Scotland half term ideas

it’s too early for the midges

Err, no. They’re out.

it’s too early for the midges

The hundred-ish bites I have would say otherwise!

I had my first and only bite in seven days this morning, walking out of the hills to a train station. This time in a week? Unleash the fury!

Ok then forget it 🙂

Well, due to my usual MO of leaving it late, I ended up browsing the whole West Coast, and managed to book a place in Mallaig.  A bit further to drive but it looks lovely and it looks like there’s a lot of places to eat and beaches to sit on.

Mallaig.

Is a bit run down and small IMO.

A bit further to drive but it looks lovely and it looks like there’s a lot of places to eat and beaches to sit on.

Yep, loads of beaches and hills to plod about and enjoy.

Mallaig.
Is a bit run down and small IMO.

And periodically over run with tourists when the boats and trains come in. The Scottish tourism industry has got very greedy; somebody must be trousering a lot of money but I’m not sure who because it’s not getting invested in the towns or infrastructure.

somebody must be trousering a lot of money

For a lot of businesses that means trying to trouser enough in 4 or 5 months to last the whole year. Sure, people make a living at it but I don’t see it as a cash cow and it sounds like a tough gig in many ways.

If we want to capitalise on the tourists to fund infrastructure then a tourist tax is the simplest way but there seems to be some powerful resistance to this for reasons that are a mystery to me.

Is it going to be overrun with vanlife ****? As opposed to AirBnB **** like us?

Mallaig?  No but ~Arisaig and the coast south of mallaig may well be

Somewhat surprisingly there’s an EV charger in Mallaig too.

Worth a ferry to Skye? I am thinking so just to see the scenery.

Is it going to be overrun with vanlife ****? As opposed to AirBnB **** like us?

No more than anywhere else. There’s a long weekend for some but not all schools in Scotland at the end of May so it shouldn’t be bonkers busy.

IMHO Mallaig has picked itself up a bit the past few years. Mrs S and I had a pleasant few days there in a pod last year.

Skye ferry would be a reasonable day out but look for the wee ferry to Inverie in Knoydart instead. You get to visit the UKs “most remote pub” and have time to explore a bit.

The walk along Loch Morar (deepest lake in the UK) is stunning and there are swimming opportunities.

Superb beaches abound. I like Camusdarach (Bens beach from Local Hero).

Be sure to visit the Church of Scotland in Arising, where Mrs S and I tied the knot.

Small Isles cruise might appeal.

Ardnamurchan point (most Westerly point of the UK mainland), you drive there through a massive caldera and there’s the lovely Sanna Sands.

Thanks, that’s the kind of low key stuff I am after.  Inverie looks great, perhaps we will get the kids to walk up one of those tracks for a bit and get away from the village.

I prefer the small isles to Skye, they are a lot quieter. I’ve done the Rum trip was a great day out. The others look good.

Fish and chips in Mallaig is a big favourite for our lot.

Scotroutes nails it.
Great way to spend a week.

I should probably try and put the iSUP in the car by the look of it.

Somewhat surprisingly there’s an EV charger in Mallaig too.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, according to the comments on ZapMap, it doesn’t work very well.  I’d assume that alternative charging arrangements are required whilst there.

Yeah I’m going to have to be careful.  I will leave Fort William as full as I can get; then there’s also a rapid in Arisaig.  Then there’s a type 2 in Mallaig as well.  And as a last resort I might pack an extension lead so I can charge at the flat.

FWIW there’s not a filling station in Mallaig at the moment either so you’re not really worse off than the oil-burners 😂

Other than my Ardnamurchan suggestion you shouldn’t have to do much driving.

We’re here in Mallaig – it’s quite scruffy but there are quite a lot of eateries that look nice.  Really a pretty pleasant place.

We’re looking at a day trip to Skye – what do do there?  The landlady recommended Portree, but are any other places worth a trip? Thinking maybe a scenic loop with some places to stop. The far side of the island might be too far since we’ve done a lot of driving already.

You don’t need to go far from the ferry, just stay on the Sleat peninsula if you don’t want to drive.

Tarskavaig is nice. Spectacular views of the Cuillin ridge from Dunscaith castle.