Scotland Strike Mission
Did someone say first wedding anniversary road trip x surf strike mission? I certainly didn’t envision spending 2 weeks driving from Devon to the northern tip of mainland Scotland to end up in Norfolk. We had a break in our house-sitting, so we did the only logical thing: head to Scotland for pumping waves. This wasn’t just a simple task, as the one-way drive was around 724 miles (13 hours); the perfect excuse for every Kiwi’s favourite pastime, a road trip. Filled with laughs, Harry Styles, and lots of petrol stops, we had one of the best two weeks of our lives.
AN INN FOR THREE NIGHTS
Sitting on the corner of a quiet village on the outskirts of Nottingham, sits the Bake House, laden with spring flowers, a watering hole for fixtures of the community, and a home-away-from-home for two young Kiwis. Our three days spent here were filled with questionable crossword suggestions, belly laughs about memory cupboards, and visits from the local 95-year-old farmer. We passed through as two travellers would on a pilgrimage, headed north, over the border into a land home to snowy peaks and pumping waves.
Mile count - 229 miles
Driving hours count - 4.5 hours
A quick stop at Charlecote Park - National Trust
EDINBURGH…AGAIN
Crossing the border from England to Scotland is a spiritual experience; you feel the energy shift from tense to limitless. Reflected in the dramatic landscapes, Scotland feels like the youngest child that has escaped the grasp of its parents and is allowed to run free, expressing itself through scenery, architecture, and people. Edinburgh is the perfect accumulation of these three pillars: the incredible city surrounded by the Forth, Arthur's Seat, and the Pentland Hills. Our three days here were spent catching up with family and friends, while walking over 25km a day on the great Ellie Hawkins guided tour.
Mile count - 463 miles
Driving hours count - 8.5 hours
The Pentland Hills from Arthurs Seat
THURSO
Now, when I suggested to Toby that we move to England for a year, I don’t think he had castles and high teas in mind; he just heard ‘a whole new country to explore in hopes of finding pumping surf’. So, when I asked if we could head away somewhere for our first wedding anniversary, I think most girls envision a chalet on a floating pontoon in the Maldives, I, of course, was met with a surf report for the northern coast of Scotland. Before I knew it, we were en route to an Airbnb in the small town of Thurso for a week of scouring the coastline for waves.
Luckily for our marriage, the surf report was correct. If something resembled a farm track with what looked like a wave breaking on Google Maps, then you best believe we were heading down it. Did someone say make-shift carpark in a farm yard? What about parking on the side of the road and hiking through paddocks, over dunes, just to check the surf? For a moment, I had flashbacks to our life at home, and while this lifestyle has its pitfalls, this was one of those times when everything came together perfectly.
Mile count - 727 miles
Driving hours count - 14 hours
RETURNING
A wise woman once told us that “every good thing must come to an end”, so, before we knew it, we were staring down the barrel of a 12-hour drive to Norfolk, where our next house-sit would be. But we still had two key stops to make on our way: the first was at John O’Groats, and the second was the Duncansby Stacks. Standing out like two raging sea dinosaurs erupting from the ocean, the stacks blew us away with another reminder of the sacred beauty Scotland possessed. Once again, we morphed into our pilgrim selves and meandered our way back down the country. The kind souls who had welcomed us into their homes on several occasions did so once again, and before we knew it, we were in the land of Vikings and muntjac deer.
Mile count - 1350 miles
Driving hours count - 26 hours
Duncansby Stacks
Why do you have to pay for parking everywhere you go in England? How do people survive the 3 pm darkness in winter? And how can we spend half our year in Scotland once we return to New Zealand? Three questions we had been asking ourselves for the last 6 months.
Tha ar cridheachan agad ann an Alba
Our hearts are with you in Scotland.