A long wet drive

A long wet drive

We left Tickhill, after a very pleasant few days with my sister, at 10am and headed out on to A1. The photo above was taken yesterday when the sun was shining. It is not shining this morning but not actually raining. That did not start until midday some where around St. Neots and by the time we got to Lidl at Letchworth it was pouring down. This stop was planned as we wanted to stock up on a few last

MQS House and long day to Tickhill

MQS House and long day to Tickhill

Before it got too dark last night we went for a little walk around the town. I had glimpsed the old bridge from the main road and wanted to investigate so we wandered down there and it was gorgeous, really narrow (too narrow to take a modern vehicle) and we walked across and then got a good photo from the far side. On our way back around the old town we found the MQS House and found that it would

Craigmillar Castle and on to Jedburgh

Craigmillar Castle and on to Jedburgh

We had quite a lie in this morning and did not have breakfast until well after 9am. It was a lovely sunny morning and the loch and hills beyond looked beautiful. We rolled away from Kinross at 10:30 back on to the M90 heading south. First stop today was Craigmillar Castle in the southern outskirts of Edinburgh. We had tried to visit here last year but an active police incident involving an armed woman(!) had closed the site! This time

Perth and geese

Kirkgate Park, Kinross

After a busy day in Perth we had a complete change of scene this evening by driving the 18miles from Perth to Loch Leven. We had a good night last night at the Park & Ride. We chose a flattish place at the far end of the carpark guessing that most people would be coming and going at the other end. We were aware of some activity around us but nothing serious and it went quiet after about 10pm (well

On the road South

On the road South

A late start but on our way at last We have planned this trip almost since we bought Bertie in 2015. Some how we never quite managed to get away. There was always a reason we could not devote as much time as we wanted to or there was something else that needed our time and attention. However at 3pm this afternoon we had said all our goodbyes, we had checked over the house several times, we had crammed supplies

Snow in the Cheviots

Snow in the Cheviots

We left Prestonpans at 10:15 under a glowering sky with a strong wind buffetted Bertie. The plan to day is to visit various border castles with a stopover at a cafe near Lindisfarne in Northumbria. First stop was at Hailes Castle beside the River Tyne (not The Tyne as in Newcastle but another, Scottish River Tyne!). We had seen the sign for this castle several times as we drove along the A1 over the years. This time we wanted to

Tomnaverie and home

Tomnaverie and home

Last lap! However our few days around the coast had failed to prepare us for the reality of February in mountains of Aberdeenshire away from the warmth of the sea! There was some frost and ice around at Crathes but there was more snow and more ice as we drove inland. The car park at Tomnaverie was quite icy and half of it was still covered in polished ice. The path up to the circle was clear and easy to

Crathes and Tomnaverie

Crathes and Tomnaverie

We bumbled gently down the coast from Cruden Bay toward Aberdeen. I had earmarked a large layby beside the Ythan estuary that should have given access to the neighbouring Forvie National Nature Reserve for a walk. We were once again well cross to find that this car park now had a height limit closing off to us GRRRR! Nowhere else handy to park so we pressed on through the middle of Aberdeen looking for the Morrisons store and fuel station

Spey Bay and Banff

Spey Bay and Banff

Bertie has been a bit quiet over the winter and we reckoned the weather had improved enough to let us venture out on a short trip. In March 20127 we had bumbled the coast to Fraserburgh and back but this time we wanted to to a bit further and explore the coast north of Aberdeen. We left Forres at midday, fuelled at Elgin Tesco and then headed for a lunch stop at Kingston at the mouth of the River Spey.