Tuesday 17 August 2010

Midge food!

Well, in short... last night was minds horrid, heavy persistent rain all night, the area where my tent was pitched was a good inch deep in standing water when I crawled out, much to my surprise my lil silver home stayed completely dry inside, much to my relief...
Rapidly packed up the outwardly sodden tent and returned to the shelter of the old disused building to maKe coffee and porridge, much to the amusement of the waking motorhomeists who thought I had been there all night!
Porridge done and some tome spent pointlessly moving things from bag yo bag, and by nearly 10 o'clock id run out of excuses not to go out in the rain and hit the road.
With the strong headwind riding into the driving rain was soul destroying to say the least, a couple of hours later and a break in the weather, and I was wheeling into Inveraray; a postcard picturesque, typical lochside village, (where the queen mother used to holiday I'm told) and also a place I visted as I passed this way 3 years ago.
About lunchtime I couldn't resist calling in at 'billy's' cafe again where a rather large scotch pie and beans filled a rather large hole in my stomach.
The climb out of Inveraray over the tops of the mountains was no where near as bad as i'd remembered, and I'd all but forgotten how epic the decent was on the other side.. one of those long, steep, sweeping downhill intersected by a couple of 180 degree hairpin bends worthy of any alpine mountain road, or the kind of road you only ever see on tv where the latest Aston Martin is being thrashed down the hillside by an over enthusiastic Jeremy Clarkson.
Down on the banks of Loch Awe and a pleasant ride around the stunning Loch flanked by towering blueish mountains, over a very windy Conell Bridge, then 10 miles along the shore to a camp site I know at Barcladine. Now when I was last here there was bar just off site ion the main road, run by a hilarious (and rather top heavy) local girl, that did great beer and great food, it was with this in mind as I turned the corner to see the place shut down.. gutted!
Pasta tonight it seems...
It's a smart site, full of some hilarious people... the fat family across the field are systematically going through all those 'games you play when you go camping' so far we've had.. frizzbee... swingball... badminton... boules... and now coquet! Despite the whole family looking like they've never done a days exersize in their life..
Next to them is 90 year old grandma girl guide, who is presently barking military style orders on how to pitch a tent correctly to two subservient granddaughters. Next to them is fat family number 2 who is barbecuing anything they can get their hands on.. and next to them is the customary few pitches of pensioners who insist on moaning about the clouds of biting midges plaguing the site... "this is Scotland in summer, you daft old twat... what did you expect!"
So now I've had my pasta, and a couple of good doubles from the bottle of Laphroaig I bought at the distillery, I'm gonna hit the sack..
But I'll leave you tonight with a photo of the afore mentioned military grandma.. and god's honest truth... the words she has just said.. (despite not actually lifting a finger)
"Now that's how you put up a tent!"
Hehe
Nighterz!


T.



1 comment:

  1. LOL! Sounds like you're having fun. Would've loved to witness the granny girl guide.

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