Day: March 29, 2016

It is spring and Mr BOTRA and I find our thoughts turning to Scotland.

Most years since before many of you were born (1981 was our first joint trip) we have enjoyed a trip to Scotland at this time of year.  On these numerous trips we have stayed in tents, in luxurious castles and occasionally in damp, cold and decidedly scruffy houses.  Some years we have also visited Scotland in summer, autumn and / or winter but it is the spring holiday that has been consistent.

So for me Scotland is primarily a land of yellow gorse bushes, blossom on the trees, wood anemones flowering in birch woodland and patches of snow on the hills.  On these springtime trips we are always sure we will get weather, it is just hard to predict exactly what and we tend to pack for every season.  We have had days when we have worn shorts [although not too many of these] and days of heavy snowfall.  We have chipped ice off the tent and watched the rain scurry across a bay, followed by a rainbow.

We now mix and match with a wonderful combination of the campervan and staying with friends in a large house.  We get the perfect mixture of freedom to do our own thing and peace and quiet and time with old friends enjoying good food, excellent company and the chance to share a dram in a lovely Scottish country house.

Self-catering in a large house [there can be up to 17 of us] works out cheaper than self-catering as a couple and in Scotland no-cost camping in the ‘van is possible and this keeps the holiday within our annual holiday budget.