Highland Explorer Part 5: Ullapool and Back

Ullapool is a tiny and picturesque wee place on the shores of Loch Broom with a beautiful harbour and glorious sunsets. You can walk around all of Ullapool in fifteen minutes or scoot around in five! It was our last stopover on our Highlands trip before heading back to Edinburgh. Ullapool is worth checking out, not just because its a beautiful place but also because it is a great base for exploring the Hebridean islands and other nearby places. If you decide to scoot around Ullapool like we did, make sure your scooter has decent brakes....some of it was very steep and I was worried about ending up straight into the freezing cold loch!

Whilst the photos look quite summery, I can assure you that the temperature was distinctly cold. Nevertheless, it was a good excuse to wear out some of my favourite winter wardrobe items including this gorgeous metallic cracked leather skirt. I bought it in the sale some months ago but as my usual size 10 was out of stock, I bought a size 14  ( which was huge) and got it altered professionally. It still didn't fit well enough so I altered it again myself and it fitted a bit better. I thought it went really well with my new ( but very well used) Johnstons of Elgin cashmere scarf ( from the bargains section!).

We drove back to Edinburgh through the Cairngorms and Aviemore....it was a pretty drive back but nothing compared to our drive from the previous couple of days...perhaps we were getting a bit blasé about places we've visited or driven past before?!

Wearing: Landsend cashmere jumper top, ASOS cracked leather metallic skirt, Michael Kors trench coat, Johnstons of Elgin cashmere scarf, Ash wedge trainers and Christin Dior Madrague sunglasses.

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Highland Explorer Part 4: The North West Route

The further north of the country we got, the more  isolated and starkly beautiful it felt. Thurso is a small Highland town and we chose to spend the night there due to its proximity to Dunnet's Head and John O'Groats. The road from Thurso to Ullapool was extremely quiet and so there isn't a whole lot of storytelling to do except through pictures. There were some wonderful beaches along the way near Bettyhill, Tongue, Durness etc but not many people. Very very few people actually.  Worth mentioning our pit stop at Cocoa Mountain near Durness for coffee and cake ( which constituted lunch). You must check this place out if you are in the area. The businesses around it looked run down or had stopped trading altogether. In the midst of all that depression, Cocoa Mountain has somehow managed to stay afloat and I think their fabulous chocolates may have a lot to do with it!

The only 'story' to share is the one where we saw a sign for fresh smoked salmon and decided to knock on the door near it. A friendly old Yorkshireman ( who now calls the Highlands home) showed us his smokehouse and sold us some freshly smoked salmon.

Have you been been on this route too? Any stories to share? Ann x

Wearing: Orla Kiely for Uniqlo top, ASOS velvet pinafore dress, Ash wedge trainers and Christin Dior Madrague sunglasses.

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Highland Explorer Part 3: Really High Up

The plan for the next phase of our Highlands exploration was to get to the very end of the British/Scottish mainland. Many people we spoke to didn't seem to 'get' why we were driving so far to "see nothing". Ed and I were in agreement that there is something cool about having explored all four (ish) extreme corners of the country. Hard-core adventure junkies may well pooh-pooh our relatively comfortable and long drawn way of getting from Land End and Lizard (in 2011) to John O'Groats and Dunnet's Head but that's OK! Our first pit stop from Elgin to the end of the world was at Brora.

I was struck by how deprived and isolated Brora felt. I also wondered what the locals made of the referendum and its implications on their town. Worth mentioning here that I can actually ( and bizarrely!) vote but I haven't made my mind up yet. Also, you *must* try Harry Gow's ice cream shop in the centre of Brora. It has a scrumptious selection of ice cream, cakes and hot savoury food. It was here that I tried my first every Jap cake and that was yum! Nearby Dunrobin Castle is a historic place (and now a popular wedding venue) and worth checking out. The journey from Brora to John O Groats was incredibly quiet with stark landscapes all the way up. It felt remote, very remote.

What the folks say about John O'Groats is true....there isn't much to do. You could take a ferry to Orkney and I'm sure there few bits to do locally but not a lot. Dunnet's Head on the other hand is a true little gem. It is a stunning place, there are plenty of bird watching opportunities ( including puffin spotting) and it is great for walks. Ed and I got our kick scooters out and decided to have a little run around!

The other place worth visiting near Dunnet's Head ( as recommended by our B&B hosts in Thurso) is the Castle of Mey, the queen mother's residence in Caithness and the most northerly castle on the British mainland. I was hoping to tick lambing off my Spring bucket list around the area but it was too late! :(

Have you been to the Highlands or perhaps biked/walked up to John O'Groats? What are your thoughts? Ann x

Wearing: Michael Kors trench coat; Ash wedge trainers, Michael Kors bag, Johnston's of Elgin scarf, Cos top, Karen Millen skirt and Christin Dior Madrague sunglasses.

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Storage Box Update with Outspiration

I’m an advocate for continuously updating/improving your home and garden in order to keep it looking fresh.  There are so many projects that Ed and I would like to get started on but time, resources and lack of motivation are often constraints.  This is where I think the new Outspiration app (that I was introduced to) will make a difference. It is an iPhone friendly app that inspires, guides and tracks your effort on DIY projects. Recently, I’ve noticed that we’ve been dumping a lot of stuff near our front door and I thought a storage box may be a good way to keep it tidy.  I looked up the Projects section of Outspiration for some ideas and inspiration (or should it be outspiration!?) eventually decided to improvise based on what I gleaned. I managed to buy a basic storage unit but it wasn’t in the least bit interesting. I don’t like dull and boring things so below are the steps I took to make it look stylish and interesting.

I used Outspiration’s Visualiser tool to look at options for painting the box. As I could not settle on a paint shade, I chose to use newspaper decoupage instead (I’ve been loving newspaper print interior products of late). It’s worth mentioning that Outpsiration also has a weather tool to help you plan your outdoor DIYs. This project was relatively straightforward and could be undertaken indoors (which was handy as the weather tool predicted a very grey day).

For this DIY you will need the following items:

A storage box

Sand paper

Old newspaper

Scissors

Modpodge or PVA glue

Clear varnish (or a plastic glitter spray)

Paint brush

Old fabric for lining the floor whilst sanding and painting

The Outspiration app for planning and tracking the DIY

Steps:

1.     Lightly sand the box down so that the glue or paint sticks well

2.     Cut pieces of newspaper to fit all sides of the box

3.     Brush a thin layer of glue onto one surface of the box

4.     Stick the newspaper and smooth out using the back of the paint brush

5.     Once dried, apply a layer of glue to the top of the surface to seal the newspaper. Use a couple of coats to seal each surface.

6.     Once all the surfaces are covered, apply a layer or clear varnish to weatherproof it (or use a plastic glitter spray for a bit of sparkle)

7.     If you decided to paint instead of decoupage, you can test what works best with your exterior using the Visualizer tool. After sanding, apply a primer and then a topcoat of your chosen colour and let it dry.

I’m loving my new storage box and I’m certainly getting Outspired to do more! To celebrate the launch of the app AkzoNobel is giving away a beautiful barbecue to get you outdoors and begin your Outspiration journey. To participate in a draw, all you need to do is download the app and enter your details in the WIN section of the app. The competition starts on the 28th of April and runs till the 12th of May. Have you been planning any DIYs of late? I definitely recommend checking out the Outspiration app to get you started. Ann x

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Highland Explorer Part 2: Around Moray

After Aberdeen, Ed and I were back on the road heading towards Elgin. It was a nice enough drive but our focus was to get to Elgin by nighttime (or earlier) if possible. The one place worth mentioning on our drive up there was Keith, 'the friendly town'. It was a sleepy looking town with very funny street names...like 'Findlater Lane'... and a quaint feel. Elgin felt rather quiet too and I'm not sure if it was something to do with the time of day or if it was because the locals were away for Easter break. I doubt very much that it was because they were all praying hard at their local churches on good Friday...we 'd just been at a church that got converted into a cafe!

Elgin wasn't what I expected at all.....at first glimpse it felt a bit like an industrial town in Middle England.....we may not have approached it from the best route perhaps. The folks who have previously lived there and the locals all love it. We stayed at a lovely B&B in a picturesque area  just outside the city.  The owner of the B&B is a Midlander who fell in love with Elgin and moved up there a decade or two ago. The good thing about staying with locals is that you get nuggets of information that no guide book can give you.

We'd reconciled to the fact that this highlands trip was  just a taster and that we would not be able to spend a whole lot of time at most places.  Like Aberdeen, I'm sure there is more to Elgin and we will be back again to explore. However, I absolutely loved the sunset on the beach at Lossiemouth..it was incredible! No filter or photo editing tool was required to tart up the images we captured here..and the images did not do the place enough justice...it was dreamy! We loved it so much we were back again the next morning to be near the sea.

Also worth mentioning the fabulous ( albeit slightly expensive for the area) meal we had at 1629. The fish main I had was exquisite and portion sizes were huge ( so I didn't begrudge the cost of the meal at all)! I'd heard great things about Johnston's of Elgin's factory tour and cafe but sadly the factory was closed over the weekend. Instead, we toured the shop and the 'museum' bit, watched videos about how they create the finest cashmere and then found some fabulous lambswool and cashmere scarves to take home with us. They also have a bargain bucket where the scarves are slightly reduced in price but still just as high quality.  Cashmere scarves were reduced from £60-£100 to £35 upwards.!

After a another little wander around Lossie and Elgin, Ed and I headed out towards Dunnet's Head and John O Groat via Brora for the next part of our adventure. Watch this space for my next blog post and follow me on Instagram for all the photos captured on the run. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Ann x

Wearing: Michael Kors trench coat; Dune kitten heels, Michael Kors bag, Moschino scarves, Christin Dior Madrague sunglasses.

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.