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Mei 2018 - Disember 2031
  • K and A's road trip
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Travels in a motorhome
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  • K and A's road trip
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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Balloch Loch Lomond

    25 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our third night of free camping was in Balloch, at the southern end of Loch Lomond. We left Inveruglas quite early and breakfasted in Balloch.
    We visited the Information centre where the busy staff were eager to assist.
    We were looking for a good walk to do, and Alan was looking to find a Scottish spicy mutton pie. The staff were able to assist on both fronts. Firstly we were given a map for a walk up to a local wooded area with good views across the loch, and second one of the ladies said she would visit her butcher at lunch time and bring back a pie.
    The walk was lovely, taking us through the grounds of Balloch Castle then up into the woods of Whinney Hill. On the way we encountered some deer along the pathways. We met some lovely people on the walk which ended up being about 8 miles in length. The best views of the loch were at the lower levels. We arrived back in time for lunch.
    After lunch we walked to the shopping mall at Lake Shores, to get some new walking gear for Alan.
    Balloch is a busy little place, with boat trips leaving at regular intervals and many people out walking along by the river.
    The lady at the information centre came good with the pie, absolutely brilliant. We noted that when we were in Oban their Information Centre was being closed down. It transpired that this centre was also being shut too, along with all the others. Apparently, all the information is now on the internet. This is tragic. In every information centre we had been to we had nothing but great service, by people who were knowledgeable about their area and who clearly loved helping people with a passion. This can not be better demonstrated by the provision of a pie - wouldn't get that on the internet.
    The pie was yummy.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Inveruglas

    24–27 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We walked out from our pitch today. Inveruglas is the start, or finish, point of the Three Lochs Walk. We decided to do the section between Loch Lomond to Loch Long, which took us through the valley of Glen Loin towards the head of Loch Long at Arrochar. The first part of the walk took us up to high ground on a steep roadway, put in for the local hydro electric scheme. Along the way we got talking to a walker coming in the opposite direction. He was from nearby Helensburgh, and he told us that he completed the Glen Loin Loop about two or three times a year. We had anticipated doing a return journey on the same path, but always prefer to come back on a different route and decided that is what we would do.
    After lunching in Arrochar, plagued by midgies, we found the loop return and continued on our way. This path took us high up into forestry on well made forest roadways, eventually rejoining the hydro scheme infrastructure roadways on the other side of the forest. The loop itself is 11 miles long and we added 2.5 miles getting to the start at Glen Loin. All in all, Karen's phone recorded 34k steps, a daily record. Just as well there was some wine chilling in the fridge.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Inveruglas

    23–25 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Moving on, once again, we had decided to do some free camping by the side of Loch Lomond. In the summer months there are restrictions as to where you can go, and we ended up being allocated a spot next to the Loch at Inveruglas.
    On our way we passed over Rannoch Moor which was beautiful, then stopped off at the Falls of Falloch, where we hoped to walk a further section of the West Highland Way. Unfortunately the path was inaccessible at this side of the river and it was impossible to cross the river from this location.
    We visited Luss, another beautiful village on the side of the Loch. There were a couple of circular walks to do, one of which led us onto the Faerie Trail, a walk designed to entertain families visiting the village.
    We bagged a decent overnight spot in the designated parking area next to the Loch and were joined overnight by a number of other campers, one an Austrian gentleman who entertained us with his caravan. He spent ages manoeuvering his van backwards and forwards and waiting for others to move until he found his desired spot. A peaceful and scenic spot to spend the night.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Glencoe

    22 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    The mountain resort is located adjacent to the West Highland walking trail. This is a very popular walking trail which starts in northern Glasgow and finishes at Fort William - a 95 mile trail. The resort was full of hikers using the camping pods for night stop overs.
    Karen determined that the highest point of the trail was nearby - it comprised of a walk up the Devils Staircase on the old military road. The top of the climb was about 5 miles from the mountain resort, so we set off in late morning ready for a good walk.
    As we left the resort, there was a caravan set up with a lot of activity surrounding it. It turns out that this was a check point for the annual trail race. About 300 runners enter the race to see if they can complete the course within 35 hours. This check point was at the 71 mile mark, with the runners leaving the start line at 1am. Upon chatting with the officials, they believed that the leading two runners would be passing through within the hour. Quite impressive, with the equivalent of nearly three marathons completed, they would only have one more marathon to complete before the finish.
    Sure enough, after about 45 mins of our walk the leading runner came through. Not one bit of spare on his body, he was as jaunty as a spring lamb. The second placed runner passed us about 20 minutes later, he also looked pretty fresh.
    We got to the top of the climb before any other runners came through. We enjoyed our lunch at the high point then continued down the trail for a bit to have a look at Blackwater reservoir.
    Returning to base, it took some while for other runners to come our way, after about numbers nine and ten, the level of anguish on their faces seemed to increase. We gave each runner encouragement for their heroic effort to this point. One more elderly gentleman declared that "every bit of him hurts", but still he soldiered on.
    The runners would not have time to look at the scenery, it was quite magnificent.
    The runners had to get to the check point at the Mountain centre within 20 hours of the start otherwise they would not be allowed to carry on. Some of the path over the hill was quite difficult underfoot, so we presumed it would be quite treacherous in the dark. In any event after a certain time period all runners could only complete the final two sections with support runners.
    We felt good about our 30k steps, as K said to the runners," just think how good you will feel at the finish"    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Glencoe

    21 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We had a wonderfully peaceful night at our spot adjacent to the River Coe. We shared the space with a number of other motorhome and campervans.
    In the morning we walked up the valley to the location of the Three Sisters viewing point, all on a well marked track. Upon returning to our van, we returned to the Glencoe visitor centre as we wanted to join the guided walk to the Turf house.
    Our guide for the walk was a charming young woman who first of all introduced herself to us in Gaelic. She actually was born in Nova Scotia, where she grew up in a gaelic speaking community. The visit was very interesting. She described the conditions in the valley at the time of the massacre. The turf house (kreel house) was built by volunteers in 2021 to represent the houses occupied by the McDonalds in 1692.
    The massacre at Glencoe is not a glorious event in Scottish history. The McDonalds entertained the forces of the English King William (Orange) for twelve days in their homes in the valley. These were the kings redcoats under the command of the head of the Campbell clan (the 10th Duke of Argyll). Unfortunately the chief of the McDonald Clan was unable to register his support for the King Willie at either Fort William or Inverary, by signing an Oath of Allegiance.
    This was deemed a major infraction and despite their hospitality an order was given that all under 70 years old should die by the sword. The guests proceeded to slaughter their hosts in their beds one morning. 38 hosts, up and down the valley, died by the sword and others escaped only to perish in the February snows.
    Our stop for the night was the Glencoe Mountain Resort.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Glencoe

    20 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    A travel day.
    We crossed back to Oban to replenish stocks, then travelled up into Glencoe where we were hoping to find a free camping spot.
    On our way we stopped off at the Glencoe visitor centre to learn about the famous massacre, where the Campbells played a prominent part once again, and to have a look at the Turf house, a building constructed in the style of those in the valley at the time of the massacre. We were told the guided tour had already taken place for today but would be happening again tomorrow afternoon. We resolved to return.
    We found a beautiful spot to stay over in the valley which was looking absolutely majestic. The views in every direction were just stunning.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Craignure

    19 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we decided to walk around the coast to visit Duart Castle, the current seat of the head of the Maclean clan.
    The footpath hugged the shore line for the first 2 miles, we were hopeful that we might get a glimpse of the elusive sea otters, but there were none to be seen. We thought we were just not looking properly, but we eventually met a group who were on a sea otter safari with a professional guide. They had been out looking for some time in advance of us but had had no joy either. We continued around the coast having to come inland to meet the main road to Fionnphort just prior to branching off on the drive to the castle.
    The walk along the drive to the castle was about 2 miles long, and it passed through woodland then open farmland. We had to stop a few times to let cars pass us by. With about half a mile to go, a gentleman pulled up next to us and graciously asked us if we were happy walkers or were in need of a lift. We declined the lift, and then Alan realised that the gentleman was in all probability Sir Lachlan Maclean, the current owner of the castle. Missed an opportunity there for a chat.
    After lunching at the castle tea shop, we entered the castle itself. Our family name did not get us a discount. However, we were advised that we did get to sign the special visitors book, which is reserved for Macleans and immediate family.
    We found the visit fascinating, the displays in the visitor section gave the historical background to the building and the Macleans of Duart. The castle was for a time taken over by the Duke of Argyll (Campbell) but eventually abandoned. It was bought back into the Maclean ownership by Sir Fitzroy Maclean in 1911, at the time it was a complete ruin.
    The castle has been extensively restored, and the ancient history of the clan and the recent history since 1911 explained throughout the various rooms.
    One of the rooms is called the Sea Room. In here, we caught up with other groups of visitors from both Scotland and America. The scottish group were reminiscing with the gentleman who offered us the lift. They were talking about the old steamers that took passengers to the Tobermory games. The lady of the American party was having a good conversation with the gentleman about the history of the place, too. We determined that this was indeed Sir Lachlan Maclean, and we all had a very pleasant chat. Sir L remembered well the TSS King George V passing up and down the Sound on its tours and its trips into Tobermory to the games.
    The recent history of the family was laid out in various rooms in the castle,
    There is a lot of history within the British Army in the family. Indeed, the Fitzroy Maclean who bought the castle in 1911 was lucky to be alive at all. It transpires that he was ill at work one day, and that day was the day that the regiment under his command all but perished in the Charge of the Light Brigade.
    Sir Charles Maclean was the Chief Scout for many years after the war and ultimately was the Lord Chamberlain for many, many years. A roll that placed him very close to the royal family. Sir Lachlan was such a charming gentleman I thought it imprudent to mention our sons connection to Prince Andrew. Sir L brought out the Maclean visitors book for us to sign, it turned out the American lady was a Maclean too.
    We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
    Not an otter to be seen on our return to base, another 10 mile day    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Craignure

    18 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We decided that we would take the bus along the coast to Tobermory. The roads are narrow so Karen had a chance to look a bit more at the views along the coast road.
    Tobermory is a picture postcard town on the shore around a sweeping bay. Balamory of childrend's book fame is apparemtly modelled on the town.
    It is full of independent cafe's, gift, shops and art gallerys on the sea front.
    We spent some time in the small museum which was very interesting - it gave a lot of background on the activities of the Maclean clan on the island. It seems, that historically, the family was quite prominent in supporting and sometimes fighting against the other clan groups, both on the island and the mainland. Sometimes successful, sometimes not, one way or the other they managed to hang on to most of their posessions until they supported Bonnie Prince Charlie at Cullodan. Big mistake after which they became less wealthy to the point where the cunning Campbells of Argyll took over a lot of the estates.
    A bit of mercenary work helped them back from the brink.
    The lady in the museum remembered the passage of TS George V passing up and down the sound, stopping of at Tobermory on its tours. Maybe, grandad Captain Maclean was on one of those passages.
    We then took the woodland walk along to the lighthouse on the headland. Here we enjoyed our lunch, we saw a lot of people with binoculars getting excited about a dickie bird high above the cliff. We could just pick it up with the naked eye, we were assured that it was an eagle, by the people with better binoculars than ours. we then took the high path back to Tobermory, climbing high onto the cliff top to return to town via the golf course. There were some good views of Loch Linnie to our left.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Craignure

    17–20 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We moved on today, back to the centre of the island on the east coast. We had booked ourselves into the Shieling campsite for a three night stay.
    On our way we decided to have a look at Lochbuie, as we had been told that it was a pretty spot.
    The 8 mile road to Lochbuie was very narrow, with one section particularly challenging. Thankfully no other traffic was coming in the opposite direction, as there were very few passing places on quite steep inclines. Thankfully it soon opened out to a marvellous loch side drive and we found a parking spot at the end of the road. We wandered along the coast a little way to see the remains of Castle Moy. This castle was built in the 1500s by Hector Maclean, a brother of one of the clan chiefs. He built the castle and changed the spelling of his name to Maclaine, reasons unknown. The Macleans were always falling out with the Dukes of Argyll and eventually the castle was given up to the Campbells and fell into ruin.
    We continued a little way along the coast to see if we could spot any otters, but , once again, none to be seen. We did, however, spot some deer.
    Returning to the main road we were soon at Craignure , a short walk through the trees, at our site, gave us another view of Duart Castle.    Baca lagi

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  • K and A's road tripPengembaraBig Adventure

    Fionnphort

    16 Jun 2024, Scotland ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    We had another boat trip today. This time we took the short crossing from Fionnphort jetty across the sound to Iona.
    We had a quick look at the ruined nunnery before setting off for a ramble on the island.
    It is possible to walk a couple of loops on the island which take in the high point at Dun I, in the north , and the beach at the south end of the Island where St Columba was said to have initially landed with 12 companions in AD 653. Apparently he had upset someone in Ireland and did a runner.
    There are some rudimentary maps given out which describe the route. Scotland is not like England where ancient footpaths and rights of way are jealously guarded by the Ramblers Association. In Scotland there is a right to roam on any open ground, as long as no damage is done. It sometimes means that footpaths are not clearly defined and we found this out on our route to the south end of the island, the path seemed to disappear and before we knew it we were looking down a cliff face into an old marble quarry, clearly not the way to go. We reappraised our route and scrambled out of the heath, across wild country to eventually find a footpath in the centre of the island. Cutting our losses we decided to head north to try to pick up the footpath on the western side of the island which would take us up to the high point. That too proved fruitless due to lack of direction signs of any indication of where the path may be.
    Eventually we returned to the main village where we had a look at the Maclean's Cross and the Abbey. The island was full of people visiting from a cruise ship anchored in the sound. They were returned to the mothership on rubber tenders which looked quite exciting. Not sure how many of them forked out a tenner each for a peek into the Abbey - we certainly didn't.
    Returning to Fionnphort we enjoyed a quick drink in the local hotel prior to our walk back to base.    Baca lagi

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