On the Road Again!

Our last full day in the Highlands started off pretty much like many of the other days. Breakfast and then we set off for a day of sightseeing, with no great plans. Just after leaving the glamping we took the left turn on to the A833 heading towards Beauly. Beauly is a small town to the north of Inverness. I found a parking place in the centre and we took Reggie across to a small cafe - The Corner on the Square. Most of our tourist trips involve starting with a coffee whilst we think of where we are going next. Of course we sat outside in what was a rarity on this trip - the sun. In Beauly just along the high street is the ruins of an old Priory . We had a walk over there and then down to the river, or as close as we could get to it. It was mostly fenced, so once again no paddling for Reggie. Once we had exhausted the high spots of the town we set off towards Inverness.  Whilst we were here I thought it a good idea to visit my Mum rather than leave it to the n...

It's two years since my brother Neill and I had the whistle stop trip to Scotland to take our Mum's ashes to their final resting place near Aviemore. It's even longer since the bike club's "indoor camping weekends" came to a halt. Every year for four or five I organised a trip up to Scotland for the SOC and we stayed in youth hostels and student rooms where colleges were closed for the summer. So this year we are going back, but in the car. Claire will be the co-pilot and front seat the back seat driver will be Reggie. The plan is to get away after work and get part way on the road, at least get around London so we can have a clearer run on the Friday morning.  I have planned a second stop near Carlisle. Hopefully the route will take us near some part of Hadrian's Wall as we cut across from the east coast and the A1 to the M6/A6.  And then into Scotland near Gretna. We have two overnights in Glencoe and three near L...

The trip to Scotland has been the subject of a couple of other blogs. The one I shared with my brother, " The Ashes Tour ", and of course my own " On the Road Again ". Dora  covered 1370 miles over the five days. I know this as I set "Trip 2" to zero before I set off from home and had a flick through the onboard computer when I got home. Fuel consumption was always over 50mpg and hit an amazing high of

And so day 3 began. When we got up for breakfast the weather looked bright and the sky was blue. By the time breakfast was finished it looked dodgy but dry and we knew rain was going to feature somehow. It did. The Perth petrol stop showed Döra was keeping above 50mpg despite the higher speeds although these were tempered with some country lanes across the country. The figure was 53.78 mpg. As we slogged up the A9 towards Aviemore it looked darker and then sunny but in the roadworks before Dalwhinnie we were in waterproofs and that was pretty much it for the day. We arrived at Loch an Eilean slightly differently by TomTom to the mapped idea! We told the steward what we had come to do and he was most helpful. But first a chance to spot one of the rare red squirrels. Until relatively recently our only squirrel until some fool brought grey squirrels from Canada and let them loose. Now the red is found in a few pockets in England and of course in Scotland. A...

Day 1 of the Ashes Tour was the run from Kent to Manchester. Not too bad but in places pretty unexplainable traffic stops whist still on a three lane motorway. Pressure of traffic? Day 2 saw us set off for real visiting places from Mum's past, where she lived as a child and where we lived as a small family, and the football club that dad and me used to go to most weeks. Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic The route north took us by Hollingworth Lake where we used to go on the bus to have a day out. Things were more simple in those days!! Then to places I've never been, like the Ribblehead Viaduct. A piece if Victorian engineering to cross a long wide valley. Ribblehead Viaduct Ribblehead Viaduct Then across some lovely roads through  the north of England stopping at piece of Hadrian's Wall and then the border at Carter Bar. Dora at Carter Bar Carter Bar The Beig Inn hotel in Glenfarg is really nic...

Only 2 days until we sleep for the last night and then set off on The Ashes Tour . The blog covers a one off trip to Bonnie Scotland to sprinkle our Mum's ashes near the place she thought was her family (Clan Shaw) ancestral home at Loch an Eilean near Aviemore in the Highlands. Come and have a look every so often and see our progress.