Glen Finglas - Day 1

We decided to drive up to Glen Finglas late on Monday to stay overnight so we could get an early start for our walk.

We parked in the Woodland Trust car park.

We made some chilli for tea, and had an early night. It rained overnight.

Southern Uplands - Day 2

There were lots of toadstools outside the van in the morning.

We moved on to Moffat and parked in the car park opposite station park. We were doing a walk up the Annandale Way round the Devil's Beef Tub and back.

We started by walking beside the river Annan, then up a country lane and across fields. Saw a bunch of sheep sheltering under trees.

Further up we crossed the road and went up to the north side of the Devil's Beef Tub and to the top of Annandale Hill where we had our lunch.

There was a crashed van at the bottom. Apparently the driver survived!

We then started walking along the ridge at the top of the walk, with more good view.

Then came the walk back down towards Moffat. Once we had descended through the new forestry that had been planted, most of the route was on a lane, with nice views back up the valley.

We passed an interesting tree covered in fungus.

By just after 4pm we had arrived back at the campervan. We had coffee and a sandwich before leaving to go home to Edinburgh.

Southern Uplands - Day 1

We left the house just before 9.30am, to drive south to St Mary's Loch. We parked just across the road from the cafe.

We set off on our circular walk round the loch, anticlockwise so up the east side first. It was mostly flat, some through trees (March Wood) and some on the lochside.

At the end of the loch is an optional 2km extension to Dryhope Tower, a ruined tower which used to belong to the Scott family, ancestors of Sir Walter Scott.

There is a modern metal staircase inside it, so we climbed to the top where there are good views of the loch. We had our lunch there.

We then descended the staircase and carried on our walk down the west side of the loch.

The next part of the path is quite new, until recently there hasn't been a path all the way around the loch. First we went back down to the lochside.

Then the path goes back nearer the road, and mostly follows it. We took another detour up to St Mary's Kirkyard, which doesn't have a church any more but is a nice graveyard.

We then carried on down the loch to the end, where there is a monument to the writer and shepherd James Hogg, who lived near here.

There was no wind and the reflections in the loch were nice.

Rather than spend the night here next to a busy road, we drove up a minor road to Megget reservior, which provides most of Edinburgh's water supply.

We parked in a picnic spot overlooking the water, which we had to ourselves all night.

Athens and Peloponnese - Day 11

We packed up and left the apartment in Nafplio just before 10am. We drove north for 25 minutes to ancient Mycenae, paid our 24 euros entry fee and went in. It was a very impressive site and very old, mostly about 1200 BC.

There are beehive tombs, houses, circular graves, houses etc.

We went down a pitch dark staircase to the old cistern.

We also visited the museum containing artefacts (some replicas) recovered from the site.

After leaving we drove the short distance to the Treasury, which was actually a massive domed tomb, which in its time had been the largest domed building in the world for 1000 years.

We then drove back towards Athens, and stopped for lunch at the Corinth canal, where we'd been exactly a week earlier

We went further east beyond Athens and stopped at the end of the peninsula at Vouliagmeni. It was very hot, we walked down onto the rocks by the sea and then up a hill.

It was obviously some kind of cat sanctuary as there were lots of boxes and feeding bowls.

Next we drove to Lagonisi and went for a walk along the beach, having a drink in a tavern on the sand.

Then we went for our final dinner at Souvlistas, double burgers for a total of 20 euros.

On the way to the airport we filled with petrol, then handed the car back to Thrifty.

The flight home was originally being reported as 45 minutes late, but they pulled it in a bit and we ended up arriving at Edinburgh airport only 10 minutes late at 1.05 am.

We got a taxi home, had a wee dram then went to bed.

Athens and Peloponnese - Day 10

We left quite early and headed east, heading for Epidaurus to visit the ancient site and theatre. We got there about 9.30 and paid our 24 euros to get in. First we went into the museum.

Then we looked round all the ruins, including baths, a hotel, stadium, temples etc.

We passed the workshops where skilful masons were working on marble restorations.

Then we went to the theatre itself, which was spectacular.

After this we drove further west to a peninsula and past the village of Vathi, which had an idyllic harbour.

Beyond this we climbed up into the mountains to a car park. We stopped and walked up the side of a volcano to its crater, with great views down to the coast and other islands.

This was the vent of the volcano.

Then we drove south to Galatas and parked at the waterside. We caught a water taxi across to the island of Poros for only one euro.

We walked round to the beach where we had a swim and a sunbathe, then a walk up the hill to a church at the top.

 

After catching the water taxi back we drove home to Nafplio, buying some supplies at the supermarket.

We went out for dinner in the old town at Kastro-Karima. We had dips (including a strange mashed potato one) stuffed vine leaves, pork in blue cheese and beer sauce and lamb souvlaki. It came to 44 euros.