The Lochratour - East Coast 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Here we go again Lockdown 2 (that's if you're living in England).

I bet that you're all feeling really pissed off and bored wherever you are in the world, Coronavirus is stopping you humans from not being able to live the life that you're used to.

Well let me cheer you up with some positive vibes - ie some photos from my last holiday!

It really is a dogs life at the moment, mum and dad were meant to be jetting off somewhere far away in September but had to postpone their trip and take me and Luth away instead.

It was quite an adventure, a road trip all around the top of Scotland on the NC500 route and then over to the Isle of Skye. An adventure that lasted for nearly three weeks. Here we go.

The Lochratour

New car Rude? No it was a courtesy car while ours was being repaired, we got hit up the arse turning into our drive, christ it didn't half make me and Luth jump! Fortunately there wasn't too much damage and nobody was hurt 

Breakfast stop at Ferrybridge Services and the chance for a quick run

Hooray we're in Scotland and by our first iconic landmark - the Forth Bridge at Queensferry, it crosses the Firth of Forth whatever that means? 

After being stuck in the car all day we got a rewarded with a swim in the River Tummel near Pitlochry

530 miles later we arrived at our first stop in Kingussie in time for dinner

First (and only?) disappointment of the trip, we went to Loch Mallachie for a walk and hopefully a swim only to find that notice warning of 'Blue green algae bloom' advising not to go in the water. F**K

We had to spend most of our time in Scotland walking on a lead because nobody trusted 'Hop along Luth' not to over do it and rupture his ACL! 

We still had shit loads of fun though

Blimey then we found out that the loch is cursed!

Loch Mallachie - Loch of the curse, probably a good thing that we didn't go in for a swim!

Hooray we got a swim, in the nearby River Nethy. To quote David Essex "Every cloud's got a silver lining"

Some strange goings on in theses woods

Today is gonna be the day that we get to actually swim in a Loch, at last

After an initial dip we did a six mile walk around Loch An Eilein 

Half way round we found another one, Loch Gamhna so in we went!

Dexys Midnight Runners

After three nights in the Cairngorms it was time to head up to Inverness and start the NC500 route. But first there was a stop off at Loch Ness. When we got to there mum and dad couldn't find our leads, so we used the spare ones that they had brought in Cornwall last year when they left ours at home. 

The obvious caption is 'Loch Ness monsters' but I prefer something less cheesy like "Lochy boys'! 

We loved it here, oh and by the way we didn't see Nessie, mind you it is 23 miles long!

Another nice walk around part of the Loch

We found a pet shop in Inverness, but when they came out of the shop there were no new leads just two new collars instead, one blue, one purple. Now apparently the shop assistant chose who which of us would have what colour, I got the purple one and also kept being referred to as 'The Labrador formerly known as Rudie!

After crossing three firths we stopped at Dornoch for a walk...

but no swim

Our next stop was just outside Brora in the middle of f**kin' nowhere. We were 'Glamping' here for three nights!

On our first day there we got on the train from Brora to Dunrobin Castle Station and walked back along the coast path

It only took about ten minutes on the train and we didn't have to pay, who said that the Scots were tight?

Cor what a castle

We saw some seals on the beach but I wasn't allowed to play with them

Back in Brora and it's brightened up

Swim time

Who doesn't like a hike up a hill? Mum doesn't looked too thrilled by the prospect! You can see our target in the background, a 100 foot-tall statue of the first Duke of Sutherland, sitting on top of Ben Bhraggie

Hot work

Nearly there

We made it and mum looks a bit happier. I reckon that was a mission getting that statue up there

We went back down via the Big Burn Falls

We got to have a swim at the bottom, after a few days in Scotland our coats are getting well nice - everyday's a spa day for us

Back at the Glampsite. Our pod wasn't too bad, except we had to sleep in the same room as mum & dad and put up with their snoring! It was well equipped and even had underfloor heating which me an' Luth really enjoyed,  

That was a tough ol' day

The third leg of the trip took us all the way to the top of Scotland

We stopped off at The Whaligoe Steps on the way, which lead down to a former fishing harbour

The water there looked lovely and clear and we were hoping for a swim, then dad noticed the jellyfish in there - they were f**kin' huge red ones that looked like parachutes, if you look closely you'll see them, f**k that lol!

There's 365 steps down to the bottom 

Another iconic landmark, John o' Groats, the most northerly inhabited place in mainland Britain

11 miles further round the coast is Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in mainland Britain, 684 miles from home

Our third stop was around the coast in Castletown, you can see Dunnet Head in the background

Dunnet Bay

Luther in solitude. He was a bit of a nightmare when he was allowed off his lead as he just wanted to run and swim like me, but a couple of times he'd over do it and start limping again. None of us wanted him to mess himself up and risk having to find him a vet for him. He had been more active than mum and dad thought he would be so they kept him on the lead as much as possible and gave him metacam, I just hope it's not addictive!

Castletown

Strathy Point Lighthouse, we weren't allowed past this point as the farmers were worried that we would chase the sheep off the edge of the cliffs

Look at that beach!

We more or less had the whole beach to ourselves, we love a bit of social distancing!

A walk along the cliff tops at Holborn Head

Sea what I see

And back to Scrabster in land

Scrabster port 

All roads lead to Scrabster, well the A9 does and it ends here! It's also Scotland's longest road 

We're now at the halfway point of our road trip so I'm going to leave it there for now. I'll post part two next week so at least you'll have something to look forward to, especially my English followers who are locked down once more.

Stay safe

Rudie THE Dog xx