This weeks early retirement blog comes from out in the wilds- we are adventuring in our VW Campervan on the west coast of Scotland, chasing the weather and enjoying all that this beautiful area has to offer. This week we look at slowing down the pace of life, becoming a bit more flexible in our plans and examine the importance of being grateful for what we have.
Working out how to keep the blog up-to-date and uploaded is a challenge when in the back country, but good training for our future adventures of early retirement.
Easter adventures. So after the most idilic night in the Yorkshire Dales to start our Easter break, we headed north to discover the wonder of Arran. As we did so, we began to realise that the weather Gods were not really with us as the long term forecast steadily deteriorated. This only really struck home at 0830 on Tuesday morning when we reported to the ferry terminal to be told that our ferry had been cancelled. That all ferries that day had been cancelled. That there was no other availability on any ferries until at least Thursday as it was the Easter holidays (as if we didn’t know that already!). This is the reality of island life- the absolute unpredictability of the weather and the inability to make travel plans at this time of year. Although we were disappointed for ourselves, we really felt for the other people in the queue for the ferry. There were trades people who needed to get onto the island to work, delivery drivers, people wanting to get home on the island for Easter and numerous motorhomers with young families who had accommodation booked for the week- in reality we were lucky. We had only one campsite booked, our home on our back, two weeks of freedom still to enjoy and the potential to go anywhere we wanted.
We quickly reevaluated our plans and put our itinerary into reverse, hoping still to get to Arran at the end of the holiday. We swapped our ferry booking and campsite reservation for a week later and will keep our fingers crossed that things improve.
We headed further north to Glen Coe via Loch Lomond. We are such frugal vanlifers that we resented paying for a campsite for the night, but we desperately needed showers, electricity for the laptops and a water top up for the van after 3 nights of wildcamping. Our economically sound solution was to head to the Kings House Hotel, a historic safe haven for travellers, who have the most amazing hot showers for £1, a water top up point for the van and a welcoming bar with craft beers, an open fire and plug sockets! For the princely sum of £12, we had a shower, a beer and a great wildcamping spot on the moors in the absolute wilderness. An additional, and somewhat unexpected bonus was to see a wild stag wandering across the carpark- closely pursued by Jackie wanting to give him a cuddle and seeing if he would fit in the van!
Slow down, slow down, slow down! I have found it quite hard this week to slow down the pace of life. In work, I always have the next thing to do, whereas when we are on our adventures, the aim is to have no idea about what the next thing to do is. I am currently sat on a tiny slipway waiting for the next available tiny roll-on ferry to take us to Arran. We have glimpsed a weather window and as the ferries are running, we made the impulse decision to go for it, after our ferry (and all ferries) were cancelled earlier in the week. This is an un-bookable ferry, so everyone is in the same boat waiting on the slipway. If we are lucky, we will fit on the 1235 ferry, if not it will be the 1350 one…we just don’t know. To be really honest, the control freak in me is losing the plot at such unknowns…this is why I need to retire, and retire soon!
Life in different worlds. What we accept as normal is someone else’s abnormal. Visiting the unique and wonderful motor free island community of Easdale caused us to think about how we view what normal life is. Normal is different for everyone.
The Easdale ferry system was an absolute revelation to us and a throw back to times gone by. To that community it was the absolute norm. Arrive at the ferry hut, press the bell that signalled the ferry using a flashing light indicator across the water to the island, the ferry men came in their small boat and took you across to the island. People with their weekly shopping, kids coming home from the local school on the mainland and the local postman were our fellow passengers.
The island community on a wild rocky outcrop consisted of a small collection of modest houses with a beautiful community hall and pub at the centre of the island. The only mode of transport were wheel barrows to help with heavy loads. It made us think-why do we get stressed over the simplest things that others do not even perceive as a stress? Our lives are so complex, and yet could be so simple if we cared to take it back to the things that are really important- a roof over our head, food in our bellies and good people around us. Not that we are thinking about moving to such an Island community- it would be far too restrictive for our travel plans, but it has made us think about how different life could really be.
Gratitude for what we have. We know that we are really lucky for what we have. In it’s simplest terms, a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and good people around us, but often we forget these simplest of things. The opportunity to travel as we are is a sheer luxury for many people, yet we find ourselves taking it for granted. Our insignificant worries and woes would actually be quite attractive to people in much worst circumstances. Having a ferry cancelled and our travel arrangements disrupted is not a real life problem- it is an irritant at best that we should be able to brush off. I guess we just need to get better at doing just that and being truly grateful for what we have.
So that’s it, another week closer to our ultimate dream of early retirement. We plan to write up our full road-trip adventure in a future blog if you are interested in the places to see and things to do.
Have a fantastic week,
Richard & Jackie.
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