The plan this morning was to drive to a campsite on Skye and spend the day there, maybe walking for a bit if we found a campsite suitably located to do so but mostly charging everything up and having showers and getting the loo emptied. I’ve not managed to wash my hair this week and it’s started to feel decidedly skanky despite a couple of applications of dry shampoo.
We headed off and crossed the bridge to Skye having done a bit of research on campsite on the island last night and decided there were at least four open all year round. The first one was a mere 4 miles from the bridge and had rave reviews on UK campsites so we had more or less decided that was where we’d go. When we arrived though we realised we had no signal on the mifi or our phones and although the campsite had a fair degree of ‘rustic charm’ it was very basic and had zero view other than the rather ramshackle field it was based in strewn with clutter. The trouble is you can park for free in the most gorgeous locations so it really comes hard to pay for somewhere less than gorgeous. So we drove on.
We drove through Broadford which is quite a big town and stopped at the tourist office to pick up a map marked with about six more campsites across the island. Ady also nipped into the CoOp and came out with some reduced to clear food for dinner tonight (a roast dinner for under 2 quid 🙂 ). The weather was drizzly and very, very misty so the view was mostly obscured but we could see enough to realise the landscape and scenery had all the charm of the proper highlands we have been falling in love with – lochs, sea, rugged coastline, moorland and mountains, heather and pines and teaming with wildlife, we saw about 5 golden eagles 🙂 and enough of a remote feeling to leave the hustle and bustle behind but none of that ‘oh shit we’re about to run out of milk / petrol and there won’t be another shop for 100 miles!’ fretting we have had. Lots of clustered townships with local shops and community feeling and a slightly bohemian feel to the place with loads of polytunnels and veg patches and chickens, sheep and cattle about.
We ended up driving all the way up to Uig and then down the other side, finding a couple of campsites but none with any signal. I had various places where everything had loads of signal including a campsite which looked perfect with bays just for campers, hook up, water and a toilet / shower and laundry block. That closed last weekend 🙁 It did say you were welcome to stay there for free but there were no facilities (including the water, it had been turned off). We’re planning on spending at least one overnight there though as it had stunning views and signal was good :). But for today we needed showers and electricity.
We eventually started to all feel fed up – we were using loads of petrol driving around, Ady was getting stressed with me for not having researched campsites properly, the kids were getting rowdier in their playing in the back and I just wanted a bloody shower! And everyone was hungry because we’d not stopped for lunch in favour of finding a campsite. We decided we’d come back off the island and find a campsite with signal for tonight and go back on again tomorrow when we had showered and charged stuff up. The campsite we stayed in last Sunday is only 10 miles or so away from Kyle of Lochalsh so that is where we headed for, knowing it ticks all our boxes.
We were here by about 530, having stopped at the CoOp for some food (more reduced stuff for a very late lunch) and while Ady made new best friends with the campsite owner, getting his whole life story and some money off a gas bottle, I went and had a shower and the kids made everyone a drink. Hot cup of tea made by someone else after a much needed shower ticks oh so many boxes :).
Everyone was happy then 🙂 The kids watched Robinson Crusoe on the laptop, I researched property on Skye, Ady swept which he says is not as good as hoovering but comes fairly close. While I hanker after a bath to call my own, Scarlett is desperate for pets again and Davies longs for his animation station Ady thinks only of the day when he can once again hoover up after people 😆
We had dinner, watched Autumn watch on iplayer, the kids did some drawing. Davies was looking at some pictures children had done of the red kites at the centre yesterday and has been inspired to do some real life drawings alongside his more usual cartoon style stuff so has been sketching and blending coloured pencils and done some excellent drawings of eagles, seals and kingfishers today. I never got into pencils that much, always prefering felt tips for solid blocks of colour as a child, although as an adult I can see far better results for that sort of art using pencils.
I read a few chapters of story and it’s a late night all round.
Uig – we stayed in a campsite there too once and were kept awake by corncrakes all night 🙂
Comment by Jan — 09 October 2011 @ 10:25 am