Oban

We took the A816 to Oban and the plan was to use the Camping & Caravan Club site at Barcaldine, north of Oban as we wanted to cycle the route 78, which for this section, follows for a reasonable part of its journey, an old railway line and this site was closer to what I thought was the more interesting part of the route, judging by the Ordance Survey map.

The Camping & Caravan Club site, however, was fully booked so we chose to stay at the North Ledaig site, which is an affiliated site of the Caravan Club and this turned out to be an inspired choice as it had excellent sea loch views and the facilities were good and they provided two motorhome service points. Admittedly we had to cycle a little bit further but a big plus was the old railway line goes straight through the site and though it is not an official section of route 78, it can be used in both directions to pick up the 78 cycle route.

North Ledaig is a huge site and appears to have a mixture of permanently sited caravans and tourers but despite its size it appeared spacious and because it was not main season, it did not feel overbusy. Its power supply is limited to 10amps, which did appear to cause some of the caravanners problems but as most of our stuff is geared for continental touring, this proved to be non problematic.

We cycled past the Barcaldine site and it was pleasant enough but without any loch views and in a walled garden, you could have been anywhere. We continued to Creagan Bridge, where there is still evidence of the station, together with platforms, though this is now a private residence. There is the Creagan Inn, which is a good refreshment stop, with views overlooking Loch Creran. We continued onto Stalkers Castle near Port Appin, taking the circular loop at Appin, which is well signposted and the total bike ride was about 27 miles.

The next day the weather changed and though not heavy rain, there was constant light rain, drizzle for most of the day. We decided to take the bus 410 into Oban, which stops right outside of the site and explore Oban. It is a pleasant enough town and certainly looked much better in the  brilliant sunshine when we arrived. It is home to the Oban Distillery, which you can tour and it is a busy ferry port but in reality it is not very big. It has its own mini colosseum, which is worth a visit.Its name is McGaig’s Tower, built by a wealthy banker, John Stuart McGaig as a memorial to his own family but also as a philanthropic gesture in providing work for the local stonemasons in the winter. It is a bit of a climb but the views are well worth it.

It also has a very busy seafood stall, by the railway station which judging by the number of people patronising it, on a very miserable day must be testament to its quality. We were not tempted, eating seafood outside, no matter how good, on a damp miserable day was not very appealing.

In the evening, the rain had abatted so we walked along the railway path and route 78 to the bridge at Connel, which crosses Loch Elive. It is possible to cycle to Oban but the  cycle way does follow the main road for a way, before cutting into minor roads, before coming into Oban.

Glencoe

We decided to move from North Ledaig the next day, as the weather was still inclement, to Glencoe. The original plan was to go to Fort William but the two activities planned would not have been much fun in poor weather and in fact one of them, climbing Ben Nevis, would have been a non starter. So the idea was to get a change of scenery, though with the mist and rain, this was not a practical solution. The drive along Loch Creran and Linhe was, however, pleasant enough.

We stayed in the Camping & Caravan Club site at Glencoe, which is situated in forestry commission land and is right next door to the Glencoe Visitor Centre. It is a very picturesque setting, surrounded by hills and at the site of the Glencoe massacre and there is a pleasant walk from the centre, not very long and with an extension to the village, which was just about right for a drizzly day. We left the visitor centre exhibition to the following morning and combined this with the same walk but now at least we were able to get better views of the mountains and the loch.

The Folk Museum, housed in traditional thatched 18th century cottages is well worth a visit nad there is lots of interesting materaial, including articles dating back to the Glencoe massacre

The warden at the site was extremely helpful in providing gaffer tape and step ladders as we had sprung a leak over the window which became evident in the rain at Oban. A temporary repair which proved adequate, though ironically it was never tested, as after Glencoe we did not have any rain.

The site does have a motorhome service point.

Glencoe is fairly limited re facilities, a garage with a convenience store and that is really your lot. There are also a couple of cafés.

Fort William

The decision to delay arriving at Fort William by a day was truly inspired for thereafter we had spectacular weather. Fort William Is very much one of the centres of the Highlands and is a very popular resort and as such has all the facilities you need for a restock, with a large Morrison’s and Lidl situated near the bus garage. Lidl is normally easier to park in than Morrison’s though the latter has a petrol station and it is a good idea to refuel here as the further north you go the more expensive fuel becomes, resembling motorway prices.

It looks like you can overnight in the car park near Lidl.

We stayed in the Glen Nevis Campsite, a very pleasant setting below the Nevis range and with all the facilities you would expect of a premium site but also at premium prices, though to be fair, off-peak you get 4 nights for the price of 3 and if you book a premium pitch with water and  drainage, this only costs an extra £1. There is a motorhome home service point. The shower facilities etc are perfectly adequate but may struggle at peak periods though I get the impression that this is a rapid turnover site. Certainly off peak there were pitches readily available.

The big attraction of this site, is that it is within a 15 minute walk of the Visitor Centre and the start of the Ben Nevis walk.

We were very fortunate in that we had a perfect day for the climb, pleasantly warm and towards the end of the day verging on hot but more importantly clear and given that on average only 1 day in 6 is clear we were very blessed.

On a day of very benign conditions it does seem that the world and his wife climb Ben Nevis and following the tourist track, this is not a particularly technically difficult walk, nor is it very steep though it is reasonably long. It took us just over 3 hours to climb it and a similar time to descend, though in theory it should be much quicker on the descent.

When reading the advice on climbing Ben Nevis, it is full of warnings and on a clear benign day you wonder what all the concerns are about. The only comment I would make is that for a brief period a mist came down and it is absolutely true that this can be extremely disorientating and on the final ascent there is not a great deal of room for error, as there are sheer drops on the left hand side. If you had a sudden fog or driving rain or worst still snow, you would have to really rely on compass bearings and know what you are doing. Additionally there is snow at the top and towards the edge there may not be anything firm below this snow. There are a series of cairns which we hugged quite closely, we have too much respect for mountains, where the weather can change without any notice. We were still surprised to see tourists perilously close to the edge as they walked over the snow.

So in conclusion I would conclude that on a fine summer's day this is not a difficult climb and there is little danger of getting lost as you follow the crowds up the mountain. In more challenging conditions it is a different ball game. People die on this mountain, even in May.

The Ben Nevis Inn at the bottom is a welcome respite after a long day and it would be rude not to visit and enjoy a beer and some convivial conversation.

The other site that we wanted to see was the Caledonian Canal, that testament to Victorian engineering and to an industrial revolution hero of mine, Thomas Telford. The canal navigates the west coast from Fort William to the east coast at Inverness, connecting the lochs in the Great Glen. Having already seen the canal at Inverness I wanted to see the other end and it was a relative easy cycle ride from the campsite to the town and then follow cycle route 7  to the canal. In total we did about 30 miles which included the sea locks at Corpach , the series of locks called the Neptune Staircase and a ride towards Gairlochy. As an added bonus the cycle route in the town includes a trip to the ruins of Inverlochy Castle.

Ardelve

This is a lochside campsite and it appears to be just turn up and pitch and if you get there early then you will have a lochside pitch, though these tend to give you less room. The site fee is £15 a night, cash only  and the owner collects in the evening. Electricity is paid for with a £2 coin and showers are 50p. The toilet facilities are basic but spotlessly clean. This was one of our favourite sites, gloriously laid back and in a brilliant position.

The main attraction was Eilean Donan Castle with its romantic setting in the loch, connected to the mainland by a bridge. OK it is a tourist honeypot and it has been rebuilt with probably a fair degree of licence re historical accuracy but it is well worth a visit.

It dates back to the 13^th century but the modern castle bears tentative resemblance to the original. The castle is the ancestral home of the Mackenzie clan and their allies Clan Macrae. The clans were on the losing side in the Jacobite rebellions and the castle was destroyed by the Royal Navy. The present reconstruction was the result of Lieutenant Macrae Gilstraps effort, who rebuilt it as a family home.

The advantage of staying at Ardelve is that you can revisit the castle when all the crowds have gone. It is not possible to go inside after hours but it was great to have the outside virtually to yourselves.

There are not really any facilities at Ardelve. There is a cafe in the castle and another up the road on the left. Additionally somewhat bizarrely, when you turn left there is an artisan baker operating from his house, offering a limited but quality range, more in keeping with Islington than a small Highland village. He also has a pizzeria as well.

Inverewe Poolewe

We stayed at the Camping & Caravan Club site and as it was Whitsun Bank Holiday (though not a Scottish holiday) sites were getting busy and also we needed a chill out, so we phoned a couple days in advance &  booked 3 nights. The premium prices of bank holiday's came as a shock to the system and at nearly £30 a night we considered this exorbitant, for though the site is in a great location, the facilities are dated and only just adequate. The other thing that surprises me about Camp & Caravan sites is the lack of real investment for motorhome users. The motorhome service point was a manhole cover and there was a filling point next to it but why not convert this to a dedicated motorhome service point, hardly an expensive outlay. Also the camp commandant presented all that could be possibly wrong, yes he was incredibly efficient but no warm welcome. Also there was no way you were going to get into this site before 1.00pm, rules are rules. The caravanners before us, Eric and Doreen, arrived half an hour early and Doreen is disabled but no way were they going to get in. What was absurd is that access to the site is limited, so by the time we arrived at 1.00pm there were two units waiting to get in plus Eric & Doreen, who were made to wait, blocking the entrance, so by 1.00 there was a caravan waiting in the road, which could have been easily avoided by a more pragmatic approach.

The Inverewe Gardens are worth a visit and you can easily spend a good half day here. It is run by the Scottish National Trust so our NT  cards covered entry. They are amazing given their relatively remote location. The staff are very helpful in giving you an insight into the history of the building but undoubtedly the main attraction are the gardens and it is possible to stay after closing up to 9.00 pm. There Is a cafe in the car parking area serving the normal National Trust fare. 

If you ask nicely Inverewe Gardens might let you overnight on their car park if you  are stuck.

Circular Walk from the Site

A superb walk from the site is on offer through part of the Inverewe Estate. It is a circular walk of about 11 km and the entrances to the walk are signposted, one to the left of the site and the other to the right.

The one to the left follows the road along the river until you join a gravel track which leads to Inverewe house. Now this is a spectacular walk but it gets impressively better when you pass the house and the track becomes a moorland/mountain track, not difficult but not the steady strolling experienced on the first part of the walk. In hindsight it would have been better tackling this walk in the other direction, firstly because this is the more difficult part of the walk and it would perhaps be a good idea to get this done when you are feeling fresh but more importantly you are walking towards the more spectacular views. Nevertheless it was no hardship to just stop and stare following the recommendation of W H Davies. ' What is this world if full of care, there is no time to stop and stare' or something similar.

The walk should have taken under 3 hours but five hours later we had finished as a result of meeting some very interesting people with discussions ranging from the merits  of Scottish  independence, the challenges of climbing the Munro’s to the pros and cons of spinner fishing vis a vis fly fishing.

Cycle Ride Rubha nan Sassan

The final day was devoted to a cycle ride along Loch Ewe towards Cove Rubha nan Sassan to learn a little more of the history of the loch in  World War Two. In this conflict the loch was used as an assembly point for the Arctic Convoys that provided relief supplies to the Russians confronting very dangerous hostile conditions en route. The loch was ideal as it was sheltered, defendable from U boat attacks and remote enough to be at the full extent of the range of German aircraft. The whole area was sealed off and strictly controlled. It was extremely interesting as this hidden history was completely new to us. A poignant reminder of the horrors of war was provided by one ship, which went aground approaching the loch with considerable loss of live and also illustrating the courage of local inhabitants who tried to facilitate rescue bids, crossing hostile moorland in atrocious weather to help any survivors.

On the road up there is a pleasant, no facilities site, overlooking the loch but for us Inverewe proved to be more central, if, however, expensive.

There is a birdhide on the loch, just to the right of the campsite, which is a good observation post for sea birds and otters if you are lucky, early morning and dusk are the best times to see otters.

Scourie

The drive from Inverewe to Scourie is drop dead gorgeous, on every turn you are confronted with another stunning view.  Our first pit stop was Little Gruinard Beach on the A832.

We then continued  on the A835 onto Ullapool for lunch with prior knowledge that there was  an excellent fish and chip shop. It is surprising what tips you pick up from your fellow travellers and we had been told that the chippie was one of the best and though a very unassuming place, we were not disappointed and there is nothing to beat eating a fish and chips outside in glorious weather. The fish  was cooked fresh from scratch and with convivial conversation with other customers as we waited, it was no hardship. I know it is an old cliche that the further north you go people have more time for you but how true it is, everyone we met in Scotland were friendly and prepared to exchange the time of day with us. Ullapool is an attractive port and there is a good campsite right on the Loch and as is everywhere in Scotland it was easy to get in and park. It also has a Tesco if you want to stock up and a number of local shops, though most are geared to the tourism.

There are two superb lochside campsites in the vicinity, the first in Ullapool itself.

A short way up, out of town on the A835, there is another gorgeous lochside site, Ardmair.

We were very tempted not to leave Ullapool but leave we did, to pick up the A837 northwards and another stunning castle, Ardvrek Castle on the Loch Assynt. It is a ruin but in many ways as interesting as Eilean Donan Castle. It certainly necessitated a stop and at this time of the year parking was easy.

This is not a drive to be rushed and we repeat what was said in the introduction, the 500 should not be treated as a rite of passage, a route to tick off but we appreciate that not everyone has the luxury that we have in taking a leisurely trip.

Scourie campsite is how a campsite should be run. It was set up by the present owners granddad, who apparently ran the site with a rod of iron. Thankfully his grand daughters are now much more relaxed and what you have is a very  reasonably priced campsite in a stunning location with great facilities and a very warm and friendly welcome. We had a superb pitch directly overlooking the sea.

There is a bar/restaurant which does fairly basic food. The hotel is a short walk away and also will do food.

Eiders and divers can be seen from the campsite but the otters eluded us again.

When I asked about getting to Handa Island Wildlife Reserve, they offered to provide a taxi service to the ferry at a very reasonable price of £5 return. Ok we had to fit it around the school run but this was no hardship and on the return journey, though we had to wait a wee while, the cafe at the ferry offered welcome respite. Everything in this part of Scotland is fairly laid back.

The ferryman was the father of the girls that ran the site; I think everything is a family affair here. You can drive to the ferry but parking is limited and honestly it saved a lot of hassle and we were delighted to be the guinea pigs for this new service, one we would recommend to continue. The ferry operates on a turn up and go basis, so you may have to wait for the ferry to return but it is only a very short journey.

It was intriguing in how short a time you were clear of the mist and the photograph above was taken just outside of Durness towards Tongue and clearly shows Cape Wrath blanketed in mist.

The drive to Tongue was fantastic and we were soon in sunshine again. After Tongue we found a small store with its solitary pump to top up with diesel and even better there was a fresh fish van at the store, dinner sorted. The laid back attitude of the store was symptomatic of our trip to this part of the world, everything is delightfully unhurried.

The A838 crosses the Kyle of Tongue before we pick up the A836 and the drive across country on single track roads to Altnaharra was delightful, passing Loch Loyal en route.

Altnaharra with its lochside location on Loch Naver is a very peaceful site, literally located in the middle of nowhere and fully exemplifies the joy of motorhoming, a last minute change of plan and this little gem discovered.

We spent a very pleasant afternoon cycling along the lochside and the river. including exploring all that remains of the highland settlement of Grummore cleared in the Highland Clearances, before having a lochside dinner back at the motorhome. The campsite is often referred to as the Grummore campsite.

Loch Ness

After leaving Altnaharra there wasn’t any clear plan, other than to head south and possibly pick up the east coast. We drove through Lairg and to Bonar Bridge, calling into the aire by the river. Though the original plan was to follow the  east coast back home, as it was  rather murky we took the decision  to go to the Camping & Caravan Club site at Loch Ness, picking up supplies at Tesco Inverness on the way.

Unfortunately the entry to this site was at 2 o'clock and despite arriving early we could not take up our pitch. Apparently this is due to local regulations to control traffic flow, which seems a bit bizarre when you have already arrived.

The site is on the shores of Loch Ness but walking on the shore is limited. A walk up to Foyer Falls and the cafe was extremely pleasant.

This is a large site but never appeared overcrowded with one big exception, the number of showers are wholly inadequate for the number of people. There is a motorhome service point.

Skye

The weather forecast for the next few days was heavy thunderstorms so we took the decision to go to Skye, on the basis that as it is an island, with a bit of luck the storms might miss it and anyway who needs an excuse to go to Skye. The plan worked a treat, though the mainland was hit with heavy thunderstorms, Skye escaped unscathed.

We took the B852, picking up the B862 road to Fort Augustus and though the town is a  about the scbit of a tourist honey pot, we could not miss the opportunity of seeing the Caledonian Canal  again. Though one  continues to euologise about the scenery, the drive along these two roads was stunning with fine views of Loch Ness.

Fort Augustus was definitely on the tourist circuit, but fortunately we missed most of the tourist coaches. It was easy to park but it was the only time that we had to pay for parking on our trip but the Caledonian Canal was well worth the fee.

We then took the road to Invermoriston, following the loch before taking the A87 to the Kyle of Lochalsh. We stopped off for a quick visit to the old bridge,  another Thomas Telford masterpiece,parking was easy.

On arriving at the Kyle of Locaish we stocked up at the local Co Op, where parking was tight, not knowing that there was an equivalent store on Skye at Broadford, with ample parking.

 Ashaig and our campsite was a few miles from the bridge and it is an absolute gem. If you go to their website you will get a really honest assessment of this site. It suited us to the ground. Tom was not at the site but the guy who checked us in could not have been more helpful. I did ring ahead as this is a certificated Camp & Caravan Club site, so the number of pitches are limited. 

This was a wise precaution, as in the previous week Skye was very busy and as previously said we were somewhat surprised at the impact of the English Whitsun break in Scotland, so our decision to miss Skye on the way up proved to be a wise one.   Skye can be a busy island, as it is easily accessed by a road bridge and when we returned home, Tom advised us that there were plans to build an airport which would attract even more visitors. It is a delicate balancing act, attracting tourism but at the same time maintaining the remoteness and wildness of the Highlands.

The beach opposite the site, after a short walk is idyllic with views of Rothesay Island. There was a total of four other people on the beach and as is common in Scotland, you soon ended up in a conversation.

Just up the road is the village of Broadford with petrol station and Co Op and an excellent fish and chip shop, to be enjoyed in the motorhome, overlooking the harbour, with ample parking.

We went up to the Old Man of Storr and though parking was at a premium, we were able to find a spot, despite a Far Eastern tourist trying to block us in, after previously pulling out in front of us earlier on. We did witness some interesting driving on our travels. In the previous week, which was Whitsun week, it would have been impossible to park.

It is a great walk up and beyond but you will not be alone.

Portree with its attractive harbour was easily accessible and it was even possible to park in the street, in the summer it gets rammed.

Unfortunately a trip round the north of the island was aborted because of sea mist, you couldn’t see a thing. Luckily it stayed clear for Storr.

Sligachan we were lucky to find a space in the small car park to enjoy a short trek in the Cuillins.

There is a campsite at Sligachan which is in a great location for walking and with awesome surroundings. It has had mixed reviews but in reality with a motorhome it has to be pretty grim for you not being able to make the best of it. In 13 years we have only ever left one campsite. In reality the location of Sligachan is to die for, so what the hell re facilities, you have a self contained unit in any case.

Walk from Sligachan to the Fairy Pools, the return trip is about 8 miles but you will have to allow all day. On the first part of the trip you will encounter few people but at the Fairy Pools you will have the world and its wife, as this is another of the premier tourist spots on the island.

The hotel does reasonably priced food and if you fancy a wee dram, it has over 300 varities of whiskey.

Camping & Caravan Club Site Skye

We moved onto this site for one night. The good points is that I rang ahead and asked if I could park up early and use my own facilities do that I could make the best of the day. On arrival they pitched me straight away, totally pragmatic approach, no rules and regulations here, perhaps it is because they are a franchise.

The site is in a great location on a loch and it is not unattractive but the walks were more functional than awesome, having said that on our walk to the windfarm we saw a golden eagle and a white tailed eagle, even though they were quite distant views.

As you would expect the facilities at the site were excellent and there is a fully serviced motorhome point just outside of the site.

I would suggest this site is more suited to those who have transport as when we arrive at sites, we  generally like to stay put.

Dunvegan

We stayed at the excellent Kinloch  campsite, idyllically situated on the banks of Loch Dunvegan. As with the previous site, I rang ahead and asked if I could arrive early and this proved to be no problem. As well as a very picturesque setting this site has excellent facilities, including a motorhome service point.

Cycle to Coral Beach

It is a short walk from the village with its excellent bakery required for our cycle to Coral Beach, bypassing Dunvegan castle, ancestral home of the McLeod Clan but this was not our objective on a glorious sunny day, too nice to be spent in a castle.

The cycle ride is relatively easy but this is Scotland, so it is not all flat and the distance involved is about a 12 mile return cycle to Claigan car park and about another mile walk to the beach. We decided to cycle as we expected space at the car park to be relatively limited and this proved to be correct, though a larger German unit than ours did in  fact find room but the cycle ride was fun. We walked our cycles for most of the last section as we were now on a footpath. There is no doubt that Coral beach is a pretty spot but it is not large but there are some great walks in the area and good spots to picnic

The return from Skye

Ferry from Armadale to Mallaig

We wanted to take the ferry in order to do the A830 Mallaig to Fort William and particularly to stop at Arisaig.

The early morning drive from Kinloch to Armadale was spectacular before we picked up the ferry to the mainland. This was easily booked online though you still had to physically pick up tickets at the office so we were not quite there with a seamless operation but one can not complain. Fortified by a coffee from the kiosk we boarded for not quite as expected peaceful crossing to Mallaig.

On our crossing were a busload of Americans complete with their guide, with the de riquer Highland costume which appeared to be a requisite for American tourists. I do not have any prejudice to any tourists but the one notable characteristic, though perhaps a stereotypical comment regarding American tourists is that they can be very loud.

From Mallaig, following the steam rail route to Inverness we arrived at the glorious beaches of Arisaig.

There are a wide choice of campsites, all in glorious positions, so you pays your money and take your choice.

Gorten Sands and Invercaimbe are another two good beachside options

We then took the route to Fort William, before retracing our route to Glencoe but what a difference from our first visit with its leaden skies and mist, we were now greeted with wall to wall sunshine and wondrous views of Glencoe. It was very tempting to stay but there comes a time when all good things must come to an end.

Moffat

From Glencoe we cut back through Loch Lomond to Glasgow and our overnight stop at Moffat.

This was a very convenient stopover, as it is a short hop from the A74M and there is an excellent Camp & Caravan Club site within easy walking distance of the town centre.

Moffat is a very attractive town in the borders area with a good range of speciality shops and plentiful places to eat. We ate in the Buccleuch Arms Hotel and had an excellent meal washed down with a pint, though I must confess we did struggle finding a decent pint in Scotland but then we are spoilt by the massive range of beers that we can get in the home counties. I think we even got a discount for being C & CC members.

So in conclusion though the 500 was our inspiration for our roadtrip, it is fair to say  that we did not religiously follow it and we didn't feel the need to do so. Other than the fact that we had to prebook some sites, particularly those of the two main camping clubs, there were very few problems.

Eagles

If you wanted to know more about eagles, I have come across this interesting blog by Dale Gerrett of Chipperbirds