So here we are. Another year in a global pandemic and another staycation. Seeing as we had already done Scotland last year and hadnt been to Wales we chose to go to Snowdonia for our holiday this year!
Liam and I had been to a wedding the day before – for which I was bridesmaid so the start of our holiday began in a whirlwind of hugs, tears and a couple of delicate heads / bellies.
However, three (ish) hours of driving, two stops, 1 coffee and lots of snacks later we arrived in Wales!
First thoughts:
1. Wales is a beauty!
2. Welsh on the other hand is utter madness 😂
Liam and I arrived a little too early to get into our cabin so we headed into the nearest town. We found ourselves in a delightful little seaside town called Aberdovey.
We soaked up the sunshine and grabbed some chips with cheese and gravy (apparently called sludge?!) and checked out what there was to do in the area. We noticed there was a variety of water sports available and crabbing with some cute shops. We agreed to come back another day, scoffed our chips and headed over to our cabin.
By the time we made it there Nick and Danielle had arrived and so we unpacked and got ourselves acquainted with our….quirky cabin. When we booked we had limited choice due to so many people booking staycations so we opted for this wooden cabin which has an amazing view of the estuary.
But it also has footprints on the ceiling so…ups and downs.
The road that leads up to the cabin is also very steep and very bumpy…thankfully though the Asda van made it up and our snack cupboard was soon full!
We spent out first evening catching up vaguely planning our week ahead and munching on snacks!
Day 9 was our final fully Scottish Day! The following day we were driving the length of Scotland and spending a night in Windermere to break up the journey before taking our campervan back to the rental place.
Danielle and I had left the final day with alot of wriggle room with a few waterfalls and barely any driving so we loaded up on brekkie and then headed out to the first place which was only 20 minutes up the road: Corrieshalloch Gorge and the Falls of Measach.
Corrieshalloch Gorge is a gorge not far from Ullapool and is 60m deep and 10m wide. From the trail head you walk for a few minutes before coming to the suspension bridge over the gorge. From here you can see the Falls of Measach. The bridge is quite high and you can see through the slats on the floor so I imagine some people might get wobbly legs. I certainly held on tightly to my phone!
From the bridge you can walk a short walk along to the view point which is a man made balcony jutting out over the gorge. It just gives you a different view of the falls.
There is a walk that loops around the waterfalls that takes you up into the woodland and back to the main car park.
We did this and then headed to the next destination: Rogie Falls!
Rogie Falls has a big car park that campervans are allowed to camp in overnight so Danielle and I decided to make this our final wild camping spot. It was a really sunny afternoon so after grabbing lunch in the van we whacked on the sun cream and started the 15 minute walk to the waterfalls.
Rogie Falls are another set of waterfalls that sit along the Salmon Trail. So once again we perched ourselves by the side of the falls and waited to spot the salmon trying to leap upstream. If we thought the last waterfall we saw salmon jump in (Falls of Shin) looked tricky then it was nothing compared to this!
Once again, after sitting and watching the falls for a little while you can take a walk down by the river and up into the forest. We decided to go down by the river and see if we could spot any salmon that had made it past the falls.
Unsurprisingly we didnt spot any!
At this point we were nearing the end of our final day and there was only one thing we had left to do. Something that we couldnt come to Scotland and not do.
Drink Whiskey!
Once we had finished our river and woodland trek we left Rogie Falls and headed over to the Glen Ord distillery. For £10 you can visit the exhibition, learn all about how the whiskey is made, see some of the old tools and of course taste some whiskey.
I knew virtually nothing about whiskey as I dont drink it so I found the exhibition really interesting and found myself going oh so thats whats in it!
Once done with the little tour one of the guides sets out a dram each of the 12, 15 and 18 year old whiskeys along with a little bit of water if you want it.
For those driving you get given little bottles in a neat case to take away and try at your leisure. The guide explained a little about each whiskey and what type of barrel they had been kept in etc and how best to drink it before leaving us to it.
Most of us arent whiskey drinkers and I think its safe to say I wont ever be! Not because this whiskey was bad but I just dont think its to my taste. I poured the rest of mine into Liams little bottles to take home.
By this time we were still feeling quite energetic and I suggested we carry on driving south and camp somewhere further down to take some time off the long journey the next day. As Liam was the only one who hadnt had whiskey he happily agreed and we started heading down Scotland with the guys navigating our way down and Danielle and I searching for where to stay.
We ended up going for a spot in the Cairngorms National Park. It is free to overnight camp there and there looked like there would be plenty of room. Some of the park rangers were in the car park and once we had parked up and jumped out to have a look around one came over to tell us about the area and the local walks and rules.
On the way to the park we had passed a town which claimed to be the home of the National Porridge Championships! We asked him about it and he told us that every year there is a porridge championship with various different rounds. Some rounds include flavoured porridge but the most prestigious is the simple oats, water and salt round. However, there was apparently a scandal last year as this most highly regarded round was won by an Englishman! Who knew there could be so much drama to porridge making. Get that on the BBC!
After our chat with the ranger we headed straight to the loch which was right at the end of the car park and was looking beautiful with the setting sun.
There were times on this trip where we felt like we surely must be in Canada or a US National Park. We did not know this kind of landscape and beauty was right on our own soil. I have a similar picture of me in a lake in California and aside from that fact Im in a bikini not jumper and hiking trousers you wouldnt know the difference (apart from maybe the lockdown weight)
After our short little exploration we headed back to the camper to start the challenge of the next couple of days…eating all the left over food. It wasnt to anyones surprise that Liam was able to make the biggest dent in the food that we had left over. It turns out 4 people dont need quite as many snacks as we thought we might need at the beginning of the holiday.
The next day dawned and we trundled down slowly to Windermere and stayed there for the night mostly packing, cleaning out the camper, eating all the food and discussing the trip.
Once everything was totalled up it transpired we had spent around £240 each for the 10 days away which included all food, campsites and experiences (although most were free) and that on top of the £1500 we spent between us for the camper didnt seem bad at all!
We feel lucky to have been able to have this holiday this year as a lot of people wont be able to get away or wont feel comfortable doing so. We had our apprehensions but found most people followed the rules and on a trip like this you can mostly keep away from other people – thats the luxury of a campervan!
The NC500 road trip is one of those holidays that I imagine Id have said “one day I will do that” and keep putting it off in favour of holidays abroad or holidays to “tick off”. Therefore, Im glad that even though the circumstances in which we came to do this were due to COVID-19 I think this type of holiday really reflected the underlying theme of 2020, which to me is getting back to basics, appreciating friends, appareciating family and appreciating your country.
We woke up on Day 8 after a pitch black night with zero signal where we had camped by the beach. However, if any of us felt creeped out by our isolated environment we didnt show it as we fell right asleep and slept through only to be awoken by seagulls walking on the roof of the van. We pottered around getting ready and saw all the beach campers groggily making their way back to their cars and using the convenient (and surprisingly clean) toilet facilities at the wild camping spot.
Today only had one main thing on the agenda and that was Handa Island. Handa Island is an island off the coast of Western Scotland and is a Scottish Wildlife Trust Nature reserve.
We were looking forward to potentially seeing some more wildlife and the views were meant to be stunning. Danielle had spotted the ferry across was cash only so we quickly stopped off at the local shop for some cash and Horny Devils (crackers) and we were off down the windiest narrow roads we had yet encountered. We all held our breath as we squeezed our way down to the harbour and met the kind gent who was ferrying us across to the island.
We were given sanitised life jackets, plonked on another RIB boat and jetted the 10 minutes across to the island.
We were given a map which outlined the walk around the island that would take us approximately three hours. There were numbered points along the walk which related to the map and explained various views or interesting points of note.
We landed on the beach and made our way up to the start of the trail head and we experienced an unexpected challenge of having to walk through a sand dune valley and what appeared to be a beehive. For anyone that knows me, knows how I feel about bees so I just put my head down, ignored the buzzing and scurried through as quickly as I could – without flailing my arms around.
The trail is mostly made up of wooden walkways to protect the wildlife and natural surroundings.
The first point you come to on the walk are the remnants of village settlements which hadnt been lived in since 1847. There is also the remains of a graveyard here as it is believed that anciently Handa Island was used as a burial ground because bodies were dug up by wolves on the mainland. Apart from this small spot though there was no evidence of humans ever being there. We were struck by how beautiful the landscape was with all the different colours.
The walk leads on up and up to the highest point of the island and the cliff faces. From here you can see Scottish mainland to the east and look into the seemingly endless North Atlantic to the west. There are no railings or anything protecting you from the cliff edges so we had to be careful of our footing.
We carried on along the cliffs and at some points felt like we were heading towards the edge of the world.
Depending on what time of year you come you can see all sorts of birds. In May – July puffins nest on the island but by the time we had got there they had all gone. We made our way round the island marvelling at the beautiful colour of the ocean until we got to a suitable place for lunch.
We sat ourselves on these rocks for some lunch, enjoying the sunshine and watching a seal bob his head in and out of the water whilst having a rest. Once we had finished our snacks we headed over to Boulder Bay.
Boulder Bay is a good place to stop and try and spot wildlife. If you sit here long enough you’ll see otters, seals, dolphins and if youre lucky whales. There was a seal bobbing in the water again, we had already seen dolphins and didnt think it was likely we would see a whale any time soon so we didnt hang around here for long. We carried on our way around the island back to the beach we arrived at. Along the way we saw some native birds, rabbits and black newts as well as the seals.
Shortly after we hurried through the beehive and arrived back on the beach we were picked up and brought back to the mainland.
Being collected from that white sandy beach on a small boat made us feel as if we were being rescued from a deserted island. The trip back across was significantly bumpier than the trip over and I got splashed quite alot. Not as much as the elderly couple behind me though!
Once we had squeezed our way out of the harbour we were on our way to our campsite for the night which was in the picturesque harbour town to Ullapool.
We were staying at Broomfield Holiday Park which right next to a beach. We parked up and went straight into town to have a look around.
As we were wandering through the town Danielle spotted a place called the Seafood Shack was still open. We had read amazing things about it and the place had won awards. So despite having food back at the campsite we joined the queue and decided what to have!
We decided to go for the tempura haddock wrap and potted lobster. It was DELICIOUS.
We rejoined the queue again, this time to try some pan fried hake but just as we were getting to the front one of the staff members came out and crossed it off the board! We were gutted but walked back to the van saying it was probably for the best as we were already quite full.
Once back at the camper, I decided to take a shower but Liam told me my towel had unfortunately fallen in the toilet (Im wondering if this was payback for dropping the cap in the waste pipe) but we spotted there was a Tesco Superstore ten minutes up the road so Danielle and I headed out again. We trecked up to the Tesco swatting away the constant swarm of midges only to discover that the Scottish Highlands version of a superstore is no bigger than a regular Tesco Express and they didnt sell towels. So I grabbed a pack of tea towels and accepted this was going to be my towel for the rest of the trip.
By the time we got back to the campsite there was a beautiful sunset happening on the nearby beach so we headed over and sat down on the rocks to enjoy it before I had my interesting tea towel shower and flopped into bed.
We treated ourselves to a bit of a lie in on Wednesday morning but our morning didnt quite start off as we planned…
It was Danielle and my turn to empty the toilet tank and so we drove on up to the campervan facility point and whilst the guys dealt with the water we donned our waterproof trousers and started the unpleasant task. All was going well until I took the cap off the tank to empty it and knocked it into the bowl and down the gross, gross hole. I may have shouted a word that sounds like “duck” very loudly. As it was my mistake I got a bin bag covered my arm in it and whilst Danielle held my hair back I stuck my arm down the pipe to try and reach it…however…it soon transpired the only person with arms long enough to reach the cap was Liam.
So, like a hero, he came over and finished the dirty deed, grabbed the cap and promptly ran off for a shower.
Once we were all cleaned and sorted we made our way out of the campsite with me offering my thanks and apologies!
Our first stop of the day was Coldbackie Sands – a beautiful beach I had read about. We parked up along the side of the road and trekked our way down to the sand.
It was a glorious day and so the guys decided they were going to go for a swim and we grabbed our water shoes for a paddle.
The sea was VERY cold – unsurprisingly considering how far north we are. The guys spent a long time easing themselves in and swam around for a while before lying in the sun to warm up. We were really lucky with the weather!
Whilst they were enjoying the sun Danielle and I walked along the beach and climbed the rocks and exploring the cave.
We couldnt believe how lucky we were with the weather however, after an hour or so the weather had completely changed and the mist had rolled in once again so we climbed back up the hill to the campervan for a bit of lunch!
The only other stop we had on our itinerary today was Smoo Cave. We made our way down increasingly tight roads and managed to park our campervan in the Village Hall and walked the short walk that leads down to the cave.
The cave is a large sea water cave with a big entrance cavern caused by erosion. You can get a boat tour through the caves usually however these arent running at the moment.
For now though you can just explore the main opening of the cave and surrounding cliff tops.
After we had our look around and taken our photos we headed into the next village as we were wild camping on the docks and we knew there was only 5 available spots. The roads down here were the tightest we had been through yet!
When we got there however the 5 places were already taken so we had to find alternative lodgings!
Danielle and I found one up the road in a beach car park and 7 minutes later we were all parked up and we decided to walk down to the beach and explore. We were glad the other spot was full up as this place was beautiful!
We walked along the beach looking in rock pools and enjoying the evening sun before heading back to the campervan for burgers, hot dogs and gin! As we ate we watched as various campers turned up and hauled their tents and camping gear onto the beach. This was obviously a popular spot for wild camping and when we went for one last walk on the beach before bed we could see why with the sun just gone over the horizon and the cosy campfires it looked amazing.
Day 6 arrived with ALOT of fog but we are starting to realise this might be the norm for mornings in the highlands!
As we had wild camped the night before our first stop was a nearby campsite. For £5 you can go in and use the facilities to maintain the campervan. Once we were appropriately empty of waste and filled with water we were headed out to our first stop of the day which was Whaligoe Steps!
The Whaligoe steps are 300+ steps that lead down into the harbour and used to be used to transport fish up into the town. The car park is tiny but a very kind elderly gentleman to who lived next to (and presumably manages) the car park came out and offered to move the cones for us so we could squeeze in a spot he was saving. I almost didnt quite catch everything he said though due to his thick accent!
The walk down to the steps and into the harbour is right next to the car park so we were walking down there virtually straight away. The view is beautiful and the natural harbour is amazing. We spent some time taking photos and skimming stones. Trying not to slip on the seaweed!
After the thigh burning slog back to the top we thanked our scottish gent for letting us park there and were on our way to the next stop! We had a fair few things we wanted to fit in today.
Next up on the list was Castle Sinclair Girnigoe. It is an old ruined castle that sits right on the cliffs a few miles outside the town of Wick. We parked up the van and decided to have some lunch before we headed across. We had been to Lidl that morning to stock up on supplies and had raided their bakery section – and also found some Haggis crisps so obviously grabbed them!
We trecked on over to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe which took about 10-15 minutes from the car park. You can walk round the castle ruins and into them across a little bridge. There are information boards all around explaining about the history of the castle.
If you take a walk down the path beneath the bridge to the right hand side it comes to a little natural harbour. Its a beautiful little alcove that is filled with these stacks of rocks.
We created our own stacks before heading up to the campervan to head on to the next stop! Duncansby Head Lighthouse!
The Duncansby Head Lighthouse is the most northernly point you can reach on the mainland UK and you can follow a coastal walk along the cliff edge to see the sea stacks.
From here we headed off to the little town of John O’Groats – took our picture by the iconic sign and then drove on down to our campsite. We were hunkering down early as we were due a thunderstorm and we ordered take away from the on site pub which included Haggis Bon Bons!
Just as we were finishing dinner the lightening started and we settled down for the night wondering if the rain was going to keep us awake!
Day 5 was a very early start with us up at 6am ready to get on the road by 7. We packed up, had some cereal bars and fruit and were on the road to Cromarty.
In Cromarty we were doing a boat trip for wildlife watching to hopefully see birds, seals and dolphins. We didnt know what parking was like in the little town so we headed out early to make sure we had time to find a spot for the motorhome. It turns out there was a small spot down by the harbour where a few motorhomes had already parked – presumably for overnight wild camping.
After parking up we donned our waterproof trousers, jackets and boots and headed out for a walk round the town before joining our group for the trip. We were headed out for 2 hours on a RIB boat (rigid inflatable boat) that looks like this:
We were going out with a company called Ecoventures and we somehow managed to score the front four seats of the boat!
The seats on the boat are a little odd, you have to kind of straddle them like a horse and there is a bar in front of you to hold on to. Which was making us wonder quite how bumpy the ride was going to be.
Our tour guide explained that we had lovely conditions and that the sea was really calm so we should have no issue spotting anything poking out of the water. As the RIB boat headed out of the harbour onto the open sea the boat started bouncing around on the waves and we were having a great time feeling the sudden drops after every bounce…well…3 of us did…Danielle not so much.
Our tour guide took us around the cliff edges and explained the various bird species to us and what the different buildings perched within the cliffs were (mostly old war buildings). Then we headed out into Moray Firth where dolphins are most likely to be seen. Our tour guide told us to keep and eye out and shout if we see anything breaking the water. After a while Danielle and I both shouted as we spotted something rise from the water and jump back down again. The boat slowed and we all bobbed there for a minute staring at nothing whilst Danielle and I earnestly assured everyone there had been something! Then after a little bit of waiting a cute little seal popped his head back up again and we saw him bob in and out of the water as we sailed on by. We saw another seal a short while later as we were turning around in the Firth to head back to harbour. By this point we had all resigned ourselves to the fact that we had an enjoyable boat ride seeing seals and birds but we wouldnt be seeing any dolphins.
But then…with perfect dramatic timing Liam called out that he saw something in the distance and I had spotted something out of the corner of my eye too. Once again we slowed down the boat and waited with baited breath only for them to rise again and confirm we had a sighting!
Our tour guide very slowly cruised the boat over to the dolphins general area and we observed them from a few metres away but they then swam over to the boat and treated us to a bit of a show! They were swimming alongside the boat and diving in and out of the water around us. Our tour guide advised us we were observing two parents and a calf and that the calfs tend to swim up to the boat. No sooner had she said that, the little one was swimming right up to the edge of our boat and we could see it through the water before it popped up again. We were in awe and felt very privelaged to spend some time with them in their natural environment.
They were tricky to snap photos of and I couldnt be trusted with the camera near water so I just enjoyed the moment and pinched everyone elses photos!
Right, thats enough dolphin talk but if you cant tell I highly recommend the trip. It was £32 each for 2 hours and totally worth it!
After our high of seeing the dolphins we were starving! So we headed to the cafe recommended by one of the lovely ecoventures ladies to grab ourselves some take away brunch. I went for the “Scottie Dog” which was a massive beef, pork and haggis hot dog with crispy onions! We sat and ate it by the harbour reliving our amazing experience!
Next on our list was Dunrobin Castle! I was really looking forward to this place as the pictures I had seen of it were beautiful. The castle was owned by the Duke of Sutherland and was used as a family residence and holiday/hunting home. The ticket gets you entrance to some rooms inside the castle and the stunning grounds.
Some of the rooms arent open at the moment due to COVID and so we spent alot of time in the gardens primarily but we really enjoyed looking at the rooms we did see, particularly the portraits. We spent some time in the library with one of the attendants discussing the history of the house.
She mentioned there are parts of the castle that she doesnt like working in due to their spooky nature and told us this sad story. Many years ago one of the earls captured a young girl and was keeping her captive, forcing her to marry him. When she realised there was no escape she threw herself out of the top window to her death. It is said her ghost can be seen on that floor and she can be heard weeping. The lady we were speaking to said she didnt like working on that floor as it was always very cold and unsettling.
We really enjoyed our time at Dunrobin Castle and spent alot of time in the gardens in the beautiful sunshine before heading off to our spot for the night. This was our first night wild camping!
Our first night wild camping was on Helmsdale Harbour where they have 8 designated Motorhome/Campervan spots. It is free to park at so long as you make a donation to the RNLI. It was a lovely little spot and we sat outside drinking and enjoying the evening sunshine before heading to the local pub for the best dinner. After a few ciders and our bellies full we headed back to the motorhome and collapsed into bed!
As we were getting ready for the day the mist slowly cleared and revealed the mountains behind in a very mystical manner – giving way to another glorious sunny day!
Today we were making our way further north and started catching glimses of the beautiful coastline. The first place we passed through was a lovely town called Rosemarkie which has an amazing viewing point over the sea to view dolphins. We drove past here and enjoyed the view but didnt stop as it was super busy and we had plans to go on a dolphin spotting trip the next day! Id recommend though if you have time to stop!
On our way up we came across an excellent viewpoint so decided to stop for a spot of lunch. Which is the luxury of having a campervan! So we made our sandwiches, grabbed crisps and sausage rolls and sat on the wall admiring the view.
Next up – around 20 minutes from the view we arrived at the Falls of Shin. By this point most of the roads had become single track and required the use of passing points. None of the roads were busy at all however and most of the time we just sailed through. We did have a stand off with a tractor though. We reversed for that one! The roads once again provided lovely views.
Falls of Shin is a waterfall that sits along the salmon trail. You can walk the short walk to the waterfall and watch the salmon leaping upstream. There isnt a contant flow of jumping salmon but every 30 seconds or so a salmon could be seen throwing itself through the powerful stream of water and onto the rocks above. Alot of the poor salmon werent strong enough and got knocked back down into the main pool of water. We found ourselves really invested in the little guys and were cheering them on as they made the leap and struggled to keep going against the flow. They were a bit too quick to snap a photo of though!
From here you can then take one of the two walks around the area into the forest and along the river. We chose one that followed the stream and then went uphill into the forest and enjoyed the view from there.
Along this trail Liam spotted a little track leading back down to the river where we hit the “jackpot” spot down by the river.
After we had finished our walk we headed back to the motorhome and to our next destination for the day which was Dornoch beach!
We had spotted Dornoch Beach as a recommended place to visit when Danielle and I were doing our planning because of its beauty.
The photos dont really do it justice but the beach was lovely and sandy and the sea was a deep turqouise with lots of waves!
It was VERY windy and chilly but obviously the guys couldnt resist going in. Even if they were fully clothed. Another benefit of having a campervan is being able to change clothes right away!
We hung around on the beach watching the waves and spotting local dogs on their walks. Like this gem.
Dornoch town itself is lovely and we had a little wander round the streets although everything was shut up as it was Sunday evening by this time. It looked like there were some cute little shops and a good place for Sunday lunch as well as a whiskey shop.
By this time we were getting peckish and decided to make our way to the campsite we were at for the night which was Black Rock Campsite. Once there the guys walked the 6 minutes walk to the local shop for dinner supplies and we tidied the campervan after our days adventures. We get the floor very dirty!
This evenings dinner was sausage and mash with peas followed by rice pudding which we ate on the large bed at the back after dinner had been washed up watching Fraiser and drinking gin. It wasnt long though before my eyelids were drooping and we turned in for the night as we had an early start the next day!
Day 3 started at 6am! We had a long drive from Ullswater to Loch Ness and we wanted to beat the traffic and get a good start on the day because there was alot we wanted to do!
Nick kindly made us all a cup of tea and we all bustled around disconnecting and readying our vehicle for departure. We feel like pros now!
The boys were once again at the helm and us ladies were living the life of luxury strapped in the back.
45 minutes later we entered Scotland and treated ourselves to a McDonalds and Costa in the most beautiful services along the M6!
After this the views along the way just got more and more spectacular and made the 5 hour drive more than worth it.
The green mountainous landscape occasionally gave way to deep blue lochs. After a while I nabbed the co pilot seat and snapped a bunch of road trip pics!
Our first stop on the itinerary didnt quite go to plan…we were meant to be stopping at the Glenfinnan Viaduct (aka the Harry Potter Bridge) and we did get there but the car park was PACKED and we didnt have room to fit the morothome in the car park and it looked as if even people in cars were having to turn away. So we made a vow to stop and try on the way back down as we had no planned stops for that day.
So on we continued to the next scheduled stops and lodgings for the night – Loch Ness! We were lucky enough to have glorious sunshine and spent our time walking round the loch taking photos and enjoying the sunshine.
The town we are staying in on Loch Ness is called Fort Augustus and it is B E A U T I F U L after walking around the Loch a while we took ourselves into town, sat by the canal and had some chips!
After this we headed back down to the loch on the other side of the canal where we had spotted a bar/restaurant so we grabbed a drink and sat down in their garden which was on the bank of the loch.
From here we sat watching people jump into the loch, watching ripples for signs of Nessie and basked in the glorious evening sunshine. Families of ducks floated past us and we watched as boats came in to dock. Stunning!
When we started getting peckish again we made our way back to the campervan and today it was Liam and I’s job to empty the toilet tank.
Contrary to what you might think its not actually a hideous job. You pull a grey box out from the outside of the van. Its kind of like a small (gross) suitcase on wheels that you wheel over to the waste station. You twist the nozzle and open the cap over the giant hole for poops and wees. What comes out is just blue liquid because of the chemicals in it that dissolves any…solid matter. Once its empty you fill it with a little water and a cap full of the chemicals and replace. Et voila!
That is it in principle. However, when Liam and I removed the little poo suitcase it started leaking which we didnt initially realise until we had trecked across the length of the motorhome park in the wrong direction and had to cross back across the gravel leaving a snail trail of leaky toilet behind us and in front of full view of the rest of the site. Upon realising this Liam bravely scooped up the poo-case and carried it the rest of the way. Once we got to the dumping station (pun intended) I lifted the lid only for it to slip out of my hand and splash remnents of water/waste onto my bare legs. Twice.
Safe to say we learnt alot of lessons the first time we emptied our waste compartment which is good – probably best to get all the mistakes out the way with first time round. We awkwardly shuffled our way back to the campervan trying to cover our snail trail as we went with other stones – to no avail unfortunately and I promptly went for a shower. After telling Danielle what happened she called after me “do you need a gin for when you get back?” – that ladies and gents is friendship.
After I was sufficiently not covered in waste we cooked up some pizza whilst playing games and listening to the owls hooting outside.
The night is certainly chillier up here in Scotland but we are grateful for a slightly later rise in the morning!
Day 2 started rather early for me as a sheep in a neighbouring field apparently had a lot to say around 4am but I managed to drift off to sleep again and we all woke up around 8am to blissful sunshine breaking through the clouds.
We slept fairly well on our makeshift bed – we had the one in the “lounge” and it was massive, although not quite long enough for 6ft 3 Liam.
Not sure what Im doing with my right arm here
Some of us were much quicker to wake than others!
For our first breakfast we had hearty bowls of banana bread porridge and slowly got ready for the day.
After we were dressed and ready we hit the open road over to Glenridding and the Inn on the Lake which will be our beautiful wedding venue next December!
We chose our wedding venue last December and put the deposit down in March so we were yet to see the venue in glorious sunshine and of course it did not disappoint.
We spent some time walking around Ullswater lake in the sunshine before heading inside for our Afternoon Tea!
It was lush and MASSIVE but we managed to conquer most of it and they kindly gave us a box to take away the few bits we had left over.
With our bellies full and feeling very sleepy we headed down to the lake’s edge to lounge in the sunshine and dip our feet in the water.
Sitting there with friends overlooking the peaceful water it was hard to believe COVID was even a thing to worry about and I think for the first time in months we all felt properly relaxed.
After this we dragged our full bellies back to the campervan and to the supermarket once again for supplies. Tomorrow we have a long drive up to Loch Ness so we wanted to make sure we have everything we need ahead of the journey.
The rest of our day will be spent relaxing outside, playing card games and munching on tasty picnic items we picked up from the local shops.
Like most of British public we are opting for a staycation this summer as opposed to a holiday abroad. As the guidance now advises you can stay away with one other household we decided to go away with another couple!
We were meant to be flying off to Disneyworld later on this month and our friends were meant to be in Budapest for the F1…but we try not to dwell on that and think of this as another way to make different memories! Enjoy our own country and still get an amazing, safe holiday whilst ticking off some of the bucket list!
So what is the NC500? Well…according to multiple articles it is “the UKs answer to route 66” Liam and I have driven route 66 so we will have to see about that one!
Basically, the NC500 road follows the northern coastal (NC) road of the Scottish Highlands, starting and ending in Inverness with various castles, beaches, mountains and breathtaking views on route!
There are many ways you can do the route by renting a car and staying in hotels/B&Bs, getting a campervan or even walking/biking it. We opted for a campervan to be a bit adventurous and do a bit of wild camping, which is legal in Scotland.
Today started off with an interesting start after we had loaded everything into the car we were commenting on how uncharacteristically on time we were when we noticed the car had a flat tyre. So a sudden change of plan saw us unloading and relaoding another car but somehow we still managed to make the 2 hour journey to the car rental company in good time!
We had half an hour to wait once we arrived so popped across the road to the tearoom and had a cuppa and cake! (Well I went for hot choccie)
Soon it was ready to go and meet our home for the week!
The rental company did a full explanation of how things work and provided us with a manual and did a thorough damage check with us. Around an hour later we were off with Big Nige (the campervan).
There are four of us and we wanted a fair bit of room so we chose a 6 berth van with two double beds and a separation between the two!
The first stop on our tour is actually the Lake District for two reasons. 1. To break up the journey and 2. To show our friends our wedding venue for which they are bridesmaid and groomsman!
We stopped off at a local supermarket to stock up on the essentials (mainly gin and chocolate) and made our way to the first campsite: Beckses Caravan Park in Penrith. We sorted all our things out, packed all the food away, had some dinner, a well earned drink and relaxed!
We spent most of the first day getting used to our new home and figuring out how things work but we cant wait to get out and about tomorrow and a good nights sleep!
Flip Flops and Photo Ops 