Scotland Road Trip

I was beginning to fall a little bit in love with Scotland. We woke early, and hit the road to continue on our journey, leaving our first campsite behind us and heading for our next destination. Our first stop was Invermoriston, Inverness for a welcomed stop off to enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat. We had been blessed with another beautiful and sunny day, and we wanted to enjoy the mid morning sunshine before hitting the road again. We found a beautiful walk by the river Moriston, to stretch our legs and breathe in the fresh air. The river morison flows into loch ness at Invermoriston.

The sun was shining, moods were high and it made for a really beautiful walk.

Once we had walked and talked (lots!) re fuelled and enjoyed the morning sun, we hit the road to make our way to the next campsite.

Our journey took much longer than the Satnav told us, as you guessed it…we had to stop every few miles to admire the beautiful scenery, and snap more photographs. (and have a coffee stop or two – yes I told you that Mr S does love his coffee!) I can honestly say though that the journey was so pleasant – we were just mesmerised by Scotland’s beauty.

We arrived at our next destination in the late afternoon. Arisaig – our home for the next couple of days. Our campsite was a 40 pitch, family run campsite,nestled on a magnificent coastline between Arisaig and Mallaig. Washrooms and showers were spotless, and there was a welcomed family room with a bath which was very useful for washing sandy little ones. The site had coastal beach access and appeared the perfect base for exploring the local area. We grabbed some local fish and chips from nearby Mallaig, before setting up our camp, hanging those bunting flags and making Arisaig our new home.

The short walk through the campsite led us to one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in the UK. It was now early evening, and I think we were once again the only people on the beach. The girls found some rock pools and raced around with their buckets and spades while we sat on a rug and soaked up the evening atmosphere – just enjoying the tranquility of this stunning location.

The following morning we headed into Mallaig to explore. We stumbled across yet another beautiful beach on the shores of the River Morar. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the rubber dinghies came out and the kids ventured into the waters. (Being 6 months pregnant – I obviously had to stay on the deck chair and look after all our belongings and drink hot chocolate!)

The thing I think I love is the lack of planning that we did for this trip. I just love the feeling of freedom that a road trip brings. No goals, no routine ,no plans and therefore no expectations …(as you have probably gathered I am not a great lover of routine!) We had a rough idea of the areas that we had planned to stay, and had pre booked a couple of campsites due to it being half term – but we didn’t really have a ‘wish list’ of places we had to visit or see. Some of the most beautiful places we visited were those spontaneous stop offs, or areas that we ‘stumbled across’ as we headed on our journey.

The following morning we woke to more glorious sunshine, and decided to head over to Isle of Skye. We caught the ferry from Mallaig and made the short journey over to the Isle of Skye. If you wish to take a vehicle – booking is advisable, however we chose to take a backpack and ourselves and see what Skye had to offer on foot.

On arrival we yet again stumbled across an enchanting and beautiful woodland walk, with a quaint fairy trail and a rope swing, leading to the most spectacular views out to sea.

After a spot of lunch we headed to Clan Donald Skye, a 20,000 acre estate, where we enjoyed more of the beautiful sunshine in Armadale Castle Gardens. Whilst sitting on a picnic blanket watching the girls run around in the vast space of the gardens we caught site of a school of dolphins. Such a memorable travel moment and one that will forever bring a smile to my face.

It had been a long day, and with tired little legs, tired eyes, and weathered hair, we caught the ferry back to Mallaig to make our way back to our campsite .

The evening saw the sun setting and the kids colouring on the picnic bench whilst Mr S and our friends cooked spaghetti bolognaise on the camping stove. We couldn’t believe our luck with the weather, beautiful days and warm evenings. The campsite was a little hidden gem and I really wished that we were staying longer here. Alas it was time to move on – to continue our journey, explore and to make new memories.

The following morning we packed up Otis and said goodbye to the beautiful Arisaig, before turning up the music, sitting back and heading on to our next destination…

So that ends part 2 of our Scottish road trip.. Arisaig -it was an absolute pleasure. We would definitely love to stay a little bit longer, – but for now we had to move onwards … with no plan or idea of where our next destination would be.