Passing Places Around Scotland

A short boat trip to visit the magical island of Inchcailloch just off the eastern shores of Loch Lomond adjacent to Balmaha. A wonderful day trip or even just  for a few hours to walk in the woodlands.   There is a small camp site at the south end of the island which must be booked in advance.  Boat services are available from Balmaha and Luss as well as Lomond Shores in peak season.  Many people visit the island  in their own boats or canoes too. [codepeople-post-map]

Just a short piece of audio to let you know that Passing Places Around Scotland will be back with new episodes as soon as we are re-listed in iTunes.

Our clocks are back to GMT and the long dark days of winter are upon us. Visiting Scotland in the winter though can still be a really positive experience especially if you enjoy your winter sports like skiing and hill walking. Star gazing, renting cozy cottages with open fires, enjoying city breaks for Christmas shopping or celebrating Hogmanay can all be included as good reasons why you might want to visit Scotland this winter.

Motorhome essentials & Scottish hill walking A conversation with a Passing Places listener Iain Gillepsie all about motorhomes, campervans, hillwaking , munro bagging and long distance footpaths in Scotland.  It was great to catch up with Iain and to share some thoughts on how best to travel around Scotland and suggestions on essential equipment  and places to go in Scotland.  So if you would like to be a guest on the podcast please don't hesitate to get in touch.  Equally if you would like more information on where to go in Scotland or what to do on your Scottish adventure then get in touch with the podcast.

Out geocaching & finally seeing the Northern Lights This week I'm out rediscovering the very enjoyable pastime of geocaching with Caitlin during the school half term holidays and finally after chasing potential sightings of the Northern Lights all over mainland Scotland and the islands I finally catch up with them in a local field by my home!

Out on the Rob Roy Way I have enjoyed some great walking over the past week or so not only out on the Rob Roy Way where I had the chance to look at the Corrie Aqueduct, part of the Loch Katrine water supply infrastructure to Glasgow but I also visited the Loup of Fintry waterfall near the village of Fintry next to the Campsie Fells.  It was well worth a visit as the recent rainfall had really swollen the river levels.  We are finally giving up the fantastic weather and Scotland is now moving on and into the Autumn so at least we have the colours of Autumn still to look forward to.

The Rob Roy Way and also the Carron Valley The past two weeks have been great in terms of the weather and I have been out building up my basic walking fitness every day.  In this weeks episode I have audio from the Carron Valley and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.  I also spent a weekend at Strathyre and walked along the Rob Roy Way along the side of Loch Lubnaig.  Skid (my Jack Russell) has been picking up ticks on our recent walks so I discuss the Scottish tick, some of the issues and how to remove them.

Hill Walking near Glasgow and visiting Glasgow Parks Enjoying some late summer sunshine this week as I wander the Kilpatrick hills above Glasgow and then pay a visit to Bellahouston Park, the site of the famous Empire Exhibition in 1938 and now home to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed House for an Art Lover which was completed in 1995 from original plans produced by Mackintosh in 1901. Glasgow has a large number of public parks, far more than many cities and the majority of them well worth a visit.

Outdoors in Scotland Lots of audio clips from Balmaha, Duncryne Hill and around Stirling as I spend a week counting steps in the great outdoors.  I'm using my fitness tracker and local walks to see if I can get back to some form of fitness.  Walking in Scotland especially in fine weather is a real pleasure.  September is a great month as summer comes to end and the first signs of Autumn appear. I spend time tracking down a few memories of Tom Weir as well as tackling some local forest paths.

Another visit to the East Neuk of Fife to one of the coastal fishing villages which is now popular with tourists.  Don't forget to pop into the Fishing Museum.  I stayed at the Silverdyke Caravan Park in Cellardyke and enjoyed the walk into Anstruther through the fishermens cottages past Cellardyke harbour and enjoyed a coffee and some people watching opposite Anstruther harbour.  Would suggest you consider taking a boat trip out to the Isle of May to see the seabirds and seals or take the new boat service over to North Berwick for the day.  All the boat trips are seasonal so check online.

Flanders Moss nature Reserve Its great to be back in front of the microphone (yet another new one) after being absent for many months.  I make a few visits to Flanders Moss a national nature reserve near Stirling, some audio from the Western Isles and I update listeners on up and coming developments in the Passing Places podcast.

A real wander around Scotland in this episode. I have spent  a fair amount of time in recent weeks clocking up some serious mileage all over Scotland including Angus, Fife, Stirlingshire and the Highlands. As always I'm chasing the weather, the northern lights and the quieter more remote parts of Scotland.  In this episode however I also spend a few days in the busy harbour at Peterhead as well as few great nights at Cruden Bay.

Visiting Skye & appearing on The Motorhome Podcast I'm finally back in front of the microphone. In this weeks episode I cover some of my recent trip to Skye as well as giving you some idea of where I have been the past two months.  I have also included an excerpt from my recent appearance on The Motorhome Podcast.  Finally I also include some musical audio from the Mull of Kintrye.

East Neuk of Fife and Kirriemuir Angus A great few days on the east side of Scotland.  Some days spent adjacent to the wonderful villages on the Fife Coastal Path.  The coastal villages of St Monan's, Anstruther, Elie, Earslferry, Pittenweem and Crail are often referred to as the strings of pearls. Its a wonderful location for walking and enjoying the very best of the Kingdom of Fife. The second half of the podcast is based in the small town of Kirriemuir in Angus.  I mention J.M. Barrie and his famous novel Peter Pan.  I also reflect on my imminent trip to the the Isle of Skye.

On The Mull of Kintyre at Easter The ten days or so I spent on the Mull of Kintyre delivered some great weather, magical sunsets on glorious beaches and a number of starlit nights watching the International Space Station tracking overhead.  I also enjoyed a brief stop at Butter Bridge in Glen Kinglas on my way home. It was a lovely day and a great spot to have a break, take in the views and paddle in the river. The Mull of Kintyre is almost a hidden gem, shunned by many of the tourists in their rush to head north to the more famous locations of Oban, Fort William and Inverness.  It really is a special place and remarkably quiet even on an Easter bank holiday week-end.

Interview with Glen Moyer from Louisana USA I'm on the Mull of Kintyre in my van talking to a new friend living across the pond about his impending visit to Scotland.  It's also a birthday week and I'm enjoying being away for my birthday and finally again introducing new voices to Passing Places.  It's great to see technology linking the wider Scottish diaspora to each other and finally rejoining all the Scottish connections across the globe. The internet is bringing people together so check out Glen's blog A Glen in Scotland and for the motorhome and caravan folk I also cover one possible way how you could possibly connect to the web using your mobile phone. I'll be back next week with more details of my current travels in the motorhome.  I'm back on the road travelling around Scotland.

Culloden & Glasgow's Link to Slavery A busy week on the podcast wandering from London to Glasgow.  I share some thoughts on the Commonwealth Games and the current controversy around the permission to allow a private housing development on the Culloden Battlefied outside Inverness. Please checkout the current planning decision about Culloden. It is a site of international importance and one which has been failed by the current planning regulations in Scotland.

It is now spring in Scotland and I visit Aberfoyle and the Loch Ard area of the Trossachs and for the first time provide an update on the buzz which is being created around the Scottish vote on independence which will take place this September.

The Hills north of Glasgow Whilst Glasgow unfairly has a reputation merely as an industrial city, it sits in a most beautiful location with some wonderful hills minutes away from the city.  In Passing Places this week I visit The Campsie Fells and mention the exodus of Glaswegians in the 1900's and beyond, as they escaped the smog and discovered the magic of the Scottish countryside. In particular I talk about Tom Weir one of the the most influential men of his time in his ability to share his passion for Scotland.  He is remembered by most, for his STV series Weirs Way but he was much more than that. He was a naturalist, acclaimed climber, prolific writer, photographer and a fantastic ambassador for the wild places of Scotland. I hope to produce an episode of Passing Places this year all about Tom Weir and the current campaign to erect a statue in his memory on the banks of Loch Lomond.

Balmaha Rowardennan Conic Hill & Ben Lomond In the podcast this week I discuss the merits of visiting the East side of Loch Lomond and taking in a boat trip to some of the many fifty plus islands.  I also talk about climbing Conic hill, walking the West Highland Way and bagging Ben Lomond perhaps your first munro? The area is beautiful and as well as walking and water sports there are two campsites on the east side of Loch Lomond. Finish your day in either the Rowardennan Hotel or the Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha.

Saint Conan's Church, Lochawe Village, Argyll. The area around Loch Awe offers the visitor many attractions.  I focus this week on St Conan's Kirk, a real gem, located in the village of Lochawe.  The church is a truly unique, one off example, of an amateur architects vision of a church.  It's free to visit and never busy. Almost every period of architectural design is included in the building. I can't recommend a visit highly enough. The whole area around Loch Awe from the fishing, the hill-walking and the various visitor attractions creates a must see part of any trip around Scotland.  I mention The Cruchan Visitor experience to the Hydro-Electric scheme as well as the Bonawe Iron Furnace at Taynuilt. I also mention the week that was and discuss the plans for including guest contributions on the podcast in the weeks ahead.

The Clyde steamers mark a remarkable period in Scottish history where people from the central belt, from the poor to the rich, enjoyed the dramatic scenery and landscapes of the The Firth of Clyde.  For over a hundred years until the 1950's over 300 steamers transported passengers throughout the area.  I also talk about the The Kelpies, the dramatic new horse head sculptures on the Forth Canal near Falkirk. I also rejoice in the fact I'm finally back in my van. I make what turns out to be a dreadful trip to Moffat in Dumfries & Galloway.  It's a lovely wee town and a place I really like but we all remember weekends that just didn't work out.   The whole week-end was instantly forgettable.  I came down with a chest infection and the rest is history. Thankfully.

The Rob Roy Way & Camping in the Loch Lomond National Park Out and about in The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park in search of Rob Roy MacGregor, a Scottish Robin Hood romanticised in Scottish history and a half baked notion to walk The Rob Roy Way, a lovely long distance footpath from Drymen to Pitlochry.  I also drop into the newly completed visitor amenities located on Loch Lubnaig just north of Callander. The national park have a development plan for the five lochs in the area which includes regulating camping on the loch-sides, in part by providing new facilities including car parking and camping.  There are also elements of the plan that include attempting to meet the needs of motorhome owners.  I will cover all these topics in more detail in future episodes but  I can't recommend the countryside around the national park and The Rob Roy Way.  It really is a great mix of Scottish landscapes. Get in touch if you visit the new facilities on Loch Lubnaig and let me know your thoughts.

A Happy New Year from Scotland to everybody who listens to Passing Places. In this weeks episode of the podcast I make a few New Year resolutions and a couple of predictions for 2014.  This year is the most significant year in the  history of Scotland. As a nation we face the momentous decision on regaining our independence for our country.  I'm confident that Scotland will vote positively for such a change. I also feel certain that 2014 will redefine our place in the cosmos. The knowledge we have gleaned in the last twenty years about astronomy and the cosmos is difficult to fully comprehend. So I fell confident that this year will see the announcement of an earth like planet in the Goldilocks zone and whilst that for me is profound I also feel certain that we will be able to confirm the existence of life beyond earth. So what an historic year we have ahead.  Join me on my travels around Scotland and get in touch with our listeners if you share an interest, an affinity with, or a desire to travel around Scotland. Happy New Year.

It’s great to be back with another episode of Passing Places. I briefly review a few personal travel highlights from 2013 and go on to mention that 2014 is the Year of Homecoming Scotland. As well as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles we have the independence referendum to look forward to.  It’s going to be the biggest year in Scotland certainly in my lifetime. It is also the seven hundredth anniversary of The Battle of Bannockburn which took place a few miles away from my home. A major refurbishment of the visitor attraction is just nearing completion as well as restoration of the monuments on the site. So if you are visiting Scotland during the year of homecoming a visit to Bannockburn, Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument would be highly recommended.  I think Stirling is rightly justified in being called the heart of Scotland.

Motorhome Discrimination in the UK Passing Places this week touches on the topic of motorhome use in the UK and some of the discrimination and negative perceptions that persist particularly in the more scenic parts of the country where there is pressure on car parks and local beauty spots. What a difference to my experiences in France where motorhomes are actively encouraged and great facilities ensure that local towns and villages benefit from the economic contribution that travellers in motorhomes can make during their visits. Let me know your thoughts and any experiences you might have had, both good and bad.  Next week I will be back out on the road with some Scottish content and my own personal insights of my travels around Scotland. Sign up for the Passing Places Newsletter by using the form on the front page of my website. Kevin

Living The Dream How can you live the dream in a motorhome all year round in Scotland?  I touch on the subject for the first of many times in future episodes. I also include the second part of our USA visitors experience in Scotland, including Skye and Plockton.  So are you living the dream or planning to jump off the hamster wheel, escape the rat race and take off? Giving up the security of a career, a home and employment can sound daunting.  If that security however is gnawing away at you and you yearn for a less restrictive lifestyle, more freedom, adventure or perhaps just a simpler life in which new experience are always just around the next corner? Get in touch and share your thoughts on full time travel in a motorhome, RV or campervan.  I am just beginning to address the whole topic of the income side of the balance sheet.  Nothing in life is ever free and travelling can be expensive.  Perhaps if you are intending to travel on a budget you may well need to think of ways of developing an income at least during some months of the year.  You might even take off to mainland Europe. Many travelers spend some of the year out of season earning money to fund their travels during the better weather months of the year.  In any event work can be a good way to keep yourself active, meet new people and even if you don't need an income, you might even consider voluntary work as a way to share your skills and give something back. Get in touch with your ideas and comments.  I'd love to hear from you. Kevin

USA - Scottish Travels Featuring Part One of Joyce & Carlo from Boston on their recent Highland adventure as well as other listener conversations about some great locations to visit in Scotland over the winter months. Many listeners who got in touch favour the North West coast of Scotland as well as the North coast. Gairloch, Lochcarron & Gruinard Bay near Ullapool are all covered.  So whether you live in the UK, the USA or anywhere else in the world, if you have a travel story about Scotland or are considering visiting Scotland, I'd love to you here from you. in Passing Places this week I also pick up on a wonderful suggestion for a woodland gorge walk in the Cowal peninsula in Argyll.  I mention the importance of  over wintering your van to protect against frost damage and burst pipes in particular.  Part Two of Joyce and Carlo's Highland adventure is in next weeks podcast.  I have just re-listened and can't believe I called Skipness - Skipton.  Dreadful.  Apologies, will correct myself next week. Kevin

Winter in Scotland Ideas for short breaks in quieter parts of Scotland are on my agenda this week. Where would you go for a short break to escape the crowds? I cover places on my bucket list for the winter : Moffat, Pittenweem, Elgol, Portmahomack and Durness on the north coast. Get in touch with Passing Places and share your experiences and ideas with all our listeners.  You can leave a comment here on the website, leave a voicemail or join us on The Passing Places Podcast Group on Facebook. Kevin

USA Visitors to Scotland I'm in the village of  Killin in Stirlingshire.  In this weeks episode of Passing Places I catch up with Joyce and Carlo from Boston, USA, to say hello and to hear first hand how they have enjoyed their vacation in Scotland.  I also have an in-depth interview with Bonnie Hofkin from her home in California.  I also touch upon the feedback I have had about Passing Places and how I might improve the weekly podcast of my travels around Scotland in the coming weeks. If you are from the USA and you plan to visit Scotland in the future please get and touch and our podcast community of listeners will offer you whatever help we can to ensure you have the the very best vacation in Scotland.   You can get in touch on Facebook by typing into the search box at the the top of the Facebook screen - Passing Places Podcast Group.  Just join our group and share your passion for Scotland with all of us. Killin is a lovely little village to visit or to base yourself for a few days.  The falls of Dochart are wonderful.  They flow through the old bridge at the top end of the end of the village.  In summer it's a great spot for a picnic and in winter the awesome strength of the river as it thunders through Killin is a really impressive sight to experience. Subscribe to the podcast and get in touch.  Use the Speakpipe free voice-mail service here onsite and we can get your audio onto the podcast. Thanks Kevin

The Sounds of Scotland In Passing Places this week I review the progress of the podcast over the past seven months and seek listener feedback on how to take the podcast forward in the coming weeks and months over the winter here in Scotland.  My podcast to date has been largely in a monologue format with a few interviews of people on my travels and a fair sprinkling of the sounds of Scotland. I'm keen to record more audio out and about and I'm very interested in what you the listener would like to hear on Passing Places.  I often talk about where I am and what I'm up to.  I also stray at times into my version or recollection of Scottish history.  Of special interest to me however is to bring you more of the sounds of Scotland. I feel that might help you have the sense that you are there with me on location. So please get in touch and give me your opinions and your preferences, if you have any, as to what you would like to see and hear by way of content. I have I think improved the audio this week.  If you can hear the difference in the audio quality I would also appreciate you letting me know.  Why don't you try using the Speakpipe voicemail service which is free and available here on my web site.  You can practice your submission before finally pressing send. :) Thank you so much for listening to and supporting Passing Places.  I do hope you get in touch. Kevin

Autumn in Scotland In this weeks episode of the podcast I consider why visiting Scotland is a great idea in the autumn. There are very few tourists around, no midges and the autumn display of our woodlands can be a spectacular sight for photographers and all visitors alike.  I suggest some great woodlands that you might like to visit and I look forward to the onset of winter, the shorter days and longer nights and the arrival of snow at any time from now on. The jewel in the crown for autumn colours is Glen Affric fifteen miles west of Loch Ness.  Glen Affric is a national nature reserve and conservation work and replanting is ongoing to improve the remnants of the ancient caledonian pine forest. I also cover the new Shure SM58 microphone which I have purchased from donations to the podcast.   I have also improved my setup to allow me to take Skype calls and record them directly into the podcast episodes. Kevin

Talbot Motorhome Owners Club - Tarland Mini Meet. What a fantastic week-end on Deeside.  I'm on a campsite at Tarland in the the North East of Scotland on a Sunday evening and I have just enjoyed such a good time with owners of  Talbot motorhomes and similar vans. In this weeks episode I cover the week that was but focus on the mini-meet on Deeside.   If you are thinking about buying a van for the first time or you have a van consider joining the Talbot Owners Club as you will meet like  minded folk and get access to super support as well as making some great new friends. For more information visit the Talbot Express Owners Club and join their free forum.

Dumbarton Castle A week spent in and around Glasgow & Ayrshire with a visit down to Dumbarton Castle. Dumbarton Castle is an excellent place to stop off on your way towards Loch Lomond to enjoy the great views from the top of the castle and to reflect on the amazing history surrounding the ancient fortress.  From vikings, William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots Dumbarton Castle has played a key role in Scottish history. The castle sits on a prominent volcanic plug guarding the entrance to the River Clyde and the leven vally leading to Loch Lomond and the Highlands beyond. I also touch upon shipbuilding and whisky distillation in Dumbarton as well recalling the impact of the slave trade in generating significant wealth on the River Clyde and Scotland as a nation after The Act of Union in 1707. Kevin

Touring the Scottish Highlands Some advice tips and information around planning a trip in the Scottish Highlands.  In this weeks episode I discuss possible routes through the Highlands and including a visit to the Isle of Skye.  We travel from the central belt as far as Ullapool and return via the Trossachs. Its is possible to plan and book your trip around Scotland before you arrive but there advantages in being flexible too, not least the changeable weather.  I also mention a few iPhone apps that will provide you with weather, mapping and tourist information during your Scottish vacation. If you do travel as far as Ullapool  you may well find that you feel compelled  to continue up the spectacular north west coast.  It's hard not to. Kevin

Loch Ness and the scenery around Dores is just wonderful.  This week  I enjoyed a long weekend near the banks of Loch Ness in the highlands, with a group of like minded folk in their campervans and motorhomes.  It's the first time I have attended a meeting of motorhome users and I can't speak highly enough of the experience. If your interested in campervans and motorhomes or if you are a new owner attending a meet is a great way to meet people and pick their brains in terms of advice and experience.   It is also just a great social experience. The weekend was really well organised but also very informal so it was possible to participate at whatever level I fancied.  The podcast covers the weekend including an interview with the organisers and it wouldn't be complete without some reference to the Loch Ness monster.

I enjoyed another visit to The Mull of Kintyre this week amid some glorious late summer sunshine.  As I headed back I was acutely aware of the end of summer both in terms of less tourist traffic but also a real sense of Autumn being in the air.  In the coming weeks I hope to spend a lot more time in wild areas rather than on campsites. I'm off to a motorhome mini-meet today on Loch Ness.  It will be the first time I have attended such a gathering so I'll provide you with an update on my experiences in next weeks podcast.

Well I did head over to the East coast after all and what a great few days I had.  I  based myself  in Johnshaven, a small fishing village between Montrose and Stonehaven.  The weather was good for the five days and I managed to visit the beach at Lunan Bay, the open air swimming pool at Stonehaven and a very brief visit to Dunnattor Castle, one of the most photographed castles in Scotland. If you are visiting Scotland don’t discount this coastline.  There is so much to see and do.  From small villages, historic castles and some superb beaches the East coast offers a lot.  The East coast is also drier than the West coast of Scotland and is largely midge free. I have just arrived back on Loch Lomondside and the podcast comes from the east side of  Loch Lomond this evening.

Back from France Well I'm back from France and returning to my weekly podcast schedule about my ongoing travels around Scotland. France turned out to be a great trip and a country I would like to live in on a more full time basis at some point in the future.  However in the meantime let's get on with celebrating and enjoying the more remote and rugged parts of Scotland. In this weeks episode I reflect on my time in France and look forward to getting back out in the motorhome next week probably, given the weather, somewhere on the East coast of Scotland. It would be great to hear from listnerews to the podcast so why don't you get in touch with Passing Places either by voice-mail, Twitter or Facebook. It's good to be back online.

The podcast is recorded in Stirling this week with some reference to Birnam & Dunkeld in Perthshire where I stayed last week-end but also some outdoor recording of a local livestock sheep auction and reflections about my preparations for my up an coming trip to France.  I don't intend to produce my normally weekly podcast over the next five or six weeks but I will be podcasting during my trip on an ad-hoc basis. A big thank you to everybody who is listening to Passing Places.  I have now been podcasting for four months and I have traveled far and wide across Scotland and it's islands.  I'll return to the normal weekly show in mid August when I'll get back out in the Scottish countryside to enjoy some wild camping as well as the facilities on some of the many Scottish campsites. Have a great holiday if you are travelling this summer.

I enjoyed a wonderful sailing back from Tiree to Oban on Monday.  The views and weather were superb and entering the harbour at Oban gave excellent views of the town and McCaig's folly on the hill as well as the cathedral and other prominent buildings. I stayed the night at  a campsite a few miles south of  Oban.  In the morning I headed off from Oban and scouted a few possible overnight stops on my way back towards Stirling.  I ended up staying at an overnight stop near Dalmally.  In one of the car parks on the way south it was disappointing to see significant amounts of litter. It really is sad and appalling that people choose to leave litter behind in such beautiful locations.  Argyll & Bute Council do not provide litter bins generally in laybys, preferring to encourage people to take their litter home.  In Perth & Kinross I have seen the council provide wheelie bins and this system appears to be more successful in reducing litter. I'm off again somewhere in Scotland this week end but have yet to decide where I am going.

A fantastic week on the wonderful and remote island of Tiree

Catch up on my travels and a chat about the Inner Hebrides.

The remarkable story of the small island of Gigha, a short ferry trip from Tayinloan.

Podcasting from Muasdale about my recent travels.  Chatting about cycling and the West Highland Way.

My very first trip to Orkney, a magical group of islands off the north coast of Scotland.

Enjoying the beaches and malt whisky on the wonderful island of Islay.

An enjoyable week-end in the lovely coastal village of Portpatrick and the Mull of Galloway.

A few days in Arrochar and climbing Ben Arthur (The Cobbler).  Encountering a fox in the dead of night.

Flanders Moss nature reserve and Gillies Wood Cambusbarron.

A few days in Crail on the East Neuk of Fife.and a three way discussion all about buying a second hand motor-home.