Easter Holiday - Journey Up

Predictably when preparing for a 300 mile drive, you don't get a good night's sleep.... Boys were intermittently up from 4.

Still, no chance of sleeping in, I suppose! Actually the departure went smoothly; none of the faff and flap of before. To town and collect the rest of the gang, and we left slightly behind schedule, but not much.

We drove north in good humour; peppered with occasional bouts of "[..insert child's name here..] , stop that!" And then Alex fell asleep and we got across the Kessock Bridge without a stop.

We dived into the dolphin watching car park shortly after midday (never previously been in) and ate a couple of sandwiches and then ploughed on to Alness for fuel and cornflakes.

Suitably replenished we ate up a few more miles, tried Loch Fleet for seals but the tide was high so no joy and steadily wound further and further up, played the oil rig game (I won, obv) and up over Berriedale, on, on, on.

By this time, we're ahead of the game, so opted for a detour via the Grey Cairns of Campster; I never tire of going there. Alex was asleep and G and Tom wanted to stay put, so she and I went to the single one, kissed passionately and then emerged as normally as we could....

Alex woke, she went to look at the big one, Alex pottered about and then we drove sedately into Wick for fish and chips. We also hit Boots and a post office.

Suitably restored by nourishment, we hit the road for the last 20 miles to John o Groats; the photo shoot was hilarious! Could not have been more wet, windy, wild. The photo truly captures the moment all 'families' have of abject misery whilst doing something really lame on holiday....

We get the ferry, it's windy so not sure how it'll go. It starts fine, but about 25 mins in, she realises she needs to be up on deck she'll heave.

But we arrive, pockets of sunshine mark our arrival in the Hope.

4 minutes drive, we're in. Bed making, fire lighting, unpacking, tea making.

Slightly later than billed, they're all in bed, and we get half an hour downstairs with wine and a peat fire.....