Geoffrey's Jaunt. West Coast of Scotland Tour. June 2016

[Sand Dancer]

You would make a great salesman for the Scottish Highlands!!

Thoroughly enjoying the travelogue - just wish you could post some pictures - it sounds fabulous!!

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

Hi.

Pictures will follow. Don't you worry about that.

Just been so tired on a night as we have never stopped from getting up till going to bed.

Travelled down from Durness, to Killin today.

Just sat on a wall overlooking the Falls of Dochart.... Google them on images.

Sun is out. Me and Gary are getting on great and all is good.

Come with us next year.

[Doug Dastardly]

Sorry I couldn't manage a meeting over the weekend, but maybe next year

 

Just in case anyone's wondering, no, the weather isn't always like this  

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

I WILL FORGET BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL.

WE WILL BE AT THE CASTLE AT AROUND 10.30am.

SEE YOU THEN.

[David-hrv]

Just got the message, so I'll be there for 10:30. 3 hour drive for me, but it'll be great. Over the Lecht twice in one day! Couldn't be better. Looking forward to seeing you all again.

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

Had another fab day today.

 

Travelled down from Durness in glorious sunshine and stopped at a couple of beautiful beaches and bays for a few minutes. Also noted a few places for future trips.

 

I had a fly with my drone over the most beautiful piece of still water that was like a mirror. No ripples or anything and it was the most beautiful copper colour. Looking down I can see the rocks going down the sides and then it plunges into the deep channels.

 

Met a french couple and they had a bicycle that had a petrol engine on the rear hub. The chap says it was over 30 years old and he started it with a pull cord.

 

I met GaryT in Aviemore and we hit it off straight away. His car is a rhubarb colour so tomorrow we will have, Buttercup, Rhubarb and Custard.......did you hear that David.

 

I wished for some rain this morning....by jove we got it as we went through the Cairngorms. Thunder and lightening and with no roof weather protection on either car we just drove through it. I had half doors but poor Gary had nothing. It lasted about an hour but we laughed at the end of it and it certainly did not spoil our day.

 

Had some great food at The Falls of Dochart Inn. I invited Gary to my bedroom, . It has a fab four poster bed and all dark wood furniture and a white roll top bath. Its really nice and it overlooks the waterfalls.

 

We had a wander around the waterfalls and also into the McNab mural ground where the chiefs are buried.   It smelt beautiful because of all the fragrant flowers and our conversations started to get quite deep. it was a great place to just sit and chat.

 

Looking forward to the castle trip tomorrow even though I have had to give up my breakfast to get there on time.    ......I don't mind though as the rewards for been out and about with such great people far outweighs the need for breakfast.

[Onliest Smeg David]

Great Geoffrey!

Really wetting anticipation for Panda and my tour end August.

Reading it all now will be a spoiler for your magazine submission - but can't stop myself

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

What a day. Had no breakfast so as to meet others at Donnotar Castle.

Drove 80 miles in torrential rain.

Stopped in a cafe that had stopped doing food.

Now sat with Gary in the middle of nowhere covered in midges, waiting for a recovery truck for Gary,s car.

I phoned my hotel which is 30 miles away and they have stopped doing food.

Sat here soaked to the skin and neither of us can stop laughing and just finding everything so funny.

It's great going through all the rubbish with great mates.

I am sat in buttercup typing and laughing away and Gary is pacing up and down chuckling to himself.

[David-hrv]

Oh no! See, Rhubarb without Custard just doesn't work does it?

It was ok when I left you, honest!

Hope you get it sorted soon Gary. At least you're both laughing about it.

Is it water in the electrics? Have you not been cleaning the latrines out Gary? Maybe it's punishment for that!

Many Thanks for all the laughs and banter today Geoffrey, Gary and Les. Great to meet a new friend and fellow Westfield (great sounding V8) and Jaguar enthusiast in Les.

Really enjoyed it. What a fantastic day.

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

Hi David. Still here at the roadside.

[David-hrv]

My record is 6 hours waiting for a truck. Hope it's sooner than that for you and Gary. You still need to eat.

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

just got in at 12.05am. Cold, wet, freezing and hungry.

 

A repair man came to try to get the car going but it would not go.

 

The car has been left by the roadside and will be collected tomorrow.

 

A chap in a house brought us some pop and sausage rolls so we shared those between us. It was really good of the man.

 

I have taken Gary back to where he is staying and I am going to take him back up north to his home tomorrow.

 

Just want to go to bed and to also dry off all my clothes.

 

Night Night.

[David-hrv]

That's not a good end to what was otherwise a fantastic day. Hope it's all sorted soon. Are you going up the Funicular at Cairngorm on the way to Gary's?

Look on the bright side - at least you'll get breakfast this morning (though I bet it won't be as good as the French Toast you had at Beauly last Saturday Geoffrey).

Gary - best wishes for a speedy recovery of your car, and I hope it's a simple fix. Keep in touch.

[Gary Taylor]

As a wee up date I have had a great time meeting up and spending time with Geoffrey, Les and David, great days out despite my breakdown, excellent craic and banter and many memories to share, certainley for many many reasons a few days away that I will not forget

the sight of Geoffrey prostrate on a mountain top road , trying to get some "atmospheric" pictures, with his trousers not realy pulled up is one that will leave me scarred indefinitely :)

Truthfully many happy moments shared, Thank you

Gary

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

Well just got home after a 9 hour drive home.

 

Found a fantastic route back with so little motorway. I will post up details later.

 

I know I am missing a couple of days adventures.

 

The first is when myself, Les in his fab red and chrome V8 powers beast, David and Gary all headed to Dunnotar Castle.

 

The morning was not the best as the roads were a bit boring and there was a lot of mist and we thought the castle would be a bit rubbish in the weather.

 

HOW WRONG WE WERE.

 

The castle was shrouded in mist and was very eerie but it was 100% worth the journey.

It is perched high on vertical faced rocks with the sea crashing at the base.

The castle is massive and there are so many rooms and areas and levels to explore. If you are in the area then you must go. 

We had some great banter here and we decided that based on our personalities and demeanour that in medieval times, Les would be king of the castle, David would be Master of the Guard, I would be Court Jester and Gary would clean out the toilets. 

 

From here we travelled over to the Lecht which is a fantastic stretch of road. On the way we stopped at a cafe for hot food and it had just stopped serving. Les pleaded with the waitress but it was to no avail. This is where we said goodbye to Les and it was lovely that he joined us for the day and showed us a number of nice roads.

 

David left us an hour or so later and this left myself and Gary. We travelled through torrential rain for about an hour and all I could do was laugh. You have no idea how much.We were like drowned rats and poor Gary had no doors, half doors or wind deflectors. Overtime I saw a wagon coming I laughed so loudly as I know what was going to happen to him when it passed. We came of the motorway and up into the hills towards Tummel Bridge. I went through a puddle and it just came straight up and over the car and landed all in Buttercups cockpit. I swore a lot and then just burst out laughing. It was a little later that Garys car broke down. We were in the middle of no-where and all we could do was laugh and crack jokes. We managed to roll Garys car down a hill and we waited two hours for the mechanic to arrive......anyway the long shot is it was passed midnight when we got in, cold, wet and hungry but we had such high spirits and it did not spoil our day.....it just made it an adventure.

 

I will start to upload pictures and videos etc of our trip over the next few days.