Scotland, here we come. (Via The Lakes and The Wall)

Ullswater in The Lakes

Scotland in our campervan didn’t go quite as planned. The first trip now that lockdown is over seemed very exciting. We had planned to travel to the Isle of Mull with stops on the way. We were travelling with my sister and her husband. They have a larger Motorhome, loads of room to store our copious quantities of wine. I had never been to The Lakes, so we planned a one night stop on the southern end of Ullswater. The campsite was small and just up the hill from Glenridding. Glenside charged £20/night, they have clean showers and toilets but no Alson facilities. There is a 10-minute walk through the woods to get down to the village and the lake. A Lake Steamer cruises Lake Ullswater regularly, but you have to book a day in advance. Unfortunately, we didn’t know about this so missed the voyage, looked interesting though. A neat little pub halfway up the hill on route back to the campsite, curiously named The Travellers Rest, is perfect for a cold beer after a long walk.

**Ullswater, Travellers Rest and The Glenside Campsite**

Hadrians Wall and The Twice Brewed Inn

We moved on to Birdsowald Roman Fort on Hadrian’s wall. This a British Heritage site, and is well defined and well organised. There were some Archeologists on site while we were there, eager to show off their latest finds. If you’re interested in The Romans this is a great place to visit. Heritage members have free entry, otherwise, an £11 entry fee applies.
We stayed the night in the car park of The Twice Brewed Inn. This really needs a blog all of it’s own. I found out about it from a Facebook Group called UK Pub stopovers for motorhomes & campervans. The group discusses Pubs all over the country that offer cheap or free stopovers in return for drinking and eating in their bar/restaurant. Some have no toilet/shower facilities, but the Twice Brewed do. They charge £20/van and discount your dinner. They have extensive gardens, an observatory, a Pizza Bar, a Brewery, and of course a restaurant. To top that they are situated only a 5-minute walk from Hadrian’s wall. I would highly recommend this place. The evening menu is varied and the servings are ample. I chose from the Pizza menu and can honestly say it was the best Pizza outside NYC or Italy I have ever tasted.

Scotland, The Whistlefield Inn and Loch Ech

The next day on the way to Dunoon, Old Red broke down. We had to leave her in Lockerbie for repair, and travel on with my sister. We took a ferry from Gourock to Dunoon (expensive.£28 for a vehicle and £5/head) The countryside change on Argyll and Bute. It reminded me of The Alps without the snow, but with the added inconvenience of Midges. Our stopover this time was a lovely hotel called The Whistlefield Inn. The hotel overlooks Loch Eck and has a small private beach just a short walk from the grounds. There were very few guests and it got me thinking about The Overlook Hotel from Stephan Kings The Shining. I imagine being snowed in here during winter with Jack Nicholson wandering around with an axe!
Anyway, they charged £20/head to park overnight, no facilities, In return they refund up to £20/head if you have dinner with them. Dinner was very well presented but basic, it was fairly priced and we had dessert and coffee to enable us to get our full refund.

Loch Fyne and Oban

Onward to Oban, stopping at Loch Fyne Oyster Farm on route. I bought some of their smoked Salmon, Black Garlic Butter, Highland Blue Cheese, and a Crusty Loaf. A superb roadside lunch followed.
Oban is a lovely little port offering ferries across to Mull. This was our original plan, but as we were now travelling with others, we couldn’t go to Mull on this occasion. However we had picked up a picture map from somewhere and realised that there is so much to see on Argyll and Bute, we already knew we would be back. The town offers glorious beaches, shopping and of course The Oban Distillery. Fresh Scallops and Langoustine is available on the dockside. A pile of Langoustine and chips is £12
The campsite just outside Oban was very well organised with all the facilities required. Roseview caters for the whole range from Caravans through to tents, Midges not too bad. It’s a bit far out of Oban, the idea is a 45-minute walk into town and a taxi back.

Crieff central Scotland

Our next stop in Scotland was Crieff to visit some friends. Within the commuter bet for Glasgow, Crieff is very upmarket and extremely expensive. The Hydro, a large hotel for sporting types is the backdrop of the town. There are some nice walks up The Knock, and the view from the top is spectacular. We went on a tour of the Glenturret Distillery for £11, very interesting. This used to be Famous Grouse territory, now, unfortunately, it is owned by the French/Swiss fashion company Leclerc. They have been sympathetic to the traditions though and have improved the marketing concept of the organisation.

Homeward Bound

On route home, we picked up old Red and stayed at Hoddom Hall Campsite near Annan. A very large family orientated site with full facilities. The castle is closed and doesn’t look safe enough to open anytime soon. There is a pub and restaurant on site along with a small shop. There is a nice river walk, a nine-hole Golf Course and Organised Fishing. That’s about it really, good stopover campsite.