Eriba Man

  The weather was forecast to be very nice today, and the forecast was absolutely spot on. Woke around 0630 where it was a reported -5C. The van was fine and warm, but the pipe from the water tank which connects to the van was frozen hence no tap water. The taps at the site service point were also frozen stuck! After walking the dogs, breakfast, and getting sorted out in general, we headed off for the 50min drive to Sconser on Skye to catch the 1025 Ferry to Raasay. The conditions were perfect for the short 20min crossing. Nice little terminal with a waiting room, toilets, and a carpark. Tickets for this crossing are purchased onboard. It was a nice, quiet ship. The weather for the crossing was stunning with fantastic views back to Skye. After disembarking, we headed the short drive past the main Island village of Inverarish to a car park which serves a great waymarked route around the Islands mining history, mining for Iron Ore. Great paths, not too hilly. This old mining building...

  This is my second day at Morvich C&MC Site in Kintail in the highlands. Slept well, and as the clocks went forward overnight, got up an hour later than normal! The site has only been open for 2 days and is still very quiet, maybe only 15 units here in total. The weather has been very good, especially considering that it is early Spring. This morning was very nice, blue skies and very little wind. As the day wore on, it did get a bit showery, mainly of hail and they passed through quick. First walk of the day was a NTS path on the Balmacara Estate. There's a network of paths I chose the Kirkton to Reraig via the high route below the top of Sgurr Mor. The path followed a fairly level route, then rose steeply up a very old wooded gorge. Incredibly old forest. This was a very steep route at parts. As we reached the high point of the track, we were rewarded with fantastic views along the Sound of Sleat. The Skye village of Kyleakin, the Skye Bridge and The Cuillin beyond. Balmacar...

 I finally got Touring up and running for 2023! This was a trip I had planned during the winter, which I suppose didn't really take much planning. For the last few years, I've made Morvich in Kintail either the first or near the first of my trips. I really like this area, but I limit this to Spring or Winter due to ticks. Last season, the ticks were horrendous on the dogs (and in the van) and I decided to avoid the North West during tick season. To break up the journey up to Kintail, I stopped for a night at Culloden Moor. A great site with good dog walking nearby and Inverness is only 10mins away. It also gave me a chance to iron out any issues with the van following winter storage (on my drive with a cover on), and also to trial some of the little adjustments and replacements I'd made during the winter. I fitted the 'Sunnestra' hook on fittings from Ikea which fit perfectly around the band above the cabinets around the pop top. I got a kitchen towel holder, a plai...