Go West Young Van

In early November we hitched up the horses to Vannie and headed out to explore the Wild West................ in reality we filled the motorhome with water and diesel and headed sort of Northwest.
Our destination was Bunree Campsite near Onich; which lies on the shores of Loch Linnhe, about 10 miles south of Fort William.
Some say that the journey can be just as exciting as reaching your destination and that was certainly the case for us.
The weather gods had been smiling on us as we headed on past Stirling and Callander, stopping only for a coffee/toilet break and to take a photo of Loch Lubnaig:

Loch Lubnaig

Onwards we pressed, past Lochearnhead and up the hill to Lix Toll (I love that name) and along the foot of Ben More, stopping briefly at Loch Lubhair:

Loch Lubhair

And still we carried on, past Crainlarich until we reached Tyndrum, where the lure of a bite of lunch in the Green Welly Stop proved too much and we had to turn in.
Suitably refreshed we hit the A82 once again, passing Ben Dorain and Loch Tulla, we then started the uphill climb towards the southern end of Rannoch Moor. At the top of the hill we pulled into a convenient car park which gave great views back down the valley:

Loch Tulla from Viewpoint

Clouds over Loch Tulla

Not only was there great scenery at this car park, there was a fantastic wildlife photo opportunity as well. A large Red Deer stag was hanging around the edge of the car park, totally unconcerned about the number of people taking photographs of it. This was not a tame deer with a handler this was a wild animal, which was obviously tolerant of people, however I chose not to get as close as some were as a Red Deer stag around October/November time (in other words rutting season) can easily get a bit tetchy. I did get close enough to get a few snaps:

Red Deer Stag visits car park

Monarch of the Car Park

Has anybody seen any hinds

Red Deer Silhouette

An excellent photo opportunity I could not pass up.
I got back in the motorhome and headed towards Rannoch Moor:

Towards Rannoch Moor

The A82 skirts along the southern edge of Rannoch Moor, a huge, boggy moorland which sits over 1,000 feet above sea level and was created during the last ice age; when it was one of the last areas to melt. It is a very bleak area, however in the sunshine it was also photogenic:

Loch Ba and Rannoch Moor

Rannoch Moor

The A82 through Rannoch Moor 

In the distance we could see the mountains that form the entrance to the Pass of Glencoe, so we headed towards them. Our next photo stop was at the entrance the Glen Etive; which runs south towards Loch Etive and is flanked by two mountain peaks much loved by hill walkers and mountaineers:

Looking South down Glen Etive

Buachaille Etive Mor (1,021m or 3,350ft))

Buachaille Etive Beag (958m or 3,143ft) on the right

Ahead of these peaks the A82 snaked on towards the Pass of Glencoe:

The A82 heads into The Pass of Glencoe

There are a few parking places in the Pass of Glencoe itself, however these were pretty full and not really suitable for trying to squeeze a motorhome into; so we carried on winding our way downhill through the pass until we reached the village of Glencoe.
Here we found a suitable parking space alongside the beautiful Loch Leven and enjoyed the views:

Vannie in Glencoe Village

View Across Loch Leven

Looking West down Loch Leven

Looking East up Loch Leven

Magnificent scenery, on a sunny day like this it just takes your breath way.
We pushed on towards our destination which was drawing ever closer; crossing the Ballachulish Bridge we were stopped at traffic lights, which presented an ideal opportunity to photograph what some consider are the best views in Scotland:

Looking West from Ballachulish Bridge

Looking East from Ballachulish Bridge

A few miles further on we passed through the village of Onich, then we turned left into Bunree Campsite:

Bunree Campsite, Onich

Not only was it a lovely site with great facilities but the views of Loch Linnhe were spectacular:

Looking down Loch Linnhe towards Mull

View across Loch Linnhe

Looking up Loch Linnhe towards Ardgour

This video might give you some idea how stunning it was:

Moira liked it anyway:

Moira at Bunree, on the shores of Loch Linnhe

We were very lucky that the site wasn't busy, this being the last week of the season for them, so we managed to get an ideal pitch overlooking Loch Linnhe:

Vannie at Bunree

View from Vannie - Sunset over Loch Linnhe

We slept well that night, looking forward to some adventures over the next few days.
The next morning the weather looked a bit more ominous than the previous day. It wasn't raining but clouds were drifting in over the hills and it definitely looked like rain was on its way. It was also much colder than the day before:

Clouds gathering over Loch Linnhe

Cloudy View from Vannie

Misty Mountain

 

Despite the threat of rain we decided to wrap up and head over to Ardgour on the other side of Loch Linnhe.

 

Towards Ardgour, on the other side of Loch Linnhe

Don't worry, we were not intending to do some sort of wild swimming. The Corran Ferry (which crosses over to Ardgour) leaves from a jetty about twenty minutes walk from the campsite. As we were heading out the campsite we stopped to look at the variety of that were feeding along the shoreline.  There were some dabbling Widgeon.......

 

 

........and a solitary Male Goosander looking for fish........

 

 

..........as well as some Hooded Crow, a Heron and an assortment of gulls. A reasonable 'bag' on a dreich day.

We continued on our walk round to Corran, just in time to see the ferry crossing from Ardgour and approaching the jetty:

 



 

Once the ferry docked we were able to walk on board and after a five minute crossing we disembarked at the Ardgour jetty:

 

Ferry arriving at Corran Jetty



View down Loch Linnhe from Corran Ferry



Ferry docked at Ardgour Jetty

 

We had barely left the jetty at Ardgour when they started to load the vehicles for the return crossing! A busy little ferry, even in early November.

Unfortunately the downside of being in Ardgour in November is that the only eatery (The Inn at Ardgour) was closed, so no lunch to be had there.

Undeterred we went for a stroll along the loch-side in front of the village; the first thing of interest we came across was this old fishing boat which had been abandoned on the foreshore:

 

Abandoned Fishing Boat

Ardgour is a great place to observe The Great Glen, which runs all the way from Loch Linnhe, past Fort William and Ben Nevis and continues all the way along Loch Ness to Inverness.

As the plaque below explains it was formed when two continents collide; and the fault actually runs from the Atlantic south of Mull all the way to the Arctic at Svalberg.

 

Information Plaque on The Great Glen

Eddie and The Great Glen

There was also some wildlife to see in Ardgour; nothing fantastically rare, but interesting all the same. This included some House Sparrows in a bush:

 

 

 

A heron fishing on the shore:

 

 

...and a Little Grebe (aka Dabchick) diving for fish in the loch:

 

 

We then had a little walk along the shoreline south of Ardgour, where we could look back across Loch Linnhe to Bunree, however by this time the weather had closed in and the rain had started.

It was getting near lunch-time so we decided to head across to Corran on the ferry and walk back to the campsite for our lunch. Needless to say the heavens opened and we were soaked by the time we got back to Vannie.

After getting dried out and having lunch in Vannie we decided to stay put for the rest of the day as the weather was pretty wet. That did not stop us from watching the wildlife from our ready-made bird hide (i.e. Vannie's cab). Here we were able to watch some Hooded Crows on the beach, who were picking up cockle-shells and flying upwards with them, in order to drop them on the stones below, hopefully revealing a tasty snack for them to eat:

 



 

We also watched a pair Cormorants swimming nearby, a Heron flying past, gulls feeding on a rip tide, a pair of Goosanders (male and female this time) but unfortunately no Ottters, despite it being an ideal habitat for them.

As well as watching the wildlife we also enjoyed watching how the views out the window changed as the weather changed; this can best be demonstrated by this time lapse video of the view from Vannie's front window during the time of our stay:

 

 

It was a wet and windy night, which made for a bit of a restless sleep, however we awoke to a beautiful morning:

 

 

Here are some photos of the morning views to complement the video:

 

View from Vannie in the Morning

View down Loch Linnhe

 As well as being a beautiful morning we were also graced by a beautiful family of Mute Swans swimming past the motorhome:

This was our last day at the campsite as we were only staying the two nights, so after breakfast we prepared Vannie for the homeward journey and set off. We travelled back the same route as we came, but we didn't stop quite so much to take photographs. We powered on through the Pass of Glencoe and along the edge of Rannoch Moor, stopping only once to snap these scenes:

 

Meall A'Bhuiridh and Lochan na h-Achlaise

Meall A'Bhuiridh

 I don't pretend to understand what the Gaelic names mean, but I think the mountain is called 'The Hill of The Roaring Stag' and the Lochan (small loch) is called 'The Loch of the Chapel' but I might be totally wrong.

Talking about stags (roaring or otherwise) the Red Deer Stag we saw on the way up was no longer hanging about the Loch Tulla viewpoint on the way back home. However I will leave you with one image of the stag which I took on the way to Bunree:

 

Red Deer Stag near Rannoch Moor

 

Hope you enjoyed our little adventure out West as much as we did.

 

Yeehah!

 

TeddyEdward

 

London Calling

Took a little trip down to London Town a few weeks back; a bit of a break and a bit of catching-up with family. We were down for a week and chose to stay at The Alma Hotel in Wandsworth as it had good transport links to the places we wanted to visit.
On our first full day there we just had a walk around the local Wandsworth area and down to the banks of the Thames:

Moira beside the Thames at Wandsworth

Wandsworth Bridge across the Thames

Ducks on the River Wandle

We crossed over the River Wandle to an area known as Wandsworth Riverside Quarter, which is full of expensive (and mostly empty) riverside flats and it also has lots of moorings for boat-houses:

Boat-houses moored at Wandsworth Riverside Quarter

Old style Boat-house

Modern Boat-house

Despite being right next to the Waste Recycling Centre (which loads and transports rubbish down the Thames on barges) this was a very prosperous area, with apartments for sale starting from £720, 000 (no I haven't added an extra zero!).
Further along the riverside path we came to Wandsworth Park, which was very nice:

Tree-lined Avenue at Wandsworth Park

Wandsworth Park

 

Eddie at Wandsworth Park

We had a drink and a snack at the little café in the park (which had its own crazy golf course) before heading back to our hotel. On the way back we passed this lovely old pub, which had a wonderful vintage-style mobile kitchen parked outside:

The Cat's Back Pub

The Cat's Back 'Pig Out 'Van

The Cat's Back Van

The main reason we were down in London was to visit my son and daughter-in-law (Alan & Laura) and their new baby boy Graeme, so later that day we headed over to their place:

Graeme asleep in his rocker

Graeme with Pawpaw

Graeme with Nana

It's not everyday that you become a grandparent and we are so proud of Alan and Laura and love little Graeme.
The next day we all headed out to Kew Gardens for a visit; by all of us I mean me, Moira, Alan, Laura, Mary-Ann (Laura's mum) and Morag (Alan's mum):

Kew Gardens Museum

Laura and Graeme at Kew

Our first port of call was the Palm House, which was full of exotic species (note that the plant names are made up by me and may not be the exact scientific name):

Under the Palm Leaf Canopy

Butterfly Drinking Fountain Plant

Woolly Caterpillar Tree

Plastic Bead Tree

Silvery Leaves

Pretty Flower

That's ma Boy

We also went up the stairs in the Palm House to view the canopy of trees:

Moira on the Balcony

After the palm house we paid a brief visit to the Princess of Wales Conservatory, were we somehow managed to get split up and go in different directions, before eventually getting back together. Anyway here is a photo from inside the cactus area of the conservatory:

Desert Scene

Once back outside we headed to a relatively new attraction called 'The Hive' which is a multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees:

The Hive

Below The Hive

Leaving The Hive

In principal the lights you see and the sounds you hear inside The Hive are triggered by bee activity in a real beehive at Kew. However in the daylight it was difficult to appreciate what the lights were doing and the sounds were drowned out by the noise of the dozens of people in The Hive.
I would recommend visiting it in the evening when it is darker and less crowded.
Before heading for some coffee and cake we had a pleasant walk around Kew Royal Palace:

Kew Royal Palace

'Cheese' in an Avenue of Trees

Reflection of a Cherub

A Cherub Reflecting

Family Conference



 

Pram Duties

One of the many things I liked about Kew was the wide variety of sculptures placed around the gardens, here are some of my favourites:

You Talking To Me?

Ostrich Running

Cheetahs Running

Leopard Stalking

Glass Bluebells

The stalking Leopard was my favourite, it was so lifelike, it was just like looking into the eyes of a real wild Leopard (not that I have done that!)
Next up on our London trip was a visit to Windsor to meet up with Moira's nephew Jeff and his family:

The Thames at Windsor

Jeff and Family

last time we were in Windsor was when Jeff and Claire got married, shows you how long ago that was. It is such a nice place to visit....... pretty as well as historic............ we had a stroll along the riverside first:

Boats and Birds on the River Thames

A Swaggle of Swans

A Single Black Swan

A Weeping Willow

Although there were plenty of Swans on the river, they were outnumbered by the Canada Geese. In fact a whole flotilla of Canada Geese swam towards us as we walked along the riverside path:

Flotilla of Canada Geese

Pair of Egyptian Geese

With Canada Geese, Egyptian Geese and an Australian Black Swan it was starting to feel a bit like United Nations.
We were heading for Alexandra Gardens and on our way I spotted (well it was hard not to spot it) this Hurricane aircraft:

Hawker Hurricane

Chocks Away

The Story Behind the Hurricane

It was part of the Sydney Camm Memorial, and as the above interpretation panel explains, the Hurricane was designed by Camm when he worked for Hawker Engineering. He also designed the Hunter and the Harrier............ and probably some other planes beginning with 'H'.
 When we reached the park the kids enjoyed running around in the open space, having a game of Tag (or Tig, depending on where you come from):

Catch Me If You Can

The girls also enjoy the fairground rides that were there (the boys were a bit big for these):

Who's Driving?

I Want a Pink Cadillac

Afterwards we all went for a lovely lunch at an Italian Restaurant in Windsor. Jeff, Claire and the family had to leave after we had lunch, so Moira and I had a walk round the town of Windsor.
We headed up towards the castle where there was a military parade going on:

Tower at Windsor Castle

Marching Military Band

 

Naval Cadets and Sea Cadets (I think)

Naval Officers (and some Sea Scouts?)

Apologies if I have got the names of these groups wrong, I think they were all Navy though?
We then had a walk around the outside of Windsor Castle (too mean to pay to get in):

Plane flies over Windsor Castle

Entrance to Windsor Castle

You can't park 'ere mate

As we headed towards 'The Long Walk' we were passed by a DUCK?

DUCK heading down St Alban's Street

DUCK Tours

Obviously it is an Amphibious Vehicle (known as a DUKW) and not a Mallard.
We stopped at the east gate of the castle for a few photos but decided against a stroll down The Long Walk as it was a bit far:

Moira at East Gate of Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle from East Gate

Eddie at Start of The Log Walk

After our photo-shoot we headed back to the station and got the train back to Wandsworth.
Next day we took a bus trip across the water to Kensington, where we paid a visit to Kensington Gardens and the adjoining Hyde Park:

The Round Pond, Kensington Gardens

Tree-lined Avenue in Kensington Gardens

Has anybody seen the Ring-necked Parakeets

In a clump of trees near to The Long Water we met a couple of women who were feeding the wild Ring-necked Parakeets which often visit Kensington Gardens. They kindly offered me a piece of apple so that I could feed them too:

Feeding Ring-necked Parakeet

Other birds watched from the trees

Ring-necked Parakeet close-up

Had enough apple

It was thrilling to be able to feed them, they did peck my hand occasionally, but I was brave and didn't cry.
We then had a relaxing seat near The Long Water (which separates Kensington Gardens from Hyde Park):

Wildfowl on The Long Water

Egyptian Geese on The Long Water

It was getting near time for a spot of lunch, so we headed towards the Lido Bar and Café in Hyde park. I stopped occasionally to photograph some birds on The Serpentine:

Popular perches on The Serpentine

Cormorant Posing

Heron on The Serpentine

After a bite to eat Moira suggested that we should visit the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain:

Moira at Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Looking down the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Princess Diana Memorial Rapids

I still can't understand why it is called a fountain?
Although it was only mid-afternoon it was starting to get very dark and the sky had turned a strange yellow colour and  blocked out the sun:

The End of Days

The above picture doesn't really do it justice, but apparently some people were claiming this was 'The End of Days'. We just thought it time to go, so we got a bus to Battersea and visited Alan and Laura.
The day fortunately didn't end, and we had a nice evening out with the family:

Enjoying a meal with Graeme, Laura, Alan and Mary Ann

What a lovely evening for the End of Days.
For our last full day in London we paid a visit to the Covent Garden area, where we went to the 'Bond in Motion' exhibition at the London Film Museum. As the name suggests, this was a collection of vehicles and other memorabilia associated with the James Bond movies (cue theme tune!).
First up was the iconic Aston Martin DB5 as used by Bond in Goldfinger, Goldeneye and Skyfall:

Bond's Aston Martin DB5

C U Jimmy Bond

The next Aston Martin DBS was featured in Quantum of Solace and was rather bashed-up looking:

Sheepish return of damaged Hertz Rental?

It wasn't all about cars though, there were some boats, including this speedboat from Live and Let Die which Bond used to jump over levees in the Louisiana waterways:

Glastron GT-150 Speedboat

There was also a car that thought it was a boat (a submarine to be exact) from the Spy Who Loved Me:

Lotus Esprit S1 Car/Submarine

Then there were cars with rockets, from Die Another Day:

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (guns and rockets optional)

Jaguar XKR with Rockets (as driven by baddies)

There were also motorbikes, aeroplanes, moon buggies, cellos, etc. .......and who could forget the red car that jumped over the corkscrew bridge in The Man With The Golden Gun! (a clip worth watching considering the stunt was for real and not CGI):

AMC Hornet Bridge Jumper

Anyway I really enjoyed the exhibition, and Moira was over the moon too:

Moira Bond

After the exhibition we crossed the Thames (by bridge) and had a walk around the South Bank and the Southwark area:

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Remains of Winchester Palace

Southwark Cathedral

Hays Galleria (formerly a brewery and a tea wharf)

Mad Boat Sculpture in Hays Galleria

Real Boat (HMS Belfast)

Thereafter we jumped on a bus and headed to Alan and Laura's place for our final visit; and cuddle-opportunity with baby Graeme:

Proud Grandparents

Hope you enjoyed the blog, sorry if it was a bit long.

Take Care

TeddyEdward