Stonehaven Queen Elizabeth Park CAMC

Saturday:
A modestly early start at 6am and we were off, heading North this year not South! Weather was good, despite being awful for the past few days. We ate our way through the A1, stopping at the border for a brief break and then headed for Kinross services, where we stopped for a bacon buttie and coffee. Following this, we arrived in Stonehaven and found our way to the site. The site was packed, indeed the ‘site full’ sign was up and on display. Despite this, we found a pitch which suited us and began the set-up routine. We were soon relaxing for the evening and enjoying our first UK big summer holiday in the caravan!

Sunday:
Father’s Day – and I wasn’t driving in France all day! I could actually relax and enjoy the day. Weather still not bad. We made a short journey the the local Coop to stock up on a few things, but apart from this, we just enjoyed the day on site.

Monday:
Stayed on site all day due to rain showers.

Tuesday:
Windy but dry and bright, so following breakfast we headed off to Dunnottar Castle. This is a very picturesque place to visit, stunning view of the coastline and wildlife. The castle itself is well presented and informative, you really got a good sense of the life of the people that would have worked and lived here, very spiritual in a way. The car park was full when we got there, but there are parking opportunites by the side of the road. It’s £7 for an adult to access, which is reasonable. Be warned though, there are a lot of steps! Following this, we made a short stop at the Coop again and then returned back to base.

Wednesday:
With good weather again, we took a walk to ‘The Chapel of St Mary and St Nathalan’ located just up the coast in Cowie. The path to the chapel site is located just by the golf course and descends down to the site. Like most things in the area, you get stunning views and some history about the site by way of an information board. Following a tour around the site we headed back to the site. Feeling a little hungry however, we stopped at the infamous ‘Bay Fish & Chips’ on the way back and enjoyed some chips sat on the beach steps, simply stunning, a moment to cherish. Returned back to caravan for the rest of the day.

Thursday:
A quick trip to the dentist was in order, as Cath was suffering some toothache. This was an 8.30am appointment, so didn’t impact too much on our day. Following this, it was another fine day, so the task today was to visit the War Memorial. This is located between the harbour and the Castle, so a climb up the hill was in order! We parked in the harbour to ease the length of the walk and then commenced upward. It isn’t far to be honest and again the views are breathtaking! Following this and descending back down to the harbour, we visited the ‘Tolbooth Museum’ there, which is housed in a late 16th century stone building. It’s free to enter and offers a som great information and artifacts about the area in general. Back to base after this for the rest of the day.

Friday:
The last day, so a stay on site day. Weather very good again!