A day of sunshine and a day of rain

Wednesday 10 July 2024

Nido's parked up at the aire at Cullen Harbour on the Moray coast.  It's been a day of constant heavy rain, but we're on a hardstanding pitch overlooking the sea, we have food and plenty of books to read.  

We woke yesterday at the Nethy Bridge THS to blue skies and hot sunshine - bliss!  I took Salty for a walk in the forest, breakfasted then readied myself for a bike ride.  I took the road out of the village towards Loch Garten, along very quiet roads through the forest, with well designed, individual houses with lovely gardens.  I've said it before but this part of Scotland could easily be taken for rural France.  At the Loch I took a route which looped back into Nethy Bridge, before heading out again, past the ruins of Roy Castle.  I was in no rush; these days I'm happy to just pootle along on my bike, enjoying the sights and sounds of a slow journey. After a few hundred metres on the A95 I turned south again on to the A939 - signposted for Tomintoul and Braemar and known as the Highland Scenic Route.  From this point the road steadily climbed but the gears on my new (well eBay purchase of a used bike) gravel bike coped well.  About 3 miles I turned off to the right and enjoyed a fast, swooping descent into the forest and back towards Nethy Bridge.  Back at the van Cathy was sat in the hot sunshine reading and Salty was crashed out on his blanket, also making the most of this summer's day.  We sat after lunch with a cup of tea and a local chap came along inviting us to a Beetle Drive in the village hall.  We had a good chat with him about how much we liked the village, the facilities, friendly people and the real feel of community.  He studied for a PhD at Aberystwyth University in Agriculture and returned to the Cairngorms to farm.  At the age of 46 he decided on a career change and now teaches Chemistry in a school.  We chatted about bio-diversity and organic farming and it was lovely to hear that he still farms organically, accepting that 30% of his blackcurrant crop will be taken by birds.  But he knows the benefit wildlife brings to his farm so is happy with his lot.  What a refreshing view.

After lunch we took a 3 mile circular walk - marked as the King's Trail - along the river (where people were swimming in the calmer parts of the flowing river) and through the forest of pine and silver birches.  As we walked we came across lovely homes built in the forest, all blending in with the greenery and nature.  It was a special walk and, with so many walking and cycling options, plus the friendly and welcoming locals, I think we'll definitely return here.

Back at the van we sat outside with a cup of tea as the clouds gathered and the wind increased.  By the time we'd moved inside the van to cook and eat, the rain had started and the weather warning for heavy persistent rain was on course.

Loch Garten

No strimming, no glyphosate

This morning the rain held off long enough to service the van before we left Nethy Bridge and drove north, trying to avoid the large puddles of water gathering along the edges of the roads.  As we couldn't check in at Cullen until midday, we stopped at Portgordon Harbour to sit with a cup of tea, battered by the wind and rain.  The drive to Cullen was short and we were soon parked up on pitch 7 overlooking a stormy sea as it broke over the rocks in front of us. With such heavy weather, the afternoon was spent reading and gazing out of the window.  Later on I donned my galoshes - well waterproof raincoat and wellies - and made my way to Linda's Fish and Chips for a 'fish supper'.  We ate here last year so knew it would be good quality.  The original plan was to have some Cullen Skink in Cullen.  However the best place to eat it has been closed since May.  Another cafe serves it but all the reviews said we needed to book in advance; we didn't want to be tied to a deadline so we went for the fish and chips instead.

Having rung the Tomintoul Bowling Club earlier, I've booked us a pitch in their car park for tomorrow night, which includes electric hook up. So tonight we could take some energy out of the Eco Flow power bank to plug in the laptop and catch up with the van lifers we follow on YouTube.  Apart from that, we're happy to sit out the day here until the rain abates sometime in the early hours of tomorrow morning.