NORTH – Our Road-Trip to Scotland
The promise has been around for a long time: when you finish school, we’ll go on a big trip together. We – that’s my son Malte (who has finished school) and Ralph (that’s me). And our dog Jesse. And our red 1993 Volvo 240 “Family Edition” named Ruby. And we had a destination: to the British Isles, all the way to the north.
It wasn’t easy for us to decide on a destination, after all it was supposed to be the “unforgettable big father-son trip”. We thought back and forth for a long time about where we wanted to go. We had enough time, I had saved up my annual vacation and Malte had finished school and had a bit of time until his studies started. Originally we wanted to go far east, but unfortunately the global political situation didn’t develop very positively. In the end it was the north, or more precisely – the northwest.
Start: July 24, 2023
End: August 18, 2023
Distance covered: approx. 5,500 kms
Stops: Stuttgart — Dunkerque — Calais — Folkestone — Lytham St Annes — Wanlockhead — Glasgow — Laggan — Dunvegan — Uig — Tarbert — Stornoway — Eoropie — Tolsta — Niseabost — Rodel — Hushinish — Tarbert — Uig — Dingwall — Talmine — Durness — Kinlochbervie — Talmine — Arisaig — Laggan — Durham — York — Canterbury — Folkestone — Calais — Gent — Stuttgart.
Prelude
The start-up procedure for our big road trip began with a shock. Malte — who had just finished school and was driving to Italy in our car with the whole gang — called from the road: “Dad, is it bad that the oil pressure light is on?”
Well, usually: Yes!!!
I panicked for a moment, but then I thought: “If he’s been driving like that for hours, the engine would have broken down long ago, maybe it’s a blind alarm.” Okay, the risk was there. But the oil level was still okay. So he should drive on home.
When he arrived, we got quick and straightforward support from our preferred Volvo workshop in Stuttgart, and sure enough, it was only the oil pressure sensor that was broken and could be replaced quickly with the help of a special tool. And now Ruby was no longer leaking oil!
Part one: From Stuttgart to Scotland
First stage: Stuttgart — Dunkerque
After Ruby’s problems with the oil pressure sensor were solved, we were finally able to take off.
So all of our belongings fit into our old Ikea boxes, which had already proved their worth on our first Volvo camping vacations. By the way — we never used the mocha machine because instant coffee is simply more convenient. It is still with us in its original packaging, like somany other things that we thought we absolutely had to take with us. But the camping rule also applies to the Volvo – if you have a car and space, you pack too much.
We put the mattress in the van, put the roof tent on the roof and the two-person camping van is ready to take us to the northernmost tip of Britain.
Our first stage took us from Stuttgart to Dunkerque. And everything went perfectly. After 12 hours of driving, we arrived at the famous beach just before sunset. We spent the night in a small apartment right in Dunkerque so that we could be at the train very early the next morning.
Second stage: Crossing the Channel
After a short night in Dunkerque, we crossed the English Channel by tunnel. We were early, which is absolutely recommendable. No traffic jams, no queues and an hour earlier than expected. And all that in the best travelling weather. Some sightseeing in Folkestone. And then heading north.
Third stage: Folkestone — Lytham St Annes
It was planned as a short stopover halfway to Scotland and we had a very wet arrival. But then the weather was quite nice after all. Malte, Jesse and I stayed at the cozy Coach House in St Annes and had a great dog beach right outside the flat. We also went to Blackpool, but left quickly…
Fourth stage: Lytham St Annes — Scotland
Hooray, Jesse, Malte and I have finally arrived in Scotland! So off the motorway and into the green hills. We drove into the Dumfries and had an impressive first stop at the lead mining museum in Wanlockhead, Scotland’s highest village.
Browse through the pages to see what happened next!
