As I departed Melbourne bound for Edinburgh I was excited, yet a little apprehensive about the eight weeks that lay ahead. The trip was a combination of catch ups with old friends, some time travelling abroad on my own (a first for me), visiting some places that were on the to-do list for Serena and I that we never managed to get to, and ticking off a few places and adventures on the bucket list. I’ve termed it my European Rhombus, as it includes visits to Scotland, Ireland, Norway and Italy. First stop was Edinburgh, where I was greeted by Fraser and Jill, along with their newest addition to the family, Hector, son of Fraser (HSoF). We had met Fraser and Jill in Perth many years ago and last saw them in New Zealand in 2013. Prior to this we had the privilege of attending their wedding in Scotland in 2012, shortly before I moved to NZ, and the associated TOS (Tour of Scotland), now firmly etched in the annals of history. TOS part 2, involved a few less members (just the 4 of us) and this time was a camping adventure around Scotland’s answer Route 66 in the USA, the North Coast 500 (NC500).

The North Coast 500 for me,

Now a Scottish iconic must see,

With its breathtaking coast, and rich history to boast,

And of course the odd distillery. 

The tour began with a traditional Scottish breakfast – home-cooked by Jill – on my arrival in the Scottish borders and then a fairly prompt departure north towards Jill’s family farm Mill-lade, Clochan. This included a stop at the House of Bruer for lunch, a steak and ale pie (9/13). An evening with the Thomson clan was a great catch up after 5 years between drinks, including a few new drinks to my list including the Norfolk Nog, a soothing blend of whiskey and baileys, and a “slodgin”, which I then found out was actually Slo Gin….clearly I need to revise my Scottish accent interpretive skills. The next day we were on our way to tackle the NC500, via a stop at Tesco and Aldi for some essentials – pina colada and mojito mixes, white rum and a jar of pickled eggs, that would end up lasting most of the journey and provide the source of constant amusement (mainly to me). Our first stop was Dunrobin Castle, which was home to the Sutherland clan who were central to the Scottish clearances where people were forced from their land, with many killed. Despite their role in this horrible process, there was a distinct lack of detail regarding this in the castle. There was however, a large array of taxidermy that rivaled many natural history museums from all over the world, collected by many members of the family on their various hunting jaunts. In addition, the castle hosts a falconry display where we picked up a few random facts about falcons and owls, but weren’t overly impressed. The highlight was tea and scones, which were delicious.

From here we continued on towards John O’Groats, where we enjoyed the scenery and our first round of classic Scottish fish and chips, with haggis on the side of course. From here we caught a ferry across to the Orkney Islands for our first night of camping at Wheems Organic Farm, accompanied with a glorious sunset. Despite a noisy English neighbour the first night in my brand new Tesco tent was comfortable (once we figured out how to assemble it). After a quick pack up, we took off for a tour of the Orkney Islands mainland. There are some stunning spots on the island as well as some interesting historical points of interest like the Ring og Brodgar, Orkneys answer to Stonehenge. As far as wildlife goes, we were lucky enough to see a short-eared owl and a couple of grey seals, and numerous seabirds around the cliffs at the end of their nesting period. My main interest was to find puffins and so we wandered around the cliffs at Marwick Head, a popular spot for nesting seabirds. The breezy conditions provided the first opportunity for HSoF to don his dragon suit and we were rewarded for our patience in finding puffins!

As we wandered around Marwick Head,

Most rabbits we found were all dead,

But we won’t stop at nuffin’, til we’ve seen our first puffin,

So across the cliff edges we sped.

 

It appeared that our timing post Spring,

Was slightly too late for this thing,

But we weren’t to be stiff, as we glanced off the cliff,

‘Twas a circus of puffins on wing.

After a thoroughly enjoyable day driving around Orkney through all of the various towns – Kirkwall, Twatt, and lunch in Birsay, we took the ferry back to Thurso and our next camping pitch. Again, we had glorious conditions for the ferry, and were treated to some amazing views of Old Man of Hoy. We took the advice of the overly friendly camp site attendant and enjoyed a local Indian meal, and despite the lack of enthusiasm towards life in general by our waiter, the food was delicious. We’re not sure whether the food or the waiter was to blame, but clearly something didn’t sit well with our youngest tour member, who spent most of the night unsettled. As I packed my tent the following morning, I realised that despite relatively calm conditions, the tent had not stood up to the Thurso breeze and a couple of poles had already broken. So we decided to make our first detour back to Wick to replace the tent.

The tent that we’d bought at Tesco,

Not quick to put up, but quite slow,

It had many a bit, and the poles were real shit,

For they snapped with the slightest wind blow.

Breakfast was a local Scotch Pie and burning hot coffees from the local Thurso bakery, and a then a stop at Dunnet Head for more breathtaking coastal views together with a plethora of seabirds flying in and out from their roosts. Dunnet Head is also the home of the Dunnet Head Distillery, a fine selection of gins made with locally grown botanicals by resident ‘botanist’ Hannah, Jill’s new BFF. Rumour has it, that when Prince Charles visits the Castle of Mey, he collects a large array of gins from the distillery and distributes them to his family and friends in the castle – not a bad contract to have! It was then on to Wick and after a fairly lucrative tent exchange we were back on track.

The next leg of the journey took us around the majestic coastline through a few very small towns including Tongue and Bettyhill. We stopped in Bettyhill at a rustic looking café for lunch and were treated to some classic Scottish delicacies – some earl grey tea, fresh scones and that giant sausage. After lunch we continued around the coastline towards Durness, which was our next camping spot at a beautiful site called Sango Sands. As Fraser booked in, we watched a few campers trying to pitch their tents in the gale force winds that had picked up in the late afternoon. We were a bit concerned but managed to find what we thought was a sheltered spot, the right angle etc. Unfortunately, whilst pitching Fraser and Jills tent, our estimates of the wind strength vs pole strength capacity was underestimated and two of the poles snapped. We decided that a safer option – and given that my first tent had already broken in very calm conditions – we would be much more comfortable in a B&B. The forecast was also rather miserable for the next couple of days so it turned out to be the correct decision! We were very lucky to secure a B&B in the area – I think it came down to Fraser’s charm with the ever helpful tourist office attendant. I think the combination of the popularity of the NC500 and the ensuing inclement weather had meant that everything had been snapped up. We ended up in a town called Laid, staying with Hugh, a real local who had his croft (a plot of land) for many generations. Instead of using the land for sheep farming he had replanted trees across his entire property and also used a lot of left over ‘junk’ to provide a playground for visitors. This included strategically placed old shoes that were now being used by birds in which to nest, childrens toys, old clothes, and a range of ‘dragon nests’, purpose built for children’s entertainment. The trees were now well established and had brought in a range of birds that had not been seen in the area for a long time, as well as provided a great breeding ground for midgees. Hugh had also created a large pond that now contained otters. Unfortunately, I spent a few hours searching for them that evening but had no luck.

Durness provided a wide range of activities that we were able to enjoy despite the weather including the Smoo caves, a zipline, award winning beaches, a wide variety of ‘art’ and craft displays including some fascinating artistic creations by a famous German porn star – who we met. He also gave haircuts and massage, a man of many talents. Durness was also home to Cocoa Mountain, arguably the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. During our time in Durness we did a couple of hikes and took a trip out to Cape Wrath to visit the lighthouse. The bus driver on this trip spends three months of every year in Stroud, NSW – a place where I spent a bit of time wrangling frogs so we had a good old chat about a place very few people live (or should). The world is a small place! One of our meals was at the local Smoo Hotel, definitely worth the visit with delicious Scotch Haggis Eggs, and scallops with black pudding and a good old fashioned local pub hospitality. Beyond Durness we were treated to more breathtaking coastal scenery, challenging winding and narrow roads, and Fraser’s favourite, the frequent German tourist, who weren’t quite sure how to use the narrow roads and passing points.

This trip happened well north of here,

With Fraser as guide, have no fear,

But he changed his demeanour, when the Germans got keener,

And was no longer tour guide with cheer.

We were then treated to our most scenic camping ground at Achmelvich Beach, with pitches right by the beach. The weather was beautiful again so Jill and I took the opportunity to have a (very) quick dip in the Minch! That evening we took advantage of the campsites own fish and chips shop, and a couple of palate cleansers. We camped here for a couple of nights, and the tents stood up well! Activities we managed to tick off during this stay included a wander around Lochinver and a delicious lunch at Peets Restaurant, a hike out through an area called Bone Cave which is a popular spot for caving and includes Scotland’s deepest cave, and a hike out to view the Old Man o Stoer – more breathtaking coastline and nesting seabirds. Our final day on the NC500 was a big day of driving as we made the team decision to head back to the borders for a couple of nights before we all flew to Dublin. This included a stop in Inverness for lunch as we finally left the majestic coastline and sea that had been our constant companion for the past week or so.

It’s a site that’s admired by most,

And its one about which locals boast,

With its cliff-sides and canyon, the sea, our companion,

It’s the majestic Scottish North Coast.

More photos from the trip can be found in this album:

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