…well part two of our little Scottish soiree began as the four of us left Oban in the rough direction of Loch Lomond in search of a campsite. While the lochs we had passed earlier on the trip were well stocked with lovely little campsites on the water's edge, Loch Lomond was proving tricky to find camp on.
Eventually though, we found a great little place in Ardlui which had a sneaky little campsite at the back of a hotel and we set up on the edge of the water and tried to stop the midges getting in (with mixed success) while Camilla cooked up a feast for us.
Eventually though, we found a great little place in Ardlui which had a sneaky little campsite at the back of a hotel and we set up on the edge of the water and tried to stop the midges getting in (with mixed success) while Camilla cooked up a feast for us.
It was only in the morning that we could really appreciate the place we had camped in as the midges had fled by then (leaving me looking like I had a bad case of chicken-pox all over) while the sun was up and shining. We were actually able to see more of the loch than we planned that morning as poor old Vanny had finally packed in and was unable to start despite our best jump-starting efforts.
The conclusion was to call the AA and eventually a cheery burly mechanic appeared and set about starting the engine more than fixing the problem. The diagnosis was to spray a bit of WD-40 into the engine air intake to get the beast up and running again - it is only a temporary fix only though and, like that scene in Pulp Fiction with a shot of adrenaline straight into the heart, not something that you should do regularly!
But, hey, we were back up and running and after dropping Ninna and Camilla at their hostel along the way and saying our goodbyes, we headed towards Perth quite belatedly to pick up my poor mum who had been cowering from the rain that had begun to lash down.
But, hey, we were back up and running and after dropping Ninna and Camilla at their hostel along the way and saying our goodbyes, we headed towards Perth quite belatedly to pick up my poor mum who had been cowering from the rain that had begun to lash down.
Our next stop was Edinburgh but our full day had been cut short to just an afternoon as we began our shamefully touristy exploring at the huge Castle. The castle itself is far from exciting, more like a large stone manorhouse from the outside but it's fame comes more from it's prominent position at the top of a knarled rocky cliff-top in the centre of the city. When it isn't raining, there must be some great views from the top too.
In true tourist fashion we then began our descent down the straight old town street that has become known as the Royal Mile. Along with gothic stone towers and countless souvenir shops are a few nice buildings, winding alleys and old whisky shops (if you can afford £500 a bottle).
Keep walking straight, about a mile infact, and you will be spat out at the brand new parliament building - a weird concrete metropolis that looks like a multi-story carpark designed by Salvador Dali. I still haven't made up my mind if I like it or hate it but I imagine it certainly splits opinion.
Having had to cut short on our hill climbing on the trip so far, we were too tempted by the scale and proximity of Arthur's Seat, a huge hill in the middle of Holyrood Park, to Edinburgh's medieval centre and couldn't resist a good hike for the views over the city.
Soon though, we were back in the van and heading south looking for our campsite for the night. After clocking up a fair few miles, we eventually stopped just outside Jedburgh at Jedwater Camping. The site was a nice little stopping point run by an incomprehensible dwarf but in the morning we were soon coaxing the van into life and bombing home before the engine changed it's mind.
Yet another sticker to add to the back door
It was a great trip but there is certainly some repairs to do on poor wounded Vanny before we head to France at the end of the month. Time to dust off the tools and get to work!
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