We spent the night next to Loch Venachar, a popular fishing spot.
…as you can see from this small private plaque.
It was a beautiful sunny day so went around the sculpture path in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.
What a bird.
Man in repose.
Eagle Pole by Rob Mulholland.
Before we drive further south, we went up Cow Hill to stretch our legs.
Kim trying his hand with a magic flute.
Gerhild went for a cheeky clarinet.
A tree harp?
Tree triangle.
Bongo drums.
After our walk, we set off for the Trossachs.
The road up from Glencoe as we drove south.
Parked in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest peak.
Today we set off early to the Fairy Glen https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/skye-places/fairy-glen
Good-sized hills for Gerhild.
Kim thinks it is underestimated, artistic sheep, not fairies, who are responsible for these curious bits of landscape.
Another gorgeous day for our last excursion on Skye.
A shady lady.
Today we went to look at Neist Point Lighthouse.
The single-track road to the lighthouse was full of passing places.
There it is, down there.
Some friendly Dutch folk snapped a picture.
You wouldn’t want to crash into that in a stormy night.
Nice day to laze about and read. Gerhild is reading Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout. Kim is reading A gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
Very colourful evening today.
Today we drove along a long single-track road to visit Portree.
The tide was out as we parked in Portree.
The houses around the harbour are colourful.
There is a coastal path https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/top-ten-skye-walks/scorrybreac
Ever dramatic landscape.
Interesting repurposing of an old church as a fish & chip shop. Heavenly grub.
We ate cullen skink soup for lunch (recipe).
https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/top-ten-skye-walks/coral-beach
Is this the beach? No not yet.
Yeah, the Atlantic!
Good hill for a picnic.
A comfy seat for Gerhild.
Delicious sandwiches.
Yoo hoo.
Dramatic view of Loch Vegan and you can even see the castle if you squint a bit.
Fish & chips in the evening from the “Codfather” at the site entrance.
Mid morning coffee after the rain had stopped.
Stroll up the hill to see the The Duirinish Stone, an ancient rock erected in 2000 to celebrate the millennium https://www.myhighlands.de/en/duirinish-stone-st-marys-church/.
The walk was supposed to be easy.
After that rain, wellies might have been a good idea.
Still, it was an attractive walk.
To Dunvegan Castle. Nothing vegetarian, it’s the home for the chieftains of the McCleod clan.
This guy has a very un-vegetarian sporran.
An otter-sporran!
It was a rainy drive westwards.
The famous Eileen Donan Castle.
Stop for a picnic while the weather is changing.
The view from our door at our campsite in Dunvegan. https://kinloch-campsite.co.uk/
I like the village post office. How to upcycle old postboxes. They are on strike, of course.
Nice old cemetery with a blue sky.
Our camp site from the distance.
What a location!
And, as the sun sets slowly in the west…
Scottish sheep.
Loch Ness quite free from monsters.
The waterfall at Invermoriston.
Scotland is a great place to find antiques like this, with a WORKING telephone!
Nice campsite which they are building here. We are the sole guests apart from a friendly man with a prosthetic foot and a small white “Scotty” dog. https://www.forestglen.co.uk/
To get to the Hermitage you walk through a fine forest.
Next to a rippling river.
Then you suddenly find Ossian’s Hall, whatever that is.
Go through the hall and you find the thunderous Black Linn Falls.
Inside there are artworks & poems. This one reads –
See all around you the story
Behind the telling’s veil
Hear the antlered river’s words
Narrating it’s roar of a tale
Kim tried the hermitage for size.
The trees look down from dizzying heights, quite aloof from it all.
We had a delicious picnic here with a long view down into the Tay valley.
Not really a long way down, but enough to make Kim nervous.
Did some more washing and waited for the sun to come out.
The sun came out after lunch.
So we crossed Telford’s Bridge.
Looked around Dunkeld.
Tasted some whisky and bought some.
And walked back beside the River Tay.
Quick stop in St. Andrews First. Then https://invermillfarm.com/
Today we went to an art exhibition on the beach
Free entry.
Sort of abstract organic, or what do you think?
Mixed media.
A fish in disguise.
A portrait.
Very flamboyant!
Not still life.
Another portrait.
But who are the artists?
Yep, that’s one of them.
Another ephemeral object.
Time to walk back for lunch.
http://www.andyscottsculptor.com
Kim & The Kelpies
Parked right next to Kingsbarns beach for £10/day Google location
One happy girl on the beach.
One happy boy in a tree.
A golf course, of course.
Evening view over the North Sea.
Chairs Revisited
https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-chairs-revi-pleasance-dome-21247
Auf Wiedersehen me duck.
In Edinburgh’s Ukrainian Cultural Centre.
Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth from on high.
We popped in to Edinburgh’s contemporary art museum today.
France-Lise McGurn Bachelorette
Eduardo Paolozzi Master of the Universe
Scottish schoolchildren.
Scottish school.
Scottish ice cream.
Time and again theatre Earwig
https://www.littlesparta.org.uk/visit/ Ian Hamilton Finlay’s poem garden. Wikipedia article.
Location in GoogleMaps
Nearly there.
This is the right place.
Poems everywhere you look.
Well, almost everywhere.
Some on an island.
Some small.
Some large.
Boom
Famous Puppet Death Scenes
Tiger Lillies One Penny Opera
The Anniversary
The Return Of Sherlock Holmes With Nigel Miles-Thomas and Michael Roy Andrew. No video.
Gerhild in the Dovecote Studios.
Old friends near Edinburgh Castle.
Took the no. 11 bus into Edinburgh.
Our first show was called After the World Stood Still.
Then we spontaneously dropped in to the Beehive Inn.
To see there’s something about Mary.
By Daniel Downie
Same man, different show.
Mary Queen of Scots…
…in the Scottish Portrait Gallery.
A puppet dancing to his master’s tune.
Even the cake shops have performers in the window!
Today we crossed into Scotland. Wayhay.
Beautiful day again.
The hillsides were covered in Rose Bay Willow Herb Helpfully identified by Steve in the garden centre. (Schmalblättriges Weidenröschen)
Excellent camp site for our week in Edinburgh. Mortonhall Caravan & Camping Park £41/night
What is she looking at?
Something angelic.
Two angels.
Then we popped into the Baltic art centre in Newcastle.
Lakehurst Khorran.
Something for Kim to play with
Bolbec Manor camp site €44/night
Today we drove past the famous Ribblehead viaduct.
Stopped for a selfie.
The AONB view from the camp site.
Some of the other campers.
After a windy night we scampered part of the way up Whernside.
You wouldn’t want to mess with this sheepdog!
Yorkshire.
Our picnic spot.
Fantastic stones worthy of a famous sculptor.
Quite comfy too.
It’s not too windy today but look how this tree is growing.
Sheep.
A “pavement”.
Coming down to our camp site.
Today we went down half of the spectacular “Falls Walk”
So why is it called the “Falls” walk?
Maybe because you could fall in?
A place to fall in love?
You definitely shouldn’t fall over.
The river went that way!
Falls Park camp site Near Ingleton. €39/night.
Googlemaps Location
They’ve gone completely potty in Settle!
Mary Poppins just dropping in.
Postman Pot.
The potty pizza chef.
Not very well behaved potty children.
Another potty lot.
Our camp site in the Doe Valley.
Gorgeous.
Stepping stones over the river Doe.
Visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park. £6 each.
Jason Wisher-Mills – one of his Argonauts in Love.
Picnic with Barbara Hepworth‘s Family of Man.
Niki de Saint Phalle – Buddha
JocJonJosch – Eddy
Someone’s been splitting hares. Sophie Ryder – Sitting
Bag of Aspirations by Kalliopi Lemos.
Robert Indiana – A hippy classic. All you need.
Jaume Plensa – White Nomad. Using letters from 8 different alphabets.
Damien Hirst – The Virgin Mother. And a nice tree!
Somewhere close to Yorkshire Sculpture park for 2 nights.
https://www.holmevalleycamping.com/ 2 1/2 hour drive from “The Lawns” 00441484665819
Email: enquiries@holmevalleycamping.com
Location in Googlemaps
It‘s still a bit hot in the camper so a cool bench next to the duckpond is just right.
Fairies sleep here…
The camp site is where an old mill used to stand. This is the millstream.
Today we just relaxed and did some washing. There was a good stiff breeze to go with the sunshine. Just right for drying the washing.
Looking across the river Alde.
Early start for a cooler walk.
The Lawns Caravan & Camping site is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Aldeburgh. Lowgate, Spalding PE12 8LN, UK
lawnsandlakes.co.uk
+447810026107
£25.50/night
Location in Googlemaps
That is quite some lawn. Anyone for croquet?
Enjoy a cup of tea first.
It’s 31°C today, so best stay in the shade.
Parking for motorhome where you can stay overnight. Make sure you park in the slaughen quay car park outside the Slaughden Sailing Club where mororhomes are allowed. Nice view over the Alde river and marshes. motorhomes are not allowed on the road on the higher level overlooking the beach. Public toilet within 500 meters near the old lighthouse.
(Park4Night page)
Location in Googlemaps
Well fed, much contented folk.
https://www.stenaline.de/routen/hoek-van-holland-harwich
30 min. Drive from camp site.
Hook of Holland to Harwich. Departs 14:15 Arrives 19:45
Glorious, sunny crossing.
Reading next to a porthole. Gerhild is reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Kim is reading The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley.
The Castle Inn, The Street, Ramsey, Essex, CO12 5HH – £20/night
Phone: 00441255880739 www.castleinnramsey.co.uk
Monday.
Rotterdam station is quite smart.
The famous cube houses.
Inside the stairs are verrry steep and it’s quite hot but lots of fun.
Disorientating isn’t it?
Nice rabbit.
These revolving chairs are great.
Here you can pedal like mad and admire the bridge. There’s always something to keep you entertained.
A cigar-smoking hippopotamus. Love it. Dedicated to Marten Toonder, a famous Dutch cartoonist.
A block of flats over a food market.
The ceiling offers inspiration in case you don‘t know what to eat.
Visit Kunsthal (10:00 – 17:00 Adults € 16,50)
When the pedestrian lights are made of bamboo and light up like this, you know it’s the way to the zoo.
Interesting architecture in Rotterdam. The small building to the right is a church.
Sleeping stones at the Kunsthal.
This is a warehouse for part of the city’s art collection. Depot Boijmans
Twins.
Bicycle parking in the street behind Wagamama.
4 hour drive to https://www.stadscamping-rotterdam.nl Stadscamping Rotterdam, Kanaalweg 84 / 86, 3041JE Rotterdam €34 per night.
Googlemap Location
Aaaaah, finished driving for a few days.
I wonder what sort of rubbish you put in this bin?
Gerhild thinks this is a duck – with ears…
6 hour drive (should have been 4) to Hagen am Teutoburger Wald
Reisemobilstellplatz Hagen a.T.W. Zum Jägerberg, 49170 Hagen am Teutoburger Wald (Link to Googlemap)
Hagen is a pleasant little village with some nice benches.
The free camper parking spot is next to a cherry orchard, where you are invited to have a nibble. ( Hagen‘s cherries) 10 minute stroll under cherry trees down into the village.
There‘s loads of uses for cherries.
