In Scotland Again - Morvich, Kyle of Lochalsh, the Isle of Skye and Talisker: Episode 5

Morvich camping site lies to the east of the A87 in a drowsy, sunlit valley by the river Croe, peering up to Dorusaduain and overlooked by Lienassie.

This is yet another place of joy, back from the loch, but enjoying long views towards Duich.

Here, we caught up again with H V Morton on his 1933 trip, and had hoped to meet his friend Sir John (or his heirs). They clearly had already departed up the valley, so as 'In Scotland Again' at chapter 7 section 6, we decided to venture towards Beinn Fhada in search of our own Red Deer, armed in our case only with a camera.

The walk leaves Morvich towards Loch Duich, but turns sharply north to cross the Croe as if heading on the back route to the A87, then turning east passing the bed and breakfast lodge up the valley into the forest and the hills.

Chapter 7 contains one of Morton's reddish-brown sepia prints. A glance will tell you that, on our way, we found the same herd, spooked as we know by Sir John's sheep, and now gathered attentively below the trees on the other side of the valley awaiting our photo. 

The return route of the walk takes you down from the forest, crossing Abhiann Chonaig at the little footbridge constructed by the Royal Engineers, and back through the fells.

The walk is one of magic. Take a flask, a sandwich, a mat and binoculars. Climb the slope, sit in the bracken and heather and listen to the wind. Then look out for the eagle.

Skye bridge rises from Dornie on Loch Long, just to the north of Eilean Donan Castle. At this point we again leave 'In Scotland Again' to join H V Morton three years earlier in 1929 in chapter nine of 'In Search of Scotland'. You will recall from blog 2 that Robbie of Ayr had tempted me with Talisker, the same as shared with the Highlander Cameron (chapter 10 section 5 of 'In Search of Scotland'). Morton, by his own account, must have acquired his Talisker whilst on Skye as he reported it to be 'that remarkable drink which is made in the Isle of Skye and can be obtained even in its birthplace only with difficulty'. 

And so to Skye - for Talisker. H V Morton left from Mallaig to the south , taking the 'Stornoway' boat up the Sound of Sleat to Kyle of Lochalsh, where the ferry tied up 'to a a wooden jetty covered with pink sea-anemones', and he transferred to the Skye paddle steamer for destination Portree.

'To me it is pure romance. Some stray old wind from Culloden blew, I think, into my nursery when I was a child, for almost the first stories I heard were stories of Skye and of a brown-eyed prince hiding in a cave'....a place 'shrouded in the splendour of a lost cause'.'The sound of it is like a sword going home into its scabbard'.

But where the ferry? No swishing of a paddle steamer. Ahead the Skye bridge rises, then falls onto Skye, and in but two minutes we have arrived at Kyleakin. 

The road from here to Portree is quick, with none of the highland single track. It is made for trucks, buses and campers. Whilst it coils along the north east coast, the island's mountains remains totally unaffected by it. Dark and brooding, they give a feeling of hopelessness, not bleak, but simply ominous. We leave the A87 at Sligachan, heading west and inland on the A683 to Carbost and the distillery. Park beyond the factory to the right down towards the loch, and once equipped with your bottle of Talisker, why not ascend the hill beyond the distillery to lunch at 'The Oyster Shed'. First appearance is of a seafood farm shop - with a fish van outside. Be not fooled! This is the most perfect place to order and eat the widest range of locally sourced fish - especially shell fish, lobster, crab, prawns and scallops. Place your order at the shop counter and wait for your number to be called. Then head round the side to 'the shed' - an open fronted communal eatery with panoramic views over Skye - to devour your choice. The fish is so fresh you can almost feel it breathe. Flavour-packed and perfectly cooked, this provides a true taste of the isle. Take a side order of chips - now this is how chips should taste - and maybe crack open that bottle of Port Ruighe that you have just bought. 

Unlike Morton, who spent time at Portree, packing by candle-light and leaving 'to go down to the jetty where the 'Glencoe' lies, her riding-lights growing pale in the grey dawn', we leave in the evening, crossing the Skye bridge as the sun sets, and the gloom gathers. 

Tomorrow we will head out to Kinlochewe. 

Thanks to the Herald Scotalnd for the pic

Cosmic Northumberland

Packed, including Champagne.....and the sat nav is programmed for Northumberland.

This short trip starts today, Wednesday, and we shall return on Sunday - taking in River Breamish just north of Powburn on the A697; and then progressing on to Berwick-on-Tweed, right on the edge of the Northumbrian coast.

It seemed strange getting back into the Tracker, with memories still fresh of twenty years in the CI. Here in the Auto Trail, seats embrace as the automatic gear-change effortlessly lifts the speed. The van sits firmly on the road, and but for the high riding position, gives an almost 'car-like' ride. Henry (the given voice of the sat nav soon warns that I am 'exceeding the speed limit'.

For such a size of vehicle, it is remarkably quiet, both within and without. The 1.3l (150hp) engine is soft and leisurely, showing little strain, except on the steepest incline when the hill-climb setting comes into play. Most of the internal noise results from packing error, with an unseated hob tapping the glass cover, and a series of forks tuning themselves in a cutlery drawer. It is only now that I am getting to appreciate the build quality: thick insulation, dense flooring and tight joinery work speak of a quality that is often absent with other manufacturers. The hard suspension, ubiquitous with Fiat, Ford and Mercedes, is the one aspect that reminds that I am driving a van.

With delays in departure for packing and diesel, I run the A1 near Newcastle towards rush hour. I decide to top-up the Gaslow leisure gas bottle LPG system despite having 8 litres spread between two cylinders, so that I can tick another 'first' from my list.

Gaslow refillable bottle gas is a Princess of gas delivery (the Queen being the expensive steel refillable gas tanks attached to the vehicle chassis). It comprises a principal gas bottle, linked to a smaller 'spare', the whole system being remotely filled or topped up via an externally mounted filler, similar to those found on LPG powered cars. Gas is then delivered via the regulator on demand to the heating, refrigeration and cooking appliances when not programmed to operate on 130v mains electric.

My selected gas dealer having closed early - too soon for my visit, I selected the next nearest LPG service station, offering a 59p/litre charge. Filling is relatively simple once the rules are understood, but the filling process is slow, so be warned. The system accommodates a further 6.3 litres, which takes the tanks up to their 80% safety capacity before automatically shutting off the flow. I pay £3.72, and have the knowledge that, irrespective of gas use, I will have more than enough for this trip and many to come.

Leaving the A1 north of Morpeth, the A697 runs straight towards Coldstream south of the Scottish border. Powburn lies just to the north of Rothbury in glorious Northumbrian countryside. Here hills roll towards fells, with small fringes of Scotts Pine ranged along the ridges. We see the last cattle outside Pauperhaugh and enter sheep country. It is May and the lambs are still small here, the season being a good three weeks behind the lower lands. We turn off towards Branton and after half a mile reach River Breamish site.

This is part of the Caravan Club network, a 10 acre site at the foot of the Cheviots, offering 75 pitches most of which are hardstanding. Along both side and rear are fascinating nature reserves set amidst old quarry lakes with well-constructed hides, and beyond runs the river, brown with peat. This is a twitcher's paradise if birds are your thing. If not, the drama of nature is still a compelling reason to visit, with extensive walks into unspoilt countryside.

Our chosen pitch backs against a tree-lined bank and faces into the main site. This has to be one of the most carefully cared Caravan Club sites in the region, but perhaps needs a further five years for the openness to fold and mature.

Our departure is again north west on the A697 to Wooler, and then the picturesque B6525 due north towards Berwick-on-Tweed. Berwick Seaview deserves its name - a 6 acre Caravan Club site situated in terraces high above Tweedmouth with views across to the ancient border town of Berwick and the North Sea. A popular site, just off the A1 London to Edinburgh road, booking is essential. Our allocated pitch 23 was towards the end of the site with restricted sea view, so you may wish to specify one of the more favoured of the 93 pitches when you book.

A visit to Berwick is not for the site - but for the town, a historic fortified holding to keep the Scots from invading England. Still walled, with massive granite blocks, the town combines the best of British history with a still-working port. It offers an immense variety of town walks and coastal strolls. It also offers Keith's Pier Red, arguably one of the best coffee-and-art shops in Europe. Having recently returned from Buenos Aires, we are skilled in tracking good coffee, and here is a place that rivals the best of those we have visited. And with your coffee, try the coffee and walnut cake, made locally and lovingly to delight.

Now, I hear you ask, why bring Champagne to Berwick-on-Tweed?

There is one simple and compelling reason, and it lies at the foot of Tweedmouth on Dock Road, just below the site. Descend there to meet with brothers Douglas and Graham Flannigan who operate the Berwick Shellfish Company. This is a family concern, founded by parents George and Phyllis Flannigan in 1969. The factory seafood shop opened in 2014 and is now part of the business success story. We choose prepared lobster and a separate seafood platter with king prawns and crab meat. The more adventurous may wish to cook their own lobster, or taste an exotic chilli and lime salmon.

The cork pops, our glasses are charged, and we set about succulent, soft lobster and crab. The last rays of sunshine break through hurrying clouds and we settle back to enjoy our latest meal in the Tracker.

Why travel further, when here is such delight?

First Moment

Stephanie and I are driving to Tyne Valley Motorhomes, Byermoor, Burnopfield and our new destiny. It's called the Auto Trail Tracker FB.

Back in 1993 I bought my first motorhome; or should I say 'campervan' -a second hand Autosleeper Rhapsody - a high roof panel van on the old shape Peugeot Boxer chassis.

Giving good service for a couple of years, in 1995 I exchanged it for a new CI Mizar Elite 140 - one of the first crash-tested, mass produced coachbuilts to come out of Italy.

2014 at Garlieston, Dumfies, Scotland

2014 Stephanie at Twinwood, Bedfordshire

And now, twenty years on, with excellent service from the CI, both in the UK and abroad, it is time for a change.


The Auto Trail Tracker FB is a larger van, taking the length from 5.97 to 7.10 metres, the width from 2.21 to 2.35m, the height from 2.97 to 3.03m. The reason, as leaked in it's name, is the FB or fixed bed, a queen size French bed backing to the rear near-side of the vehicle and positioned alongside the spacious bathroom. Forward from this is the kitchen and wardrobe, with twin sofas forming the front end seating beneath the Super Lo-line cab. All is set on the 2.3 Fiat Ducato Euro 5 base vehicle, in this case with Multijet 130 engine upgrade to 150 bhp, coupled to the Comfort- Matic automatic gearbox.

Auto Trail is a Lincolnshire based firm which has been making motorhomes for over 30 years, now part of the Trigano group operating from Europarc, Grimsby. Typically for the UK market, this is strictly a two seater motorhome - although with sofa conversion, it may sleep four.

The particular specification for this 2014 vehicle was determined by another customer who had been unable to take delivery of the vehicle. Extras include the media pack 2 with integrated 18.5" Avtex drop down wide screen TV/DVD player incorporating digital and satellite tuners; 100w solar panel, water tank frost protection, Witter detachable tow bar and reversing camera. Not registered until 2015, this provided a 'new' vehicle with the expected discount.

So much for the specification. Now, all we have to do is to take delivery. And of course, that will be the next blog.