# Scotland in 2009



## 118956 (Dec 23, 2008)

Hello All,

My wife and I will be renting a motorhome from one of your members this September in order to explore Scotland. 

Our first stop will be the Peebles Highland Games, next will be the Invercharron Highland Games and finally, the World Stone Skimming Championship on Easdale Island (the only event I'll be participating in). 

During the days between events, our route remains unplanned. We will be looking for guidance from you folks as to any "must see" locations/events/pubs, etc. This will be our first motorhome experience on either side of the Atlantic. We look forward to learning from you.

Bill & Alice Jenkins
Southern California, USA


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Hi guys hope you have a lovely time in Scotland. May very well see you as my neices are competing at quite a few Highland Games this coming year.


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## Guest (Dec 27, 2008)

Welcome to the forum Allie. At least this year we won't have to cram Bill and all your luggage into my wife's little Nissan!

To the rest of the forum members you will have gathered that I have met the OP's before.

Please help them all you can.

Tco


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

Hi BillandAllie

Assuming the dates for the events are:

September 13 Peebles
September 20 Invercarron
September 27 Easdale

and the times available for the touring are the two weeks between Pebbles and Easdale; how about:

Peebles to Bonar Bridge via 'eastern' route: Edinburgh; Braemar; Aviemore; Black Isle (dolphins!!); Bonar Bridge

then

Bonar Bridge to Easdale via 'northern and western route': John o'Groats; Dunnet Head; Durness; Ullapool; Inverness/Loch Ness; Fort William; Oban/Easdale

If you have time before Peebles why not tour Galloway ('Scotland in miniature') and if you have time after stone-skimming why not try Glencoe or even Ardnamurchan?

You should have lots of fun planning the trip. Interspersing high quality camp sites with wild camping is a good idea I think, and there are lots of them on these routes, all being open in September.

I know this is a high mileage solution but if this is a 'one-off' trip you need to do the tourist thing and see as much of Scotland as possible; mh's are perfect for this. 

Hope this overall idea is useful; if you search the site you'll find previous posts with more details of tours, road numbers, site names and phone numbers etc. all posted by several members, including me, over the past year or so. Brit mh-ers are usually very much attracted to Scotland because of the superb scenery, relatively empty roads (in the Highlands), wild camping opportunities, and most of all, friendly natives  

Good luck and best wishes!


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## 118956 (Dec 23, 2008)

We were in Wales in 2002, thought it would be a "one-off" then ended up going back in '03 & '04 because it took three trips to see the things we wanted to see. I'm guessing Scotland will be the same.


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

In that case I guess the choice is between:

1. doing the 'round trip' on your first visit, then 'homing in' to areas that really impressed you when you return

or

2. concentrating on longer stays (say minimum 2 nights per stop) so that you gain 'quality time' in fewer locations rather than putting the big miles in.

I'm definitely a big picture person so would recommend doing the grand tour first time out then zooming in later, but this is a personal thing and if you are confident of returning in 010 and 011 it would work the other way round too.

Scotland is big enough to reward a lifetime of visits, we've been going at least annually for almost 40 yrs, but it is also small enough to get round fairly comfortably in three weeks.

Decisions, decisions! - but a great dilemma to be in


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## sunbeams (Dec 7, 2008)

Hi Bill &Allie if you went back to Wales 3&4 times you will need 5&6 for Scotland and then do the Islands. Do Braemar, Aiemore to the black isleand down the west coast taking time to get to know the people who are great i have been going for 30 years


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## 118956 (Dec 23, 2008)

Thanks for the input! In the past we have rented a car and stayed a week at a time in Self Catering cottages located in the center of the area we wanted to explore; taking day trips out like spokes on a wheel. 

I think we're going to use the Motorhome trip to get a broad overview this year, and identify the "hubs" to use for follow-on trips.

We are thinking about wild camping two out of every three days, or so. Is this realistic?

NOTE: if this question should be in a different forum, I apologise.


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

Wildcamping two out of three days should be fine, the issues are:

1. finding good location - not much of a problem in Scotland, especially in the Highlands i.e. north of the Central Valley

2. maintaining on-board services - gas, water and electricity should be no problem as long as gas bottle(s) full enough, freshwater tank filled every 3rd day, and leisure battery OK

3. waste emptied before disaster strikes 8O 

We find the main limiting factor is emptying black waste (i.e. toilet cassette)which has to be done every 3rd day and we feel most comfortable doing that at a proper disposal point on a site. Visiting a site every 3rd day also enables toilets, showers etc to be utilised which is literally and figuratively refreshing  We would run out of water if we showered for two days (not continually for 48 hrs! - you know what I mean  so personal ablutions tend to be washes rather than showers when wild camping so the site showers are as much of a godsend as the disposal facilities 

Lots of mh-ers are happy to wild camp much longer than 2 or 3 days consecutively but I think your plan for a site every 3rd day is very sensible and certainly very do-able.

Mixing wild camping and sites will add enormously to your daily flexibility; a great thing when touring.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2009)

Jagman said:


> Wildcamping two out of three days should be fine, the issues are:
> 
> I think your plan for a site every 3rd day is very sensible and certainly very do-able.
> 
> Mixing wild camping and sites will add enormously to your daily flexibility; a great thing when touring.


This was our plan too, Hoping to meet up in Scotland. You never know, I might give you a thrashing at stone skimming!

Tco


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## Nora+Neil (May 1, 2005)

Hoping to visit Scotland in April/May.

Thanks for a interesting read and very useful posts.


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## Smilo (Nov 2, 2005)

If you plan to step outside your vehicle, do not visit the Highlands between early May and late September without buying some of Avon's _Skin so Soft_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## UncleNorm (May 1, 2005)

Smilo said:


> If you plan to step outside your vehicle, do not visit the Highlands between early May and late September without buying some of Avon's _Skin so Soft_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


BIG DITTO TO THAT SMILO!!


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## 118956 (Dec 23, 2008)

This was our plan too, Hoping to meet up in Scotland. You never know, I might give you a thrashing at stone skimming!

Tco[/quote]

If your shoulder is up to it; Bring it on! Loser buys the first round.


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## 118956 (Dec 23, 2008)

Smilo said:


> If you plan to step outside your vehicle, do not visit the Highlands between early May and late September without buying some of Avon's _Skin so Soft_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Alice is allergic to "Skin So Soft" any other recommendations?


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

BillandAllie said:


> Smilo said:
> 
> 
> > If you plan to step outside your vehicle, do not visit the Highlands between early May and late September without buying some of Avon's _Skin so Soft_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> ...


Hi

skin so soft didn`t work for us but "Autan" ( I think thats how you spell it ) did.You can buy it in spray form or roll on.  I also use it over here when fishing and even the Mozzi`s seem to leave me alone. 8)

steve


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## 118956 (Dec 23, 2008)

Thanks! We just looked it up online. It's not available here in the US. We'll stop at the first "Boots" we see and get some.


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2009)

BillandAllie said:


> Thanks! We just looked it up online. It's not available here in the US. We'll stop at the first "Boots" we see and get some.


There are "Boots" shops on "land side" of security at both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports

Tco


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