Day 7: From rollercoasters to traffic jams
Our final day’s journey took us back south toward home. Starting on the crazy Applecross Rollercoaster before hitting busy towns with long queuing traffic, something we hadn’t encountered for days. Another thing we hadn’t seen for days was rain, this hit us just as we arrived at our final stopover!
I overslept a bit today, sleeping too long for me to walk over THAT road! Oh well, I guess I’ll ride in the campervan after all! 😉
But… I still got out for a short walk, down to the seafront, heading in the opposite direction to the way we’d walked yesterday to the pub.
It was a lovely gentle walk around the bay with the woodland area to one side. Given the time available, I couldn’t venture too far, but I did walk far enough to see another two deer up in the woodland area, just grazing on some grass …such a lovely thing to see first thing in the morning.
On the way back into the campsite I noticed a food van on the edge of the site open for bacon butties, so having let the rest of our intrepid adventurers know, we did what we had to do!
Put the kettle on, made tea and grabbed bacon butties, enjoying our first cooked breakfast of the holiday …albeit not cooked by us!
We needed it to fortify us for the road ahead…
The Applecross Rollercoaster …again!
The rationale for going along this road a second time was good, but I for one was not happy. Mikey on the other hand was grinning for ear-to-ear…
…Sadist!
We were heading south and the Bealach Pass is south. We already had a long drive ahead of us to our next destination (which for the first time we knew) of Luss at Loch Lomond.
The only other road out, although far more gentle, headed north and would have added at least another hour to our journey!
Also, since we were leaving early (around 10 am), our theory was traffic coming up the pass wouldn’t have had time to accumulate so it was likely to be a clearer run going back the way.
So with that belief squarely in our minds, we set off on The Applecross Rollercoaster once more.
At the top, we pulled into the viewing point and spent some time admiring the view. Well, we had to mark the occasion of the challenge with photos of us and our chariots!
Then, back in the vans for the slow cautious drive down the other side with the zig-zag of tight hairpin bends and sharp drops away. That said, it seems our theory of less traffic was a good one and the drive down passed without incident with virtually no traffic coming the other way.
And before we knew it, we were at the bottom and off out onto the same roads as yesterday.
The long drive south
We knew at the start of the day that today was going to be a test of driving endurance, it was a long drive down to Loch Lomond on some challenging roads…
The only way to get through the day was to take it slow, stop often, and take in the amazing views, all bathed in glorious sunshine (Have I mentioned how stunning the scenery was!?)
After the stresses of the ‘rollercoaster’ – and because there had been a distinct lack of ice cream for at least a day! – we parked up for a while in Plockton, a little village overlooking the lovely Loch Carron. Sitting watching the sailboats move across the loch was very peaceful.
Soon we were on the road again, retracing our journey via Eilean Donan Castle, looking majestic, glinting in the sunlight. Though this time, no stopping!
We drove along the shores of Loch Duich and beyond. With the landscape, the water and now the sun beating down – not for the first time – it felt like we could have been driving around the Italian lakes. We have been so incredibly lucky with the weather!
The plan had been to continue until we reached Fort William, but you know the saying, ‘the best-laid plans of mice and men’…
(I can’t quote this without remembering a great Eddie Izzard sketch – look it up on YouTube …sooo funny!)
…having continued our drive through some wonderful countryside, we started to lag around Invergarry and needed to look for somewhere to rest.
So the message went out… “Can we pullover? …over!”
Having found the perfect spot, a viewing point high on a hill overlooking Loch Garry and Invergarry, we got out for a stroll, leaving Mikey to rest …who promptly fell asleep!
No problem – after all, we were in a couple of mobile homes, so we settled down for a cuppa and light lunch …an in-van picnic!
On reflection, we could have got our deck chairs out and sat outside in the sunshine, drinking our tea by the side of the road! Whilst it would have been lovely, I think we always held back on this… probably because none of us is quite old enough yet …perhaps next time!
Traffic jams at Fort William
After our rest and relaxation, we were back on the road and heading to Fort William. I have been to Fort William before and thought I knew what to expect …boy, was I wrong!
My last visit was almost 30 years ago and it has changed somewhat; it has grown so big, with so many developments and trading estates, taking a little shine off the place!
And this was the first time in our entire trip we had come across any significant traffic, stuck in a long traffic jam, snaking its way through the centre of Fort William. Oh the joy of it!
On the upside, we did find something familiar! …you may be ahead of me!
Yep… you guessed it… an ALDI car park! – Wahoooo!
This time not only did we drive around the car park but we also stopped while Fi and I nipped in and stocked up on supplies for our final night’s BBQ later on.
My loch (yes, it’s mine!) and yet more awe-inspiring scenery
After leaving Fort William, we moved on travelling to our final resting place for the night.
Of course, it didn’t go unnoticed that on leaving Fort William we passed the beautiful and glorious Loch Linnhe …in other words, MY loch (after all, I am known as Lini!)
We continued down the road, through the awe-inspiring Glen Coe. I have been here many times before (mostly in the rain), this time it was great to see it bathed in sunshine …for once.
It truly is magnificent.
We stopped for a little while to take in some of the views, before continuing south.
The road weaved its way through some lovely countryside until we became aware of another Loch on our left, which meant we were almost there, as this was Loch Lomond and Luss was only a short distance away.
It had been a very long and exhausting drive – and in those very last few moments, just as we finally pulled into the campsite, it started to rain!
Campsite rules and regulations
Oh so many rules! Now don’t get me wrong, the campsite was lovely and the massive team running the site were lovely too… But…
When we arrived, there was a closed barrier across the entrance, and each person in our party had to personally hear ‘the rules’…
- It was a conservation site
- All rubbish had to be left just outside the barrier
- Wastewater (washing up and shower water) had to be drained into buckets and carried to a drain!
- No driving on site after 10pm (this one made us laugh since the campsite was next to the main road and all you could hear all night was road noise!)
Okay, I’m making it sound rubbish, and it wasn’t… It was still fab. The site was right on the shore of Loch Lomond and we were just half a dozen steps from a mini walkway down to the beach. Which is why we were here!
BBQ in the rain
Awww, this is more like it …rain!
As I said, when we pulled into the site it started to rain and as we set up and got sorted the rain got heavier and heavier, for a brief spell.
But as you can imagine this didn’t really deter me… I headed straight to the beach for a quick look around; it was misty, overcast and you couldn’t see very far…but it was still fab nonetheless!
The wet weather was perfect for a camping BBQ in Scotland (I mean, this is usual BBQ weather, slightly damp) …but the boys weren’t convinced.
However, Fi and I had already downed nearly a bottle of fizz between us and we weren’t taking no for an answer!
With skies clearing a little, we set to cooking steaks on the BBQ, preparing salad ready to eat inside, for our last meal together of the holiday.
It was all going well until disaster struck…
ABSOLUTE DISASTER!
The second bottle of fizz we’d opened had fallen over and emptied completely! …what a waste!
When we finally settled down to eat, the heavens opened again, thus demonstrating our impeccable timing.
With all the driving, it had been an exhausting day, and because of that, sometimes quite stressful too. And yet, it’s been another great day; we’ve seen some amazing sights along the way and finished off the day with a bit of fun and silliness in the rain.
And tomorrow it all comes to a close, with a short trip to hand back the vans.
