I can’t believe we have been in Scotland for three weeks already, I also can’t believe how many times I have used the word stunning.

After our couple of days down the road on our friends site we came up the road to our own site and started the big clean up of leaves and twigs that had all come down through the winter. And getting the camper into the compound after I had cleaned it all out. The view from the window is stunning.

The site is very wooded which is why there was so much debris all over the six acres. The office and pod area were also a mess but Nikki was on the case with that while I was outside. We both worked really hard and worked well over the hours we were allocated but the site was looking good and ready to accept guests on time.

This site is never going to be a white picket fence and bowling green grass site. It’s a wildlife heaven which is why we like it. I think they call it rustic. Every night we hear owls and in the day we hear all sorts of bird song and woodpeckers drumming on the trees. Early every morning I would see Roe deer while sat having my breakfast and one morning a stag wandered through the site before we were open. The photo is not my best because I took it so quick and through the camper window but the site of the stag was just amazing and so close.

Other wildlife on site are frogs in the marsh area and I have seen a pine Martin. I have not seen a red squirrel yet though but have been told I will. I am sure I will discover more as the weeks go on.

After working so hard to get the site ready for opening we gave ourselves a day off and had a drive out heading for the A82 which leads to Glencoe. We were not going to go all the way that day but just a short distance to admire the views.

There are some big gates on the A82 which when the snow is bad are closed so you can’t use the road and also you see poles at the side of the road which are markers for edge of the road and with red reflective tops so you can see how deep the snow is. Luckily that day the gates were open.

We stopped at a view point to take in all the scenery and yes the word stunning was used again. That was our turning point today and coming back the other way you see things in a different way. The road was empty of traffic to the point I could stop, get out the car take a photo or two and get back in the car and carry on before we saw another car.

Another photo stop for photos of a mountain looking like a volcano, even had a cloud at the top which made it look like it was about to erupt. This was called Beinn Dorain

I had also spotted another lock on the way so wanted to stop there on the way back. It didn’t disappoint with crystal clear water and mountains as a backdrop this was loch Lubhair. To be honest I wanted just to dive on in for a swim. Maybe when it warms up a bit.

We will travel that road on other days off and hopefully the sky will be blue. We may even take the camper out for our days off and park up somewhere and wake to that sort of view.

Yesterday we had a day off and decided to go out for a drive to Aberfeldy. After the weather forecast the day before saying it was going to snow we were hoping all the roads would be clear. The roads were fine and the snow was just in the mountain tops. We had been told it’s a nice little town with a great butchers so with the thought of BBQ food and with me starting to dribble we headed off.

We drove along the North side of loch Tay to the end of the lock at Kenmore. Loch Tay is fifteen miles long and with the snow capped mountains around it I was constantly stopping to take photos and saying that word stunning over and over again. My face ached from smiling so much at the end of the day. I absolutely love this area.

We drove through Kenmore and onto Aberfeldy where we had a wander around and a spot of lunch. And of course we found the butchers and bought some different flavours of sausage and burgers ready for a BBQ and some bacon for this morning which was very nice. Will let you know what the sausage and burgers are like when we have a nice sunny day for the BBQ

We came back to Kenmore and parked up for a wander and some more photos. In the summer this will be a tourist trap because of the small beach area and the lovely clean water and a view to die for.

It was hard to drag ourselves away but we will return over the next few months. We decided to come back a different way, choosing to drive down the southern side of the lock this time. This is a single track road so not the sort of road you would want to be going down in the summer with all the tourists. We only met three other cars while travelling the length of the loch and luckily there was somewhere to pull over so we could pass. It was nice seeing the loch and surroundings from the other side.

Along the single windy track were some lovely properties dotted along the side of the loch with price tags to match the view. Priceless. It had been a great day out and it’s just the start. We have more exploring to do and more stunning views to see and some burgers to eat. spring is near and summer is not far away.

The word Stunning is going to be used a lot in this blog this season so be warned. But more of that later.

Before we left Chirk we had one more visit to the ironworks centre. Some reasons for the visit were, it’s great down there with the sculptures changing so there is always something new to see. They have a great cafe down there for our lunch. Good food is always a bonus. And we also wanted to drop off some clothes and bedding because they are collecting clothes for Ukraine.

We sort our clothes out regularly and take them to a charity shop. Correction when I said we I meant Nikki sorts her clothes out regularly because she has a higher turnover of new clothes.

The sculpture park was as good as ever, lunch was as good as ever and the staff were grateful for our old clothes and bedding which was all washed and clean I will add. Hopefully the people in Ukraine will benefit from them.

We also had one more night out at the bridge inn with Becky and Simon. The bridge inn is famous for their burgers and once again we were not disappointed. The walk home was needed after the food and beer and believe it or not I could not eat all my food.

We packed the camper up and left on the 6th March heading for Meathop fell campsite in the Lake District. This was to break the journey up on the way to Scotland. The site is only about 15 minutes from the M6 so we were not really going out of our way much.

I left in the camper and Nikki in the car. It was a lovely sunny day and the journey was good apart from one bit on the motorway where a crash held me up for about 20 minutes. Nikki avoided it luckily. She doesn’t follow me we just meet at the destination.

Meathop fell is a lovely site with great views of rolling fields and hills and with the sun coming up over the hills I was keen to get some photos the next morning.

About ten miles away from the site is a motor museum. Rather than sit around all day we decided to visit that and then come back to site via Grange over sands. The museum was really interesting having a good selection of cars, bikes and pushbikes and of course lots of motoring memorabilia. Looking around you start to remember things you had or saw when growing up. Did I say growing up. What I meant for me was getting older.

After having a good look around we headed to Grange over sands to wander around while the sun was out. It’s on the edge of the estuary so the view is nice. Some really nice old buildings and a lovely little garden with a bench to sit on and ponder.

Time to leave Meathop on Friday and head for Scotland. I left the site at 8.30 and stopped ten minutes down the road to top up with fuel and then got on the M6 and my sat nav said 139 miles until I turn off left which would not be the final destination just another motorway to get me around Glasgow.

The roads were very quiet and the scenery was stunning. There’s that word creeping in. Nikki had made me a sandwich and gave me strict instructions to stop and eat on the way because it’s a long way.

I was merrily driving along doing 55/60 mph and didn’t see the point in stopping unless I needed a pee break or fuel. As I had topped up with fuel and was planning on stopping for fuel about five miles from our destination and didn’t feel the need for a pee I just carried on driving.

After going around the outskirts of Glasgow and heading northwards the scenery was starting to change. I was turning off the M80 at junction 10 onto the A84 heading towards Callander and on to Killin the final destination.

This last leg was 35 miles of pot holed, winding, bendy road and took an hour but the scenery was Stunning. I wanted to stop so many time to get photos but nowhere to stop with a 30ft camper. The mountains had snow on top, the lochs looked cold and grey.

Anyone driving the other way must have thought who is that nutter grinning from ear to ear. But I was so happy being in Scotland. I had wanted to come to Scotland for years and here I was.

Sorry about the lack of photos but you will get some stunning shots of mountains etc over the next six months I promise. The fuel station I had earmarked to refuel before getting on site was very rustic to say the least with a courtyard that looked like it had been bombed. Full of potholes and it’s an unmanned full station so card only.

Now me and modern technology don’t get on too well but I pulled in anyway. Luckily there was a guy filling up so I asked him what to do. In a broad Scottish accent he said just put your card in and answer all the questions then fuel up. I can do that and I did manage it. I also had a pee so I could tell Nikki I did stop.

Only five miles to get to Killin and I was greeted by our friends David and Elaine who run the site a mile down the road from our site. We are staying on this site with them for the weekend to catch up and recover from the drive. We both feel washed out. Luckily the rugby has been on so made me stay in and watch that.

Yesterday morning we had a walk down into Killin and to the other end of the village to see the famous Falls of Dochart which is where the river goes under the bridge. It looked stunning and is even better after heavy rain.

There is a pub right next to the bridge but we resisted going in but we will be back to sample the beer and food soon. The other side of the river is a lovely old mill with mountains behind.

We stopped of in a cafe on the way back to try the produce which was good. An old church made of tin is also in the village which was built in 1876 and is still used.

So that’s us up to date. We had a quick look at our site on Friday and we have a lot of work to do but it’s so nice and very rustic and wildlife friendly. We will go up there tomorrow and get ourselves set up and ready for the season. We are both very excited about being in this STUNNING area.