Campervanning in the Highlands of Scotland

Intro,
The initial spark that prompted our trip to the Highlands of Scotland came to life upon my return journey from a week of Winter Canoeing on Loch Shiel and Loch Lomond January 2012.
I felt I had to introduce my wife Mandy to that part of the world to which she was in full agreement. Being a recent converts from caravan to VW Campervan we also had the perfect vehicle to go in.
In April of the same year Mandy asked what the weather was like in Scotland in March as she had a week off then, “cold” says I.
“We’d better get a heater fitted then hadn’t you” came her response.
A nice new pukka “blow air heater” was acquired and fitted.

The Plan,
Our plan as such was to “wild camp” (or free camp call it what you will) for some of the week with a couple of nights at a “proper” campsite (mainly for the use of the showers) we were planning to explore the areas by both foot and kayak.
Whilst we were “wild camping” we would be as self sufficient as we could.
We planned to drive straight up north on Friday morning with a short break every 100 miles or so until we reached camp one which was just outside Glenfinnan deep in the Scottish Highlands.
The food menu was to be a roughly planned affair as was the route, it had to be a rough plan as the great Scottish weather would dictate to us via the conditions and we would just bend and shape the plan to suit.
I resisted the temptation to look at the forecast until the last few days, it didn’t look favourable.
BUT we gambled on a ricochet and went for it.


Day 1, Friday 8th March.
We set off from our house in the Midlands at 07.38 (to be precise) with 394 miles ahead of us, the weather was a little grim, but we were on our micro adventure and nothing.....ok most things were not going to stop us.

Sat-Nav set

 Up and up we drove on the M6 until just shy of the Lake District where we pulled in at a service station for our first pit stop and our breakfast consisting of bacon butties washed down by strong coffee, all done in the van, such is camper van life. More driving more rain, throw some wind in the mix and you’ll get the gist of the journey. As we entered Scotland we encountered a strange tapping noise.....”The Wee man from Argyll had returned” (that’s part of another story.)

Welcome to Scotland

Also talking of strange noises the dashboard started to squeak annoyingly as we drove through Glasgow, but soon disappeared as we left.....strange?
We stopped for a late lunch on the banks of Loch Lomond, no rain now but boy was it windy, waves with white horses covered the expanse of the loch.

Lunch on the shores of Loch Lomand

With 303 miles under our belt we only had 91 miles left to drive. But these 91 miles were of spectacular scenery, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, the lonely and windswept Rannoch Moor, the majestic Glencoe.

Glencoe

And not quite finally the mighty sea Loch Leven which at its edge sits the frontier town of Fort William, the biggest town in the area.
Upon our arrival at camp one which being a secluded and sheltered shale based car park set off the road next a crystal clear river, we made camp this was initially three notches on the hand brake twist the swivel seat around and Robert is my Uncle, we were set up. Ok it was a little more involved as I set my tarp up and unloaded my pyro kitchen, with this I made a camp fire chilli, oh yum yum. Just so you all know the fire was well contained in a small fire box mounted on a wire table a good foot off the ground, all eco friendly stuff y’know.

Camp 1

That night once we had cleaned up and stowed the pyro kitchen we retired to our comfy bed and slept like logs with just the sound of the river in the back ground.

Bliss.

Day 2, Saturday 9th March.

Today started bright and early (ish) sticking half heartedly to our plan of go to bed early and get up early, a bacon buttie each later we wrapped up warm against the strong and rather cold wind and set off on foot to Glenfinnan via a forestry road. This particular forestry road had a few signposted paths running off to viewing points that beckoned to us and boy they didn't disappoint, 360' of stunning views that sent the camera in a snapshot frenzy.

Camp 1

Mandy in the hills

We followed the path up to the far eastern shore of Loch Shiel where the Glenfinnan monument stands; this monument was built on the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at the beginning of the Jacobite rising.
From here we sauntered over to gaze upon the viaduct made famous by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films however the mood was broken when a modern diesel locomotive chugged its way across.

Glenfinnan (Hogwarts Express) Viaduct

We returned to the van the same way, seeing the views from a different angle, still impressive and better than walking on the road.
A trip to Fort William was in order, after looking at a few whiskey shops and a multitude of outdoorsy shops we returned to camp one, there we cooked Haggis Neeps and Tatties washed down with a wee dram of whisky.

Haggis neeps and tatties, washed down with a little malt

As the day drew to a close and the darkness came we set up the bed to watch a film.......and fell asleep ten minutes into it.


Day 3, Sunday 10th March.

The sun had rose into a cloudless blue sky when we awoke, breakfast was cooked in sunshine with the trusty Trangia, after a quick "pack-away" checking to be sure we left the campsite in a better condition than we found it we set off towards camp two.

Sun up on a glorious day

We travelled along roads which reduced to single track splattered with"passing places" again 360' views, the camera working overtime clicking away at mountain ranges and lochs both inland and sea.

view stop

Camp two was again a quiet carpark next to a village hall (I think it is a village hall) on the shore of Loch Moidart within sight of Castle Tioram (pronounced "Cheerum") the castle is closed now as it is in need of some TLC but at low tide the "island" it is built on is accessible by foot, so we did.

Castle Tiorum

Whilst we were "out and about" we walked up to where the river Shiel joins the sea. As a paddler I was keen to see this as Google earth shows a rapid and I wanted to see it in 3D, just for curiosity y'know.

where the River Shiel meets the sea

From here we sauntered walked back to the castle from there we went in search of a path that according to the map ran along the cliff following the sea Loch shoreline, the path was marked on the map but not visible by eye. Unconvinced that a path even existed we walked to the the cliff and as if by magic the path materialised in front of us. Now this path was not the the run of the mill style path and I am sure if there is a European standard for foot paths this one would not meet it, the the path in question was a roller coaster ride of a path.

The silver walk

The rugged path ran along the sea loch heading in land, small flurries of snow came and went as we walked in the Tolkienesque landscape.

going up

You have to admit, stunning!

 It was along this path that we saw our first real wild life encounter of the week, an eagle riding the thermals that we guessed was scouting for supper. Talking of supper our stomachs made us aware of the time, the path we were on was a circular one and the latter half was a wild trek through mountainous style terrain, not what we were happy to do in the dark. So common sense prevailed and we U turned and walked back to the van.
Suffice to say we were plumb tuckered, another early night was on the cards, although again we did try to watch a film on the tablet but heavy eyelids won the fight and soon enough we were both in the land of nod.

Day 4, Monday 11th March.

It must have been a cold night as we woke to find a layer of ice on the inside of the windows, but after we scraped it away we saw blue sky and sunshine, a quick recce of the surrounding area told us that the wind had dropped. From that moment we both knew what was the days agenda, boating.
Breakfast was cooked and eaten in record time as was the obligatory coffee intake, kayaks were unloaded and warm kit was dug out.

Ice inside the van

The GPS was set, the laminated map was held under the bungies, snacks galore were stashed,we set off on our little adventure. As we had explored by foot in land we set off towards the mouth of Loch Moidart.
The off the hoof plan to the paddle was to hug the "northern" shore of the loch on the way out and the "southern"shore upon our return. As we paddled along we were constantly dipping into small inlets and marveling at how clear the water was again adding to the already 360' views, it was like one big clear rock pool.

Ideal kayaking 

Every now and then we saw isolated cottages hidden away from civilization; taking turns saying the famous Lloyd Grossman quote "who lives in a place like this?”

One large rock pool

 Another sea eagle was spotted over the mountains as we approached the mouth of the loch, but even that sight was bested by the pristine white beach on the far eastern shore of an island called Invermoidart, here we landed. The only footprints on the sand were ours left there as we explored this little area of paradise.

Foot prints in the sand

 Looking in land we saw mountains that lie in the Loch Shiel estate and Ardnamurchan, looking out to sea we saw the isles of Muck, Eigg and Rum. Although the wind wasn't particularly strong it was rather cold so before we cooled down to much we climbed into the cockpits of our kayaks donned our gloves, adjusted our headgear and started to paddle back, this time on the southern shore popping into a bay at Newton of Ardtoe. We approached one of the many islands in the Loch when we saw a "flock? A herd? A school?" I don't know what but we saw a few seal sunning themselves in the sun and sheltering from the wind. Marvellous.
By now we were reaching the shore, but due to the tide being out and the water not being deep I had to drag the boats across the exposed sand for at least a quarter of a mile, my back was aching like Billy'O.

The (too long) drag

Once a shore and by the van in true Canoe Camping Club style a drying line was set up between two trees.

Kit drying

Not wanting to waste the weather we went for yet another stroll before we cooked and ate tea then watched the sun set in glorious technicolour.

Tea on the beach

Again we tried to watch a film to no avail, the fresh air and exercise soon had us asleep.

Day 5, Tuesday 12th March.

We awoke to yet another glorious day. After breakfast we set off to Acharacle, not before checking to make sure we left the site the same if not better than when we arrived. A quick walk around and a visit to the shop for some milk etc then a short drive to a slipway into Loch Shiel. The wind was now blowing a little too much and with darkening clouds we decided that we weren't going to paddle on the Loch today.
Off we trundled, heading towards camp three. However we chanced across a small road leading down to Loch Shiel, a small hamlet of farms called Dalelia, we pulled up to a farm where they were off loading a lorry using a telehandler machine. We were in no hurry so we patiently sat there until they had finished and moved out of the road. With smiles they waved us on our way. At near enough the end of the single track lane there was (and still is) a small boat house and slip way. It was here we decided due to an improvement in weather that yes, we would paddle Loch Shiel today. We consequently parked up the campervan in the most unobtrusive way possible and readied ourselves and the kayaks.


Out on the Loch it was how I remembered it, albeit a bit warmer and whilst sitting in the boat a lot drier too. Again without wanting to repeat myself, the surrounding area could only be described as stunningly dramatic. Every now and then we had a smattering of rain, not too much mind. We paddled past "Burial Island" as we ventured further into the Loch hoping to see some wild life.

Kayaking on Loch Sheil

Unfortunately we didn't, but something on the shoreline did. It was a blob of colour that was alien to its surroundings, a blott on the landscape so to speak, investigate it we must. It turned out to be an animal feed bag, empty of course, it must have been blown there by the strong wind that sometimes rips along this wild Highland Loch. I stashed the offending bag in my rear hatch for later disposal. We then just sat there and gazed upon the landscape that surrounded us and ate snacks.
We were cooling down so it was back on the water for us. We paddled our way to "burial island" this place just has to rank as the most spookiest place l have ever visited.

Kayaks on the shore, Burial Island

Spooky....

Set near enough in the middle of the island and surrounded by grave stones so old the inscriptions have been worn away by the weather,here lies the remains of a chapel complete with an alter. On top of the alter lies a bewitched 200 year old seamless bell and a half burnt candle.

Be-witched bell and half burnt candle.....spooky

We quickly explored the island not wanting to out live our "welcome" and very soon we were heading back to the slipway and the van paddling hugging the coast watching the crystal clear water turn inky black as the depth plummeted.

Hitting the road again we trundled to, along and past the most inland part of Loch Moidart, skirting the Moidart range of mountains and headed towards camp three. On google earth this one looked the most stunning, a "parking area " on the shore of Loch Ailort.

Camp 3, over looking Loch Moidart

Upon arrival we found discarded disposable bbq's and some litter, not good nor was the traffic one vehicle every twenty minutes or so. A busy place indeed!

Day 6, Wednesday 13th March.

We woke early to escape the maelstrom of activity that was camp 3, after a quick breakfast we headed north, our destination was Sunnyside Croft. A commercial campsite located on the shore on the Sound of Arisaig. Once again the journey was peppered with stunning views, but haste was the order of the day as a shower beckoned, wet wipes and sneaky flannel washes were ok.....sort of but a shower......a real one with hot water, the website of the camp site showed lovely clean facilities, but like everything else it could have been hyped up......It wasn't.
We had a nice guided tour of the facilities and of the site by.......,she also said we could drop the kayaks off by the beach (which was just past their house)
In a blinding flash,we had the kayaks off the van with the canopy/tarp up electricity plugged in and was soon dashing to the showers. The spotlessly clean showers were awesome.

Camp 4

Feeling nice an refreshed we looked upwards at the blue sky then at each other in mutual agreement we donned our kayaking gear and marched over to the kayaks.
Without trying to repeat myself......again. We "bimbled" around the bays, not straying too far but not needing to either as the coastline didn't disappoint in any way. The coast was "littered" with rocky out crops and coves all beckoning to be explored.

Stunning coast line

This we did, in hope to see the resident sea otters.
Unfortunately we didn’t, nor did we see any fish, not surprising really as the water was crystal clear and they would have seen us from a mile away, the fishing gear stayed put.
We weren't disappointed though as the views were once again stunning, then once satisfied that we had explored the the bay we paddled back to the campsite and to our tea, which we ate in the sunshine and then the glorious sunset.

Sun set 

Day 7, Thursday 14th March.

Our penultimate day.
The weather theme continued all be it with some wind, wind strong enough to put off kayaking, a lazy morning was had followed by a walk and an exploration of the bay. It was nice to walk the coves and rock formations that we had paddled the previous day. We were mindful of the tide coming in and trapping us so as we explored we were always on the look out for a Plan B as a swim or even a wade out would mean braving the clear but bitterly cold water.

the Sound of Arisaig

The rugged coast line was broken up with soft white sand with patches of sun bleached coral that crunched under foot, the cold wind adding to the effect of us being somewhere wild and untamed, which to be fair we were. Strolling along gave us yet another perspective of the now expected glorious views.
We were now winding down so we had just ambled around the bay, a lazy day really. A sea eagle was circling above as we walked into the campsite.

Sea Eagle

That evening we had planned to go for a meal at the local hotel, the weather tried in vain to scupper our plans with heavy and cold rain. As we are made of sterner stuff coupled with the promise of some ale we braved the near horizontal rain we made our way to the bar for our one and only meal out.

Day 8, Friday 15th March.

This day was our "travel home day" so I'll keep it short but suffice to say we were happy to go home as the weather had turned and we were missing our daughter. We set the sat nav for home and shared the four hundred and seventeen mile drive.

Our final view of  Sunnyside Croft Campsite

Now the one animal we expected to see was up there was up to then a no show, the animal in question was a deer. But before we hit Fort William Mandy spotted what she thought was a garden feature in someone's front garden, until the deer raised her head. Another box ticked.
That in essence was our first real camper van/ boating adventure, one of many more to come I have to add.
Cheers
Tim