<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" ><generator uri="https://jekyllrb.com/" version="3.10.0">Jekyll</generator><link href="/travel/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" /><link href="/travel/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" /><updated>2026-02-19T21:40:57+00:00</updated><id>/travel/feed.xml</id><title type="html">Travel</title><subtitle>Travel Blog</subtitle><entry><title type="html">Welcome to Jekyll!</title><link href="/travel/jekyll/update/2026/02/12/welcome-to-jekyll-copy.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Welcome to Jekyll!" /><published>2026-02-12T18:50:35+00:00</published><updated>2026-02-12T18:50:35+00:00</updated><id>/travel/jekyll/update/2026/02/12/welcome-to-jekyll%20copy</id><content type="html" xml:base="/travel/jekyll/update/2026/02/12/welcome-to-jekyll-copy.html"><![CDATA[<p>You’ll find this post in your <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">_posts</code> directory. Go ahead and edit it and re-build the site to see your changes. You can rebuild the site in many different ways, but the most common way is to run <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">jekyll serve</code>, which launches a web server and auto-regenerates your site when a file is updated.</p>

<p>Jekyll requires blog post files to be named according to the following format:</p>

<p><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">YEAR-MONTH-DAY-title.MARKUP</code></p>

<p>Where <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">YEAR</code> is a four-digit number, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">MONTH</code> and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">DAY</code> are both two-digit numbers, and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">MARKUP</code> is the file extension representing the format used in the file. After that, include the necessary front matter. Take a look at the source for this post to get an idea about how it works.</p>

<p>Jekyll also offers powerful support for code snippets:</p>

<figure class="highlight"><pre><code class="language-ruby" data-lang="ruby"><span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">print_hi</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="nb">name</span><span class="p">)</span>
  <span class="nb">puts</span> <span class="s2">"Hi, </span><span class="si">#{</span><span class="nb">name</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s2">"</span>
<span class="k">end</span>
<span class="n">print_hi</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s1">'Tom'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="c1">#=&gt; prints 'Hi, Tom' to STDOUT.</span></code></pre></figure>

<p>Check out the <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/docs/home">Jekyll docs</a> for more info on how to get the most out of Jekyll. File all bugs/feature requests at <a href="https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll">Jekyll’s GitHub repo</a>. If you have questions, you can ask them on <a href="https://talk.jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll Talk</a>.</p>]]></content><author><name></name></author><category term="jekyll" /><category term="update" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[You’ll find this post in your _posts directory. Go ahead and edit it and re-build the site to see your changes. You can rebuild the site in many different ways, but the most common way is to run jekyll serve, which launches a web server and auto-regenerates your site when a file is updated.]]></summary></entry><entry><title type="html">NC 500 - North Coast 500</title><link href="/travel/uk/scotland/2025/07/14/nc-500.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="NC 500 - North Coast 500" /><published>2025-07-14T11:50:35+00:00</published><updated>2025-07-14T11:50:35+00:00</updated><id>/travel/uk/scotland/2025/07/14/nc-500</id><content type="html" xml:base="/travel/uk/scotland/2025/07/14/nc-500.html"><![CDATA[<p>Notes for Life in UK test :smile:</p>

<p><strong>Table of contents</strong></p>

<ul id="markdown-toc">
  <li><a href="#day-1---sat---jul-5" id="markdown-toc-day-1---sat---jul-5">Day 1 - SAT - JUL 5</a></li>
  <li><a href="#day-2---sun---jul-6" id="markdown-toc-day-2---sun---jul-6">Day 2 - SUN - JUL 6</a></li>
  <li><a href="#day-3---mon---jul-7" id="markdown-toc-day-3---mon---jul-7">Day 3 - MON - JUL 7</a></li>
  <li><a href="#day-4---tue---jul-8" id="markdown-toc-day-4---tue---jul-8">Day 4 - TUE - JUL 8</a></li>
  <li><a href="#day-5---wed---jul-9" id="markdown-toc-day-5---wed---jul-9">Day 5 - WED - JUL 9</a></li>
  <li><a href="#day-6---thu---jul-10" id="markdown-toc-day-6---thu---jul-10">Day 6 - THU - JUL 10</a></li>
  <li><a href="#day-7---fri---jul-11" id="markdown-toc-day-7---fri---jul-11">Day 7 - FRI - JUL 11</a></li>
</ul>

<hr />

<p>Fuel/petrol: Handy to fill up in Thurso, Ullapool, Inverness—prices vary</p>

<h2 id="day-1---sat---jul-5">Day 1 - SAT - JUL 5</h2>

<ul>
  <li>Glasgow</li>
  <li>Fort Augustus</li>
  <li>Loch Ness - Ness shores
    <ul>
      <li>LUNCH</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Urquhart Castle</li>
  <li>Culloden - famous battlefield of Culloden, where the historic final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Uprising took place</li>
  <li>Clava Cairns - 4k year old stone circles, an important place for ritual and burial activities in the Bronze Age</li>
  <li>Inverness - Fort George view or chill in Inverness
    <ul>
      <li>River House Café</li>
      <li>take a sunset walk along the River Ness.</li>
      <li>Perk in Inverness: top‑notch coffee + doughnuts + vegan options</li>
      <li><strong>Stay</strong>: Inverness hotel—consider centrally located to explore or</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h2 id="day-2---sun---jul-6">Day 2 - SUN - JUL 6</h2>

<ul>
  <li>Inverness</li>
  <li>Culloden Battlefield near inverness</li>
  <li>Black Isle - Grab craft beers at Black Isle Brewery</li>
  <li>Chanonry Point - dolphin spotting</li>
  <li>Cromarty - dolphin spotting, explore and coffee</li>
  <li>Light distillery tour at Glenmorangie.</li>
  <li>Dingwall</li>
  <li>Tain
    <ul>
      <li>Pipers Coffee House—great toasties and cakes</li>
      <li>LUNCH</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Glenmorangie Distillery</li>
  <li>Dornoch
    <ul>
      <li>explore cathedral &amp; beach</li>
      <li>sunset on the estuary</li>
      <li>Dinner at Dornoch Castle Hotel</li>
      <li>Stay: Dornoch Castle hotel or boutique stay in the town centre.</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h2 id="day-3---mon---jul-7">Day 3 - MON - JUL 7</h2>

<ul>
  <li>Dornoch</li>
  <li>Dunrobin Castle</li>
  <li>Helmsdale (east coast)</li>
  <li>Whaligoe Steps</li>
  <li>Wick
    <ul>
      <li>Food - Puldagon Farm Shop for rustic farm‑to‑plate meals</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>John O’Groats - signpost photos, explore</li>
  <li>Dunnet Head - getting up top at Dunnet Head for sunset
    <ul>
      <li>for puffins, WWII bunkers &amp; sunset</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Thurso
    <ul>
      <li>Cafe Tempest—surf‑vibe café good for lunch</li>
      <li>fish &amp; chips at Halladale Inn</li>
      <li>Stay: Charming B&amp;B or small hotel in Thurso</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h2 id="day-4---tue---jul-8">Day 4 - TUE - JUL 8</h2>

<ul>
  <li>Thurso - Thurso/Bettyhill area for early wildlife start next day</li>
  <li>Tongue - Tongue photo stop (Kyle of Tongue bridge area)
    <ul>
      <li>Tongue viewpoint (great loch shot)</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Smoo Cave walk &amp; optional boat trip</li>
  <li>Cocoa Mountain in Balnakeil - Cocoa Mountain Cafe for legendary hot chocolate &amp; brownies</li>
  <li>Durness (via Cape Wrath detour)
    <ul>
      <li>Durness Beach (superb white sands)</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Scenic drive through Kylesku Bridge</li>
  <li>Lochinver
    <ul>
      <li>Dinner in Lochinver: Lochinver Larder pies or Driftwood Café for light fare</li>
      <li>Stay: coastal Cabin or B&amp;B in Lochinver or a beachside cottage</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h2 id="day-5---wed---jul-9">Day 5 - WED - JUL 9</h2>

<ul>
  <li>Lochinver
    <ul>
      <li>Quick sunrise stroll at Clachtoll Broch or Achmelvich Beach</li>
      <li>Ardvreck Castle/Calda House photography stop</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Ullapool
    <ul>
      <li>Whale watching near Ullapool or visit Knockan Crag</li>
      <li>Corrieshalloch Gorge (short walk, 30–45 min)</li>
      <li>Food : Ullapool: freshest langoustines &amp; mussels</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Quick stop at Kylesku Bridge (photo)</li>
  <li>Gairloch
    <ul>
      <li>Black Pearl Creole Kitchen, Gairloch—unexpected Caribbean twist</li>
      <li>stop at beach or café</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Torridon
    <ul>
      <li>drive stunning coast</li>
      <li>Stay: Torridon Hotel (5★), or cozy B&amp;B nearby.</li>
      <li>In Torridon, enjoy a dram and live music at the Torridon bar</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h1 id="day-6---thu---jul-10">Day 6 - THU - JUL 10</h1>

<ul>
  <li>Torridon
    <ul>
      <li>Sunrise via Pulpit Rock viewpoint (Glen Torridon)</li>
      <li>Light bites at Torridon</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Bealach na Bà pass north Applecross (one of UK’s most dramatic roads)
    <ul>
      <li>Bealach na Bà pass drive</li>
      <li>photo pass</li>
      <li>a cosy stop in Applecross pub (if open) - fish chips</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Lunch in Lochcarron or scenic picnic</li>
  <li>Achnasheen</li>
  <li>Eilean Donan Castle &amp; iconic views.</li>
  <li>Kyle of Lochalsh
    <ul>
      <li>Stay: Hotel or B&amp;B in Kyle of Lochalsh with views over the castle.</li>
      <li>Stay: Kyle of Lochalsh hotel with castle views.</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Lochalsh
    <ul>
      <li>Dinner in Kyle of Lochalsh – numerous local eateries; check local catch options</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

<h1 id="day-7---fri---jul-11">Day 7 - FRI - JUL 11</h1>

<ul>
  <li>Kyle
    <ul>
      <li>Quick stop at Glen Ord or Glenmorangie Distillery en route</li>
      <li>Loch Garry / Glenshiel photo stop</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Invermoriston Falls</li>
  <li>Loch Ness photo stop</li>
  <li>Inverness
    <ul>
      <li>Quick walk/coffee in Inverness</li>
      <li>Revisit Loch Ness, maybe take a boat trip.</li>
      <li>Lunch in Inverness.</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Drive via Rannoch Moor &amp; Glencoe (James Bond/Skyfall locations)</li>
  <li>Glasgow (via A9)
    <ul>
      <li>Arrive Glasgow by evening.</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>]]></content><author><name></name></author><category term="uk" /><category term="scotland" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Notes for Life in UK test :smile:]]></summary></entry><entry><title type="html">Jekyll!</title><link href="/travel/jekyll/update/2025/02/09/jekyll.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Jekyll!" /><published>2025-02-09T01:50:35+00:00</published><updated>2025-02-09T01:50:35+00:00</updated><id>/travel/jekyll/update/2025/02/09/jekyll</id><content type="html" xml:base="/travel/jekyll/update/2025/02/09/jekyll.html"><![CDATA[<p>You’ll find this post in your <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">_posts</code> directory. Go ahead and edit it and re-build the site to see your changes. You can rebuild the site in many different ways, but the most common way is to run <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">jekyll serve</code>, which launches a web server and auto-regenerates your site when a file is updated.</p>

<p>Jekyll requires blog post files to be named according to the following format:</p>

<p><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">YEAR-MONTH-DAY-title.MARKUP</code></p>

<p>Where <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">YEAR</code> is a four-digit number, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">MONTH</code> and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">DAY</code> are both two-digit numbers, and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">MARKUP</code> is the file extension representing the format used in the file. After that, include the necessary front matter. Take a look at the source for this post to get an idea about how it works.</p>

<p>Jekyll also offers powerful support for code snippets:</p>

<figure class="highlight"><pre><code class="language-ruby" data-lang="ruby"><span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">print_hi</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="nb">name</span><span class="p">)</span>
  <span class="nb">puts</span> <span class="s2">"Hi, </span><span class="si">#{</span><span class="nb">name</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s2">"</span>
<span class="k">end</span>
<span class="n">print_hi</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s1">'Tom'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="c1">#=&gt; prints 'Hi, Tom' to STDOUT.</span></code></pre></figure>

<p>Check out the <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/docs/home">Jekyll docs</a> for more info on how to get the most out of Jekyll. File all bugs/feature requests at <a href="https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll">Jekyll’s GitHub repo</a>. If you have questions, you can ask them on <a href="https://talk.jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll Talk</a>.</p>]]></content><author><name></name></author><category term="jekyll" /><category term="update" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[You’ll find this post in your _posts directory. Go ahead and edit it and re-build the site to see your changes. You can rebuild the site in many different ways, but the most common way is to run jekyll serve, which launches a web server and auto-regenerates your site when a file is updated.]]></summary></entry></feed>