The North West

So “Grannie’s Heilan’ Hame Holiday Park” Campsite appeared to be everything advertised, an entertainment complex, which we didn’t frequent, so sorry no photos. Lots of static caravans, with a wide variety of cars parked outside them ranging from ones that didn’t look they’d make it back home to ones that obviously cost more than a couple of the static caravans.

The weather was not great, but we were lucky with a couple of sunny intervals, on Monday we walked along Embo beach, the campsite sits right on the beach.

On Tuesday we walked south to Dornoch again along the beach, stunning white sands, lots of beautiful sea shells and hardly another soul there. We did speak to a woman, who was also motor homing, and her husband was cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats, so she was walking the beach before meeting him, on day 19 of his adventure, not fast but he was out there doing it.

We left the beach via the Royal Dornoch golf club, “golf since 1606” a manicured course. A few spots of rain started, but we found a food shack, the local fish dishes smelt wonderful, but it was only coffee time, so one coffee and one hot chocolate. The only problem was they didn’t have any cake! Dornoch is a well serviced village, with a nice local high street. Then we headed back to the campsite via the woods, where we found the Dornoch Fairy village, tucked away just off the footpath (see photo), then on to the old railway line, which led straight back to the campsite, a fabulous walk. Just as we got back to the motorhome it started to rain again, our timing could not have been better!

5 weeks on the road today, having started out on 19 April.

Wednesday, a day on the move again, first stop, the post office in Dornoch, to post some stuff off. Then following google maps across country, along single track roads with passing places. All was going well with a good line of sight up the road, you could see cars coming and passed using the passing places, until a blind bend and a large truck not wanting to stop on the small bridge he was on his way over, so obviously he kept coming. So, Rog (thankfully Rog), had to reverse the motorhome back around the blind bend, luckily there was a driveway just around the bend, and the truck was able to get by and the need for new underwear was averted

Stopped to make coffee, the joys of the motorhome, you carry your own coffee! We stopped just outside the village of Rosehall in a carpark in the forest. There was a community built log cabin, full of information about the local area and wildlife, it also had a book swap, so Nic picked up Joanna Lumley’s autobiography.

Our next campsite is “The Shore” at Achmelvich, which is in the far north west of Scotland, only about 35 miles (as the crow gets blown) from Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of the mainland.

One more reversing manoeuvre as two cars were coming in the opposite direction, which was fine, arrived on site and it is basically a field with a loo block in a very small valley right near the sea. So you pick your own pitch, we managed to get a reasonably flat pitch, decided to park nose end facing the sea and into the wind, which was a good call, the wind had been building all day!

Thursday, there is a saying on the Isle of Man, “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes and there will be some different weather”, but we have never seen the weather change as quickly as it has done here, the wind is always there, but rain then sun then hail all in 5 minutes, or rain is lashing one side of the motorhome but sun streaming in through the other window. We managed to get out for a couple of short walks, the next bay is Achmelvich bay another stunning beach, so I’m running out of superlatives to describe beaches, all we can say is if you like beaches with nobody else on them (and you don’t mind weather) come to Scotland you will not be disappointed.

The other thing the site has is a Fish & Chip shop, when we say shop, it sells Fish & Chips, out of a door way on the side of the house, good fish & chips at that.

Saturday, there was more showers with sunny intervals, we managed a walk/scramble up out of the valley, over the headland to a “hermitage castle”, a small rustic concrete cast building, which looked like it had been used recently, there was a pair of boots just inside the ‘door’ and what looked like bed.

We also spent a lot of time people watching from the motorhome, all the comings and goings on the site. Victoria Wood would have had a field day and written a sitcom about camping ala “Dinner Ladies”, what with the moving of motorhome, to four different locations on site before choosing one, then realising for their final chosen pitch, their electric cable is not long enough to reach a socket, so have to move the motorhome again, then trying to get it level (this is not a level site!), then remembering they should have filled with fresh water before pitching up so moving the motorhome again! (we’ve all done it).

Then working out if they can move the picnic bench from the other side of the site to in front of their pitch? Is someone already using it? Can they carry it ?

Hours of fun !

Saturday, we headed for a walk north along the coastal path, passing a couple of crofts, stood and watched 2 deer at fairly close quarters, then walked on to the remains of an old water mill at “Alltan na Bradhan”, sat and enjoyed our coffees, with not a soul in site. We headed back towards the campsite and saw the deer again further up the valley.

After lunch we headed up the southern headland at the campsite, a bit of a scramble over rocks and trying to avoid the boggy bits, but was well worth the climb, a stunning view along the coast and a bonus 4G phone signal (not one on the campsite).

Back at the motorhome, we managed to be very British, sitting outside with a drink, it was windy and cold, we were both wearing at least 4 layers, hat and gloves, but we were sitting outside!