2013 Holiday- CSS and Highlands tour- Very pic heavy

[Djw John]

Finally getting round to writing this up. This year we decided to go down to CSS and see my wifes cousin and family whilst we were there and then go straight on our holidays after that. It wasn't until we got to Cambridgeshire we realised we probably should've kept going and gone to Europe but hey ho, next time!

So firstly the CSS pics

DSC_0027 by john.holligan, on Flickr

Vee by john.holligan, on Flickr

Vee by john.holligan, on Flickr

Mk4 Cup Racer by john.holligan, on Flickr

Supercharged flower by john.holligan, on Flickr

Sally B by john.holligan, on Flickr

Salmonds new toy by john.holligan, on Flickr

Spitfire Duxford by john.holligan, on Flickr

Spitfire Duxford by john.holligan, on Flickr

Spitfire Duxford by john.holligan, on Flickr

Spitfire Duxford by john.holligan, on Flickr

Spitfire Duxford by john.holligan, on Flickr

Sally B by john.holligan, on Flickr

SR71 Blackbird by john.holligan, on Flickr

After that we came back up the road on the Sunday, stayed at home on the Monday and left on the Tuesday for the next section, the Heilans!

This was on Skye

View from Skye B&B by john.holligan, on Flickr

Parked up for the night by john.holligan, on Flickr

Quiraing by john.holligan, on Flickr

Quiraing by john.holligan, on Flickr

At the Quiraing by john.holligan, on Flickr

3 wheeling by john.holligan, on Flickr

Near the Old Man of Storr- Skye by john.holligan, on Flickr

Portree Valver by john.holligan, on Flickr

Portree by john.holligan, on Flickr

Dunvegan Castle by john.holligan, on Flickr

The road to Talisker by john.holligan, on Flickr

DSC_0153 by john.holligan, on Flickr

Eilean Donan Castle just south of Kyle of Lochalsh

Dunvegan by john.holligan, on Flickr

Dunvegan by john.holligan, on Flickr

Eilean Donan by john.holligan, on Flickr

We stayed in Lochcarron for the second night and headed up to Kylesku, via Applecross, Gairloch, Poolewe and Ullapool

At the start of the Bealach-na-ba by john.holligan, on Flickr

Foggy Pass by john.holligan, on Flickr

No pics at the top as you could barely see your hand in front of your face thanks to being slap bang in the middle of a cloud!

Outside the Inn by john.holligan, on Flickr

If any of you watched Monty Halls Great Escape on the BBC you might recognise here

Beachcomber Cottage by john.holligan, on Flickr

Beachcomber Cottage - Applecross by john.holligan, on Flickr

Beachcomber Cottage by john.holligan, on Flickr

This is Mellon Charles near Ault Bea

Ault Bea by john.holligan, on Flickr

The road to Ullapool by john.holligan, on Flickr

Between Aultbea and Ullapool by john.holligan, on Flickr

North of Ullapool

Who needs the Isle of Mann?! by john.holligan, on Flickr

The road to Kylsku by john.holligan, on Flickr

View from Kylesku by john.holligan, on Flickr

Kylesku Hotel by john.holligan, on Flickr

DSC_0337 by john.holligan, on Flickr

Better leave it in reverse then by john.holligan, on Flickr

The loch was so clear you could see hundreds of these

DSC_0349 by john.holligan, on Flickr

DSC_0352 by john.holligan, on Flickr

(I was quite drunk when I took this pic, its the best of a bad bunch but it was right outside the window of the hotel)

DSC_0375 by john.holligan, on Flickr

Kylesku hotel was great and we will defo stay there again. Unfortunately the next day it was sideways rain so I couldnt get the pic of the bridge like I intended to. We were heading along the North Coast that day via Durness, Tongue and staying in Thurso

Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

KGX - Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

We had spotted a lot of classic cars back in Ullapool, couple of Bentleys but mostly Bugattis, unfortunately hadn't managed to get any pics but then, as we were in Cocoa Mountain these 2 turned up. The owner of the open top was a lovely guy who moved a LandCruiser out the way for pics and was happy to chat. The owner of the other one was a grumpy c**t!

Bugatti in Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

Bugatti in Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

Bugatti in Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

Bugatti in Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

Bugatti in Durness by john.holligan, on Flickr

It was great to see them out in the open and being used properly, much better than being sat in a museum imo.

Then we went onto Smoo Cave

Smoo Cave by john.holligan, on Flickr

The North Road by john.holligan, on Flickr

And then the battery died, cos I'm an arse and had forgotten to charge it, properly annoying as the scenery was great and the weather cleared up! Gave it a quick charge at Thurso and had a cheap dinner out- chippy in the car!

Thurso by john.holligan, on Flickr

Busy little Port by john.holligan, on Flickr

Chippy and the Sea by john.holligan, on Flickr

Looking out to Orkney by john.holligan, on Flickr

View from Thurso B&B by john.holligan, on Flickr

We watched the Orkney ferry come in and you could see Orkney very clearly, we'll head there at some point

The next day we were heading to Inverness via Dunnet Head, John O'Groats, Wick, Lairg for the Falls of Shin and Tain. Turns out the Falls of Shin visitor centre had gone on fire and as we needed lunch and the loo we didn't even get out of the car!

Dunnet Head by john.holligan, on Flickr

Dunnet Head by john.holligan, on Flickr

Dunnet Head by john.holligan, on Flickr

John O'Groats by john.holligan, on Flickr

Dunnet Head pisses all over JOG, which in all honesty is a hole!

The next day we woke in a very nice B&B in Inverness and knew that one of my brothers was in the region having hired a boat to go from Inverness to Fort William and back. We were having dinner with him and his mates that night but we decided to fire down to Fort Augustus to meet up with them in the morning. I can barely walk on a boat and they were all properly hungover but it was still a laugh. My bro is the one not wearing Dannys gay Pirate hat

Fort Augustus by john.holligan, on Flickr

Then we went on to Plodda Falls where the walkway stops at the top of the falls. And I s**t myself everytime!

Plodda Falls by john.holligan, on Flickr

Plodda Falls by john.holligan, on Flickr

Plodda Falls by john.holligan, on Flickr

Plodda Falls by john.holligan, on Flickr

The falls were the smallest we had seen them, but it had been very dry for weeks. Probably the last time we go to them in KGX though, the road just is too much for it!

This is pretty normal for the smaller Highland roads, great fun

Tomich Road by john.holligan, on Flickr

After 2 nights in Inverness we headed to Aberdeen and stayed in a nice but slightly strange guest house,

Aberdeen by john.holligan, on Flickr

Aberdeen by john.holligan, on Flickr

and visited Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay by john.holligan, on Flickr

Cruden Bay by john.holligan, on Flickr

Cruden Bay by john.holligan, on Flickr

I took the wrong tablet that morning so my hayfever was mental and then I fell asleep- tool! However, my wife had been doing a fair bit of the driving anyway so it wasnt much of a drama.

When we got home the car was minging!

Home by john.holligan, on Flickr

Home by john.holligan, on Flickr

Quick wash and test of Hot Wheels worked well though

Home by john.holligan, on Flickr

In the end we covered 2499 miles and were knackered! But now we know where we want to go back for longer and where we won't bother going back to!

Well done if you got this far!

Cheers
John

 

[Cub.]

Looks like a great trip John. Great car, great roads, amazing scenery and great accommodation. Proves holidaying in the UK can be as awesome as abroad.

Really makes me want to get up to the Highlands.

PS decent photography skills aswell. Except the drunken stag, lol.

 

[Lal B3N]

Awesome write up, photos are great. Some of them places look fantastic.

I had planned a 1300 mileish tour of Scotland in August but have had to postpone it for now .

 

[Djw John]

Thanks lads, it was superb, the West Coast is stunning. I should add that the car didn't miss a beat the whole time and then did a 2 hour Open Pit Lane track night at Knockhill on the Friday!

 

[Cliotoby]

Used to go all over Scotland as a kid with my parents for the summer holidays. We had some great weather although it rained 3 years in a row when we were there so went to France from then onwards.

The beaches are amazing and the scenery stunning. Always forget just how much so. Bet the roads were a blast too.

Lovely looking motor John.

 

[SharkyUK]

Nice one, John - enjoyed reading through that. Thanks!

 

[Gray]

Some really nice photos there.. I really want to visit / drive around Scotland, this has made me realise it needs to be done sooner.

Stunning place.

 

[Briggo]

Scotland is amazing, been to Fort Bill/Isle of Skye a few years ago but in a couple of weeks doing a bit of a tour myself - Edinburgh > Loch Lomond > Drumnadroicht/Inverness

Envisage travelling to, around and from I'll have done circa 2k miles (it's a long way from Norfolk). Shame won't be doing it in the 172!

The pictures are awesome, makes me get a little excited inside knowing I'll be up there soon, love the place.

 

[Lawro]

Great photos and write up, enjoyed that. PH1 looks lovely too!

 

[rctempire]

Nice on John. Least you have seen Scotland. Unlike the 80% that leave for sunnier skies. Scotland is beautiful and its right at everyone's door step, just need to realise this.
Good write up too.
Picked any good roads the CS lot can drive then?

 

[BREMBO]

Brilliant thread mate, car looks fantastic

Might be going up to Portree early August

 

[Djw John]

Cheers all, it was a really enjoyable holiday and as for the weather, well lets just say it kept you on your toes! Shorts one day, jacket the next, we got it all bar snow!

It really is a superb place and you just can't help but be on great roads, the locals are 95% good drivers who are happy to let you past if you are "progressing". Gotta say though, the West Coast pisses all over the East Coast, only go to John O'Groats if you happen to be passing and want to tick it off the list, Dunnet Head is much better and less touristy.

I'll draw up the route on googlemaps later on and you can have a gander at what we did.

​Ben, you better be taking the Vee!

 

[VIICarCare]

Stunning pics, car looks lush

 

[Djw John]

Nice on John. Least you have seen Scotland. Unlike the 80% that leave for sunnier skies. Scotland is beautiful and its right at everyone's door step, just need to realise this.
Good write up too.
Picked any good roads the CS lot can drive then?

Honestly Adam some of them are better than Knockhill! However it would need to be an overnighter I reckon and to have a large convoy would be asking for trouble, think there's still some people a bit wary after the last big Scotland trip. Which is a shame. More than happy to throw some routes together for anyone who asks though, probably the 10th-12th time I've been up now.

 

[Djw John]

And thanks Dawn

 

[Djw John]

​This shows the rough route we took, not necessarily the best in places and we obviously did a bit extra here and there but it gives you an idea

Route by john.holligan, on Flickr

 

[tomp2000]

some really good shots there

 

[cat171]

Great road trip, some really nice scenery there mate. Your car looks nice too :approve:

My car's from up your end (it started out with SE) I keep meaning to take it back up there one day (I've been thinking about it for years though)

 

[Xanda73]

Thanks for posting. Really enjoyed reading as I'm thinking about Skye myself. Love the ph1 as well. What exactly did you mean by the roads being too much?

 

[Djw John]

Cheers, SE is Glasgow iirc isn't it? You should defo bring it up one day, well worth it!

Sorry xanda I'm not sure where I said that? What context was it in as I can't see it!

 

[danward]

Great thread good read and nice photos.

 

[Ghm]

Excellent right up, enjoyed it more cause I recognize several locations cause im from Stornoway originally.

Ever thought about heading over to Lewis and Harris? Harris in particular has roads that are something else even better than Skye.

 

[Gaz85]

great read john

 

[BREMBO]

V is still of the road, stored up North. SORN

Looking for storage in Edinburgh!

 

[Rob]

That's some miles Scotland! Jesus! Awesome looking trip though mate, and great pics.

 

[Djw John]

Knowsit England, funnily enough it's now clicked over 100000, can't imagine why!

 

[Xanda73]

Cheers, SE is Glasgow iirc isn't it? You should defo bring it up one day, well worth it!

Sorry xanda I'm not sure where I said that? What context was it in as I can't see it!

Under the waterfall pics you said

"The falls were the smallest we had seen them, but it had been very dry for weeks. Probably the last time we go to them in KGX though, the road just is too much for it!"

I just wondered what you meant by the last part - roads being too much? It's no biggie, just asking

 

[Djw John]

Ah right yeah, couldn't see it for looking at it! The last 2 miles or so to plodda is up a steep gravel/stone/rock "road" that has quite marked tyre tracks in it so the middle is quite high, my car is just too low for it really. And it's not really all that low!

 

[Djw John]

Excellent right up, enjoyed it more cause I recognize several locations cause im from Stornoway originally.

Ever thought about heading over to Lewis and Harris? Harris in particular has roads that are something else even better than Skye.

Sorry meant to reply to this earlier, we went over about 6 years ago and spent most of the 3 days on Lewis but defo want to go back and see Harris properly, stunning place.

 

[Wick]

Lovely photos and highlands look superb!

 

[yeecup]

Awesome pics John

 

[arg_carra]

Excellent write up John.
Looks like you had similar weather to us when going over the Bealach Na Ba to Applecross, worst fog ever.
Tempted to jump on a ferry later this year to the Outer Hebrides.

 

[Djw John]

Cheers lads.

Al, its worth it, maybe 2-3 days I would say. We went in my 1.4 and drove it flat out everywhere!! The roads were quite bumpy on Lewis though so about 100mph was the natural top speed before you couldn't control the bouncing!

 

[dmallett]

Scotland looks pretty in those pictures.

Looked a good holiday, you missed the fact you got to see me though!

 

[Djw John]

Those pics arent for the publics eyes though..

 

[arg_carra]

Cheers lads.

Al, its worth it, maybe 2-3 days I would say. We went in my 1.4 and drove it flat out everywhere!! The roads were quite bumpy on Lewis though so about 100mph was the natural top speed before you couldn't control the bouncing!

Did you get the Uig ferry or Oban?

 

[Djw John]

Uig, we had been up north anyway and probably should've gone to Ullapool but I wanted the shorter crossing cos we're both s**t on boats! I did a thread for that one as well, I'll see if I can find it.

 

[Djw John]

Er, found it but its a bit pointless tbh!

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/show...es-it-could-do-with-a-wash!-(-amp-172-update)

 

[Ali]

Lovely shots!

 

[Djw John]

Cheers Ali x