Tea Time Travels

My favorite trip we have been on thus far was a week in Scotland spent in a little campervan with Clay and Cookie.

It was the most relaxed I have been in a looong time. Although I have loved the hustle and bustle of London, it was amazing to get away and have some fresh air, hearing nothing but the baa-ing of sheep in the fields.

The trip started off a bit chaotic as there were train strikes the day we were supposed to leave and come back. We ended up leaving a day early and coming back a day late so it allowed us to spend even more time in that beautiful part of the country

We took a train up to Glasgow (with Cookie snoozing by our feet the whole time) to start our trip. We picked our campervan up the next morning and were on the road! On our way we drove along Loch Ness… No Nessie to be seen unfortunately 😦

Our itinerary for the trip was the North Coast 500. We had heard nothing but amazing things about this stunning stretch of road across the country. We stopped to stock up on food for the week and headed up to Inverness to spend our first night. We were actually able to meet up with some friends from London while we were there, and had a great night exploring the town and laughing at the pub.

The next day we celebrated our 2 year anniversary 🙂 we drove north to Glenmorangie Distillery where we walked around their scenic grounds and picked up a bottle of scotch. We then drove to Dunrobin castle, a beautiful castle overlooking the sea with amazing views. They have opulent gardens where we got to see a falconry show.

After stopping to smell the roses (literally), we carried on driving. We soon had to stop after we spotted our first highland cows. Cookie was a bit confused about these big hairy animals but I thought they were lovely. We finished the night cooking a nice homemade Italian dinner and reflecting on our past two years of marriage.

We continued our drive the next day, stopping at a peaceful beach for lunchtime and taking a seaside stroll with Cookie.

Soon after we reached the most northern part of the NC500. We took another walk to Duncansby Head, which is an area with stunning coastal scenery and impressive rock formations.

We found a campsite that looked across one of the bridges traversing the North Sea for the night. One of the perks of staying in the campervan is that we stayed warm and cozy on that cold, blustery night.

As we headed to the west side of the country the views continued to be more and more impressive. Every 15 minutes I would say “wow look at that… look how beautiful that is… sheeeep!”

We stopped at a sea cave called Smoo cave while it was pouring outside. We waited out the rain while admiring the powerful waterfall within the cave.

After the rain let up we stopped at a nearby beach and had a cup of tea. Cookie ran around the beach and soaked up the sun shine.

After a few more stops of hiking to a waterfall, admiring coastal overlooks, we stopped our our picturesque campsite for the night. Our spot was right on the beach and we picked up some fish and chips to eat while we watched the sunset. That night we had a campfire on the beach that we had all to ourselves.

The next morning we woke up to bright blue skies and crystal clear water that made us feel like we were in the Caribbean. As we ate our breakfast we looked out and saw some people swimming…. Although it looked like the Caribbean the water temperature was certainly not the same. I was shivering just looking at them!

The next two day we did two amazing hikes- Stac Pallaidh and Beinn Allign. They were both about 3 hour hikes that offered breathtaking views at the peak. The second hike was exhausting due to the intense vertical incline but so rewarding. My phone told me we climbed 246 flights of stairs!

We stayed in a really quaint campsite with amazing sunsets and peaceful evening strolls. And VERY annoying midges. They were the worst at sunset which was a bit of a nuisance but it didn’t affect how enjoyable it was.

The next day we actually completed the NC500 but because we had an extra day we were able to explore Skye, an island off of Scotland known for its picturesque landscapes. We did quite a bit of driving this day and stopped frequently to admire the scenic landscape. We found the perfect place to stay that night, an isolated campsite with views of the sea and sunset. It was a perfect evening.

On our last full day, we headed south and stopped at the Eilean Donan castle, which is one of the most recognized castles in Scotland. This castle dates back to the 13th century. We walked around and appreciated the iconic castle and the stunning loch that it was set on.

Our final sightseeing spot of the trip was the Glenfinnan Viaduct… More famously known as the Harry Potter Hogwarts bridge. They actually still have a steam train that passes over the Viaduct twice a day in the summer months. We hummed Hedwig’s Theme as we looked up at the bridge’s arches. Cookie felt like a true Gryffindor that day.

That night we had our final night in Basil (the name of our campervan) and were planning on a nice final meal… Except the gas ran out and the electric hob broke… So fish and chips it was for our final Scottish meal!

The next morning we returned our campervan and sadly headed back home. Scotland will always have a special place in my heart, and it was a trip I will cherish forever.