Very occasionally it’s possible
to find, not only an old photograph album, but also an accompanying journal or
diary. The following simple story from
an 11 year old girl relates to a camping holiday which she spent with her
parents in Scotland
from 29th. June to 11th. July 1958. The journey was undertaken in their Austin
van YKN 941. The father would sleep in a
small tent whilst mother and daughter would use the van as their bedroom. This
is the journal of their holiday together with a few comments (in italics) added at a later date:
We left Orpington in the suburbs
of London at 9am and arrived in Skegness at 1pm. Lunch was
taken in a café overlooking the sea after which Mum and I took a walk along the
Front. Then it was back to the car to continue
our drive “up north”. That night we
camped at Humberston Fitties on the outskirts of Cleethorpes.
The camp was right on the sea
front and all we had to do was go over a little sand hummock onto the sandy
beach. Nearby was a small river which
twisted and twined along the coast.
Humberston is a very quiet place – virtually just a lane with chalets,
bungalow and caravan camps along it. (On 18 June
1960 we returned to
Humberston for a fortnight’s holiday but on that occasion stayed in one of the
static caravans. I remember the date
really well because it was the day of Tommy Steele’s wedding. On the Sunday morning I rushed round to the camp
shop really early so that I could get the newspapers and see the pictures of
the wedding).
The next day we were up at 7am and on the move by 9. We had to cross the River Humber but instead
of making a detour and driving until we found a bridge we took the ferry. We had just missed one so had a half hour
wait until the next. On the other side
of the river it was quite a puzzle trying to find our way through the crowded
streets of Kingston upon Hull
– but we worked it out eventually.
We arrived at York
at 12.45 and had lunch on the outskirts.
(Dad was a great believer in
Transport Cafes so it was likely to have been a café buzzing with life with the
unmistakable smell of fat pervading the atmosphere!). The journey continued through Newcastle
to Blyth where we made our second camp. It took us ages to find a place to camp but
in the end we found somewhere right on the coast – just like Humberston.
The next day we travelled up the
A1 to Berwick upon Tweed where we did some
shopping. Then continued to a place
named Tranent - about 10 miles from Edinburgh
– and found a lovely tea shop for lunch.
Inside it was quite dark and the seats were the sort in old English pubs
– wooden with high backs. Quite near to
Tranent is Preston Pans where Bonnie Prince Charlie fought a battle in
1745. After lunch it was on into Edinburgh
arriving at the Municipal Camp at 4pm.
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| Edinburgh Municipal Camp site |
That evening we went into Edinburgh
to see some of the landmarks but unfortunately the famous Scottish mists came
down masking everything. There was meant to be a marvellous view from the Castle
but we could not see a thing. Nothing
for it but to go shopping in Princes Street! My purchase was a Scottish tourist doll. The guide book told us that few cities had
more objects of deep historical interest to show the traveller. For us the night was cold and misty so we
caught a tram and made our way back to camp.
(My eternal memory of Edinburgh is of cold, dark granite buildings towering
over the streets).
The following morning a most
unfortunate incident occurred. Bacon was
being fried for breakfast on a small primus stove in front of the tent. Unfortunately the stove was a little too near
to the tent; the wind caught the tent flat and up it went in flames. Dad thrashed about with his arms and finally
put it out. None of the other campers
came to help!
That morning we crossed the Firth
of Forth at Kincardine then continued on to Stirling. About 15 miles outside of Stirling
we were stopped by a man who told us that we could not go any further. We asked why not and was told that there was
a body in the road. “A body in the road”
– an accident perhaps? No not that kind
of body but the body of a lorry.
Apparently it had overturned with the main body coming off and blocking
the road to traffic. So after quickly
consulting the AA atlas an alternative route was found. This took us through some beautiful country
in the Highlands and then down into a valley to
Dunkeld.
 |
| On the road to Dunkeld |
We had lunch there before
continuing to Pitlochry where we camped at Faskally Farm.
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| Fascally Farm camp site |
Mum spent the afternoon mending
the tent - as best she could. For some
reason she had come equipped with a sewing kit and having cut up the tent bag
she managed to make a large patch which just about covered the burnt
section. (Mums are so wonderful!!!!)
That evening Mum and I took a
walk down to Lake Faskally
(Dad rarely joined us on anything as
energetic as walks!). It was really
beautiful as the rhodendroms were in bloom.
Overlooking the lake were thick woods with wild flowers growing among
the trees. Returning up the path we
noticed a sign saying it was prohibited to walk along this path!
 |
| Lake Fascally |
 |
| Lake Fascally |
Next morning we journeyed through
the Pass of Killiecrankee
and up the A9 as far as Inverness. Then it was on to our campsite at Nairn along
a lovely straight road.
 |
| Nairn campsite |
The following morning we planned
to travel as far as John o’Groats. The
road north was narrow and twisty. Some
of the country was bare whilst other parts were picturesque. We travelled through Dornoch, Golspie, Brora
and Helmsdale – at Berriedale there was hairpin bend.
 |
| Overlooking the Dornoch Firth |
Lunch was taken at Wick in a very
dark café. I distinctly remember that in
one corner there was an old woman wearing thin rimmed spectacles. She sat hunched over her newspaper the whole
time and it was obvious that she could not see very well. When she received her bill she examined it
very closely to make sure that everything was correct. As Wick was a fishing port we expected to
find lots of fish shops but we only found one.
(Fish cooked on the primus stove
was a favourite evening meal for us when camping.)
And so on to John o’Groats where
we arrived about 3pm. It was terribly windy but we pitched the
tent somehow or another and Dad cooked tea – making sure the primus stove was
nowhere near the tent!!!. The beach at John
o’Groats was made up of broken shells rather than fine sand. That far north it never really gets dark but
stays dusky the whole night. This seemed
very strange at the time.
 |
| John o'Groats |
I thought John o’Groats was
lovely but Mum and Dad were not impressed – perhaps it was too cold for
them. But John o’Groats is not the furthest point north.
For that you need to visit Dunnet Head.
We had intended going there but Mum and Dad thought it was too misty and
far too cold so it was dropped from our itinerary. (Throughout my life I have always been drawn to the most remote of places so it is no wonder that I loved John o'Groats - whatever the weather.)
Our journey the next morning was
through Sutherland over miles and miles of misty moors. At one point we saw a postman pedalling over
the moor towards one lonely croft right in the middle of nowhere – what a job.
A 4 hour journey brought us to
Lairg, then after another hour we reached Dingwall where we stopped for
lunch. From Dingwall it was onwards to Inverness
and then down to Loch Ness. I am sorry
to say that Nessy did not put in an appearance but I didn’t really
mind. At 3pm
we arrived at Forth Augustus where we stayed for a whole 4 days.
 | ||
| Fort August camp site |
The Caledonian Canal
built by Thomas Telford in the 18th. century runs through Fort
Augustus and there are six
locks. One morning we watched as a boat
navigated its way through. The tops of
some of the mountains were covered in snow and looked very beautiful. One day we went to Mallaig along The Road to
the Isles. The roads were so narrow with
room for just one car. At one point just
as we went around a corner a lorry came into sight. Neither of us were near a lay-by so after
some breathless minutes we just managed to squeeze past each other. The wheels of our car were about an inch from
the sheer rock drop.
A little further along we came
across Prince Charlie’s Monument erected in honour of the ’45 Rebellion. It stands between a viaduct and Loch
Shiel. Steps go up inside the monument
and a marvellous view could be seen from the top.
We had lunch at Mallaig and then
went to see the white sands of Morar.
Morar itself is a charming, secluded spot and on a fine day gives a
beautiful view of the Western Isles. On
the day we went it was misty and all that could be seen was a faint outline in
the distance.
 |
| Mallaig |
We left Fort
Augustus on 9th. July
and went through Glen Coe down to Loch Lomond. Elevensies were taken on the banks of the
loch then it was on to Glasgow
where we had lunch. The camp site that
night was at New Cummnock.
The next day we travelled to the Lake
District passing Gretna Green on the way.
We camped at a farm near Lake Windermere and took a
leisurely, picturesque drive in the evening.
On 11th. July we made
our homeward journey of 330 miles after another most enjoyable holiday.
Post Script: Thank
you to Dad for doing all that driving and for teaching me how to read a map and
navigate. Thank you to Mum for teaching
me that packing everything one might need (including a sewing kit) is never
wasted effort!
