We’ll take the High road
A trip through the beautiful Scottish Highlands in a state-of-the-art deluxe motorhome brings ANIL DAWAR and his family closer to nature
THE remote, weather-beaten beauty of the Scottish Highlands has always had an appeal for me but it is a trip I had never made.
I didn’t want to camp for fear of losing my tent in a night-time gale and staying in B&Bs or hotels means missing out on the more isolated corners. Why I had not thought of climbing into a motorhome sooner is a mystery to me.
We were met at Aberdeen Airport by Kenneth, who gave us the keys to a Swift Bolero 744.
It took him about 20 minutes to guide us around the gleaming 24ft by 7ft road cruiser, showing us how to fill up with diesel, water and electricity as well as how to control all the gadgets inside.
This model is no simple campervan – it’s a deluxe motorhome.
It’s as well equipped as a house, with a fridge-freezer, microwave, full oven, grill and four-ring hob. Hot and cold running water feeds the sink and shower, and there are even radiators. The dining and living room seating cleverly turns into two double beds with a partition for privacy.
I was nervous about taking this behemoth on the road but soon found out that it drives as easily as a car. Even navigating the supermarket car park didn’t prove a problem.
Fridge and food cupboards full, we headed north to Banff, known as a top spot for seal watching. Wild camping – pitching tents or parking motorhomes anywhere – is perfectly legal in Scotland, so we bravely chose to spend our first night parked up on the seafront.
It does feel slightly strange just pulling up the handbrake, turning off the ignition and settling down for the night but it is so common in Scotland that no one bats an eyelid. It was a squally night and the motorhome was buffeted by the strong winds. It took a little getting used to but I still managed to fall asleep.
The next morning the weather had calmed and we headed to Loch Ness via the museum at Culloden – the final battle of the Jacobite Rebellion – and Fort George, an 18th-century barracks built on a peninsular to cement English rule
after that victory. The star-shaped fort is still operational and houses the Black Watch 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland.
There is a lovely walk around its massive ramparts overlooking the sea and it also has a museum containing an impressive display of muskets, pikes, swords and other arms dating back to when it was first built.
Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club Site, in a stunning location overlooking the legendary waters and in the shadows of pine-covered mountains, has excellent facilities. We plugged the motorhome into the site’s electricity hook-up to recharge its batteries and took a dusk-lit walk along the fabled loch’s stony beaches.
The children searched in vain for a glimpse of Nessie while my wife and I wallowed in the beauty and silence.
More tranquillity was to be found up in the surrounding forests, where we viewed two fantastic waterfalls followed by a sedate boat ride, complete with a sonar screen, on the loch in search of the monster.
There are not that many roads around the Highlands, making life very simple for anyone who wants to explore the area without getting lost. Its beauty lies in its remoteness, which makes the motorhome an ideal way of getting around the area and reaching the most unspoilt parts.
Many of the main routes are single-track but that was not an issue as there’s not much traffic and there are a lot of passing places. The Bolero’s 2.2-litre six-gear engine dealt with the hills easily but we weren’t driving fast – probably averaging 45mph – and had decided to do no more than three hours’ motoring each day.
This gave the holiday the same feel as a canal barge cruise.
Time slowed down as we passed west through the Highlands at a leisurely pace, stopping for viewpoints, short walks, loch-side stone-skimming and food breaks.
The staggeringly beautiful Corrieshalloch Gorge set in the lunar landscapes around Ullapool on the west coast stands out as a must-see for anyone in the area.
A night by the shores of Loch Broom in Ullapool was followed by a day’s drive up to Durness via the tiny port of Tarbert.
Scotland’s north coast has gorgeous sandy beaches that would not look out of place in the Mediterranean.
We left Durness on the winding coastal road past the mysterious sea-formed Smoo Cave, heading east to Dunnet Bay – and another beautiful shoreside campsite.
At Dunnet Bay we walked along the long wide beach, getting our entertainment from running down the huge dunes and watching the gulls eat shellfish lunches.
Dunnet Head, a few miles from John O’Groats, is the most northerly point on the British mainland. It features a 19th century lighthouse built by the grandfather of Robert
Louis Stevenson and from the lookout point you can see Orkney, Scapa Flow naval base and the Old Man of Hoy sea stack.
Its thriving colonies of puffins, kittiwakes, cormorants and guillemots (among many others) have made it a designated RSPB site.
With just two days of the holiday left we left the campsite.
We couldn’t resist a stop at the Glenmorangie whisky distillery for a tasty tour.
We also visited the loch-side Dunrobin Castle – the ancestral seat of the Duke of Sutherland.
The 189-room turreted stately home is interesting in its own right but the children loved the falconry display while my wife and I found its museum of historical artefacts fascinating.
Nairn Camping and Caravanning Club Site was our berth for the last night. While the children ran free in the pine woodland setting, searching for red squirrels, we sorted out the Bolero for the final time.
Handing back the keys after such a fantastic holiday was difficult.
I have the feeling our tent will be staying in the loft for some time and we’ll be hitting the high road again.