On the way to picking the van up from storage, the tailback on the opposite carriageway of the M25 due to an earlier vehicle fire was lengthy, we would be joining that queue later to go north, thankfully it had mostly dissipated by the time we joined, suggesting our anticipated journey timing would be out before we left Surrey.
Further lumpy traffic was experienced on the M42, options of the M6 around Birmingham led us to take the M6 Toll road to make up some time. The cost of driving on the smooth empty piece of tarmac came at a hefty £16.60 (roughly £1 per mile, and for an extra 60p we could have driven a HGV instead!!).
A few hours later and a little more than planned...... we were south of Tebay and off the M6 in search of our campsite.
Five minutes later down a winding lane, we arrived in the Cumbrian countryside at the Kendal CAMC site, set in a lush green glade alongside the River Kent in a National Trust woodland.
The site was peaceful despite an explosive past, previously the location of the Sedgwick Gunpowder Mill, boasting the earliest recorded gunpowder mill in Cumbria from 1764 to 1852, before moving to new premises.
Our stay was brief, an overnighter before heading off the following morning to Cashel campsite on the eastern bank of Loch Lomond.
The drive north was sunshine and showers, the only traffic negotiated was typically around the Glasgow section of the M8 as we headed towards the Erskine Bridge taking us over the River Clyde to the west of the city.
Once north of the river the A82 leads you towards the western highlands and islands, taking a right turn at Balloch we headed inland before passing through the pretty villages of Drymen and Balmaha, before heading up the lochside to Cashel.
Our pitch at Cashel Campite came with a lovely waterfront view, the site was quite empty, as it started to fill up with later arrivals there were moments of entertainment from the weary West Highland Way walkers having put in 20 miles or so for the day putting up their single and double tents in strong gusting winds sweeping across the loch, the recurring thought was good on them.. the weather was not on their side.
Clothing suited to the weather, we ventured out for a walk along the pebbled beach, thankfully the sun broke through as we negotiated our way down towards Cashel Point, a location that once was home to a historical fort, yet there was little sign of any of it left, just a grassy knoll.
Back at the pitch, we were treated by some feathered neighbours, a family of mallard ducks, mum was busy looking after her brood of 6 chicks, dad looked like he was largely sleeping! The chicks played on the edge of the loch around until darkness set in.
Talking of darkness, it has not gone unnoticed that as we approach the longest day, the light evening did not seem to disappear until well after 10.30pm.
The following day we ventured to Glasgow for a customary visit to Tiso (Jo was thinking of a new outdoor jacket) but first we were off to what the locals call "God's Acre" aka Neilston, a village just next to my home town of Barrhead, and on the top of the brae, on the outskirts of Glasgow, for a lovely catch up with my aunt.
Neilston has an interesting heritage, the foundations of a textile industry in Neilston were laid by the monks of nearby Paisley Abbey who mastered the local woollen trade in the Middle Ages, and Neilston became a centre for cotton and calico bleaching and printing in the 18th century. Paisley is of course famous for its "Paisley Pattern".
My aunt's house, a stunning old mill workers cottage and converted into a large modern family home, her building dating back to the late 1800's is robust, they don't built them like they did back then!
Later back at the campsite on the bank of Loch Lomond, we had another night of breezy weather.
The following day we off but were not venturing too far, our next overnight location was still within the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.
The journey was just a mere 15 miles away to the top of the Duke's Pass, where we found an unassuming entrance into Three Loch Drive, on arrival we were met by a Ranger checking if we had a permit to stay overnight, which we did.
Our permit at bargain of £4.70, allowed us to park up in a designated campervan location.
For our chosen spot we drove 2 miles into the 7 mile one way gravel loop covering the three lochs (Loch Achray, Loch Drunkie and Lochan Reòidhte), our pitch was up a small one way track amongst tall pine and fire trees we looked down onto a picturesque Loch Drunkie.
Not long after our arrival around 16.00 we were joined by 2 other vehicles, a camper van and a car with a tent box on its roof.
Our spot was a little higher up to hill so were thankfully undisturbed and a little more isolated, the pitch was perfect, quiet and scenic and a lovely start to our off grid campervan travels.
Despite the many road signs, and despite our continual lookout for the red squirrel, it has remained elusive - the search continues.....
We woke to a bright sunny morning, a coffee in peace with birdsong... our neighbours had quietly departed.... in days this was a 10 out of 10.
Next stop Benderloch... north of Oban.
I know the feelings of the weary West Highland Way walkers as we did that a few years ago.