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Brig a Doon Scotland
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Overnight at a beef farmer's property proved to be a lucky strike for us as he (MJ) sent us on our way with a half a dozen free range eggs in the morning. We'd had a great evening's discussion about beef farming, governmental regulations, bovine diseases and birthing with the 5 of us in our camper and apart from being educational, it was also lovely and warm. Lou & Lynn excused themselves for bed and Des had to be quite blunt with MJ as he seemed to be settled in for the night, and we'd had a big day driving and needed some sleep. MJ explained that he didn't have to get up in the morning for milking that's why he was in beef.
We spent the next night at Ballintoy Harbor (with our own en-suite, sort of) and an Esplanade position to be envied. A walker with his beautiful white fluffy dog Sam, dropped by for a look in and a chat, and stayed for awhile. Sam stayed out in the rain!
After a night of heavy rain we were not looking forward to The Giant's Causeway and Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge in Northern Ireland, however, the minute we stepped out of the car to brave the sight seeing, the rain stopped and we had an eye opening time at both sites. The coastline of NI is incredible with many beautiful wildflowers and bird rookeries on the cliffs. A must on anyone's itinerary.
The condensation in our van is becoming a problem with a wet patch under the mattress every morning and both of us swearing we hadn't wet the bed. This will need further investigation.
Des's watch is playing up and beeping at all hours. I've asked him to put it in the car at night till it's fixed.
His mobile phone is also broken and he's planning to buy another and switch SIM cards. We thin all of these minor problems are related to the dampness.
Ferrying over from NI to Scotland was comfortable and gave us a chance to walk around in the warmth of the lounges. The meal was also welcome and a kip on the couches most welcome.
Scotland greeted us with grey skies and rain showers, so we pulled up at the nearest open space and camped down. We awoke to a beautiful forest and firm level ground and even the hint of a blue sky. The canvas was as wet as a shag to pack away and we had a devil of a time getting everything dry. Des turned on the car and used it as a dryer with all the vents open and the heat on high. We stuffed the mattress in and shut the doors, with a little bit of window open for the steam to escape. Next the blankets and 2 hours later and a bit lighter on fuel, everything was dry and the car smelled like a tumble dryer.
Brig-a-Doon was the next port of call and the coffee house was as pretty as the garden surrounding it. Also called in to the town ruin of a church and read many of the grave stones, the oldest one being from 1671. There was much infant mortality in those days and apart from diseases, I'm convinced it must have been the perishing cold! Off to the Trossachs, can't be any warmer up there, but it's a must see. Poor Lynn is bogged down with a cold and feels crap.
Where I stayed:
Ballintoy Harbor
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