By Michelle McAnally
Destination Skye: Cuillin, calm and collected in a VW campervan hire
Day One
It’s a beautiful sunrise over Loch Tummel, and we have awoken to a cacophony of ducks and geese- and a gorgeous rainbow to start our holiday!
Our ultimate destination is the magical Isle of Skye. I have never been before, and my husband last went when he was a wee boy, so it was time to tick this one off the bucket list. We have a loose plan of sights we want to see, but by discovering Scotland by campervan hire, we can be flexible and just go wherever the road takes us.
VW Campervan Hire from Roseisle
This holiday is off to a brilliant start, thanks to Roseisle Luxury Campervans in Edinburgh who offer 5* campervan hire! Just a few hours after picking up our Westfalia Club Joker, we were watching the sun set over one of the most celebrated views in all of Scotland.
The team at Roseisle was so friendly and welcoming, and the process was quick and easy. Louise and Heather helped us with the paperwork, and then Louise gave us the grand tour of this beautiful Westfalia Club Joker with all the bells and whistles- everything we will need to explore Scotland in style and comfort!
This Club Joker hire is kitted out with a fully functional kitchen, toilet, sitting area, air con/heat and pop-up sleeping berth. After Louise showed us the ropes, it all seems pretty easy to operate and the controls are slick and user friendly. Topped up with petrol, water and gas to last several days, away we go!
We plan to wild camp in Skye, but Louise suggested that for our first night in the campervan hire, we might want to stay at a touring park, just to get the hang of it.
We caught the A9, stopped in Perth for supplies, and then headed for Strathtummel near Pitlochry. It’s a two-hour drive from Roseisle, just in time to stop in Pitlochry for dinner and a stroll through this charming wee town.
This Westfalia Club Joker drives like a dream- it’s automatic and is as smooth as a car. Believe me, you want to pack light, but this small campervan hire is flexible enough get anywhere a car can, and with its lovely brown colour, it will blend in subtly to any environment, making wild camping much easier (we hope!) and with very low impact to the environment.
After dinner, we headed for our spot in Tay Forest Park, which has electric hook-ups and a phone signal. Not really roughing it yet, I know, but I’m not complaining. Our pitch is right on the shore of Loch Tummel, overlooking Schiehallion, just a bit down from Queen’s View. There are forest walks nearby, and the visitor centre is just down from the campsite.
This is Big Tree Country, simply gorgeous, and you can see how it earned its name. We walked up to the view (the visitor centre was closed so we had the whole place to ourselves!) and watched one of the most spectacular sunsets we have ever seen from the favourite spot of Queen Isabella and Queen Victoria- all to the soundtrack of singing ducks, geese and frogs. Simply magic, and what a romantic start to our holiday!
It was early night for us; we have a big day today in our campervan hire, with the Cairngorms, the Kyle of Lochalsh and Eilean Donan Castle on our route. We might not be able to get a reliable phone or Wi-Fi signal over the next few days, but, you know what? That’s the whole point, and we can feel those workaday blues melting away already! See you on Skye!
Skye Trip in a VW Campervan Hire - Part 1
