We’ve returned to the campsite at Glenmore. We were last here in February when it was -5C and snowy. It was lovely then and it’s nice and sunny and a lot warmer now, if a little windy. We explored the forest and Loch Morlich as well as walking some of the Old Logging Way through the forest up to the national outdoor centre. It’s a nice site with the Pine Marten Lodge a short walk from the site for drinks and dinner. We even got a table this time! The food was nice and the staff were very friendly. There is a visitor centre across the road opposite the campsite and there’s some interesting history relating to the links to Norway. I went looking for the beavers again. I saw lots of their work but not them. Maybe next time…
We’re parked up at glorious Glenmore campsite in the Cairngorms for a few days. This is our first visit to this site, situated around Loch Morlich. It’s a straightforward drive north on the A9 and then about 10-15 minutes on the B5912 from Aviemore, passed Coylum Bridge. The campsite staff were friendly and helpful at check in.
We arrived in the sun with a light covering of snow. A storm was forecast and the weather did get blustery and cold with more snowfall. The setting of the campsite is really nice with many forest walks, bike tracks and walks around Loch Morlich itself. The Cairngorms are a short drive from the campsite and at this time of year it is very popular with skiers and serious hikers.
The Pine Marten Bar is adjacent to the campsite for drinks and food. The staff are friendly and seating is limited so turn up and wait for a table. The visitor centre and cafe are opposite the campsite across the road, with the reindeer centre a little further along the road.
There is also watersports on Loch Morlich (closed when we were here) and a sandy beach around the loch. It is easy to spend time walking/cycling through the forest and around the loch. There are many tracks and paths.
I also came across activity of beavers whilst walking along the river bank!
There is no public Wi-Fi on the site and we both had a very limited cell service, if any at all. So for us, Starlink was essential and this worked well.
Our pitch was right on the edge of the forest with the loch only a few minutes walk from our van.
I am looking forward to returning to Glenmore. I think it will be equally nice in the summer.
Garlieston CAMC in Dumfries and Galloway campsite is a lovely site right next to the sea on Garlieston bay, with the harbour a few minutes walk from the site. There is one pub/restaurant (The Harbour Inn) and one cafe (The Hive) on the main street. There is one small shop in the local petrol station, ten minutes away from the main street, so if you plan to cook your dinners then stock up before your arrive. It’s a nice place for a relaxing break.
We drive from the Glasgow area through Loch Lomond side, onto Loch Long and then Loch Goil. Scotland’s west coast is some of our best scenery and today we drove through the old military road due to the A83 undergoing some construction to solve the repeated landslides. We then visited the Boat Shed cafe on Loch Goil.
We parked up on the edge of the sea at Garlieston Bay. It’s really nice here and we’ve enjoyed walking along the beach, around the harbour and watching a Heron and Cormorant. We’ve enjoyed spectacular sunrises and saw some of the Milky Way in this dark sky area. There is one pub/restaurant at the Harbour Inn and one cafe at the Hive cafe. Both are good and the people are friendly. Storm Babet created high winds overnight and since Wendy never slept a wink we decided to head home a couple of days early. We plan on returning.
We had a short trip to the Milton of Fonab Campsite at Pitlochry, on the river Tummel. This is a lovely site with about a 25 minute walk from the site into Pitlochry over the suspension bridge. There’s stuff to do in Pitlochry, with plenty of cafes, restaurants and pubs.
The river Tummel is damned with hydroelectric power and there is a salmon ladder too.
It’s worth a visit here and we plan on returning in the future.
We had a wee day tour to Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe in Duncan’s Caddy Maxi campervan, so our Ducato had a day off.
Loch Awe looked like a mirror when we arrived and the scenery is lovely here. Sadly the pike were not biting today but there is some good fishing footage nevertheless.
Sadly we start to head north in this episode as we start the return trip home.
We stop off at Chamonix where we experience some parking problems, then head North to the lovely aire at Bonneville. We were surprised to see journalist for the Tour de France parking up here.
Then we are off to Epernay for Wendy to buy some Mercier champagne and we park up overnight at an excellent aire. One of the best I’ve stayed at so far.
We then head further north to the aire at Calais and have a nice trip to the beach, and finally we travel on the Eurotunnel, park up overnight at Carlisle and then head to Glasgow. As we cross the Scottish border our normal weather returns!
We returned to Findhorn with two campervans parking up at the aire. This is a beautiful location a couple of minutes walk from the beach, and five minutes walk to the restaurant. We were lucky to see seals in the River Findhorn and dolphins in the Moray Firth – although didn’t capture the dolphins in the video.
We spent a few days at the MCC site at Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. This is a nice clean site a few minutes walk from the sea front, and the wardens are very helpful. We met up with some friends and were able to get adjacent pitches.
There is a short sandy beach, with shingle and rocky areas, and a harbour at the opposite end of the beach.
We also took a trip to the Tomnaverie standing stones, to see the salmon jump at the Falls of Feugh, and to see the old nuclear bunker.
There was one day when the wind was not too strong and I flew my drone from the rocks.
McNaughts On Tour 