It has been a few weeks since we last sent out our catchup so we wanted to get you up to speed with what we have been up to and what our plans are for the future.
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It has been a wild January so far, with everything from sunshine to storms, a snowstorm to the hottest January on record (19.8oC in Kinlochewe in case you missed it!). Nevertheless we have been out making the most of all of this weather in our van, with a snowy adventure to the Cairngorm Mountains to our first ever trip to the furthest north we have ever been in Ellie.
All to come in this catchup so read on to find out!
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Snow Adventure in the Cairgorms
Our first trip of the year was an adventure to one of our favourite places in the UK, the Cairngorm National Park. After checking the weather, we saw that there was snow forecast to this beautiful region of Scotland, and so we made a snap decision to shoot north and embrace the winter activities of hiking and making snow angels.
Little did we know that three days later our van would be completely frozen, with blocked sinks and covered solar panels, leaving us in a pretty dire situation. Fortunately, we were still able to get out and about and squeezed in a hike to the best viewpoint of Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms at the top of the Meall a’ Bhuachaille.
Soon enough the snow cleared out and things started to defrost, which meant for us it was time to head onto our next adventure of January – a bucket list location that we have dreamt of visiting for years.
A Ferry to the Edge of the World
Leaving from Aberdeen, we caught a 14 hour ferry to the furthest north point we have ever visited, with or without Ellie – the remote and wild islands of Shetland.
It was a rocky crossing (to say the least), but arriving into the stunning landscape of Lerwick and the surrounding hills, it was definitely worth the journey. So far on this trip we have spotted seals, dolphins, and more shetland ponies than we could count, and something tells me this is just the beginning!
What is next for us?
This week we are going to be taking part in the MAIN reason why we travelled 500 miles to Shetland – the Up Helly Aa festival.
This is the Viking Fire Festival that Shetland is so famous for, consisting of 24hrs of celebrations involving everything from a torchlight procession, to the burning of a replica Viking galley. We are so excited to see everything that is involved in it and we have been frequently told that it is the craziest night of the year here in Shetland!
If you want to see what this festival involves then we will be posting daily on our Instagram and Facebook stories and will be publishing a vlog on the whole trip in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for that content.
Until next time guys take care and safe travels!
Love G & C xx
