By: Blonde Two
I must be the only outdoor lover in the UK (possibly the world) who can book a holiday in the Cairngorms by accident!
You don’t believe me do you; well here is the story:
I was after somewhere completely out of the way for Mr Blonde Two and I to unwind and stare at some wilderness. I did an internet search for something like ‘wilderness cottages’, ‘I hate people’ or ‘please just green things’ and came up with a cottage in Scotland, at the end of a lane, along a track, across a ford, along the track some more, and just underneath a massive hill. I booked it straight away (for one week, we will be back to nature in the tent for week two) and then didn’t think about it for a while.
It was only when I came to order OS maps of the area (an order of at least three is compulsory for a Blonde holiday), that I realised that we were going to be right on the edge of the Cairngorm National Park; a kind of Cairngorm-less Blonde thing to do, you might say! You know that place, that centre of all things walking, cycling, whiskying and rivering; that place that is surely made to keep Mr and Mrs Blonde Two happy? Well I managed to book a holiday there by accident! Talk about serendipity!Not only that, but when I received my three-map order, I realised that I had three lovely maps of trees, contour lines and rivers; but hadn’t actually ordered the one that showed the cottage. Maybe it is so wildernessy that it isn’t even allowed a map.
All very Blonde, I am sure that you will agree!
I hope we are going to de allowed to know the location. Anywhere in that part of the world is special. For wilderness in the UK Scotland is the only option. I suspect other may have alternative ideas?
I had only one holiday in the Cairngorms, backpacking tent, not much experience, Rothiemurchus Estate, May, amazingly beautiful – it snowed, and my skimpy little backpacking sleeping bag and Tammy the dog kept me warm at night – along with every stitch of clothing I had with me and my waterproofs as well. But oh, so very worth it! You’ll love it.