shop , enjoyable visit ...
Drove across country for another 1.5 hours through beautiful countryside, the terrain becoming more  rugged as we progressed.
Arrived at friend's house (my  ex boss in Telford , now retired)   in Chirnside ( 8 years since we last called  on them )we  spent a couple of hours there and their kind  hospitality included delicious home baked scones and fruit biscuits..Yum... . They are relocating to the  Norfolk/Suffolk border after 11 years of running a BnB on the Borders  to be nearer their  aging parents.
We tried several car parks on the coast for an overnight camp , Eyemouth , St Apps, but motorhome  parking not allowed. We finally settled in a secluded parking space on the hillside  above Dowlaw farm, very quiet and windy, tucked out of sight,  near a large  windfarm .
Watched Last Kingdom on TV fearing the worst for Uhtred and gratefully  to bed .

Wednesday 18th April 2017
153 miles travelled today
Feeling more rested after last night's  sleep.
Made various phone calls to people we planned to see en route to Scotland and we  set off at 10 , on a cold grey day
We went briefly  into genteel Harrogate , Turkish baths £17.50 for a four hour session! We gave it a miss...

Visited the Mercer Art gallery , with a good mix of local artists exhibited , both  men ( notably Grimshaw- moonlight ) and women (Nerys Johnson -flowers and Isobel Alexander -Welsh miners )  We visited Betty's tea shop £14.50 for 2 coffees a  densely textured buttered scone and a fat rascal! Coughed  up  for the ambience and gentility  . Went to the town Valley  park, very handsome and in bloom .Visited Andy's cousin and husband  in H  to catch up on family news on both sides and then set off to camp up  overnight at Seaton Sluice on the coast overlooking Whitley bay .Walked across to St Mary's island   and watched the seals bobbing  in the water. 

2 seals had already  completed their early Spring 'haul out ' and were resting on the rocks by the lighthouse.
Short coastal strolls  either side of the car park, and a pub ( not visited) 5 minutes walk away.Great sunset.

Tuesday 18 th April Longshaw Estate and Hathersage

Tuesday 18 th April
Woke to

o a day of brilliant sunshine and stunning views from the Grouse inn car park .
Drove to NT Longshaw estate for its  welcome facilities and did a brilliant walk down Padley gorge to Grindleford railway station for a pint of tea.News at that point filtered through on my phone of the forthcoming snap election, and whilst trying to contain my dismay, and admiring a  black curly haired friendly spaniel and the bright sunlight in my eyes, i missed the step down into the courtyard and took a tumble skinning my knee and elbow and hands, narrowly avoiding making contact with the wall at the end of the courtyard...
Made our way up a steep hill behind the station cafe back onto the Longshaw estate with clear beautiful views of a nearby edge ( Stannage?) Drove 6 miles  to Hathersage , bought wipes cream and big plasters and caught the last blissful 50 minutes at Hathersage open air public swimming pool , bliss in the sunshine, despite the very cold wind .
Sat in Coleman's deli for  90 mins taking advantage of their wi fi and enjoying their  delicious food .Drove on through the  Yorkshire dales (via Branfield)  and reservoirs very pretty in the sunshine , on through Huddersfield, Keighley and Skipton .Parked on the top of a moor for a quiet and still  pretty cold night ...

Going forth to Scotland April /May 2017

Easter Monday 17 th April 2017
Set off at 11 after last minute tucking in of 'essential  'items, feeling squeaky clean and freshly pressed.Drove to Sheffield arriving at 2 for a late lunch with son  Sean and his partner Eleanor in their tastefully decorated and spacious new house
Walked down through  Froggatt woods and up a hill  to a glimpse of Froggatt edge via an improvised Sean Clarke Davey route , the sun came out late afternoon offering us light to accompany the   stunning scenery, as we picked our way up the jutting limestone path back to the Pub , the Grouse Inn, for a  meal for the 4 of us  , Sally's best steak pie for Sean ( conducting an informal regional survey ) Staff seemed  tired after busy bank holiday weekend . Food/ exercise induced  sleepiness prompted a mid evening departure  back to Sheffield  for Sean and Eleanor and a quick catch up on  the final episode of Broadchurch in the van for us .Clear skies overnight led to a  big drop in temperature , so very cold noses in the van , forgot hot water bottle.