Quote: Originally posted by macquatic on 20/10/2017
Skye is worse in the height of the Summer...........no ferry to catch (or tolls)
Didn't the authorities put out a plea for people to stay away at the height of this summer because the roads were congested and all accommodation full.
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Quote: Originally posted by alan29 on 21/10/2017
Didn't the authorities put out a plea for people to stay away at the height of this summer because the roads were congested and all accommodation full.
It was horrendous!
The infrastructure couldn't handle it, although the tourism and accommodation outlets did a roaring trade.
I could say the worst offenders were.............but it would upset quite a few members on this site!
------------- I came into this world with nothing and I've still got most of it left.
Quote: Originally posted by ficklejade on 20/10/2017
See you stopped at the viewpoint at the Dervaig hairpins! Glad you found somewhere to park but you're quite right in your first paragraph. You were lucky you only met a couple of the large hired motorhomes! You can only imagine what it's like to live with!!
Were you looking for somewhere to camp informally with the caravan?
i was looking for somewhere informal to stop over night but also looking for somewhere to stop and cook dinner..
the guy who own that piece of land appears in the evening and charges £10 for anyone wanting to stay the night.. i quite happily paid him.. :)
Quote: Originally posted by ficklejade on 22/10/2017
I’m astounded! I know the man and at a tenner you got off lightly! Be thankful!
amusingly he ask for a tenner but accepted 6 quid and i had to hunt for that.. it was all the cash i had on me..
i did have an interesting chat with him about the cheap ferry fares and the tourist situation..
i also made a mistake.. i was heading south and without thinking used the same ferry off the island i used to get to it.. i should have driven back across the island and used the other ferry.. it would have saved me a rather tortuous 100 miles off my 500 mile journey home.. :)
it would seem the isle of mull now makes a nice short cut when heading north.. even more bad news for those that live there..
Two thoughts - first is that the NC500 is doing to the north west of Scotland what Wainright did to the Lake District with his infernal walking guides ..... make something so popular that “everyone” flocks to visit and promptly ruins what it is which made the area so special in the first place.
Second thought - came across an excellent blog this morning about the problems of too many visitors on Skye, suspect Ficklejade might identify with much of this. Skye Calling Blog
Quote: Originally posted by ficklejade on 22/10/2017
I’m astounded! I know the man and at a tenner you got off lightly! Be thankful!
amusingly he ask for a tenner but accepted 6 quid and i had to hunt for that.. it was all the cash i had on me..
i did have an interesting chat with him about the cheap ferry fares and the tourist situation..
i also made a mistake.. i was heading south and without thinking used the same ferry off the island i used to get to it.. i should have driven back across the island and used the other ferry.. it would have saved me a rather tortuous 100 miles off my 500 mile journey home.. :)
it would seem the isle of mull now makes a nice short cut when heading north.. even more bad news for those that live there..
trog
Very lucky, trog! People have been charged the same when parked up for five hours there during Mull Rally!
Please tell me you came back via Lochaline, not Kilchoan - you have my sympathies. Though I use Lochaline most of the time - don't have to book; more sailings; fantastic crew (they've pulled back into the jetty for me more than once) and stay working longer in bad weather than Craignure.
Your last para - I wouldn't call it a short cut, but it is being done a lot!!
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
Quote: Originally posted by TheHeadGardener on 22/10/2017
Two thoughts - first is that the NC500 is doing to the north west of Scotland what Wainright did to the Lake District with his infernal walking guides ..... make something so popular that “everyone” flocks to visit and promptly ruins what it is which made the area so special in the first place.
Second thought - came across an excellent blog this morning about the problems of too many visitors on Skye, suspect Ficklejade might identify with much of this. Skye Calling Blog
NC500 is helping people up in the north-west, just as tourism does on Mull in the sense that it provides employment (albeit seasonal and low paid) but it certainly seems to be creating new problems. Enjoyed the Skye Calling blog - sounds familiar, indeed!
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
i spent a couple of nights near Kilchoan "informally" parked do you recognize the spot.. :)
what made me nip across to Mull was the lady at the shop/petrol station telling me it would be cheaper to take the ferry to Mull than buy fuel at the prices she was charging.. he he
Tobermory is a beautiful place.. but a tad over crowded.. it was interesting taking the van down from the top road to get to the ferry..
Wonderful spot, trog; recognise the view over the water! I have a fair idea of your location - maybe it's the angle the photo's taken at?
Please don't tell me you brought the van down Back Brae rather than the road down from the roundabout - that would be a nightmare. Believe it or not that's the round town bus route, but it is a wee bus. Even so, there's no margin for error!
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
i think i took the nightmare route.. it was a bit of a squeeze..
the place i stopped on the mainland was about as far north west as you can get without getting out and walking.. getting there was also a bit of a squeeze but believe it or not its what my idea of touring Scotland is all about..
that particular area is not very caravan friendly.. none of the small campsites you come across will take caravans its tents or motorhomes only..
i go where no caravan have ever gone and love every moment of it.. he he
And why not? You clearly know what you're about and that's not a problem. In fact, when I was a kid and my Dad took our van to remote places, we were welcomed (but Dad did know all about driving on STRs and could reverse promptly and well!). It was magical. That's how come I ended up working for a while in the Outer Hebrides and all that's followed.
As to nightmare route - oh dear!
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"
Ardnamurchan was the place i stopped on the mainland..
the pic is looking back from where we parked.. it does look down on the Ardnamurchan camp site.. having no idea where the tiny (dead end) road we were on ended up i would have pulled in there but the owner said he didnt have room for caravans.. he did me a favour because the spot we found was perfect as is often the case with some of these dead end tracks..
Quote: Originally posted by trog100 on 26/10/2017
Ardnamurchan was the place i stopped on the mainland..
the pic is looking back from where we parked.. it does look down on the Ardnamurchan camp site.. having no idea where the tiny (dead end) road we were on ended up i would have pulled in there but the owner said he didnt have room for caravans.. he did me a favour because the spot we found was perfect as is often the case with some of these dead end tracks..
trog
Yeah! Knew the coast line from your previous pic, now pinpointed with second one. Not telling! And you're the kind of visitor whose really worth having!
------------- " When I die I don`t want my life to flash before me in an instant, I want it to be a 3 hour epic !"