Now that I've finished my blog series on camping around the UK with my best friend, I thought I would do a round-up of my favourite moments. We had so many good times on our road trip, but these are my stand-out highlights of the whole trip!
#1 The Quiraing
This was my #1 highlight for the trip, as the view was just so incredible along the hike. We had already driven around a lot of Skye and I'd already walked the Old Man of Storr that day, but the weather had changed: it was less rainy and the sun was even making brief appearances every now and then. So I started the walk (on my own, Josh wasn't feeling up to it). It was a bit complicated in a few places, having to cross slippery waterfalls, and I almost turned back but some fellow hikers encouraged me across. And then the sun came out and the view, which had been pretty special already, suddenly changed into this spectacular array of colours and textures.
#2 Kynance Cove
Kynance Cove was somewhere I'd wanted to go to for ages, but never managed to get there. Thankfully, Josh and I chose a bright, sunny day to go traipsing around Cornwall, and managed to squeeze it in. It's definitely a place where photos just don't do it justice - it is truly beautiful.
#3 Duncansby Head
This was another spot that was truly beautiful, and we had good weather this day too. That was definitely not a theme of our camping roadtrip, where most of the weather had been miserable, windy, rainy and cold (in summer). Duncansby Head was not too far from John o' Groats and well worth going to. The cliffs were crazy, full of birdlife, and the clear sea nearby was calm (for today) as it sloshed around the base of the giant sea stacks out in the ocean. Lovely!
#4 Craigievar Castle
Of course, I couldn't make a highlights post without including the very pink and very fairytale-like Craigievar Castle. I usually try to seek out castles wherever I go, but this one was special - I mean, it was just so compact and pretty! No wonder it is such an Instagram star. I only wish we'd been there on a nicer day!
#5 Making Scottish friends
A highlights round-up also wouldn't be complete without including the little buddies that we came across. From deer to crazy sheep to big, chilled-out highland cows, Scotland was full of animals mostly willing to pose for photos.
#6 Chasing the Harry Potter train
We might not have seen the iconic train heading over the equally iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct, but I think our way of seeing the train was even better! We started off just outside of Fort William, and followed it all the way to Mallaig. It was a fun couple of hours spent hunting for signs of the train when we lost it, parking and waiting in the bushes for a sight of it and waving to people on board who must have been wondering why there were two people hiding in the bushes.....
#7 Durdle Door
Like Kynance Cove at #2, this was another beautiful place that has to be seen to be believed. It really was gorgeous, and I would love to be able to go back for sunset or sunrise on a nice day (which were rare on our month-long drive!). It was a lot busier than I would have liked, but even that didn't detract from the natural beauty of the place.
#8 North York moors
I have been to the North York moors twice now and both times I have loved their isolated wildness. They have that same quality that Dartmoor possesses and that I love it for: that quiet, windy remoteness. It's hard to describe in words but both places feel like they could have fallen out a book like Wuthering Heights.
#9 Little villages of Britain
From Portree and Beddgelert to Wilmington and Dent, we went to some really pretty little places full of some of the cutest houses I've ever seen! We stumbled upon a lot of these little villages I had never heard of before, and this was one of the best parts about driving around - you could just explore!
#10 Driving around Yorkshire
It really was a fun day when we drove around beautiful Yorkshire, though I took very few photos sadly! There was nowhere really to stop, and the narrow lanes and roads were difficult enough without cars pulling over. But it was mostly sunny and Yorkshire is beautiful.
So that's it. The last post about our roadtrip around the UK.
The best day was a mix between driving to John o' Groats or driving around Skye. Worst day was a toss up between driving around Wales (on Josh's birthday in the horrible rain) or the day we busted a tyre driving the Bealach na Ba. But all in all, and despite the bloody awful weather, it was such a great time and we had a blast. Can't wait to travel with you again soon Josh!