The life and times of Libby Withnall

We were all up quite early again and on the road by 8.30am. We had expected to be on motorways most of today but instead the sat nav took us the scenic route through woodlands….

then alpine country…

some ruins….

and finally down to the coast…

and to todays destination – Scotland’s Secret Bunker.

We took the audio tour of this underground complex – built during the cold war and kept in working order until 1993. The audio tour was interesting and well worth taking.

The girls were especially amazed at the dial telephones – I remember having one exactly like this growing up.

We had lunch at the cafe.

And while waiting, we all took the opportunity to check our e-mail in free internet area.

Lunch today was a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich. It came out looking VERY burnt, but once I scraped all the black away it was surprisingly tasty .

We finished off our tour and headed off in the motorhome to tonights accomodation just past Edinburgh.

We were lucky to see a BIG traffic jam just after an exit so we took the exit and went the slightly longer (but faster) way around.  We arrived around 4.15am and the girls disappeared off to the playground.

Pop & I enjoyed a cheese platter while the girls played and I uploaded photos to Flickr. Later he cooked a BBQ dinner – but we ate inside as the wind had gotten a bit cool.

So sad this is our last night in Scotland .

We were up just after 6am this morning, had a visit from the local red squirrels and was on the road at 7.50am. We had a two hour drive to Archeolink Prehistory Park and arrived just after opening at 10am. Dad was feeling a bit off still and drowsy so we made a few rest stops along the way.

The park was not what I had expected. We watched a film about the park which was good then we were left to wander around by ourselves – which we did. Christy stopped for a play in the park.

At 11.30am we joined the tour (and Pop went back to the van for a rest/nap). The tour was much better as our guide explained much more about what we were seeing than what was on the board.

At the end of the tour the girls did some wool craft – which they enjoyed.

At 1pm we went back to van to find Poppy just about to come join us. Instead we had a quick lunch in the motorhome before heading on to Haddo House.

Haddo House is special to my family because Pop was one of the Haddo babies – born during WWII when pregnant women were moved from Glasglow to the country houses to give birth.
We arrived just after 2pm so had a bit of a wait till our 3.30pm tour. We passed the time by taking photos of the exterior and strolling through the gardens, before finally sitting to wait outside.

Pet graves..

A tree planted by Queen Victoria.

We then joined our elderly guide for a tour of the house. He was great – spending much of the time talking to the girls. We saw the room that Queen Victoria slept in – which is where Poppy would have been born as that was the room turned into the maternity ward.
At the end of the tour we even saw a portrait of the man who first bred golden retrievers – after seeing some large red hunting dogs in the Russian circus. We really enjoyed our tour here – even without the connection it was one of the best we’d been on. The guide clearly loved the place and loved sharing his knowledge about everything. I’ve been here before but don’t remember being so impressed. At the end Poppy was asking to write in a book about Haddo babies.

We left around 4.45pm and headed to tonights accomoodation at Hill Head Caravan Park.

Once settled I went off to do another load of washing. In between I got dinner organised and downloaded photos.
Dinner tonight was a lovely vegetable lasagne.

The girls and I then did our nails and even Poppy got some pampering by Christy – no he didn’t get his nails painted, just filed and polished!

Then it was time to write up todays blog and head to bed. It started raining a little while ago so we’re hoping it passes over by tomorrow morning.

Today started with a grocery shop at the Tesco in Aviemore. We then walked up and down in search of crafty shops to buy stuff in. But there was only one and they didn’t have anything especially nice. I was rather dissapointed as I remembered some good shops here 10+ years ago. Amy did spot a Goldie though .

We then drove the Highland Fork Museum.

This is an open air museum that is amazingly free to get into. First up we watched a film about the museum and then visited the 1930s school house. Then down to the 1700s highland village. It was great to get a real feel for house people once lived.

The girls were also able to dress up.

And Christy had fun pretending to grind oats.

We then headed back to the cafe for some lunch. Today I had a roast veggie quiche – it was nice but would have been so much better heated up.

And I had some of this orange hedgehog slice. The caramel slice was Amy’s.

After lunch we explore the other end of the museum – which was more about farming. And we found a cute hen with 8 little chicks.

Lastly the girls visited the play park. It was a great one and I think Christy could have happily spent hours here.

From here we went to the Leult Working Sheepdog Farm. When we arrived the dogs (well some of the 18) all came running to greet us. I was surprised how much they wanted to be patted – even nudging our arms much like our own dogs would.

There were some 10 week old puppies as well, already in training.

And, of course, the sheep.

At 4pm it was time for the demonstration. This was amazing. Watching one of the dogs bring some sheep from the back paddock. All the dogs were just itching to have a go.

I took most of the photos with the Nikon but took a few to share with you now. The shepherd lined up the dogs and had one of the dogs weave the flock through them. So clever.

He also sheared one of the sheep….

and the girls got to have a turn as well…

Lastly they got the bottle feed the lambs.

We enjoyed our time with the pups and sheep. Unfortunately Poppy wasn’t feeling the best (possibly coming down with the flu). We drove back to the caravan park and I got a load of washing done while dinner cooked. Christy went off to play with some friends. Pop rested and had a bit of a sleep. Amy played on her DS and I played on the computer.

Oh, and I forgot to show you the mismatch socks I got yesterday. Aren’t they cute?

So nice to have a bit of a sleep in this morning. Eventually we got up, got organised and set off for todays adventure. After a quick stop at the Estate visitors center we went to the Cairngorn Reindeer center. We saw some of the reindeer (most of the 100 odd herd are on the hills).

There was also a lot of kids activities and info about the reindeers which filled in time before our trip up to see the herd. We followed our guide in a convoy of cars and then walked for about 20mins. It was a lovely walk through the forest.

Then finally we arrived at the herd. The reindeer were just so gorgeous and all came running down when they saw our guide with the bag of food.

Their antlers are like velvet and full of blood so continually growing and very sensitive.

Food was spread out on the ground and we were also able to handfeed them.

And just check out the hooves – perfect for the snow!

We spent around 30mins with the herd and then walked back to the motorhome.

From here we drove further up the mountain to the Cairngorn Mountain Railway. We caught the railway even further up.

We had lunch at the cafe. Despite having an unpleasant time getting Christy to eat a few bites of her fish, the view and Vegetable Soup was great.

Then we went out to the viewing area.

Then it was back down the railway and to the Highland Wildlife Park. The first part is a drive through, which the girls thought was fantastic.

Lots of great animals. I took lots of photos with my Nikon but can’t download those until I get home.

You then walk around to see some other animals – just like a normal zoo. Not too many photos with my normal camera as the battery was getting low.

We enjoyed our visit here but it started to rain right towards the end so we missed the last few animals and Christy missed out on a play at the park. We headed back to the caravan park but the rain never really came to anything. Shortly after we arrived back some nearby neighbours came to invite the girls on a walk with them (and their dog). Christy had gone with them yesterday and another family with a little boy she befriended and must have made a good impression. They returned about an hour later. We had an easy dinner and relaxed (again). Can’t believe we’re into the last week of our trip and that it’s nearly over

Just how beautiful can one country be. We woke to blue skies again and set off at 8.30am for the scenic coast road to Ullapool. We started off with more rolling green farm areas and I was beginning to wonder if the whole coastal area would be like this. But then we spotted the mountains in the distance.

The scenery was just incredible and around every corner or bend it was even better. I lost count of the times Pop and I said beautiful, amazing, gorgeous, fantastic, spectacular and awesome. Words fail to describe the land we drove through so hopefully these photos will capture some of it. And truly amazing part was that everywhere was 360 degree views.

We stopped at Smoo Cove to stretch our legs and take some photos.

Later we stopped at a Spar and bought some lunch ingredients. I few minutes up the road we found the most amazing place to eat. There was even a picnic table for us to have our picnic lunch. It was a little chilly out but it was too magical a day to eat indoors.

We had make your own wraps…

Followed by some butterfly cakes…

Driving on down the coast (and slightly inland) we had a number of photo stops, including Ardvreck Castle.

We were admiring the view (again) and coming down a big hill when I spotted our caravan park in the distance. WOW!! Another magical location.

Once set up the girls went off to play on the stone beach. Pop & I enjoyed a cup of tea/coffee then we all went for a walk around the park. I took LOTS of photos.

The girls flew a kite….

Christy made rock sculptures…

and they both sat together on the beach being loving Sisters (actually they were getting on very well all day today).

Poppy and I relaxed. I thought it only fitting to read Coast magazine.

Dinner tonight was pasta with a tomato sauce.

We played some blackjack, I typed up todays report and we headed to bed at 9.30pm. Another beautiful sunset.

I woke around 6.45 and would loved to have gone back to sleep. Instead I dragged myself out of bed and over to the laundry – hoping to get our clothes washed and dried before we left. Unfortunately that didn’t happen – after an hour in the dryer we had to leave so I tried to hang up everything around the van in the hope they would dry.

Then it time to head off onto adventure. Firstly we caught the Orkney ferry over to Orkney – it was a 40min but seemed to take forever. We thought it because it was misty and we couldn’t see anything but we found the same on the return trip.

When we arrived we hopped straight on board the bus and headed off for todays tour. We had seen a dog on the ferry and were amazed when she came on the bus!

Unfortunately it was VERY misty this morning which meant we couldn’t see very much. Most of the 70 islands which make up Orkney are used for farming so we saw lots of sheep and cattle. Our driver told us the story of how it used to be a big free range chicken (egg) farming area (for 7 years) until one day hurricane force winds took ALL chickens away!

We drove over the Churchill barricades built to keep the Naval fleet safe in Scapa Flow during WWII. Originally sunks ships were used but after a German U-boat got through Italian prisioners of war were used to build the barricades – which then became causeways between the islands. You can still see some of the ships and they can be dived upon (which we know Kevin would like).
Our first stop was a brief one in Kirkwell where we got some hot drinks to enjoy on the coach. Then it was on to Stromness where we had lunch at a pub. I chose the cheese and caramalised onion wrap which was delicious.

We then had a quick walk around the town which was very pretty.

I could have spent a lot of money in this wool/knit shop but Amy & I just chose a pair of gloves.

Then the highlight of the day – Skara Brae. We saw the short film then out in the field. It was bitterly cold and drizzly and not to pleasant outdoors at all. This meant we did walk around the site as quick as possible. My first thought was that it was much smaller than I thought. It was pretty amazing though – esp. seeing the stone furnitures – bed & storage areas.

Part of our ticket also included a visit to Skaill House – which we didn’t but it wasn’t much of anything – esp. compared to the other houses we’ve visited. I didn’t even get any photos outside as we were feeling rather sorry for ourselves. We still nearly half an hour till we had to be on the bus but was too cold to be out. We picked up a little snack which we ate in the bus.

Next stop of the Ring of Brodgar – a standing stone circle. Much bigger than Stonehenge but I didn’t think it as impressive. Christy thought it great that she could touch the stones here. Again it would probably have been nicer if the weather was better but at least it wasn’t still raining.

We also visited the standing stones of Stenness but we didn’t bother to get out of the bus at this 5 min stop. Instead we watched some swans and signets and two seals sunbaking in the distance.

It was then onto Kirkwell where we had a two hour stop. We did a bit of shopping – so many LOVELY things here. I would love to have bought some of the jewellery but I didn’t see anything I HAD to have. I did buy another pair of wrist warmers .

We also took the opportunity to have an early dinner. I had the Orkney Cheese salad which was just what I was feeling like. The cheese was delicious but I only made a small dint in the large amount served .

Our last stop for the day was the Italian Church. This was built by the prisioners of war and is just so cute. When you walk you think the walls are tiled – but no – EVERYTHING is painted!!!! It has to be seen to be believed.

On the way home the weather had cleared up so we were able to see what we’d missed this morning.

Then the bus back to the ferry and back over the seas to John O’Groats, where we arrived cold, tired but happy at 7.45pm.

Time for a cup of tea while I finish drying off our clothes then off to bed. We even had a nice sunset tonight.

We left Inverness just before 10am.  Except for Pop we were all moving pretty slow today. We had absolutely beautiful blue skies with white fluffy clouds and it was warm – about time!  We drove through yet more beautiful scenery.

Our main stop today was Dunrobin Castle.

We arrived just before 11.30am and went straight down to see the falconry to watch the demonstation. Even though we’d just seen a similar show at Warwick Castle this was different enough to be well worth while. The birds were flying close overhead and even brushed by my arm.  After the show the girls were able to sit beside an owl as it digested it’s meal (a dead mouse).

We then explored the gardens – stopping to take lots of photos. They were beautiful and looking up at the house from the gardens was breathtaking (esp. with the brilliant blue sky behind it).

Next was lunch in the tea rooms.

Dad & I both had the Split Pea Soup which was delicious.

Amy ordered a steak pie and this is what she got.

After lunch we explored the house which was much better than I thought it might be. There was no guided tour but the rooms were set out in order so it was easy to follow around. And every couple of rooms was a guide so you could questions if you wanted. We all enjoyed our visit here and was very glad we’d made the stop.

From here was drove another hour and half through lots of farm country (which I surprise to both Dad and myself).

Finally we arrived at todays destination – John O’Groats (the northern most town in the mainland UK).

We checked into the van park and got settled before heading off to explore the town – which comprises one museaum, a ferry terminal, a few coffee shops and a handful of stores. There are some houses but they are a few minutes back down the road.

We visited the museum – the last house in Scotland – which was surprisingly free. There quite a lot of interesting artifacts and photos here. In the shop we were able to send a postcard which will be postmarked “last house in Scotland”.

We checked out the other shops but other than the candle shop (which sold lovely handmade candles) most were just tourist traps. We went back the motorhome to discover I had inadvertantly left the water tap open this morning – which meant when the water had gotten turned back on, the tap run and the grey water tank overflowed flooding the floor carpet. It also meant that even though we had emptied and filled tanks just this morning, we had to do it all over again. Not fun. I then had to wash the towels (again) that we’d used in the clean up. In amongst all this I had to treat Christy for her head lice – which is always a fun job. Luckily Amy & Pop were able to get dinner organised while all this was going on and we finally got to eat around 7.30pm.

Shortly afterwards Dad spotted  some cows in the nearby field so I grabbed the big camera and headed over to take some photos. Quite a few of the babies came right up to see me at the fence so I was able to get some up-close photos. They were SOOOOO cute.

Finally I got the towels all dried (they took ages) and was able to type up todays trip report and head to bed. We’ve got a big out tomorrow visiting Orkney.

Unfortunately Christy got struck with the same vomiting virus we’ve all had during the night. Poor little thing. I ended up sharing my bed with her so I could attend her, which meant I didn’t get much sleep. Since she was so ill and the weather was very poor (despite me seeing blue sky at 4.30am) we decided to hang around until 12pm. Christy slept once she stopped vomiting, Poppy did some washing for me (including our bed sheets) and I found out I could get internet access for 3 pounds for 2 hours .

We left just before 12pm after waking Christy up and getting her settled on the lounge. Having the motorhome meant she could sleep lying down while in her seat belt. Probably not the safest but it was necessary today.

It was steady rain when we set off. It started clearing within about 10mins and I was able to spot the B&B we stayed at last time – it’s the end one on the left.

We stopped in Fort William for some supplies (poor Christy not only has this virus but she had nits as well!) and a few miles up the road we stopped for lunch. Wish I could have lunch with a view like this every day.

Lunch today was a cheese and onion roll.

We then continued our drive. The weather continued to get better as we drove north. Pop and I wanted to stop at the canals but we couldn’t get close easy parking (as Christy would have to stay in the van).

Loved this gorgeous old bridge.

We had lovely views the whole of todays drive.

Finally we arrived at Loch Ness. I’d forgotten just how big it is.

We had planned to visit the Loch Ness Center – thinking the girls would find it interesting but Christy wasn’t feeling well enough so just Amy and Poppy went.

Poppy wasn’t too impressed but Amy enjoyed it.

Then onto our final destination today – a caravan park on the outskirts of Inverness. The girls immediately spotted the waterslides coming out of the leisure center that is right next to the park.

Amazing Christy felt well enough to want to go – KIDS!!! So after getting organised and remaking the bed I took the girls over for an hour before dinner. On the way we spotted a Goldie. I wonder what people think when I suddenly whip out camera and take a photo (which I try to do discretely ).

It was fantastic set up at the pool and the girls had a fabulous time.

Here you can just see them at the bottom of the slide.

We were back at the van by 7pm, just in time to enjoy that BBQ that Poppy had prepared for us.

And what’s this? Hopefully a good omen for the weather tomorrow.

It’s actually now 10pm and we’ve had the most beautiful blue skies this evening – which seems to be a bit normal around here. I’m off to bed to read and get a good nights sleep.

Woke up around 7.30am VERY relieved to feel almost back to normal. I even managed to have some hot  tea and breakfast – just a tortilla with some cheese and salad. We got the motorhome all tidied up and re-organised this morning and just before 10am headed back to the Glen Coe Visitors Center for our Landrover Safari Tour.

This was a fantastic trip as we all saw all the main sights around the glen and many of the stories associated with them. It was drizzling on and off but clear enough to enjoy the beauty. It is such a magical place. Every time you turn around you are amazed. I took loads of photos today but have tried to narrow down my selection to share with you.

Sorry…just a few more to go…

The only negative of the tour was that we didn’t have a great view out of the landrover – esp. when trying to look up at the tall munroes. i had planned on us doing a walk here but with being sick yesterday and the weather a bit too wet we decided against it. It will have to go on the list for next time.

The tour lasted for 3 hours until 1.30pm and we were rather hungry upon conclusion so we headed back to the cafe again. This time I ordered (and enjoyed) some broccoli soup.

Just as we finished we heard an announcement that there was to be a special presentation about Highlanders in 10mins. Of course we immediately headed off not really sure what to expect. And it certainly surpassed any expectations we did have. It was very well put together and highly entertaining. They had great pleasure in making fun of us Australians not being able to understand English.

And to cap it off Christy was selected to model the traditional highland dress. She looked so cute.

It was such a great little show and we were so pleased we saw it. We then headed back into the visitors center for the girls to play the games again.

We then went out the lookout where it had cleared up quite a bit. I would liked to have gone for a walk but Amy wasn’t up for it.

Instead when we went to the van park Dad & I went for a walk back into Glen Coe town. It was a nice, easy walk with more stunning views (esp. now as it had stopped drizzling).

Back home I prepared a cheese platter which I enjoyed (in amongst doing the laundry).

It was another beautiful evening and I was so happy to be able to enjoy it today. I will be sad to leave tomorrow but I’m sure we’ll seeing plenty more wonderful scenery.

The girls went out exploring in the loch again this evening and then headed for shower while I got dinner ready. We had pizza tonight but not until nearly 8pm. Talk about dinner with a view.

Oh boy, what a night. Kevin and I both had Amy’s vomiting bug. It was horrendous. We were will still feeling very poorly in the morning. My vomiting had stopped but Kevin was still at it. We ended up lazying/sleeping most of the morning. By 11am we were feeling somewhat better – though physically very sore. Luckily we had packed Kevin’s bag yesterday and he headed off to try and do a few things before his flight to London at 6pm.

We headed off to Glencoe. Poppy did great driving the motorhome and we finally entered the highlands.

Just as magnificent as I remembered. Even with the drizzle the place is beautiful. I was still not feeling all that great but the scenery helped to compensate for my misery and I sat with a big grin on my face.

We stopped to take a few photos at Loch Tulla and drove through the Rannoch Moor.

Finally we arrived (in the drizzle) at Glencoe.

And we all decided we could happily live in this house – at least in the Summer .

Unfortunately I was feeling pretty bad (though nothing compared to last night). We went to the cafe for the others to have lunch. I continued to sip on my flat lemonade. We then went to the visitors center where the girls found lots of fun games to play and I sat and watched a movie about the Glencoe Massacre.

We left (since we’re coming back tomorrow) and headed to the motorhome park. It was just as I’d hoped and we were given a spot right on the Loch which is just magical.

This has always been my favourite part of Scotland and I’m still in love with it.

Unfortunately being ill I wasn’t able to fully enjoy it today and promptly went to bed to sleep some more. It fined up during the afternoon and Christy was able to spend time at the play park and the girls went for a walk by/in the loch.

I was able to manage a bit of dinner tonight – a slice of bread with cheese and more lemonade. It was a beautiful sunny evening and I was very jealous of everyone out walking. At 8.30pm I went to bed to read and was asleep shortly afterwards, hoping to wake up feeling like myself in the morning.