Somewhere in Scotland.. - Living in a Hiace Camper Van

Hi all,

I know you're probably wondering what has become of me out here.. Well this journey has turned out to be a real life changing time for me - well I might have guessed that before I set off, things would never be the same again.

I'm going to continue with the rest of the Scottish tour posts, and then move onto some new and exciting things - so many possibilities have arisen and many new ideas for sharing here. I thought you'd like to see some camping footage from earlier in the trip, so here's a new video link. There are also many hours of video to be edited and I'll be sharing the best bits in the future.

Butt of Lewis to South Harris (yes) – Tour de Scotland 2013 – Living in a Hiace Camper Van

I awoke this morning to a wild and beautiful seascape. Gazing out into the north atlantic, I thought about all the fantastical creatures and vast and rich life that forever lived beneath the ocean waves.. but one can't daydream forever – it was time to roll out of there and explore what lay further south. I am always happy to arrive in a new location, but just as passionate about getting back on the road, and onward toward new and yet to be revealed experiences and sights, people, weather and location, all blended with my subjective present..

The engine blasted to life, and I was soon bouncing along the Lewis roads and back first towards Stornoway to get in touch with some friends back home, and pick up a few supplies I hadn't thought of. In this part of the world, even a Tesco carpark has its quirks and characters, ready to spring forth at any moment..

Tolsta to Butt of Lewis - Scotland Tour 2013 - Living in a Hiace Camper Van

Welcome back! (I have a connection again so will continue with the journey from the point we left off...)

I started my day with this view over breakfast, in the little carpark at Tolsta Bay on the Isle of Lewis:

Loch Ewe to Tolsta, Isle of Lewis – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace camper Van

Today it was time to set off on my way again, northwards, towards Ullapool, then across the sea to the Outer Hebrides, and my destination of the Isle of Lewis.. I got everything arranged for the trip, and loaded my kayak and bike onto the van again ready to move on..

The camp before I left Loch Ewe

At Firemore Sands, Loch Ewe – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace camper Van

Today was a quiet day relaxing and organising things for moving on tomorrow.. I've decided that as I've spent a few more days here than planned, I will go straight over to the Isle of Lewis via Ullapool. On Lewis, I will reach almost as far north as Cape wrath – in an equally remote location. There is also the choice extending the trip a little and heading north again after meeting my friend on the Isle of Skye next week – lets see what happens eh.

The highlight of today was the amazing sunset with its changing colours, in the evening. We also enjoyed a nice Colley (Saithe) I caught the night before off the headland for dinner, but didn't manage to get a second this afternoon to make the meal a bit more substantial. All the same, it was another great meal, with wine and a selection of vegetables and sweet potato, then this amazing sunset to round off another great day..

Visiting Rudha Reidh Lighthouse – Scotland Tour 2013 – Living in a Hiace Camper Van

Today we went to visit the lighthouse at Rudha Reidh with the plan of having a look around and then looking for a spot to fish off the rocks there, as its right onto the open sea. The drive there was pretty exhilarating, high up above the sea at the tops of cliffs with amazing views. There were also some rickety bridges on the narrow road rated 7.5 tons, but looking a lot more fragile than that – I went over them with a boost of speed! Eventually we arrived at the lighthouse.