Another quick trip up north...

Ricko · 2018-04-01 14:49:52

I took off on Thursday for a quick trip away.
Drove up the M6 at a steady 70mph

Spent the night in Annan, holed up near the river after a meal at an Indian restaurant.
Cooked breakfast at Caerlaverock nature reserve car park.
Noticed that campervans were welcome at Glencaple quay for an overnight stay, donation/honesty box present.
Carried on along the Solway coast.

Spent the evening at Wigtown harbour, nice and quiet.

Drove up through Newton Stewart to the forest drive known as the Raiders Road.
Found myself heading back.

A good little trip away, need to fix the brake lights properly, wire up the interior lights and put the spotlights on the front. The old girl didn't miss a beat.

Casper · 2018-04-01 14:55:36

How big was the lens to get the stag shot or did you get quite close anyway?

Ricko · 2018-04-01 15:17:01

Casper wrote:

How big was the lens to get the stag shot or did you get quite close anyway?

There's a hide on the road out of Newton Stewart going towards the Raiders Road, whilst I was in it a local couple turned up with some carrots and this one deer came down to them! A real close up treat!!

Casper · 2018-04-01 15:20:30

Ricko wrote:

There's a hide on the road out of Newton Stewart going towards the Raiders Road, whilst I was in it a local couple turned up with some carrots and this one deer came down to them! A real close up treat!!

Great when you get that close to wildlife. We get quite close to the deer here now but nothing that impressive as its just little Roe Deer.

Ricko · 2018-04-01 16:16:22

Casper wrote:

Ricko wrote:
There's a hide on the road out of Newton Stewart going towards the Raiders Road, whilst I was in it a local couple turned up with some carrots and this one deer came down to them! A real close up treat!!
Great when you get that close to wildlife. We get quite close to the deer here now but nothing that impressive as its just little Roe Deer.

From a wild life point of view it was a good outing; weasel, wild goat, red deer, red kite, buzzard

OAT · 2018-04-01 19:34:33

Nice neglected corner to visit. I think I know your riverside spot at Annan.

Must look out for that hide next time.

tee_cee · 2018-04-01 19:35:35

Fantastic picture.
Went camping at Newton Stewart in 1973. The most midges I've ever seen and stung to hell by wasps. Nice scenery though smile

Ricko · 2018-04-01 21:21:38

OAT wrote:

Nice neglected corner to visit. I think I know your riverside spot at Annan.
Must look out for that hide next time.

It's a nice little run along the Solway coast, lots of places to stop off for a bit of a mooch around, loads of places to park up for the night. I quite like it along there.

Ricko · 2018-04-01 21:23:57

tee_cee wrote:

Fantastic picture.
Went camping at Newton Stewart in 1973. The most midges I've ever seen and stung to hell by wasps. Nice scenery though

I know what you mean about the midges, I was at a campsite about ten years ago just north of Newton Stewart on the edge of the forest park, plagued to death by the damned things!!

vaz2121 · 2018-04-02 23:09:19

Ricko wrote:

OAT wrote:
Nice neglected corner to visit. I think I know your riverside spot at Annan.
Must look out for that hide next time.
It's a nice little run along the Solway coast, lots of places to stop off for a bit of a mooch around, loads of places to park up for the night. I quite like it along there.

Something of Déjà vu on Seeing your photo's

There is a surprising amount of history and "places to stop off for a bit of a mooch around" in the region that gets over looked and it is a somewhat neglected corner and I include myself in that "when I lived in Ayrshire like a lot of people heading north into Scotland it's just somewhere you need to pass through to get to where your going"........................

Worse still I now live within 5...10 miles of Caerlaverock/Glencaple and apart from a 10 year stint in Kent/E. Sussex have been since early/mid 80's
and I still miss most of it or travel out of it to go somewhere else..................

Ricko wrote:

tee_cee wrote:
Fantastic picture.
Went camping at Newton Stewart in 1973. The most midges I've ever seen and stung to hell by wasps. Nice scenery though
I know what you mean about the midges, I was at a campsite about ten years ago just north of Newton Stewart on the edge of the forest park, plagued to death by the damned things!!

Don't wish to dampen your Thunder.......
Midges are a bit of a Nuisance and Ive spent many's a day at a forest stage rally around Newton/Minnigaff/ Raiders Road/Clatteringshaws......................

But for me......... try out the Midges on the Isle of Skye

Casper · 2018-04-03 07:41:51

Get a tan. They dont bother you as much. I just hate the feeling of them round my face.

tee_cee · 2018-04-03 15:51:05

vaz2121 wrote:

Don't wish to dampen your Thunder.......
Midges are a bit of a Nuisance and Ive spent many's a day at a forest stage rally around Newton/Minnigaff/ Raiders Road/Clatteringshaws......................
But for me......... try out the Midges on the Isle of Skye

Guess it can be the luck of the draw. Didn't see any midges in Skye.. that's because it blowing a bloody gale! We had a folding camper at the time, and decided to leave after watching our neighbours setup collapsing under the stress. Even though it was late afternoon, the owner gave us our money back without us asking, and called us chicken on the way out. I got the impression that they were used to it.
Back over the bridge it was really calm, but damp - so any hint of exposed flesh was ripe for an instant blood drawing midge attack.

Casper · 2018-04-03 21:05:47

Last time i was on sky i only had midge trouble at Dunvegan Castle. The rest was great. Trying to get up later this year but not staying on sky. Was thinking of staying here, anyone been care to comment?

http://www.reraig.com/index.htm

kenbw2 · 2018-04-03 23:28:20

Me, my girlfriend and my Dispatch took a trip to Skye this weekend, beautiful place and amazing weather.

Midge-free too, probably because it was the colder end of the year

kenbw2 · 2018-04-03 23:33:47

Casper wrote:

Ricko wrote:
There's a hide on the road out of Newton Stewart going towards the Raiders Road, whilst I was in it a local couple turned up with some carrots and this one deer came down to them! A real close up treat!!
Great when you get that close to wildlife. We get quite close to the deer here now but nothing that impressive as its just little Roe Deer.

Getting close to Scottish deer isn't something I enjoy after I got a little too close to one in the Highlands...

vaz2121 · 2018-04-04 01:36:13

tee_cee wrote:

Guess it can be the luck of the draw. Didn't see any midges in Skye.. that's because it blowing a bloody gale! We had a folding camper at the time, and decided to leave after watching our neighbours setup collapsing under the stress. Even though it was late afternoon, the owner gave us our money back without us asking, and called us chicken on the way out. I got the impression that they were used to it.
Back over the bridge it was really calm, but damp - so any hint of exposed flesh was ripe for an instant blood drawing midge attack.

I had a tent collapse on top of me through the night up in Durness............ lol (Last time we were up there on the bike)
Funny now but not really at the time as we still had about a week to go had couple busted poles and a large rip in the non rip fabric...........

To be fair not sure the Midges are any worse in Skye than any where else in the country ............Just the quantity I've encountered there..........

The weather and time of year plays a big part in whether your eaten alive........

I'd predict that visiting Skye just now you'll be safe possibly maybe and also Skin so soft used to be quite effective at keeping them at bay.............

But from Mayish through Septemberish .............. BEWARE
That's true of anywhere in (Highlands) Scotland

Casper:= Never stayed there but have a good idea where it's at..........If you don't need camp site facilities for the night..............
Head over the Skye bridge and turn left at the roundabout at the other side and down into Kyleakin

On your left against the water there's a largish car park .............. At one end there's a kind of tour bus parking /drop off and at the other a Pub Restaurant
We've tended to park nearer the bus drop off end opposite Saucy Mary's IIRC
Stopped of here quite a few times ............Never had any hassle and has always been quiet through the night for effectively being in a town/village
Seen many a van park up here have a night out in pub and then crash out (So to speak)

Btw if some fresh supplies are required................. On coming through Kyle of Lochalch heading for bridge turn left at SECOND set of lights and that's you turning up into the CO-OP car park (far easier parking)

Last edited by vaz2121 (2018-04-04 01:39:02)

Casper · 2018-04-04 13:54:52

Yes we need facilities Vaz. I am happy digging a hole and using wet wipes for a shower but not the wife. I did kip down at Kyleakin years ago. We just kipped in the car but there was a small music festival on and all the pubs had bands. The grass at the waterfront was full of tents and i seem to remember a loo at the other end but sadly not enough for my wife. Aye that site i linked. Under £20 a night for two and electricity plus they allow the dog but the web page is lack of pictures to give an idea of how clean it actually is. I know where a lot of shops and parking is at Kyle of Lochalch cheers as i rented a house that looked down to the bridge for a week. It happened to be where the German bridge designer stayed when it was getting built. May have been the engineering company but a useless fact none the less big_smile

Aye that 106 that got the deer kenbw2. Work mate did the same think in a fiesta van. Van was dead (Write off) Deer was stunned and as work mate got out to look the deer got up and ran away. I dare say it was full of adrenaline and dies later elsewhere. Badgers is another sturdy bugger. Seen one of them rip the sum off a 306. Not by its claws BTW. The bugger died but took the sump with it.

kenbw2 · 2018-04-04 14:29:28

Casper wrote:

Aye that 106 that got the deer kenbw2. Work mate did the same think in a fiesta van. Van was dead (Write off) Deer was stunned and as work mate got out to look the deer got up and ran away. I dare say it was full of adrenaline and dies later elsewhere. Badgers is another sturdy bugger. Seen one of them rip the sum off a 306. Not by its claws BTW. The bugger died but took the sump with it.

I never found the deer unfortunately, it must've taken a fair whack as I was going 60*cough*something at the time. Left me stranded in a layby for 4 days (I had food, a thick duvet but only 4 small gas canisters to keep me warm) before my brother came to pick me up.

Got back and it was firing oddly, think it knocked the pump out of time. For the last 3 years I've totally been going to get it fixed up again... I miss that car sad

Last edited by kenbw2 (2018-04-04 14:29:50)

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#1 2018-04-01 14:49:52

Another quick trip up north...

#2 2018-04-01 14:55:36

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#3 2018-04-01 15:17:01

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#4 2018-04-01 15:20:30

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#5 2018-04-01 16:16:22

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#6 2018-04-01 19:34:33

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#7 2018-04-01 19:35:35

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#8 2018-04-01 21:21:38

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#9 2018-04-01 21:23:57

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#10 2018-04-02 23:09:19

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#11 2018-04-03 07:41:51

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#12 2018-04-03 15:51:05

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#13 2018-04-03 21:05:47

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#14 2018-04-03 23:28:20

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#15 2018-04-03 23:33:47

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#16 2018-04-04 01:36:13

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#17 2018-04-04 13:54:52

Re: Another quick trip up north...

#18 2018-04-04 14:29:28

Re: Another quick trip up north...

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