Substitute

On the banks of Loch Ness

Since the campsite at Cullen on the Moray coast went over to the dark side ( statics only ), we have been looking for a substitute, we loved that site. We found Banff links, right on the beach with a fish and chip shop close to and  a do able dash on a Friday evening after work from Aberdeen.

October break took us to The Lake district, weather was terrible, raining most of the time, but I did manage a good walk out of the C&CC site at Keswick onto Skiddaw.

Once the dark nights came in and the fact that most sites close after the October hols, we moved our weekend get away to Stonehaven, the new Caravan Club site there is very good. Its a plan for next year to hopefully see the fireballs celebration there next year.

Christmas break was at another new site at Loch Ness, again very wet weather kept us in doors a lot of the time, but good views of the Loch. A very scary drive home in extremely wind conditions.
A few days at home over Christmas itself  before taking off for the New year on Teesside.

Lower Falls of Foyers, nr Loch Ness

New year on Teesside a bit of geocaching with the kids, before returning home, again calling in at Mortonhall to break the journey up. Had the opportunity to go into Edinburgh and partake in the last few days of the festivities, as well as having a bit of fun on a ghost tour.

We went on the big wheel.

That's it 2013, I have had trouble keeping up to date with this blog so to try help I thought I would make a travel journal for 2014.

Collaged Travel journal.

The elusive 1000

Geocaching in Tilery woods.

No Motorhome this winter, lots of snow made that impossible yet again, not only putting payed to that but also the geocaching, we don't much like grubbing around in the snow for them, no matter how keen on the sport we are.
So it took us quite a while to reach that elusive 1000, started getting excited in November but got a lot of DNF's which slowed us up some what, hoped to have got there by new year but it was after when we hit it.

So its a new year, plans to be made, feel its about time we went further afield, meaning the continent, driving on the wrong side of the road.
Just before we were to take possession of the camper I was cycling along Aberdeen beach boulevard, I heard a guy, as he was leaning on his motor home, say, "Yes, as I was driving through Southern Spain". Well I want to do that guy, but a little bit at a time, France first.
Got the cat to think about, he needs his jabs and pet passport all sorting out, maybe in the summer as it take about 6 months.
Have a prosperous NewYear.

Winter is snow joke.

Approaching Carter Bar 

The snow started to fall the minute work finished and the holiday break started, it didnt seem to be a problem at first but as time went on and the temperature remained around freezing it became evident we weren't going to get the van out of its compound. The owners of the compound at Dyce caravans placed a notice at the gate not allowing anyone to remove there caravans and motorhomes which was understandable given the state of the ground, nothing less than an ice ring, however the lack of further information or contact details was very much lacking, to this end I think I will look at an alternative provider. 

By Boxing day we had given up on the whole idea of the motorhome but were still keen to get out and about so the alternative was the jeep and I had to come up with some alternative accommodation. The journey down to see the kids was tricky going, especially as we reached the Scotland / England border at Carter Bar on the A68, with cars struggling to get along in both directions I put the jeep into four wheel drive, something I had never used till now, we sailed through getting to our journeys end 3 hours later than expected but safe and sound.

A few days on Teesside with the kids including a visit to Durham. Geocaching was limited and very difficult, the snow made it a very wet and cold business.

Off to Edinburgh for new year but instead of our usual stop off at Morton hall being in the camper, we stopped in a wooden wigwam, nothing more than an insulated shed really but very comfy, warm and had a television.

Didn't go into the capital of hogmany for the celebrations themselves, the bar at Morton hall is great, big open log fire tasty food and the guys behind the bar are welcoming.

Took a couple of walks, new years day we went over too Holyrood park and the following day along the Water of Leith, that was a particularly blizzardy day and again the geocaching was hard with such a white featureless terrain.

It snowed a lot over night, the motorway had been closed down and it took me over an hour to deice the locks of the jeep, but all in all it did us proud. A week after returning home and the motorhome is still inaccessible at Dyce as its still freezing conditions.

No big plans till Easter which is well over 2 months away, must get in a few hill walks, maybe a weekend away as the light nights come in.

Suzuki jeep and wigwam.