We encountered the first "Pay and Display" car park at the Newburgh beach. It wasn't there two years ago! As they still have not built toilet facilities there yet, we found relief at the Newburgh Golf Club, just up the hill. After Newburgh, we travelled south to Balmedie Beach, so that we could get good photos of the famous windmills.
We finished the day with a filling meal from Mike's Famous Fish 'n' Chips in Mugiemoss, the best chippy in Aberdeen.
Saturday, June 29th.: Went to Banchory to visit more friends. Up 'til now, we had been unable to play any of the songs which we'd downloaded to flash drives, as the flash drive wouldn't fit in the car' USB port. Our friend told us that we need a USB-C adapter, so we went to electronics store in Aberdeen to get one, and it worked! Now we didn't have to listen to the radio any more, although some of the Gaelic programming was very listenable, particularly the music. We wanted to see the stage version of Sunshine on Leith at His Majesty's Theatre, but we could only get in with a smart 'phone, and my flip 'phone wouldn't do the trick. So we had a quiet night with the telly.
Sunday, June 30th.: Tesco for a cooked breakfast this time, then off to an antiques show at the Norwood Hall Hotel. Mrs A found a beautiful paperweight for ten pounds; I came away empty handed. Next it was off to Inverness, by way of Cullen, as our friends had recommended the ice cream shop there. They were right - the ice cream was wonderful! Cullen is a beautiful town on the Moray Firth. Unfortunately, Lily's was closed, so we couldn't get her award winning Cullen Skink, but Mrs A found a pair of pillboxes in the antique/junk shop across the street from the ice cream shop. We arrived at the Premier Inn West in Inverness around 5:00, had a very nice Chinese meal at the popular Fat Buddah, and then had a pleasant walk along the Caledonian Canal. The PI West is located on the bank of the canal, so provided easy access for walking.
Monday, July 1st.: Parked at Tesco on Tomnahurich Street, had a breakfast sandwich in the car, then headed across the street to do the laundry. Afterward, we moved the car to the car park behind the bus station, and visited some of the charity shops in town. Found some CDs and books. We had lunch at Loch and Larder in the Eastgate Centre, then headed out to Chanonry Point on the Black Isle to look for dolphins. Hooray! Another Pay and Display! We saw several dolphins, so it was worth the three pounds!
Pie and chips from the Fat Buddah, and apple pie from Tesco for pudding!
Tuesday, July 2nd.: Drove to Glen Affric via Beauly. It turned out to a longer drive than I had anticipated, and it was a dreich day, so we only had two short walks - to the falls and to the memorial view. Another Pay and Display! Stopped by Tesco on the return journey to pick up pot noodles for dinner. More apple pie for pudding!
Wednesday, July 3rd.: Started the day with a breakast sandwich from Tesco (love the bacon, egg, and sausage combo!), followed by a visit to the classy Highland Hospice charity shop in Falcon Square, and the Blythswood charity shop on Harbour Road. Then it was off to one of our longest days on the trot - destination Drumbeg. Our route took us through Bonar Bridge, Lairg, and along Loch Shin on the A838 to Laxford Bridge. From there, we travelled south on the A894 to Kylesku, then west on the B869.
There is a large sign at the start of the B869 advising that the road is unsuitable for caravans. We turned the first curve on the road, and there, blocking the road, was a huge caravan with French licence plates. They were stopped, and looked as though they were going nowhere. Fortunately, there was just enough room to sqeeze by, and I was very thankful that I hadn't taken the Crossland!
Stay tuned for more!