We just got back from our trip to West Scotland, one of our best trips in the Beach so far... Ill update with some pictures as I go and maybe add more thoughts as I digest the experience.
12 days, 1443 miles in total.
Longest drive in one day - 6h 14m - 222mi
Equipment list
3 seat Beach
Webasto Diesel Heater 2000STC used a lot
VW Roof Bars used a lot
Autobox - large roof box used a lot
Outdoor Rev Tailgate awning. Used a little
Fiamma F45s wind out awning. Used a lot
Fiamma Light Bar (fits into awning) - simply didnt use this.
Slidepod, fully loaded - used a lot
Cadac Safari Chef 2 used a lot
Omnia Stove used once
50w fold away solar panel used a little
2 (usually soggy) spaniels - had a ball
Highlights and must see places for us.
*** the forum gave us a massive wealth of knowledge and research, a map as a starting point was invaluable, we used it to aim for places without firm plans. Scotland the Great gave us extra info on those locations.
***Applecross and applecross pass, amazing views and driving experience, a few numpties but overall amazing! Got overtook by a Cali here although I had flashed for another vehicle to come through it was not very well timed. A large white motorhome also got stuck on the hair pins which was hairy. The site was nice, the pub was lovely but heaving and fully booked. We ate outside under a canopy with fish and chips chatting to an American couple as the darkness came in.
***We spent a night in the Glenelg Inn to catch the ferry to Sky the next day, amazing food, whiskey and open fire. Sadly the ferry was closed and we drove to the bridge instead but a memorable night and a nice change to have a proper room (dog surcharge).
***Arisaig - great site (Sunnyside), wonderful but quite remote. We baked bread on our omnia stove looking out over the sea, a memorable and peaceful time.
***Glencoe and surrounding drives were stunning, I never felt so strongly about being in another place (and maybe a time) as I did here on our way home. It really felt alien and awe inspiring in places. We want to see more of this area.
***Glen Etive (Skyfall road and used in Outlander apparently) stunning views and drive. Nothing to do there other than drive and enjoy the views though.
***Sligichan (on Skye) great walk, nice food at the dog friendly restaurant (in fact most were dog friendly if you asked). We went back for lunch the next day on the way out of Skye.
***Red Squirrel Campsite, mainly it's location for walks and the Boot Bar at the Clachaig inn, great food and atmosphere. We had a great spot on the site next to the river with no neighbours. Overslept that night.
Lowlights:
*The weather, it rained a lot but we soon adapted (decent waterproof clothing) and realised it would regularly change back. Once we embraced it we started to enjoy our time more.
*We tried to camp on Loch Lomond but most of the places we found were tents only and the website wouldn't work with my iphone so we never managed to get a permit.
*Loch Ness, we had a brief visit here and sadly it was a little tacky (as we expected).
*"Oban" camping and caravan club site, great staff nice facilities but like most C&CC sites they aren't anywhere near the places they claim to be. This one was easily 12 miles from Oban. The Creagan Inn nearby was fabulous and recommended if you end up here. The forest walk (we did the red route) was pretty great though if soggy. We stayed two nights because we were so tired from the miles but maybe we should have moved on sooner.
Skye was one of our major goals and sadly a bit underwhelming for us. The limited campsites were sparse affairs, exposed to the weather and more like aires than campsites. The Sligachan for food and a walk into the hills was absolutely superb (we went twice) and the walk from there was a highlight above. If we went again we would stop at the Sligachan and not bother with the rest of Skye. Important to be properly equipped here the weather can change in moments and did several times on our walk.
Equipment and Challenges of 2 weeks in a Beach.
*The internet was only really available on the main A roads and worked great but as soon as you ventured off, you were offline. This was part of the joy of being away from the modern world but it made researching and finding new sites a bit difficult. If you rely on data for your satnav you will get stuck sometimes, get an app that has downloaded maps to be sure.
*We had Scotland the Great, a brilliant book that filled the gaps and gave us places to see and things to do. The writer is a bit anti campervan and constantly whinged about them throughout which was irritating but hey the books good non the less.
*The rain, it rained, a lot. The hardest part with two dogs was drying things out, towels and such for drying the dogs. There was always something wet. Drying boots and shoes was a real challenge, as was our soggy spaniels.
*The roof box was a good way of keeping things outside the van when travelling but it restricted popping the roof and meant we had to carry a step ladder. It had our awning, our safari chef, and gas bottle in there but that was pretty much the weight limit of 50kg right there. It had to be emptied entirely to get the roof up fully. Even then it wasn't fully tight. This often meant our awning if not pitched was outside it had to go under the van or near it. We liked the roof box but are pondering a smaller one for future. Lesson learned it needs to be central to prevent the roof from sagging. Step ladder lived under the van and doubled as a handy towel dryer.
*Tailgate Awning - we used it twice (at Arisaig and Oban). It rained a lot and getting it dry was therefore difficult, ironically when raining we needed it the but we were more reluctant to pitch it because it would potentially be damp for days and start to smell. The couple times we stayed a few days in a place (arisaig) it was great and the Outdoor Rev dried surprisingly quickly when we had a dry spell.
*Laundry for 2 weeks plus wet weather = smelly van. Near the end the laundry moved into the roof box and the awning and cadac into the van.
*Solar panel
Worked a treat and by turning it through the day we maximised our battery charging on the long stays, we got between 1 and 2.5amps during the partially cloudy days. Most of the time with travelling each day we simply didnt need it, and the weather wasn't very supportive of solar most of the time. Even so the battery was pretty much full all the time. I am tempted to get a 100w panel semi flexible that can go under the mattress topper on the multiflex for when required whilst taking up less space in the cab. I'm convinced that being able to move the panel is pretty crucial for me, even a partial shadow on a panel can reduce its output by 40%, so having it on a long cable and being able ot place it in the sun at the correct angle ensures good output.
We are planning another trip, one where we will stay in places for longer and visit those we really loved on this trip.
