No training wheels!

Linnea and Aaron bike with no training wheels on the green!
(Their friend Sophie along for moral support and photos taken by her eight year old sister, Olivia)

Camping in Scotland

The spring break, or mid-term break as they call it here, is two weeks long. We borrowed Meade's lab tech's small motor-home (for a very reasonable price) and headed north to the Highlands of Scotland, a place that we had been hoping to visit since moving to the UK.

First, we went up to the Lakes District in England, which is known for its excellent hiking and beauty. We camped near the village of Great Langdale, amongst rolling green hills, austere mountains (well, hills by US standards) and lots of sheep. We went on a little hike with Aaron and Linnea and, in route, ran into a sheep herder with his dogs herding about 50 sheep. The kids loved that!

We then headed north and camped along the shores of Loch Lomond. Within 5 minutes of arriving,  a friendly Scotsman approached and welcomed us.   An hour later, maps splayed over the picnic table, we had planned much of our journey with the help of his knowledge and experience. 

Driving further north and entering the Highlands, we were greeted by other-worldly, barren hills and valleys, almost like being on the moon. We camped at Glencoe, which is the climbing and backpacking center of the Highlands. We went on a great bike ride through the village and surrounding area. At our campsite, Linnea and Aaron met some nice Scottish friends, with whom they played and played and Aaron really turned up his British accent. Our friend, Kris Campbell, who is a teacher at Meade's school, happened to be nearby traveling through Scotland with his parents, and they joined us for dinner one night. 

Next, we went to the Isle of Skye, which is an island connected to the mainland via a bridge. It is a mystical, peaceful place. We drove around the island, stopping to visit  the Eilean Donan Castle, one of Scotland's most picturesque castles perched on its own island at the head of Loch Duich.  We ultimately camped at what I think is probably the most gorgeous, striking, and remote-feeling campsite I have ever visited. After driving along a narrow, curving road through barren hills, passing no signs of civilization for miles, the road ended in a lush, green little valley and a pristine beach, which was our campsite, called Glen Brittle. There, we spent our time hiking along the peninsulas and relaxing while enjoying the scenery. 

Leaving Glen Brittle, we drove all the way around the island, and on our way visited a croft house, which is a traditional Scottish farming house, where they would dig peat, which was used for most everything. We also stopped in the quaint as could be fishing village of Portree, and enjoyed what we deemed the 2^nd best fish and chips in the UK (in our usual ghetto style of eating outside in the doorway of a building, as it was raining).

We stopped along the road to hike up to a 164ft  high, potbellied pinnacle of crumbling basalt known as The Old Man of Storr.  Although we did not make it all the way there with the kids, the hike was unforgettable- bizarre rock formations and breathtaking scenery- the photos above sat more than I ever could.... Also on the Isle of Skye, we next camped at Sligachan, a little climber’s campsite in the middle of nowhere, near a hotel that had over 150 single malt whiskeys.

From there, we camped at Ullapool and visited the charming fishing village there. The drive from Ullapool to our next campsite, Scourie, which is on the northwest coast, was spectacular. A curving road through mountains, around every bend there was a serene white sand beach with deep blue water, the likes of which you might see in the Caribbean (though it would be much warmer!) The campsite overlooked Scourie Bay and the sunset was stunning.   

 Telephone booth in the middle of nowhere

Near Scourie, we visited Handa Island, which is a nature reserve. This was (for me) the highlight of the trip. We walked 4.5 miles around the island (Aaron and Linnea needing a bit of encouragement with potato chips) and saw many birds such as great skuas and guillemots, and, at the cliffs we were very privileged to see puffins!  

 

Our last northern campsite was Durness, on the far northwest corner of Scotland. Our campsite was on the cliffs overlooking the North Sea. While there, we went on a bike ride and saw some mean-looking Highland Cattle.  From there, we visited Cape Wrath, which is the most northwesterly point of Britain.  We also visited Smoo cave, the largest opening of limestone cave in Britain.  We went on a tour led by an odd, scruffy Scottsman who later showed up in the pub next to the campground and bought us pints and told us colorful stories about his past.  

We then headed south, stopping to appreciate Loch Ness (no sights of the monster) and to visit the smallest distillery in Scotland, Edradour distillery.  We camped in the Yorkshire Dales on the way home, where we released the kids' butterflies from school, which miraculously finally came out of their cocoons.  We were very lucky with the weather, it was actually warm (in the 60s) with minimal rain and it was too early for the midges, a fantastic trip overall.

Cornwall

As I am sure we have mentioned, we have incredible neighbors, especially the Bennetts, who live directly across from us on our little road, Northcroft Villas. They have 4 daughters, Alice, who is 17, Lucy, 13, Olivia, 8 and Sophie, 5.   They are  wonderful girls. Aaron and Linnea play endlessly with Sophie and Olivia, particularly outside on the road riding bikes and scooters or playing in the "schoolhouse" in our back garden (which was previously an office).  We have become good friends with them, and they invited us to accompany them on their spring trip to Cornwall, where Caroline's parents have a holiday home.

The house is a converted barn house, and is one of four huge stone and brick country cottages.  We spent our days playing on the beach and taking long walks.  We bought some local crab and Meade made crab cakes.  We also visited the local country pub, which was surrounded by cow pastures.  It was quaint as could be with its low ceilings, little doors, and ancient walls.   Overall, we relaxed, ate great food (Caroline is a fabulous cook) and enjoyed being together.