Day 1: Escape from the Lothians
So, we are finally here, day 1 of our road trip and we have arrived safe and sound at our first Campsite in North Ledaig near Oban …on the shores of Ardmucknish Bay overlooking Mull.
I didn’t know this detail at the time, if you read the description yesterday you’ll remember that for me and Mikey this is a ‘Magical Mystery Tour’. We are following our great friends Pete and Fi on this journey. That said… earlier in the day we did wonder if the leaders of our little convoy knew the way, as we struggled to leave the Lothians, never mind head North!
It’s Saturday 26th June and we’ve started our week-long tour of Scotland’s beautiful west coast.
We arrived, a little later than planned, to pick up our vans at Livingston, that wellknown Scottish beauty spot…
[To anyone who lives in Livingston, I’m sure there are lovely bits, but the trading estate wasn’t one of them!]
…with enough stuff between us to fill 10 mobile homes (or ‘vans’ for short)!
Had a quick tour, realised we should have watched the instructional videos after all and then with the confidence of the totally ignorant, we agreed we’re all fast learners and will work it all out as we go.
As we left, we decided it was late enough that we needed to find somewhere for lunch on the way, so we decided to get lunch from a local deli you may have heard of …McDonalds!
In hindsight, that may not have been the best move…
Nearly 3/4 of an hour later, following a visit to Livingston town centre, a difficult reversing manoeuvre by 2 large vans in a small busy ALDI car park, several stops to lock cupboards and drawers that had crashed opened, we (finally) found a McDonalds.
Yay! …but we were still in the Lothians, having visited the amazing sites of Central Livingston, Bathgate and Whitburn!
Finally, after being sated by a burger and fries, ensuring everything was properly secured, we got going and were on the road North…
The road north
After the initial false start earlier, and as we drove further north, the landscape became more and more amazing – and so did the weather, changing from dull and overcast to sunny and warm.
Eventually, we arrive at North Ledaig, just outside Oban.
It took no time at all to get the van hooked up with power and the first G&T of the holiday poured. Well, it had been a stressful journey! …sitting back with my feet up while Mikey drove!
The boys took one van into Oban for fish‘n’chips for supper, while Fi and I took our drinks to the beach and went for a walk. Returning as the food arrived.
And that’s the other thing about this trip…
The theme is going to be eating, drinking, followed by enough recovery time to drive again the next day.
First-day postscript
Thanks to a certain fandangle mechanism not working, it took ages to get the fold-down bed sorted in the van. With so much rocking and swaying coming from the van, the other campers must have thought we were…
…well, you get the picture!!!
