Great stuff Stu, VBOL

Geo

BTW, I forgot to mention I became a great grandad at the end of last year.

Geo

Super spot Tom.

You're not too far from Versaille, the Palace there is something else and well worth the visit.

We visited a few years back after the Mrs got hooked on the TV series.

Geo

How long do you have left in Vegas?

Congrats again TK.

Bramley wakes me at 4 each morning, once I've had a brew and completed the early morning admin we are out the door by 4:30.

Last few typically cold wet Scottish mornings have been brightened by viewing your updates. Great to see you doing well, I presume due to you not having the added burden of your normal duties when in Vegas.

I think retirement is going to suit you, just stay active.

This mornings wander was around Roslin Glen and the Roslin Chapel, no sign of Tom Hanks though.

Well done again.

Geo

Wild Atlantic Way

https://www.thewildatlanticway.com


I can be quite impulsive and at times I’ll see someone post on facebook or whatever about a trip they have done and I get the urge to try it out myself.

I saw a post on facebook from a couple who had spent a good couple of months travelling the Wild Atlantic Way which I hadn’t heard off so I decided to investigate. It’s a 1500 mile coastal route on the west coast between Donegal and Cork. There is so much to visit and also the distance, I can see why they took a couple of months for their trip.

I decided I was going to do it, however I was limited to 10 Days so decided to just make up an itineray which allowed me to visit at least 2 places of interest each day.

Most travellers will do Donegal to Cork, however as I was taking the ferry to Belfast and returning by the same route I decided that I would use the first day to travel directly to Kinsale, just outside Cork which is the official starting point for the WAW.

Although it was a 270 mile drive, my thinking was 2 fold, I’d be driving up on the left side of the road, therefore easier to get the views of the coast and secondly, when completed I would only have a short dash to the Ferry.

I stuck to the main motorways, which although had tolls, were a delight to drive and the infrastructure was tremendous. At each service area you could basically live there. Everything you could want from a service stop, from Supermarkets and restaurants, showers and toilets to outside laundry machines.

A couple of stops for brews and to let Bramley and I stretch our legs and we arrived in Kinsale. After a wander around the town and a bite to eat we settled down in a car park by the harbour which remained quiet all night.

Whilst having my evening meal I got talking to a local and mentioned how good the service stops were and the astate of the roads being good. He said that the money collected from the tolls go directly back into the maintenance and upkeep of roads and service stops, not fudged off for other projects by the government.

Still having issues with preparing pics for uploading as there are so many, need to have a think on how best to do them.

Geo

Tremendous stuff and best of luck later.

Geo

2nd test

Woohoo, success

I'm still trying to find a way of putting pics up easily, Tony's method is good, unfortunately I need to find a way to resize as every time I try to attach a pic it says the image is too big. I will get there though.

It seems to be a problem with non android devices.

Geo

I do at times use the Park4Night app, there are many others, however most want you to pay to really get full benefits from them. There are a few Facebook sites that detail good stopovers at pub car parks and the likes, some of which look really good and mostly they will charge a fee which you can recover if you have a meal or drinks there.

Have you travelled much up to Scotland Tom? If so where to and what has been your favourite place to visit.

I haven’t ventured too much South as the laws in regards to parking up are so different, however I have taken the occasional trip, mostly around the Lake District. I tend to stay clear of Windermere as it’s too busy and comercialised for my liking.

I’ve visited Tan Hill, the highest inn in the UK a couple of times and taken a wander to Reeth and Kirkby Stephen. The Inn does an incredible giant stuffed Yorkshire pudding. They allow camping in a small area at the back of the Inn for a small charge which goes to a charity but there is also ample park up spots there too.

I also like to visit The Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge and similarly they let you camp up in an open space beside the inn at a small charge which allows you to use their facilties including the showers. Both of these are real old fashioned dusky inns with the open fire going for those cold days. I first visited this place near the end of the Coast to Coast walk I did with Jack in 2010 (15 years ago!!)

I enjoy Pooley Bridge at Ullswater and have also visited Wasdale which is the main starting point for walkers looking to climb Scafell Pike. But my favourite trip was to Buttermere. The journey up the Honister Pass was as good as any I have done. The circular walk around Lake Buttermere and Crummnock Water is a delight.

Next up is the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland which I did last year, incredible trip and an amazing coastal route. It will take a wee while to complete that trip report though.

Geo

Test failed

[EDIT - it was Ratagan]

Fabulous story Geo.

Gill & I visited Plockton when we spent Christmas near the Isle of Skye. (Glenelg I think?). EDIT - it was Ratagan

Anyway, we visited Plockton on Christmas day around 12 years ago & had a pot of tea in that lovely pub overlooking the bay, by the palm trees.

I can't recall why, maybe just to say "Merry Christmas", but from the pub I rung Maureen (Reece's Gran) & for whatever reason we both had a good cry.

I often wonder how both Maureen & Reece are these days. Anyone heard?

Thanks Tony,

Glad to see you are well and I hope you get as much fun in retirement as I have.

Yeah, Palm trees in Scotland, who'd have thought

Geo

Plockton

As mentioned earlier, after my heart scare I took myself off up to Plockton, “The Jewel of the Highlands”

It’s a lovely little village overlooking Loch Carron. There isn’t too much to do there apart from walking and water sports. There are a couple of good restaurants but mostly just a beautiful spot to take time out and chill.

I hadn’t really heard much about Plockton other than it was the setting for the TV programme Hamish Macbeth. I live opposite the auction house here in Rosewell and quite often browse the auction items and occasionally something will pique my interest.

One particular day they were filming for a portion of the TV programme The travelling auctioneers (Christine Trevanion…mmmm) Filming of the actual auction was at the nearby Dalkeith Country Park. I noted a particular nice painting of a lovely bay with some fishing boats and lovely houses. I googled Plockton and a few of the pics that popped up were very similar to the painting. Anyway when it came to the bidding, no-one seemed to be interested and the asking bid was dropped to a fiver so I made a bid (secretly hoping that I would be shown on the programme.) Someone else made a bid to 8 quid so I popped it to 10 and won the bid. I never did make the cut for the TV show.

The reason I decided to go to Plockton was to see if I could identify the spot it had been taken from, so I took a couple of photos of the painting and off I popped. When I got up to Plockton I soon realised that there were quite a few similar spots from which it could have been done and my guess was that the painting was possibly done in the 40s or 50s so quite a bit could have changed.

I was paying particular interest to a small thatched cottage which caught my eye and had snuck around the back garden for a wee nosey.Whilst doing so I was approached by a man enquiring as to what I was up to. I made my apologies and explained that the cottage had caught my eye and I wanted an all round look see.

He introduced himself as Ian Hay, the owner of said cottage which he rented as a BnB and then kindly invited me in to have a look inside. It was stunning, he also gave me some history of the cottage, explaining it was the last “Black House” in the village. Just google Plockton Thatched Cottage and you'll see it.

I told him why I had came up to Plockton and showed him the photos.”That’s my grannies hoose!” he screamed, pointing to one of the lovely wee cottages in the painting, and that boat belonged to so and so and is still there but in a rotten state. He then proceeded to tell me all different things within the painting and to each there was a story attached, as you can imagine, I was in heaven. He took me to the very spot that the artist would have sat and pointed out all the features, who lived in which house, which boat belonged to whom etc. It truly was an awesome couple of hours he spent with me and really made my day. We parted with a promise that I would bring the painting up for him to see.

A couple of weekends later Mrs Geo and I made the trip up to Plockton for the weekend with the painting in tow. Ian lived in a larger house beside the cottage sat very nicely on the bay, he invited us into his home where we sat and had a brew and some biscuits with his lovely wife Linda. We spent a couple of hours being regaled by Ian’s wonderful stories of life in Plockton back in the day. I pop back often and always look him up to say hello.

BTW, I thought it only right that the painting should remain in Plockton so we gifted it to Ian in recognition of his most generous hospitality.

These small moments in life I find very special.

Geo

I was thinking much the same when you posted regards the Somme cemeteries.

A lot of these servicemen died due to their injuries not being able to be treated at the time, disease and no direct access to the medicines etc we now have.

Many would have suffered greatly for days/weeks before dying, whereas medical advances mean that in todays world we see many suffer horrific injuries and survive whereas 100 years ago survival was nigh on impossible.

Geo

I'm the same regards Imgur, can only assume not available on iPhone or iMac. Currently looking at what is available.

Geo