May 2017 – Apr 2018

Ach it’ll be reet

A 332-day adventure by Mandee Read more

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Trip start
May 29, 2017
Ach it’ll be reet Mandee
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Day 1
Monday, May 29, 2017
🌧 11 °C
Altitude: 22 m
Scotland River Kelvin 55.870881, -4.31453855°52’15” N 4°18’52” W
Glasgow
May 29, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
Glasgow was our first stop on the route - staying with Andy's uncle Alex and auntie Janet. Andy hadn't seen them for years and Maddie had never met them, but fortunately Andy (snr) and Ann's tales of crazy Glaswegians didn't turn out to be true. A very family oriented few days - seeing Alex and Janet's children and grandchildren, meeting Liam, Andy's cousin who we'll be staying with in California, Maddie's cousin Tom and his girlfriend Maggie. We spent a bit of time at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery (scary stuffed animals) and Andy got to visit the Ibrox, home of Glasgow Rangers (lots of giant footballers, not much football).Read more
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Day 4
Thursday, June 1, 2017
☀️ 15 °C
Altitude: 211 m
Scotland Aviemore Speyside Railway Station 57.19465, -3.82835257°11’41” N 3°49’42” W
Aviemore
June 1, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
The test truly begins here (or so we thought..). First time camping for us! We pitched us at Rothiemurchus campsite which was quite nice and quiet (compared to incredibly busy Aviemore!) and had good facilities. We stayed for a few days and climbed Cairngorm and Ben Macdui. It was our first big walk and was pretty successful! A few aches and pains and we discovered how unfit we are..., but the rain stayed away and we got to see a herd of reindeer! First couple of days camping down and so far so good...Read more
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Day 6
Saturday, June 3, 2017
🌧 8 °C
Altitude: 7 m
Scotland Rogart Railway Station 57.988635, -4.15811457°59’19” N 4°9’29” W
Rogart
June 3, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
So, day 3 of camping and we threw in the towel! Weather was dreadful heading up the east coast and we discovered this place just up from Inverness and had to give it a try! Sleeperzzz is a collection of old first class train carriages which have been kitted out with bunks, kitchen, showers etc! A really great place to stop (not just a novelty) and good value too.Read more
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Day 7
Sunday, June 4, 2017
🌫 9 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Scotland Stromness Ferry Port 58.96223, -3.2984358°57’44” N 3°17’54” W
Orkney Islands
June 4, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌫 9 °C
Orkney was probably our favourite place we visited In Scotland and not what we were expecting. At the very top of the UK, we were expecting wild weather and rugged landscapes, but it was actually quite a calm, quiet and incredibly friendly place with so much history going back at least 5000 years!
Our first stop was in Stromness on a nice little campsite right on the peninsula. Cheap and cheerful with a nice little common room. Stromness itself is very quiet, but has a number of good pubs with v friendly Orcadians. Madeleine annoyed Andy by singing Peter Maxwell Davies constantly and we can confirm that it is not in fact a nuclear wasteland.
We decided to attempt our week sans car and whilst we managed pretty well with just our packs, Orkney is not that easy to get around on foot. The bus we wanted to catch didn't turn up so we hired bikes and rode to Skara Brae and Marwick Head. The trip eventually ended in disaster when Madeleine got the chain wedged (and I mean really wedged) in the frame. Covered in oil, we knocked on a door, borrowed someone's phone and the nice bike man came to fetch us and take us home...Read more
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Day 11
Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 11:00 AM
⛅ 10 °C
Altitude: 5 m
Scotland Bay of Tafts 59.25535, -2.8756759°15’19” N 2°52’32” W
Westray
June 8, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Westray was our only island hop - it has the best puffin place so the choice was a no brainer! After a 90 minute ferry from Kirkwall, we caught a bus up to the main town, Pierowall. Town is a stretch as a description but it had what we needed (shop with crisps and a hotel serving fish and chips...). We set off to walk to Noup Head and we struck by how incredibly quiet the place was - we only saw a few cars and people and most were tourists we'd seen on the boat! The bird colonies on the cliffs were fantastic and Andy braved his fear of heights to take a look. Although we apparently missed a pod of dolphins passing by while we were looking at the cliffs!! No puffins yet either. We walked back and took a quick peak in the castle - completely unmanned and a bit creepy in the dark passageways! Quick stop at the pub for fish and chips and then back on the bus to the south of the island. We walked a short way to Castle O'Burrian - a rocky outcrop - and settled down to watch for puffins. We were rewarded within minutes and ended up seeing loads of them! We walked back to the ferry terminal an hour or later and put our feet up. Perfect day for it, but we ended up tired and sunburnt after walking about 15 miles in the sun!Read more
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Day 14
Sunday, June 11, 2017
🌧 14 °C
Altitude: 63 m
Scotland Loch Assynt 58.17827, -5.0420858°10’42” N 5°2’31” W
Loch Assynt
June 11, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
Our first attempt at wild camping! After spending an age finding the right spot, we finally found Loch Assynt and pitched up right on the lake next to our very own ruin. Very soft ground made for easy pitching, but a slight worry about stability.. The sun was setting beautifully over the loch and we set up trangia to cook. Unfortunately, whilst trying to build a fire, the wind completely died and we had our first bad encounter with the Midge.. We flailed about throwing our stuff in the car and batting midges. Quick snap of a deer on the hillside and then we jumped in the tent. 9.30, still light and tucked in for the night.. Oh if only there was a bit of wind or rain, we said, the midges might go away! Be careful what you wish for.. A wild night followed with rain and wind like we've never experienced in a tent! Spent most of the night awake because it was so loud and worrying that our slightly unstable tent might blow away, water coming down the hill would wash us away and 'it's definitely not a sea loch, right? Is it?!'
We survived the night though, tired and smelly, but amazingly not wet!! Might be a while though until we wild camp again..Read more
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Day 15
Monday, June 12, 2017
⛅ 11 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Scotland Strath Bay 57.72941, -5.6985257°43’46” N 5°41’55” W
Gairloch (over the sea to Skye)
June 12, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
The second stop on our family tour - at least 20 years since Madeleine was last here! Heather and Bob were kind enough to take in two rather smelly campers, let us dry our VERY damp tent and fed us some lovely (REAL) food. Clearly we looked weather beaten as they very generously offered to let us stay the night (cheers Tom for the loan of your room!). We didn't see Skye unfortunately from Gairloch, but we drove the coastal road to Applecross and looked out over the sea to Skye! It might be becoming a cliché, but we found the lure of Skye as romantic as ever, so instead of camping in Applecross (which we thought was a bit touristy) we decided to keep going over to Skye!Read more
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Day 16
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
🌧 11 °C
Altitude: 8 m
Scotland Portree 57.41423, -6.198457°24’51” N 6°11’54” W
Isle of Skye
June 13, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
Our first experience of Skye was a few years ago on a February holiday. The experience this time could not have been more different! In February, you're sharing the island with the locals and the weather. In June you're sharing it with the world and his wife! No room at any inns, but the campsite just outside Portree was perfectly nice. We made it up the Quirang which was just stunning. After parking a good mile away and despairing at the game of rush hour being played by the motorhomes, we walked for 10 minutes and lost the crowds! We walked all the way around the cliffs - a bit hairy in places and not to be attempted when windy. A steep climb quickly rewards you with really fantastic views across Skye and to the mainland.Read more
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Day 18
Thursday, June 15, 2017
☀️ 12 °C
Altitude: 7 m
Scotland Dunvegan 57.436589, -6.58145457°26’12” N 6°34’53” W
Dunvegan
June 15, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
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Day 20
Saturday, June 17, 2017
🌧 13 °C
Altitude: 5 m
Scotland Claggan 56.803655, -5.07384156°48’13” N 5°4’26” W
Ben Nevis
June 17, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
We couldn't leave Scotland without taking on the highest peak in the UK... but we were particularly unlucky with the weather! Not that the west coast has the best reputation for weather, but given that the rest of the UK was experiencing a heat wave, we did feel a bit hard done by. But we soldiered on up the Ben early in the morning, entering the cloud after about an hour and not leaving it for the rest of the day! It's a really tough slog up there and with no views to reward us, we were a bit miserable.. But we made it and did manage to dry off for a well deserved meal at the pub.Read more
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Day 29
Monday, June 26, 2017 at 8:38 PM
☁️ 13 °C
Altitude: 25 m
United States Didlika Park 61.19655, -149.9480561°11’48” N 149°56’53” W
Anchorage, Alaska
June 26, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
And so begins our trip proper, flying into Anchorage, Alaska! A bit of a hectic start with delays redirecting us via Heathrow and Chicago. We've had a week or so of teary goodbyes, but after our practice run in Scotland we're champing at the bit! Our first few weeks will be a bit of a holiday before we start our first job in Whitehorse, so we're tourists for a bit longer.
Anchorage gets a bad rep with tales of ugly buildings, high crime rates and boredom, but we've actually found it very welcoming. Ugly is true for the most part for the actual town, but it's surrounded by so many parks, mountains, lakes and the sea that you don't really notice. Awesome Airbnb in Spenard - the 'up-and-coming' part of town. Took advantage of the free bikes and cycled the coastal route out of town to Kincaid Park. Saw our first moose on the way back - the calf was right on the path in front of us with no sign of moving.. So we very carefully walked our bikes past as far away as possible to find the mother standing in the trees a few metres behind.. Possibly not the most sensible idea we've had, but she wasn't bothered by us.
Great food and beer to be had as well In Anchorage - they have a brewery which does fantastic beer and a restaurant boasting the best pizza in the US. It was huge, delicious and well worth the wait!Read more
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Day 31
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 1:00 PM
⛅ 13 °C
Altitude: 89 m
United States Girdwood Airport 60.95789, -149.1099360°57’28” N 149°6’36” W
Alyeska, Alaska
June 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
So it turns out we're very charming people. So much so that the airbnb owners entrusted us with their vehicle so that we could take a trip down the coast! After cycling to Paul's (new friend) downtown yurt, we picked up our wheels for the next day.
We took a day to drive down the coast (Turnagain Arm) down to Portage, Girdwood and on to Seward. Our first stop was to take the cable car at Alyeska and we had our first bear encounter about 30 seconds after leaving the car... Walking down the road, about 500m from the large hotel complex, cars started pulling over and reversing towards us. Maddie's extensive experience in Canada last year ('when I was in Canada..') has trained her to spot a bear jam when she sees one.. But not so hot on what to do when on foot. Cowering behind a van we spotted 3 first year bear cubs - the man with the van happily snapping away and pointing out the mother 'just behind that bush in front of you'. After several seconds of dithering between 'aw how cute' and 'holy feck, we don't have an escape route', a kindly bus driver pulled up to tell us how dangerous a position we were in. Our panicked expressions made him take pity on us and let us on, although it might also have been Andy's foot in the door...
The rest of the trip was thankfully uneventful, although we nearly fell over a few times due to constant over-the-shoulder looking. Everywhere was SOLD OUT of bear spray due to unusual dangerous bear activity in the past few weeks. Very reassuring. But we managed to obtain some and resisted the urge to spray it at every squirrel we saw.Read more
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Day 31
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 5:00 PM
☁️ 12 °C
Altitude: 28 m
United States Resurrection Bay Historical Society 60.10468, -149.4436460°6’17” N 149°26’37” W
Seward, Alaska
June 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
The route down the coast is spectacular. With the coastal inlet on one side and mountains and glaciers on the other, we were constantly stopping for photos. Portage was beautiful, but the boat trip rather expensive and very cold! Seward was not the most exciting of towns, but the view down the inlet was fantastic. Shame about the clouds, but it was still very impressive. A winter boat trip to the fjords is most definitely on the list for when we're rich travellers. Still, we got to see a sea otter chewing on crabs just off the coast which was pretty amazing! A quick stop at the very nice brew pub and then a long drive back to Anchorage.Read more
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Day 32
Thursday, June 29, 2017
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 503 m
United States McKinley National Park Airport 63.72966, -148.9007763°43’47” N 148°54’3” W
Denali, Alaska
June 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Denali national park is a beautiful place. We stayed in Riley Creek campground, which was in a wooded area. The park has an abundance of wildlife and we saw everything from bears, moose, beavers and caribou among other things. We did the Savage river alpine trail which is a post later on (stunning). We met a guy in Anchorage and he had asked if on way to Denali to check out his band in a top secret bar in the park which for legal reasons can't be named or even its location :) I have posted a pic though. We also took the bus into the furthest part of the park (Wonder Lake) mile 85, the closest point to mount McKinley also known by original name Denali (named by first nation). This is also on a later post.Read more
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Day 34
Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 5:00 PM
⛅ 18 °C
Altitude: 850 m
United States Jenny Creek 63.718471, -149.2572263°43’6” N 149°15’26” W
Denali Wildlife - Bears
July 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
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Day 34
Saturday, July 1, 2017
🌧 13 °C
Altitude: 777 m
United States Denali Borough 63.73925, -149.291963°44’21” N 149°17’31” W
Savage River, Alaska
July 1, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
Savage river is mile 15 into the park and the last free stop by bus. A permit is required to go further. We visited twice, the first time spotting the beaver swimming up and down the river getting harassed by the gulls. We did a mile or so loop down the river and back up. The view here from the bridge south is absolutely stunning. The second time we visited we trekked the Alpine trail and really got some elevation to take in the stunning view. One of the biggest views we have experienced. Alaska is a must so far!Read more
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Day 35
Sunday, July 2, 2017
⛅ 13 °C
Altitude: 645 m
United States Congressional District (at Large)63.45368, -150.8622563°27’13” N 150°51’44” W
Wonder Lake, Alaska
July 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
The bus ride here takes 8hrs and has some impressive views through the Polychrome area and the Eielson visitor center. I may add that we saw wildlife on all our travels into the park. We got to Wonder Lake mid afternoon and ventured down to the lake. Not being accustomed to bear country and after a close encounter back in Alyeska we were quite nervous about camping out here. In the evening we went to the amphitheater where Ranger Doris gave an account of a local women (Fannie Quigley) who against all odds managed to live a life out here, amazing! Although we didn't see the whole of Mount McKinley we still managed to get some pics of parts of it. It was quite surreal sitting outside, covered head to toe to avoid mosquitos, watching the sun go 'down' over the mountains catching glimpses of Denali every now and then! In the morning before we left a lady said hello. It turns out she was from Beaconsfield, Lol. You come 4500 miles and venture 85 miles to a campground that has 20 pitches in the back end of nowhere... well what do you know.Read more
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Day 35
Sunday, July 2, 2017
🌧 12 °C
Altitude: 850 m
United States Jenny Creek 63.718471, -149.2572263°43’6” N 149°15’26” W
Denali Wildlife - Moose and Caribou
July 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
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Day 36
Monday, July 3, 2017
🌧 11 °C
Altitude: 850 m
United States Jenny Creek 63.718471, -149.2572263°43’6” N 149°15’26” W
Denali Wildlife
July 3, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
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Day 39
Thursday, July 6, 2017
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 137 m
United States Westgate 64.82688, -147.8064664°49’37” N 147°48’23” W
Fairbanks, Alaska
July 6, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Fairbanks is a very spread out city and quite flat, after arriving at Sven's Basecamp hostel it became apparent that we would need a car. We spent a week here in total and meet some great people. Tom and Ulli both from Germany became the heart and soul of the place and excelled in creating a camaraderie among all the guests. We all had dinners together and even got into a volleyball match. The 24hr daylight led to some late evenings with plenty of beer! Tom and Ulli let us ride along with them to do the Angel Rocks hike and also the Chena hot springs which was around 60c, Very HOT (esp on the hottest day so far) ! On one day it was so hot we had to go into the ice museum and ride the sled on ice. I have to reiterate that if anyone goes to Fairbanks then a stay a Sven's Basecamp is a must, this hostel truly is the most friendly, amazing place we've ever been to. A real family feel. Plus, they had sled dog puppies, if you needed another reason to go...Read more
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Day 41
Saturday, July 8, 2017
🌧 17 °C
Altitude: 140 m
United States Fairbanks 64.83708, -147.7419564°50’13” N 147°44’31” W
Fairbanks Wildlife
July 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
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Day 44
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 10:00 AM
☁️ 13 °C
Altitude: 128 m
United States North Pole Pond 64.75676, -147.3467664°45’24” N 147°20’48” W
North Pole, Alaska
July 11, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Yes, we did briefly visit the North Pole!
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Day 44
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 9:00 PM
☁️ 16 °C
Altitude: 310 m
Canada Yukon River 64.06007, -139.4320364°3’36” N 139°25’55” W
Dawson city, Yukon
July 11, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Our endless conundrum when travelling has been to what extent we book in advance. Do we plan and avoid the of risk being stranded somewhere without transport or accommodation or do we wing it and find the best places along the way? Dawson City was one of those mistakes. We spent too long in Fairbanks and only found out when we were there that Dawson City had more to offer! But we enjoyed our 1 night there - watched the tourists line up for the sour toe cocktail (yes, you literally drink a shot with a human toe in it, being super careful not to get the toe in your mouth - not only is it A TOE, but it's also being slobbered on by over 100,000 people apparently..). Suffice to say we didn't try it. Had a few drinks in Bombay Peggy's - nice atmosphere and great beer!Read more
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Day 45
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 743 m
Canada Yukon 61.04791, -135.219361°2’52” N 135°13’9” W
Yukon
July 12, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
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Day 45
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 640 m
Canada Yukon 61.06436, -135.1870261°3’52” N 135°11’13” W
Lake Laberge, Yukon
July 12, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
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