Durness it is, decision made

David most of us are not easily offended as know most comments are meant tongue in cheek
I have to say that you are probably braver than most scots Motorhomes at this time of year
Have enjoyed your posts, just a real shame that you have not seen the Northern Lights and that you are not coming down to Lossiemouth
Hopefully meet you sometime in the future
 
camocam1 said:
David most of us are not easily offended as know most comments are meant tongue in cheek
I have to say that you are probably braver than most scots Motorhomes at this time of year
Have enjoyed your posts, just a real shame that you have not seen the Northern Lights and that you are not coming down to Lossiemouth
Hopefully meet you sometime in the future
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Thanks, I am moving on tomorrow, really don't fancy off grid with the weather and the temperatures we have and forecast for next couple of days, so

Grantown for a couple or three days, then look at options, still fancy Lossiemouth, when I am already so far from home it is not that far out of my way still to go that way, might even go home via Aberdeen to avoid the A9, just been looking at the traffic cameras, looks pretty serious there tonight, but it might be the norm for here, it is not even mentioned on the travel Scotland page
 
I can't say I blame you off grid not good in this weather
It's been snowing all day in Elgin and temp at the moment is -2 and I have the heating on in the MH on the drive as can't be bothered draining down as I may decide to head off anytime
Whatever you decide keep safe but little or no sites open down the East Coast
I'm at home till certainly next Thurs / Fri then weather permitting heading off ( who knows where) so if you do decide to go via Lossie would be good to meet up if it's possible.
 
That could be a plan David..... Grantown, Lossie and then us. I'll pm you.

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Morning all, hopefully my only crisis today has just happened and if all crises are this easily resolved it will be a good day, I have run out of milk and shop is still shut. I have got into a little routine, three cups of coffee then get dressed, but only got enough milk for 2 cups

Wind here had virtually stopped, but just having a bit of a blow again now to see me off,


Route today is starting back the way I came in on the A838, then head off to Lairg on the same road, then down to Dornoch, Google maps are trying to take me across the corner when I get down there, bit too hilly for today I think, so will head down to the A9 and stick to main roads

No try as I might I still cant copy this link into a picture, sorry Andy and Jim for not getting it earlier, my half excuse is I have a new laptop with windows 8, it even has a tablet type screen so one half is trying to be an iPad the rest is sort of normal, and I am for too old to cope with such change

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/I...5ef344b056e4a!2m2!1d-4.747103!2d58.568414!3e0

This route only takes me down to Inverness, then I plan to use the A9 south and turn off to Grantown, 2 options for that, will wait and see how good the roads look when I get there, the traffic cameras show there is quite a lot of snow even on the A9

That's more or less it for a few hours
 
Last update, it is 8:00 and still pitch dark (oh and snowing)

Good news, ,managed to squeeze three cups of coffee out of the last of the milk, then went for last wee and toilet buzzer came on, so not the end of the world as I was going to empty it anyway, but now have to do it here rather than Grantown, but now in the dark and snow

Just about to start engine, always a nervy moment, since flat battery issues, even on EHU I still fear the worst, but inverter is now banned

I have managed to wake Lola and had a morning chat with her, but twice I have opened the door to take her out and twice she has refused, putting my coat on now to do EHU removal etc so she is looking more interested at least

Was going to take my chance on starting engine with EHU connected, not really sure what risk that is and have done it before by mistake, the controller does yet another of its warning beeps to warn / remind me and even tells me on screen 'mains still connected' not that I can see that from my drivers seat. Anyway, didn't take that chance, un hooked and started first time (of course) I always knew it would, why would it save its self for such an isolated location before letting me down (again)

Bye for now, light enough to empty loo, not really light enough to set off yet and nowhere near light enough to take any photos, so will have to wait!! (y)
 
Thanks for further update David, Dornoch is nice and hopefully road south will be ok

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Take care, safe driving, looking forward to the next bit(y)
 
:):):):)
well that was easier than it could have been, there are so few roads up here that all appear to be pretty well maintained gritting wise, they also seem to use a n ice fine salt rather than the grit we get, seems to do the job, I have seen a few gritters go by while I have been on the camp site and another comes in just as I leave, would maybe have preferred to follow it out my way, but of we go

In my mind the road into Durness that I am now taking to get back out again did have at least one quite long but fairly gradual hill, but it comes up pretty early on so get it out of the way pretty quickly, in my mind though I am thinking for every up there really must be a down

Going up wasn't so bad, I must say that although the road was pretty much dead level left to right it felt as though it had a 45 degree camber and always aiming me at the worst option, ditch, drop etc,


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The light isn't brilliant, but this gives you an idea, at first the thought of a single track road with passing places doesn't sound ideal, but in reality I only saw the gritter and a postman in the first 30 miles, so everything is using the same tracks, which works really well, there is no option to squeeze past you have to use a passing place, so really all works well

Anyway, I get to the top of the hill, noticing that the snow really does get deeper the higher we go even if we have only climbed maybe 500 feet or so, then the downhill, nowhere near as bad as I thought and by the time we drop quite a bit the road is 2 lanes wide and not as much snow

In my mind I thought the junction back to Lairg was more or less at sea level, I don't think it can be, we didn't seem to go down anywhere near as much as we had gone up. So commit to Lairg, road has a bit more snow on it and we are now heading inland, but no obvious gradients that I can recall

Huh, there might not be any slopes when it is sunny and summer, add a bit of snow to the mix and then try it, luckily the slopes were short and only slightly sharp

I am seriously impressed with our Mercedes, the only time the wheel span were emerging from a passing place on an uphill gradient, I had hoped white van man would have gone into it facing downhill but he was having none of it, but we came out just fine, I let a few pass me, they were happier than me to go faster and I was not on the clock, in reality I think they only caught me up because they wanted pass, once round they did more or less the same speed as me. It might have been they wanted to follow my tracks and hadn't banked on me stopping to let them pass

An uneventful 30 odd miles later we get to Lairg, it is snowing harder here but the roads are clear

Tom Tom and Google wanted me to take a short cut over the hills just after Bonar Bridge, I was pretty much committed to the long way round anyway, but the snow gates were shut anyway, so decision finally made for me

Rest of journey uneventful, beautiful day once I reached Dornoch, but getting colder, down to 0C on cab temp gauge, stopped in Inverness to refuel, a perfect tank full, light came on as I came over the Kessock bridge at Inverness

Some serious snow on A9 south of Inverness, but well cleared, at least down to one lane each, dual carriageways a nervy overtake for those that dared, including a Jag that had dared too fast and had cleared the barrier and was neatly parked on the verge facing the wrong way with plod having a chat with him

Very pretty though

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and now I am back at Grantown, a couple of inches of snow here and a bit more forecast tonight and already very cold

I have a couple more photos taking on the journey over I will see if they are worth posting and if they are put them on later, not quite in photo of the day territory today though, but I am enjoying blue sky and no wind :):)


edit - just for clarity, the roads in the photos are A roads, not some random country lanes I took as short cuts (y)
 
DavidG58 said:
still fancy Lossiemouth
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Lossiemouth when the sun shines is a delight and there is a campsite within walking distance along the shore. The highlight is steal pie at the Stotfield Hotel, arguably the best seat pie in Scotland. And you get free air shows if they haven't closed it by now.

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fantastic report David, brilliant pictures again, thank you! I love it when the landscape's all black & white & sepia
did Lola go out in the end or does she still have her legs crossed?
 
Hildweller
Jets still flying so yea free air show but not sure which campsite you are thinking about but don't think any open at this time of year
 
camocam1 said:
Hildweller
Jets still flying so yea free air show but not sure which campsite you are thinking about but don't think any open at this time of year
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Is it Silver Sands ? When I working up there Mar 2011 it was all doom and gloom, "Save Lossiemouth". Site was open then but I was almost on my own.
 
Providing the temperature gets up and stays around 0C I will give Lossiemouth a go on my way home, behind the pub sounds useful, but I have more or less taken the pledge since New Years day, decided not to drink on my own, and ideally only when out, so being away on my own have had nothing, only had a small lager in MH since leaving 10 days ago and not been out

So if I go to Lossiemouth and use the pub option, it will be out at least, so having a drink will be OK

Do you see the dolphins in the estuary? I have been to Chanonry point a few times and seen them there, it can't be so far away across the water I would think

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2648205

Forecast for next week looks fairly friendly, particularly after the weekend and certainly compared to the winds of the last 10 days, just looks seriously cold
 
Not the same kind of views I have had for the past few days, but this is the northern edge of the Cairngorms as I can see them from the camp site. It is not easy to photograph white hills, but they looked lovely with the sun setting just now, more so that the photo shows

edit - look more like sand dunes than mountains

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Fantastic thread David, have read every word and scrutinized every Pic with great interest, thanks for sharing(y)
 
David you don't normally see the Dolphins off Lossiemouth unfortunately
If you are coming this way PM me and may mange to squeeze 2 MH's on my drive in Elgin and give you EHU etc
 
David, I have not met you but hope to one day. This thread together with your trip is fantastic, your sence of adventure is similar to mine although my wife would be very worried. Thank you so much for your photos and writings. Please keep them coming. Good luck on the rest of your journey. Hope to meet you sometime and shake your hand. (y)
 
Hi David, do you have snow chains on? Have you done anything extra to the van to enable a trip in the Scottish wilds?

I've really enjoyed your hols, from the comfort of my armchair by the fire. (y)
 
Hi David
I have really enjoyed your trip with all the updates. Durness looked really pretty and even warm looking at the photos with the sun shining. Must really try and go up there in the summer.
thanks Joyce

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Mousy said:
Hi David, do you have snow chains on? Have you done anything extra to the van to enable a trip in the Scottish wilds?

I've really enjoyed your hols, from the comfort of my armchair by the fire. (y)
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Evening Dawn, could do with your fire, or my own one for that matter, -2C here already, heating doing its best, but struggling at 20.5C, but thankfully no wind, I couldn't believe how many places the breeze comes in from over the past few nights

As for the tyres definitely no to snow chains, I don't think there would have been enough snow to justify, I think the trick was buying van tyres, the same as fitted to Sprinter vans that allow them to perform amazing manoeuvres, impossible for normal vehicles :D

In real answer, absolutely nothing, but I wouldn't have fancied it with front wheel drive today, but mainly because I haven't had a FWD car for years now, small amount of driver skill I like to think

Bit of luck, bit of skill, bit of nerve, bit of should have known better really, but I did watch the weather carefully and only moved when things were at least better than the day before or after

A lot of it down to keeping moving but only quickly enough, no more, a lot of the jams come when one vehicle fails to negotiate a hill, then everything behind it is stuck, well it would have taken an hour or so to have more than 5 waiting behind anybody who got stuck today, really remote, and not too many hills despite it being Scotland. :)

The longer I spend above Inverness the more I like it, but also the less I think I need to go to Norway, going to get to the Northern Isles as soon as I can, see what they are like, have done the Western Isles 5 times now, not finished there either, but ferries are so expensive
 
Cal54 said:
Take care, and sorry your efforts weren't rewarded with an arora sighting.
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This probably supersedes my statement about not needing to go to Norway, I do really want to see an Aurora, would be so disappointed to take a one off flight, or cruise for a few days and still not see one, but have heard that September is possibly one of the best months for sightings

So for that reason I still plan to get to Norway, maybe not this year now, but next, in September 16 hopefully, spend a few weeks driving up and back and hoping

and I am not home yet, Auroras do pop up quite regularly, just need to be in right place at right time

Oh, and stay awake, that would be just my luck.....
 
Unfortunately hotel gone down hill over the last few years but food is still good seems to be mainly just used by bus tours now
 
You may well see dolphins if you head to spey bay or portgordon .. I don't think it can be far away as Dad used to commute every day.

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