All of our previous road trips around Europe had been in our old Ford Smax (it was such a great car we now have a newer one). At 4.8m long and 1.9m wide it was quite a large car and I'd always get in to trouble with Amber and the kids for driving around carparks quite a few times to find a suitable place to park. But on this trip the Smax has been dwarfed by the motorhome! Our Roller Team Zefiro 675 is a centimetre short of 7m in length, 2.4m wide and 3.2m tall. It also has a ridiculous overhang from the rear axle, so swings out wide on the opposite side when turning.
Thus when planning where to stop off on this trip we're having to be mindful as
to whether it will be possible in the motorhome, making sure there is
somewhere suitable to park and just as important, a place we can turnaround if
a dead end road. After some Google Map investigation using satellite and
street view, we decided that our original first stop off on our drive from
Brora to Thurso would be one such place not suitable for a motorhome (let
alone two), so a walk down the 330 Whaligoe Steps to the historic harbour will
have to wait for another time. So instead we headed for Tesco in Wick
for a cafe breakfast, a stock up on food and essentials, and a drink of diesel for the motorhome before we head to the
more remote north west.
Our final destination today was Thurso and I write this blog looking out to
sea as the light fades over the Orkney Islands. But it was much earlier
in the day when we had our first proper point of interest, stopping off to see
Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, just a few miles north of Wick. Dating from
the 15th and 17th centuries, the ruins of what were two seperate castles are
still quite impressive and coupled with the unusual blue skies, wouldn't have
looked out of place in the Mediterranean! Story has it that the castles
were looted and left to rot after the owner became unable to pay his way in
the late 1600s.
We then retraced our route to Wick and continued heading north to Ducansby
Head, the most northeasternly point of mainland Britain. From here there
were fine views over the Pentland Forth to the Orkney Islands and also after a
short walk Thirle Door and the Stacks of Duncansby. Unfortunately the
sun wasn't in an ideal location for photos (apparently sunrise is best), but the stacks reminded me very
much of the Seven Sisters on the Great Ocean Road in Australia and as
difficult as this may be to comprehend, the weather today was a hundred times
better than most of that drive from Adelaide to Melbourne.
Our final stop off for the day was just down the road from Duncansby in John
o'Groats. The town wasn't what I was expecting, just a few desolate drab
looking houses with all focus on the tourist attractions associated with the
famous sign. After the now customary (whilst it's sunny) ice cream, all
that was left was photos next to the sign and we were back on the road for our
overnight stay in Thurso.
Earlier in the day whilst passing through Wick we had seen another of the
Highland Trail Coo's, and knowing that there was one more in Thurso we took
the 10 minute walk into the town centre to find #16 Willow.
We then
headed back to camp via the beach, but unlike last night Thurso beach was
small and grubby, so we didn't stay too long before
heading home after a little bit of play.
Blogged by Matt.
