THE RAINBOWS MADE ME CRY EN ROUTE TO LOCH LOMOND
I set off from Loch Ness to head to Southern Scotland with the intention of finding somewhere to wild camp by Loch Lomond. I felt it was time as I had been on the road now since last September and I had not given it a go. I had plenty of gas, water, food and the leisure battery was charged up so I was well prepared.
Once again I was treated to the most breathtaking scenery as I drove for hours along the edge of Loch Ness, through Fort William and past Loch Leven.
I just kept stopping and taking in my surroundings because they were so beautiful. The beauty of having the motorhome is that I could also make myself a cup of tea and wander over the road, with the tea in hand, to check the out the scenery. Then pop to the loo in the motorhome in the middle of nowhere before heading off again along the long and winding roads. Around every corner the snowcapped mountains and colours of the hillsides left me feeling so at peace and happy. I just kept thinking "this is what I have been dreaming of doing for years and it is actually happening!"
And the beauty of doing it at this time of year is that there are not too many people on the road so I could take my time and drive as slowly as I needed to to get the most out of my surroundings. I can imagine it is a lot harder when it is the busy summer months and the roads are packed with tourists.
As if life could not get any better when I approached Crianlarich on the edge of the Trossachs National Park, I saw the most beautiful rainbows I have ever seen in my life, right to the left of me as I drove along towards Loch Lomond. I had to pull over in the motorhome and take pictures of them. It really felt like they were in touching distance and that I was so near the end of the rainbow. As many people know I just lose myself when I see a rainbow, I love them and they take me to my 'happy place'.
These just literally overwhelmed me. I burst into tears with happiness and I felt an overwhelming feeling of joy! It was just such a perfect drive and a perfect day. It was so much more than I had ever imagined it would be like. Especially after my recent heartbreak, because I thought it would take me a very long time before I felt this level of happiness and contentment. One of my closest friends Nicola just happened to phone me on my mobile phone as I was crying because of the rainbows and it was lovely to chat to hear and explain my emotions and what I was seeing. It is so hard to put down in words what that moment meant to me but somehow I felt it was a significant step in me finding myself and knowing that life has plenty more amazing things to show me in my retirement years.
Eventually I reached the shores of Loch Lomond in Southern Scotland and the views were breath-taking.
As I drove along I was looking for places to wild camp. In high season you are not allowed to without special permits and you have to stop at specific places along the shoreline. But all bets are off in low season so I hoped to find a nice spot. But I have to admit to being nervous. Some of the nice places had already been taken when I got there. I did pull into one place but then a dodgy looking van appeared and I decided I was not brave enough yet to wild camp and I ended up driving to a designated campsite at the end of the Loch. It was not my kind of thing really as there are lots of caravans and motorhomes packed in on top of one another and I felt quite claustrophobic. I had got so used to being by lochs with hardly anyone around. But I thought for a couple of nights I could put up with it. I parked up and went for a wander down by the Loch as sunset.
One of my dear friends Liz who I had worked with at BBC Radio Humberside over twenty years ago just happened to be in the area visiting family, so it was great to have a good catchup with her over a few drinks!! she hasn't changed a bit!
And she brought me a bunch of my favourite flowers that brightened up my motorhome for ages afterwards.
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