Callander & Cycling

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Clunegapyears

23-24/07/2023

We obediently did a 5 point turn in Callander as the road to the destination car park said no motorhomes. The main town carpark had a cluster of motorhomes, but signs clearly saying no sleeping in vehicles, although apparently some do. Paying for parking was a pain … none of the machines accepted cards or cash. It had to be done through a parking app. What annoys me is that they charge an extra fee so £3.40 became £3.70 for 24 hours … but no staying over night!

From here, we walked up to the Brackinn Falls and then a loop to Scout Pools … amazing waterfalls.

*I’d read there had been two fatalities … common sense would tell you not to swim. No chance of Corrie ever volunteering* *to get* *wet!*

*Scout Pools calmer and we did see people swimming here.*

Great help and leaflets in the tourist information centre. We shall bike ride tomorrow. Oh, did I mention that we had 2 ice creams each! Including tablet and macaroon flavours.

*Overnight for 2 nights was a couple of miles north of Callander with 3 other vans in a large carpark with paths signed.*

We’ve not cycled for over a year, other than my riding for 2km to the supermarket in Kelso! So bikes checked, and helmets worn. The first stretch around Loch Venachar was loose stones, up and down – nothing major but not fun. Our ebikes are big and heavy hybrids but not designed for proper off road. Additionally, the dog trailer doesn’t have brakes, affecting descents and especially descents with a turn. I’ve hit the deck a few times as a result. I asked J if he was enjoying it, not much either, so we dropped down to the road … easy peasey! Thereafter, we were on much better firm cycle or vehicle tracks. Except for one section through bushes to look at a dam.

Stopping first at Brig O Turk for coffee and cake. Then, a short ride to Achray Farm for homemade ice cream. The flavours come from the garden, so today was meadowsweet and blackcurrant swirl. The milk from their own goats. Just delicious. Despite our sugar filled stomachs we still managed to stop later for picnic lunch.

We only had time for a shorter bike ride the next morning. Our bums were grateful. We headed up past the Falls of Lenny. J asked where we were stopping for coffee and cake … it seems to have become a daily feature! No cafes on our route today, I said! I was wrong. So coffee and brunch at a Forest Holidays cafe/shop. I googled … a 2 bed chalet is £2060 for a week in August! OK, so it has hot tub and BBQ, but even so, it’s still a shed! Our 3 double bed house in Devon is discounted to £1650 for a week in August and still several weeks vacancy.

*Falls of Lenny … more a series of rapids*

First stop was Stirling retail centre for the supermarket and Dunelm. How can it be profitable to sell long and lined curtains for £65 and duvet sets for £24? Our bedroom in Crete sorted and a spare duvet set for the spare room. 😀

We drove to Livingston to stay on the driveway of some fellow motorhomers … should have been near Paisley seeing another friend, but he is poorly. Sarah and Mac read our blog, and had spotted we were nearby. Lovely supper and chat, and we hope they’ll come out to Crete. A plane seems so boring, so possibly on a motorbike or train … planning stages!

Not a Dollar More

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Clunegapyears

22/07/2023

It was another slow start 😆. J ran laps of the park whilst I did pilates … in the sun 😲!

*Alva overnight … Corrie does like to get involved*

Did you know a little mashed potato, egg and cooked onion makes an amazing potato pancake? A first for us and served with cheesey scrambled egg. A good start to the day! I did my 2 day shop at the local butcher and Coop … every town has one. Eventually we set off for Dollar. Detour via the Stirling Outlet Centre … 5 outdoor shops but a little short on stock, but picked J up some walking trousers.

Roadside parking in Dollar as I didn’t like the look of a shrinking road and narrow hump backed bridge. J nanny napped whilst C and I did another Glen walk. A bridge had collapsed, so we were diverted onto the road past the car parks. Just as well I’d parked on the edge of the town as Jez would’ve struggled to get in. Sometimes my instincts are right!

*Castle Campbell. I didn’t go in, but Corrie snuck in whilst I was looking at a map.*

*This lad said the water wasn’t cold! His mate* told the truth … freezing!!

Our overnight was a 5 pitch CL called Powblack Farm. At £20 with EHU, but no other facilities, it made Carr’s Hill £25, with washing machine, dish washer and fab bathrooms, seem really good value. I know some people don’t have much money, but there really is no need to have your farmhouse so untidy and messy that we thought it was uninhabited. Judgemental. Yes, totally!

Dunmore, Dun Better Days

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Clunegapyears

20/07/2023

Very slow start, again! But we did both run. Well, slight exaggeration as J ran. I staggered. In fact, I was staggered that the last time I ran was 28th May and the time before was March. In my defence, we have walked and I’ve done Pilates, classes and at home. But, boy, my legs knew about it … legs and my per km time both definitely dun better. Great to use the Falkirk Wheel showers after.

We drove to Dunmore Castle and the more famous Pineapple, another Atlas Obscura. We stopped at a narrow opening to the car park, leant out of the window to ask if big Jez could get to the car park. Yes, says she. A few pot holes but the car park isn’t too busy. We slowly set off. Pot holes weren’t the problem. Low hanging branches were! And when we saw the parking, there was no way we would have fitted, or been able to turn around. Really should know better than to rely on someone else’s opinion about our size and roads!!! So ivreversed to the sound of branches scraping side. Asked a lady sat outside her Gatehouse garden if she knew where we could park. She kindly offered the spot in front of her house and she was rewarded with a 500ml of Spiros’ Cretan olive oil.

Dunmore Park was a great place to meander. The Pineapple was built as a folly one side of the walled gardens at a time when pineapples were a novelty. Originally, glass houses fanned either side. Now, it is under the care of the National Trust for Scotland and is holiday accommodation.

Next is Elphinstone Tower. Elphinstone was the one-time family name. Now, a ruin it sits to one side of the graveyard for family and servants.

The piece de resistance was the Castle and stables. During the war it was a hospital. Then a private school. In the 1970’s it was abandoned and the roof removed to avoid paying property tax.

*It doesn’t take long for nature to take possession.*

*Two large wine cellars, would* *love to have done a tasting in it’s* *heyday.*

Having run and walked, my legs were definitely heavy. We had intended to clean Jez at an award winning 5 pitch CL called Carr’s Hill,

but all I managed was 2 loads of laundry through the twin tub and some restorative wine!

I was all Dun In!

Not Underwhelmed!

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Clunegapyears

18-19/07/2023

I’ve read a ton of blog posts of travellers raving about the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel and fully expected to be underwhelmed. I wasn’t. We were wowed. We stayed the night at both sites (£10 and £15 including use of showers at the Wheel) so we could enjoy them lit up. Really worth doing.

After leaving the Kelso meet, we filled with LPG in Melrose and stopped off at Callender Park … not to be confused with Callander the town … all of one vowel change. It was a busy park and not worth a detour. Perhaps my walk was tainted by having to wash Corrie in the car park. She rolled in horse shite just as the words … “leave it” left my mouth.

*The Forbes Mausoleum is listed in Atlas Obscura, hence the visit. Spoilt by graffiti and litter surrounding it. If you hunted, there were remnants of head stones* around it.

We walked 3 times from the permitted overnight parking to the Kelpies. Daytime, at night and again in the morning to get our free coffee … the parking included a bogof, so we did … and breakfast!

*They are modelled on two* *Clydesales. Really they impart the sense of grace and power*.

*Being so far North, it doesn’t* *get properly dark till* *long* *past our bedtimes.*

We hadn’t planned to overnight at the Falkirk Wheel, but an enthusiastic Scot bounded over … he’d stayed for 2 nights, sleeping in the back of his car. Staff had cottoned on to his lack of facilities(i. e. Toilet) and having not paid, so he was leaving today. But he did tell us the Wheel being lit at night was worth staying for. So we did.

We had booked online the boat ride where you are carried up 30m from one canal to the next. Just as well we had tickets, as folk were being turned away. A nice trip with an amusing commentary from the staff and an audio fact filled one. The Wheel was a Millenium project to replace 11 locks which took boaters 6 hours to navigate. It’s free to canal traffic and will take canoes and paddle boards …should have brought my board!

*Corrie didn’t much care for the boat engine,* so *did* *the t*rip on my *lap!*

In the afternoon, Corrie and I walked along a canal to Bonneybridge, then under it, and back along the Antonine Wall and the site of Roughcastle Fort. The wall was the most northerly stronghold of the Romans, but the Scots were so troublesome that they retreated back to Hadrian’s Wall.

And So to KelSo

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Clunegapyears

13-17/07/2023

We joined a Motorhomer.com meet in Kelso for 5 nights, predominantly to catch up with Margaret & Shirley and Meg, who all live nearby. We’ve been members of this and the sister group, wildcamping.co.uk for quite some time, so chatted with other folk we knew. And lots we’d not met before, which is the nature of these meets. In fact, it took me all one morning to just do 2 loads of laundry in the twin tub. I’m so easily distracted!

*Nicely spaced out and we weren’t* *the only flying* *the Irish* flag

We ate solo, well the two of us, on the first night and then we hosted M&S, they cooked, we went out and then hosted Meg and Tiny Tim (tall!). We did manage a dry night! And I only took 2 bottles across to the bins after Meg and Tim … that didn’t look too bad for 4 of us! But what others don’t know is that we refilled from Greek box wine, maybe, a few times! So no weight lost these few days, although we did both exercise / run.

Weather wise … mixed. But better than being in Crete, or anywhere else in the Med for that matter. We can move without getting sticky and it’s cool enough to sleep at night. We even added a blanket to our summer duvet. Not at the stage of adding our heated under blanket … yet! Rain stopped play, well archery. I had to abort firing arrows to rescue nearly dry laundry from a downpour.

I did a fab walk along one of the rivers with Corrie and we both walked in Bowmont forest … a good tip from a chatty coffeehouse customer. Really do appreciate the lushness, greeness and diversity of the trees.

*Views across purple haze of thist*le fields

Van wise, all is still not well. The feffing fridge freezer had stopped working, despite new burner. One of the members, Jeff, managed to get it going and showed us how to lube the contacts. But it stopped again on the last night. After talking to a local repair centre (knows Meg), he diagnosed the connection brick … I managed to find one in stock and it’s now with Lisa in Tyneside. Both bathroom and kitchen taps are also crook, and replacements also heading towards Lisa. We can’t get hot water on gas either. Seems to be unrelated to the fridge issue. Both hot water and fridge will run off our leisure batteries . This is working fine when we harvest sufficient solar. Fortunately, there are really powerful and hot showers at the Kelso meet … lovely to stand under and luxuriate in not having to turn off between lathering and rinsing.

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels

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