We have a book which is now available through Amazon, it can be purchased in a good old fashioned paperback or digital for all you screen addicts out there. Please click on the links (right hand side of this page) if you wish to purchase, or search it out on Amazon. Some stories may be familiar from the blog, others will be new to all, its easy and light reading, hope you enjoy!
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Many exciting things have happened and too much time passed since our last overland voyage aboard Kaerus the trusty Land Rover. However, an ideal opportunity to spend a week on the road came this August. Earlier in the year I entered a photo competition which managed to land us full family tickets to the popular Tartan Heart music festival, held on the amazing Belladrum estate near Inverness. A new addition to our family, the now 9 month old Innes, meant a few minor adjustments were required to the ever adaptable Kaerus before adventures could commence. These included a front facing baby seat bolted in place between driver and passenger seats, a drive-away awning to add extra crawling/toddling room and a full set of stunning new cushions for the living space hand made by Melissa.
Packed and ready we hit the road North, stopping for supplies and a new gas bottle en-route. The first nights wild camp stop was in an area called ‘The Hermitage’. Situated on the river Tay in Perthshire, this beautiful old forest contains many of Britains tallest trees, planted by wealthy landowners known as the ‘planting Earls’ a few hundred years ago. It has been told that cannons were used to fire tree seeds across to far reaches of the lands, whatever their methods they worked well, giving generations of people an opportunity to enjoy the expansive woods here. Various Georgian follies have also been restored, including an enclosed building named Ossians Hall which protrudes from a cliff and allows birds eye views of huge waterfalls tumbling down a canyon. The rain made a good show throughout the evening but this did little to dampen our spirits and glorious sunshine returned by the morning. The day ahead brought us through the mighty moors and mountains of the Cairngorms before pushing onwards to Inverness. The traffic jams were immediately evident from thousands of festival fans heading towards Belladrum, a section which would usually take twenty minutes took around two hours but we still got to the site in time for rustling up some lunch. The campervan fields filled up quickly, good job we arrived early enough for a decent pitch, not too far from the main arenas but just far enough so as to get some peace when sleeping. All was now ready for the three days and nights of festivities that lay ahead, bring on Belladrum. This was to be our fourth visit to this festival, it seems to get better every time somehow, even the weather shone favourably for the entire duration. The huge array of stages, spread over old country estate gardens, offered sounds for all tastes as always; we caught classics from the likes of Elbow, The Coral, Dodgy, Richard Thompson, The Sugarhill Gang, Jonny Marr, Glasvegas, Hawkwind and many other seasoned sessionists. The folk stages gave us skilled sonatas from Wildwood Kin, Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys, Julie Fowlis plus many who's names I forget. The main arenas filled to burst for pop headliners like Lewis Capaldi, Churches, Jess Glynne and Tom Odell, all accompanied by eyewatering light shows and visuals. The Jazz, Blues and country stages gave us many an hour of easy listening too, not forgetting of course the new and emerging artists area, many of whom will no doubt be headliners here in the future. Other than musical merriment, there was an entire fairground complete with ferris wheel, stunt shows from Britain’s leading two wheel tricksters Team Extreme, late night hilarity from The Cuban Brothers, zorbs to roll about in, craft corners, science labs, comedy shows, poetry readings, cabaret and even a full sized Coop supermarket for restocking of essentials. A great spot for a breather from the hustle ‘n’ bustle is always the temple chapel on the estate grounds, here you can sit and listen to harpists and skilled violinists within the pleasing acoustic resonance of a Historic Scotland registered building. You may have to move on when a wedding begins of course, two were booked in the temple throughout the course of this festi. Each year a theme is chosen for the event and this year carried the ‘Sci-Fi’ tag. Previous years have seen all sorts, I recall a superhero theme where myself and Melissa dressed as Batman and a rather feminine version of Robin (Melissa was the Robin just to be clear!). This time we thought three eyed martians would be a simple enough go at it, a few second hand fancy dress items were collected together, coupled with a bit of stitching from Melissa and a pair of old wellies spray painted in green car paint by myself. The sun was at its hottest and I felt the heat a bit in my giant alien onesie, we decided to pass by the fancy dress show and competition, much to my relief as it provided a bit of shade within a circus big top. The array of outfits was impressive, people had made such a great effort all round and creativity ran free. As it came our turn to parade onto the stage limelight we gave the crowd a wave and introduced ourselves as an alien family, Innes looked quite bemused by it all, very much as if we were all from another planet! The entrants eventually all had their moment and the judges were left to what they do best. Well I could hardly believe it, first prize goes to ‘the alien family’, winning full family tickets to Belladrum 2020! Reeling slightly from the rather fortunate occurrence, we continued on our way, thanking Innes for being such a cute alien baby. Throughout the following evening we became localised celebrities, as I sat enjoying an organic IPA from the Black Isle Brewery, kids approached wanting to chat with the alien family and random well-wishers congratulated our win. As is the way with all good things, the time on this magical Inverness estate was ending too as midnight of the third night approached. Energy levels were ebbing, as was the battery power on Innes’ space themed fairy lights adorning his buggy. The final fireworks had finished and we sat on a grass bank beside a vintage steam tractor which still puffed away solemnly as its coal fires glowed a heart of embers, a pirate folk band played on a stage nearby offering some last unique and memorable melodies before we hit the hay. The following morn farewell was bid to our various temporary neighbours in the camp, all of whom had been very good company. The traffic jams on the way out were even slower than the way in and, as if the organisers had orchestrated the weather perfectly, the Highland drizzle returned upon departure from the site. The direction now was South, along the banks of bonnie Loch Ness, no sightings of Nessie but the views were a treat all the same. We stopped in the afternoon below Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, deciding to pitch camp there for the night. The rain threw a few tantrums over the evening but we still had a great walk along Glen Nevis and then popped into a nearby restaurant for a meal as it seemed a bit damp for us to cook outdoors. The next day our journey continued through one of my favourite places, Glencoe. I have spent time here in all seasons and all weathers over the years, every time the bleak splendour of the place strikes a chord in me and I look forward to my next visit. A brief lunch stop in the midst of Rannoch moor and then it was time for the home straight via Loch Lomond. As we approached Glasgow and Southern Scotland, Melissa and Innes snoozed a contented snooze in the passenger seats, tired out after an eventful trip. The grey summer drizzle coated Kaerus’s windscreen as she climbed the Erskine bridge over the Clyde, our sunny journey to the Tartan Heart of Scotland now seemed little more than a perfect dream. |