"fate will twist the both of us..."

I love this place so much I just can't get away from it now! And how pretty does it look in the summer sun?!! :)

When I was thinking about some belated birthday banter with my friends, there was only one place I wanted to go....Ardverikie Estate, which has quickly become a very special place for me. But this time it wasn't enough to just walk into the house along the loch lined driveway, and be the only one on the beach. So what does a girl do when she's in the most beautiful part of the world with 3 guys.....quad biking of course!! haha!

The adrenaline junkie/tomboy in me decided that the best way to see more of this beautiful place was to go off-road! With the sun shining and blue skies all around, we started at 'Golly's Cottage' before being taken on a 2hr ramble through forests and open meadows, driving through glistening clear rivers and as we climbed higher, surrounded by birds of prey and deer, the vast extent of the estate was revealed in all its glory! The views were as if you'd plucked them out of a fairytale!

I had never been on a quad bike before and up until the final 20 minutes I was managing fine, until I hit a fallen tree trunk at a funny angle, lost control, swerved to avoid an upright tree trunk and ended up doing a slow mo fall off! :( The bike was probably worse off than I was! But as I tried to rebuild my confidence on the bike before we finished, I could tell that the boys were really enjoying it and I realised that I'd chosen the best people to take up here with me!

Quick food stop and I was determined to walk back to the 'Big House' so we headed first for the beach and walked along the stony shoreline before realising we'd get there quicker if we used the driveway! Cue a scramble up an embankment which was easy for the boys but muggins here needed a bit of help! Forests really aren't purpose built places for females - even one that has completed her Duke of Edinburgh Award! But 40mins later and the house stood in front of us, in all its hidden, highland, summery glory! It was great to be back! :)

Back in Dundee, fed and watered, the boys surprised me with a birthday cake! I had convinced myself that 3 guys would never think of one, but they proved me so wrong! Maybe a few not so subtle hints from me helped! And they sang too - almost in tune! :) A great end to a perfect day!

I am so glad that I got to share this place with the guys! Yes it is a bit of a drive away, but it's totally worth it, and when the needle hit 100 on more than one occasion during the day, it just revealed more of the adrenaline junkie in me! Dangerous?! Maybe...but surprisingly I've never felt safer!

Oh, and you there....thanks for Tweety Pie! But where's my card??!! :) xx

# To Be With You - Mr Big #