Wot no blogging?!

Well, we set off on our 3 month tour of the north with the best of intentions of recording it all on this blog. As you’ll have seen - we failed! In a nutshell we just didn’t have time to spend ages on the iPad recording our activities. As we were trying to cram as much exploring in as possible and adapting to van life down-time was a rare thing. 

We did however record our travels on our Facebook pages with an entry and photographs covering all 85 days. My profile can be found by clicking on this link:

https://www.facebook.com/oenanthe?

For anyone remotely interested this is a copy of our itinerary

31 March 2025	Drove north Ripon Druid’s Temple Walk at Black Hambleton	Osmotherley P4N
1 April 2025	Saltburn Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge Nose’s Point, Seaham	Seaham P4N
2 April 2025	Beamish Angel of the North Drink at The Keelman, Newburn	Newburn P4N
3 April 2025	Hadrian’s Wall walk Housesteads	Rothbury P4N
4 April 2025	Alnwick Seahouses  Bamburgh	Spindlestone Hideaway CAMC
5 April 2025	Lindisfarne	Edinburgh P&R
6 April 2025	Edinburgh	Edinburgh P&R
7 April 2025	The Kelpies Falkirk Wheel Culross incl Culross Palace SNT Meal at The Red Lion, Culross	Culrose P4N
8 April 2025	Walk at Elie to rope walk	Elie P4N
9 April 2025	Dunino Den Reekie Linn Loch of Lintrathen	Five Roads Caravan Park, Alyth
10 April 2025	Walk Glen Clova to Corrie Fee	Braedownie, Glen Clova P4N
11 April 2025	Glamis Castle Glen Shee Linn of Dee	Linn of Dee SNT carpark
12 April 2025	The Cairnwell via ski lift Linn of Dee	Linn of Dee SNT carpark
13 April 2025	Linn of Dee The Ringing Stone Ballater	Ballater Caravan Park
14 April 2025	Loch Garten & Loch Mallachie	Loch Garten CP
15 April 2025	Abernethy Forest Loch Morlich	Cairngorm CP
16 April 2025	Boat of Garten Loch Vaa  Avielochan Speyside Wildlife Hide	Cairngorm CP
17 April 2025	Loch an Eilean	High Range Campsite, Aviemore
18 April 2025	Loch Ness Culloden Battlefield Ness Islands, Inverness	Loch Ashie P4N
19 April 2025	Munlochy Clootie Well Fairy Glen Falls Chanonry Point Mermaid of the North statue	Balintore P4N
20 April 2025	Big Burn Walk, Golspie Brora	Helendale P4N
21 April 2025	Whaligoe Steps Grey Cairns of Camster Hill o’ Many Stanes Castle of Old Wick Clifftop walk at Sarclet	The Croft CAMC, Sarclet
22 April 2025	Castle Sinclair, Giringoe John o’ Groats Dunnet Head and sea stacks	Dunnet Head CP
23 April 2025	Puffin Cove Strathy Beach Farr Beach	Kyle of Tongue P4N
24 April 2025	Smoo Cave Balnakeil Beach Cocoa Mountain cafe & choc shop	Kyle of Durness P4N
25 April 2025	Kylesku Bridge Alt Chrainaidh Waterfall Ardvreck Castle Scourie	Scourie Campsite
Break to travel home
29 April 2025	Drove north Brimham Rocks Ribbleshead	Ribbleshead Viaduct P4N
30 April 2025	Ribbleshead walk Gretna Green Earshaig walk	Earshaig P4N
1 May 2025	Loch Lomond (east side) walk	Loch Lomond P4N
2 May 2025	Glencoe Loch Linnie Eileen Donan Castle	Reraig Campsite
3 May 2025	Onto Skye Elgol Sligachan Old Bridge	Loch Leathan/Old Man of Storr P4N
4 May 2025	Old Man of Storr walk Kilt Rock & Waterfall Loch Langaig Kilvaxter Iron Age Souterrain Kilmuir walk	Kilvaxter P4N CP
5 May 2025	Ferry Uig (Skye) to Tarbet (Harris) Harris Mountain Road Loch Seaforth walk	Aline Community Woodland P4N
6 May 2025	Stornoway Shawbost Beach Dalbeg Beach Gearrannan Blackhouse Village Dun Carloway Broch Standing Stones of Callanish	Loch Ceann Hulabhaig P4N
7 May 2025	Cliff Beach Uig Sands Uig Chessmen Mangersta Sea Stacks	Aline Community Woodland P4N
8 May 2025	Harris Eagle Observatory walk	Pairc Niseaboist Camping Pitches
9 May 2025	Luskentyre Beach walk	Luskentyre Beach West Harris Trust P4N
10 May 2025	Harris Golden Road Rodel Church and walk	Rodel P4N
11 May 2025	Leverburgh Sgarasta Beach	Rodel P4N
12 May 2025	Breakfast at the Butty Bus Ferry Leverburgh (Harris) to Berneray Walk on beach at Traigh Baile Drove onto North Uist Traigh Bhan Walk to Hogha Glam beach	Roadside camping field at Traigh Bhan just north of Balranald
13 May 2025	Balranald RSPB Committee Road Langass Wood & Hercules	Balranald Campsite
14 May 2025	North Uist Distillery Loch Mor Our Lady of the Isles statue	Loch Druidibeg P4N
15 May 2025	Loch Druidibeg area walking	Loch Druidibeg P4N
16 May 2025	An Cara Standing Stone Kildonan Beach	Kildonan Beach P4N
17 May 2025	Kildonan Museum Flora MacDonald’s birthplace Lochboisdale Drink at Am Politician Pub, Eriskay	Kilbride Campsite
18 May 2025	Ferry Eriskay to Barra Eoligarry Beach Barra Airport at Traigh Mhor	Croft 183
19 May 2025	Castlebay Barra Distillery Lunch at Padula’s Island Stores Traigh Siar	Vatersay P4N
20 May 2025	Walking on Vatersay to Uidh Beach	Tuath Beach P4N
21 May 2025	Tangasdale Beach Castlebay	Tuath Beach P4N
22 May 2025	Ferry Castlebay (Barra) to Oban Walk from campsite along Loch Sunart	Oban Holiday Park
23 May 2025	Glasdrum Wood Drive around via Fort William, Corran	Ardgour P4N
24 May 2025	Ferry Lochaline to Fishnish (Mull) Walk at Garmony Point Craignure	Glen More P4N x2!
25 May 2025	Duart Castle Three Lochs Viewpoint Meal at Pennyghael Inn	Pen Nan Gael Campsite
26 May 2025	Bunessan Fidden Farm beach	Fidden Farm Campsite
27 May 2025	Iona	Fidden Farm Campsite
28 May 2025	Loch na Keal Walk at Salen Bay Salen Boats	Salen Bay Campsite
29 May 2025	Tobermory Tobermory Distillery Drink at the Mishnish Kilmer Church Calgary Beach & sculpture trail
30 May 2025	Ferry Tobermory (Mull) to Kilchoan (Ardnamurchan) Ardnamurchan Point & Lighthouse Glenborrowdale walk Garb-Eilean Wildlife Hide walk	Moidart P4N
31 May 2025	Kentra Bay walk Commando Memorial Gairlochy/Loch Lochy walk	Gairlochy P4N
1 June 2025	Drove NE to Inverness then NW Rogie Falls Little Garve Bridge The Silver Bridge Corrieshalloch Gorge Falls of Measach	Near Corrieshalloch Gorge P4N
2 June 2025	Rhue Lighthouse Drove north to just south of Kylesku Bridge to re-start NC500 Drumbeg Loop Achmelvich Beach	Shore Caravan Site Achmelvich Beach
3 June 2025	Little Assynt walk Ullapool	Ullapool P4N by church
4 June 2025	Inverewe Gardens SWT Gairloch	An Feur Loch P4N
5 June 2025	Victoria Falls Ben Eighe NP	Kinlochewe CAMC
6 June 2025	Glen Torridon Shieldaig/Loch Carron  Coulags	Eileen Donan Castle P4N
7 June 2025	Drove south past Glasgow to Ayrshire coast Maidens	Croy Beach P4N
8 June 2025	Culzean Castle SNT Drove into Galloway Hills	Glen Trool P4N
9 June 2025	Drove south to Lake District Orton Troutbeck	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
10 June 2025	Great Langdale  Blea Tarn walk Little Langdale/Slaters Bridge Cathedral Quarries Drink at Three Shires Inn	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
11 June 2025	Thirlmere Infinity Pool Castlerigg Stone Circle	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
12 June 2025	Troutbeck Townsend NT	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
13 June 2025	Wasdale Head walk	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
14 June 2025	Lazy day at cottage	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
15 June 2025	Wordsworth’s House, Cockermouth Keswick	Two Views’ Holiday cottage in Troutbeck
16 June 2025	Grange over Sands Cartmel Humphrey Head	High Fell Gate Campsite
17 June 2025	Lancaster incl pub crawl!	Lancaster P4N
18 June 2025	Williamson Park, Lancaster Walk at Rivington Reservoirs Meal and beers at Rivington Brewery	Rivington Brewery Campsite
19 June 2025	Formby Beach Crosby Beach	Canal near Ormskirk P4N
20 June 2025	Halsall Scarecrow Festival Rufford Old Hall Port Sunlight incl museum & Hulme Hall	Port Sunlight P4N
21 June 2025	National Waterways Museum Chester incl walk around the walls, Midsummer Watch Parade and castle	Chester P4N
22 June 2025	Chirk Castle NT Duke of Lancaster Ship	Rhyl CAMC
23 June 2025	Llanrwst Betws-y-coed Fairy Glen walk	Campsite near Capel Curig
24 June 2025	Penrhyn Castle NT Cwm Idwal walk	Llyn Ogwen P4N
25 June 2025	Great Orme	Foryd Bay P4N
26 June 2025	Ty Coch Inn walk Porth y Nant Nefyn Beach	Garreg Lwyd Farm Campsite
27 June 2025	Whistling Sands/Porth Iago walk Aberdaron	Garreg Lwyd Farm Campsite
28 June 2025	Llyn Pardarn CP Dinorwic Quarry	Near Bedgellert P4N
29 June 2025	Drive to Buxton Pub crawl in Buxton	Buxton P4N
30 June 2025	Drive home

P4N = Park For Night (an overnight wild camping location)

CAMC = Caravan and Motorhome Club campsite

As you can see we covered everything we’d planned despite having to return home briefly for personal reasons at the end of April. Travel was easy and pretty relaxed and we rarely had any driving issues despite some of the narrow roads around the NC500, especially in Western Scotland. The least said about Caledonian MacBrayne ferries the better! Due to inadequacies in their online booking system we arrived at our first ferry (Uig on Skye to Lewis) only to find out that their system had defaulted our motorhome down to being 6m in length. As it’s 6.4m we had to pay extra for every crossing that doubled the cost and also left us sweating that there would be space on some crossings as they couldn’t guarantee they would be able to fit in the extra 40cm! Absolute clowns!

All of our nature sightings are covered in full on my other blog but here are a few scenic photos to help brighten up what may have been a dull blog post!