Doug Dastardly Posted June 7, 2015 Posted June 7, 2015 Did the road sign begin with T and finish with T? And would probably trigger the swear filter? It's not been the best weather this week past, hopefully it'll be kinder from now on. 1 Quote
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted June 7, 2015 Author Posted June 7, 2015 Hello Doug. Sorry but it was the place called Westfield. Today we have travelled down from Durness to Aberfeldy which is just over 200 miles. 150 of those were in the..... Can you guess.... We travelled to Inverness which was 100 miles from Durness as it was a fuel and toilet stop at the morrisons supermarket. My 2.0 Zetec blacktop with bike carbs and a standard fuel tank did the 100 miles easily with fuel to spare. There is a garage before Inverness at Lairg which appeared to be open. From Inverness we travelled to Aberfeldy and the sun soon came out and the last few miles were glorious. We missed meeting up with David HRV who sent is a hello and welcome text as he was having cream cakes and tea. Sorry to have missed you David. As I write this I am sat in the pub waiting for my food at Killin at the end of Loch Tay. There is a real lg fire at the side of me and the most magnificent and powerful waterfalls I have ever seen about 30 feet away. Plenty of parking behind the pub.. Food just arrived. Will finish later Quote
tex Posted June 7, 2015 Posted June 7, 2015 Killins a lovely village, stayed in log cabins on the side of the Tay, loads of RAF fighters use that valley, amazing to watch 1 Quote
David-hrv Posted June 7, 2015 Posted June 7, 2015 Hi again Geoffrey & Carol. So sorry to have missed you (apparently only by 15 mins!). Just got home and found your post about being there at around 3pm. We were looking out for you on the way back, but only saw your text message at 4:30. You must have taken a slightly different route. If we had seen you as we left, we would have turned around. Never mind, I'm sure you will be back again after this fantastic trip and we'll meet up then. Had a great day with the Jaguars - about 60 of us at Crieff and then for a run out. I envy you having had an XJS V12 - I love them! Now looking forward to a run with the Westfield before our Applecross run in 2 weeks. Just about to sit down to watch the F1 GP and then Le Mans next weekend. Enjoy the rest of your holiday. David 1 Quote
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted June 7, 2015 Author Posted June 7, 2015 Evening team. Continuing from above when my tea came. The pub is called the Falls of Dochart Inn. Food was extremely good and presented in an Olde Worlde manner on a wooden platter. The food was very tasty and good value for money. The inn has a massive wood fire with a mannequin in a rocking chair at the side looking like an old Scottish woman from the last century. The fire basket that the logs go in is suspended on four big chains. The room is a smokey colour and quite dim and looks brilliant with a large stags head on the wall. The staff very helpful and polite. From here we took the single track down the other side of Loch Tay to look for red squirrels. Went as fast as 15 mph at some points. Some places there are a few pot holes but nothing really bad or to worry about. Magnificent views in places. Went back through Aberfeldy which has a good garage and plenty of places to eat. I was told garage opens till really late. At our accommodation now and it is amazing. Massive river in the grounds with huge Rapids, woodland area, small stream and bluebells to die for. The rooms are HUGE and you could easily fit 6 adults in the shower. I have never seen a bed as big and it is like two double beds pushed together. The sun started to shine this afternoon and we have had a lovely evening and it is a shame tomorrow is our last day. Tomorrow I am going to get the keys to the burial ground in Killin as I like history and then we are going on a drive around for the day. If anyone wants to join us then feel free to give us a call. 07715451330 Lessons learnt today. Scotland does not always have signal to reply to text messages. Getting WIFI OR 3G is better than you think. The East Coast is not as dramatic in Scenery as the west. There are more petrol garages than you think and with a bit of thought travelling about in a Westfield is not a problem. If you keep above 50mph it is surprising how little rain enters an open Westfield. It is so relaxing going extremely slow and just chilling and admiring the view. Quote
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted June 7, 2015 Author Posted June 7, 2015 DAVID. So sorry we did not meet. I received your text but had no signal to reply so quickly dashed to Aberfeldy to text. Will catch you again in the future no doubt. Bet the jags were brilliant. Quote
Rory's Dad Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 Proper, proper Westfield Sports Car Club Member (and only joined last August) A really great read... Well done! Just needs assembling/editing into an article for the magazine complete with photos 3 Quote
Rab (bombero) Reid Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 Just needs assembling/editing into an article for the magazine complete with photos Agreed! 1 Quote
Ian Podmore Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 It's many years since I drove around Scotland. It's a must for anyone in the UK, the scenery is fantastic and there are hardly any cars in many places. 1 Quote
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted June 8, 2015 Author Posted June 8, 2015 Evening Team. Today is our last day and the sun has shone for most of the day. Planning a route home to take me over the Yorkshire Dales for tomorrow. Done over 200 miles today. Not as dramatic as the West Coast but still enjoyable. Went to Lawers Dam and was a fantastic backdrop for pictures of Buttercup. I even laid on my belly got some arty shots. Ben Lawers is brilliant to drive through and we came from Fortingall towards Ben Lawers. Most done at 15 mph. Drove through beautiful forestry and single track, twisty roads. FANTASTIC. Managed to get the key for the McNab burial ground at Killin as not visible from the road. Extremely beautiful setting to be laid to rest and be remembered. Lots of Lillies and wild garlic. Went to Pitlochry for food but very expensive so did not eat there. First car park had to pay for and also had to pay for toilets. Very much for tourists. Nice shops for the ladies to do shopping. Ate in Aberfeldy. Fountain cafe. Reasonable food at reasonable prices. A few kids shouting though and running round. I enjoyed today but not as much as the West Coast. The area is very pretty and clean but is mainly green fields and trees and I have that at home. It is a very beautiful area though so don't get me wrong. LESSONS LEARNT TODAY. Sheep like Tarmac so be careful going round corners. Tourist areas can be expensive. Turn of your satnav and just drive. Don't worry about fuel as plenty of pumps. I have enjoyed myself in the rain as much as the sun. You can drive at 15 mph for miles and not see any other vehicles. I am going to do a lessons learnt from my trip when I have sat and thought about it a while. I am already planning my trip for next year based on my experience in Buttercup as it has been so different than travelling up here in my tiptop. I can honestly with no flowering up of my words or saying something just to make it sound good, that this is the best holiday I have ever had ❤❤❤and I really don't want to go home. 6 Quote
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted June 8, 2015 Author Posted June 8, 2015 Well here is what I have learnt from this trip. I will keep updating this page for the next couple of nights. Some of it I have already said in my previous comments. A half hood, clear wind deflectors will get you through any amount of rain. Half doors are worth every penny as you can see so much scenery. A Paul Ash luggage rack is great for carrying luggage. Rok straps are brilliant for securing luggage. The west side is more WOW factor than the East. There are more petrol pumps than you think. Some are not proper garages but little shops with a pump outside. Bring a supply of microfibre cloths for drying up any water. A buff is brilliant for keeping out the cold. The zips on my coat and fleece made my neck sore after a while as I had to wear them for so long. Plan enough time to be able to go slow and enjoy the views. Plan that it will rain. We encountered no midges but Avon skin so soft is brilliant for protection. I wore less clothes than I thought but glad I brought plenty of underwear and socks. budget £80.00 a night for hotels. Can save money by going direct rather than through booking agents. Wear a pair of glasses as rain in the eyes hurts. Do not expect the car to stay clean. I had no need to carry cash apart from one garage that would not accept card payments under £15.00. Nearly all parking is free. There are masses of clean public toilets. Take notice of people who know the local area as they know some beautiful routes. Take an umbrella as handy for keeping dry if stopped admiring a view or darting into a shop. Take packs of glass cleaner wipes. Some places / garages shut earlier than you think. Would pay to ring ahead if an important stop to check. Nearly all the roads on the west coast we travelled on are a million times smoother than roads south of the border. The sun sets late in the highlands at this time of year so your days are really long. Be aware of animals in the road if whizzing along as lots of sharp bends. We had close shaves with sheep, deer and cows. Budget for between £10.00 to £12.00 for your evening meal plus drinks. Make sure you have recovery insurance before leaving. Phone signal and 3G reception is better than you think. Not available everywhere we went but nearly everywhere is fair to say. One day on the Isle of Skye is not enough. It gets windy in the exposed highlands so make sure you have enough straps to hold any rainproof protective cover down on a night. 3 Quote
deanoecosse Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Great thread. Living in this beautiful country every day, you tend to take it for granted a bit, but a thread like this from a visitor to this fair land has served as a reminder of just how stunning it is and gives me a kick up the butt to get out there and put many more miles on the Westy this year enjoying it. I look forward to your photos. 4 Quote
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