And home at last.....

After a good nights sleep in the car park, we quickly had a brew and packed the van ready to set off. A quick walk with Molly and we were off.
We were very close to the M80 so were soon on our familiar journey home. A rest break at Annandale Water soon came up - a chance for Molly to stretch her legs and a brunch of French stick and cheese with more coffee and fruit juice!
Ju took over the driving, eventually back into England once more - passport control was deserted!!
Rather than using more services we popped off the M6 at Shap and took a break in the lay-by. I took over and we reached home by 2.30.
And what a surprise was waiting for us! Abs had bought us each 2 tops from the Next sale, and Best Mum and Best Dad mugs, all laid out on the bed with a poster she made telling us Thank You for all we do for her - lovely.
Thank You Abs x x
Roll on the next trip :)

Homeward Bound

Today we head back south, aiming for Stirling for an overnight stop, but nothing booked!!
With the weather overcast we set off via the Ullapool Bakery and The Ullapool Smokehouse for supplies!
It was the usual sad but uneventful drive south until we reached Garve, about 20 miles from Inverness.
Ju stopped the van and declared "I'm sure there's a cache near here"! I checked, and there was, near the War Memorial! And then it happened! At the top of the first set of steps up to the memorial I slipped on some damp moss and went crashing down onto the tarmac! Bad knee first :( It was quite a shock to the system and the knee was very sore. We soon found the cache and returned (or in my case, limped) to the van.
Next stop Beauly for the deli and the Co-op, and a swift coffee for me :)
Onwards then to Inverness and the A9 south. We swapped driving at about 3pm to see if my knee was Ok, thankfully it was. We got to Stirling around 4.30 and started hunting for a suitable stop over place. All through Bridge of Allan and Doune we hunted, but nothing looked likely. We continued down the A9 until we reached Falkirk, still nothing. I decided to head towards Glasgow, at least that was the right direction.
And then we saw it. An unassuming little pub with nice level car park called The Inn at Longcroft.
A quick enquiry at the bar "if we eat here tonight can we stay on your car park overnight?" sent the barmaid off to the manager to find out! "No problem!" was the reply.
We gave Molly a quick walk and some supper, then in we went. What a lovely place. Modern but comfortable decor and a varied but good value menu. They even said we could bring Molly in :) which of course she loved - lots of attention from staff and customers!
After a lovely meal we retired to the van, both very tired.

The sunshine arrived!

What a difference a day makes!
Blue skies and sunshine and a balmy warm breeze!
After a hearty breakfast we set off to the local shops to buy the planned goodies, and and then headed north to Lochinver.
The scenery was stunning in the autumn sun with fabulous views of Coigach, Stac Pollaidh, Cul Beag, Cul Mor, Canisp and Suilven, all looking stunning in the lower angled autumn light. Onto the Lochinver road and more great views of Ben More Assynt and Quinaig. Breathtaking! Lots of photos along the way :)
We arrived in Lochinver and headed straight for the famous pie shop to stock up with savoury and sweet pies. Expensive but worth it :)
After a short stroll by the river for more photos, and then headed back towards Assynt for a walk around Little Assynt Field. This is a superb local project that provides a footpath through some lovely open land with hills and lochs and several viewing points. The views are wonderful and it was so peaceful - we only saw one other couple! We stopped half way round at the shelter by the loch for lunch of half a lamb pie and half a rhubarb and strawberry pie each! Lovely!
The weather was so warm we were quite exhausted by the time we got back to the van!
We set off back to Ullapool, but decided to stop off in a lay-by for a brew & cookies!
We arrived back in Ullapool just before 6 and decided to make a mad dash up Ullapool Hill to catch the sunset (7pm). We didn't quite make the top before sunset, but still got some great views (& photos!)
When we got back it was off to the Seaforth for a meal (rather nice steak for us both) and a pint of An Teallach.
A stroll round on our last evening followed by a half in the Ceilidh Place and the to bed.
A fabulous day, which makes up for yesterday's disappointment :)

Tuesday 27th - a special day.

Our Wedding Anniversary, 15 years!
We woke to find it raining steadily. We hadn't planned too much for today so after a leisurely breakfast we went for a mooch around the village to check out some gifts to buy tomorrow (payday!). We had a nice lunch in the Gallery cafe and then returned to base.
Our plan was to climb Ullapool Hill to watch the sunset on our anniversary. So it rained and rained and rained - the cloud & mist was so bad by 4 pm we couldn't even see Ullapool Hill :(
So we caught up on some reading, had some hot chocolate and cookies and waited for the rain to ease.
It didn't.
We thought we had better take Molly for a walk anyway. And all three of us were soaked when we got back!
We dried ourselves (& Molly) off, got changed and headed for The Frigate for a meal - our choice for a nice relaxed anniversary treat!
It was closed. A sign on the door said they now close at 5.30, but please try our sister establishment, The Ferry Boat Inn. We had often passed the Ferry Boat but it always looked busy, and the Menu not quite our style. But we decided to give it a try.
Good choice! Delicious roast leg of scottish lamb & veggies, washed down with a lovely pint of Deuchars, with raspberry meringue parfait to follow. And perfect company :)
We finished the evening with some An Teallach ale in the (unusually empty) Ceilidh Place, then back to the van.
All in all a perfect end to the day :)
Thank You, Judy x x

The Chocolate Trail

Phew! What a night! Howling winds rocking the van and heavy rain lashing on the roof... Not enough sleep :(
We woke up later than intended, and after a nice Lorne sausage barm for breakfast, decided to go ahead with the trip to Durness we had planned yesterday.
The weather kept alternating between rain and sun with several rainbows, and the scenery through Inverpoly and Assynt was simply stunning. We arrived in Durness, breath truly taken away, at about 1.30pm and headed straight for Cocoa Mountain, where two hot chocolates and two cookies were waiting for us!
Was it worth the 60 mile drive? You bet it was :) Ju then bought some truffles before we left.
Next we headed to Balnakiel beach, where we parked up and made a sandwich for lunch. We then set off across the beach, through the sunshine and blustery wind. Molly had a great time charging around and digging in the sand.
What a lovely beach this us - probably my favourite! We sat on the rocks at the far end for a while and then the rain started again, so we set off back to the van. By the time we got half way the sun was out again and Molly had another charge around!
Back in the van we had a nice brew, and then set off on the return journey.
The scenery was even more stunning in the low evening sun, and we just had to stop once or twice for photos!
We had a lovely meal in the Seaforth and then back to the van for the night.
What a fabulous day :)

Lazy Sunday :)

A lie in, interrupted by having to pay for the campsite! Well it was 9.30 I suppose.
After a lovely bacon barm for breakfast we had a wander around the village - nice to see a lot of shops shut on a Sunday - very peaceful.
After a light lunch, we drove out to Rhue and walked down to the lighthouse. Overcast but dry, there were some very dramatic clouds over Coigach and An Teallach! We went for a wander up the hill and over the rocks and were rewarded with some stunning views across to Dun Cana and Ardmair Point. Fab!
Just as we got back to the van the heavens opened - a nice brew in the van watching the clouds roll in.
It was still raining when we got back, but we could see brighter weather across the Loch towards the Summer Isles. Molly looked exhausted when we got back!
A stroll to the Argyll Hotel for food, then to the Ceilidh Place for a swift half, then to bed zzzzzzzz!

Ullapool Day 1

Phew! What a day!
After a 7am start for Abs (sale day) we hit the road at 7.35. At 7.45 I remember I forgot the milk. Hey Ho!
We made pretty good time, apart from a 30min delay to clear an accident, and after a couple of short stops for caffeine and carbs we were ready to brave Tesco Inverness for more fuel.
The final 55 miles to Ullapool went smoothly and we were on site just after 4.
Apparently they've had lots of rain here, as we found out when Ju tried the first pitch... We were stuck in 3" of mud! After a helpful push from a watching caravanner we were free, and eventually found a safe pitch.
Kettle on and tea ready by 4.30!
A stroll round the village to give Molly a walk ended in the Seaforth for a swift half before returning to site. Yipee, the Hammers won 1-0!
Back to the Seaforth for food - the scrummiest smoked haddock for me and shepherds pie for J. And a couple of An Teallach ales!
It was much busier than expected. The campsite is busy with loads of bikers with those "adventure" style bikes - mostly BMWs like on "The Long Way Down"!
Relaxing with a wee dram before bed, totally chilled.
Just a couple of pics today.

Time to start.....

Well I guess after so long I should start writing a blog !
Since Judy started a traditional paper journal in the summer, I have been mildly jealous of that :( I did not want to copy her by writing my own, so I decided to resurrect this blog and use it to post updates and photo's from our travels.
And where better to start than an autumnal trip to Ullapool. We're setting off at 7.30ish tomorrow morning, so check back for updates!
Cheers
Derek