The benefits of being forgettable

I finally did pluck up the courage to go back to Braemar and, fortunately, the wardens didn't seem to remember me! Sometimes being forgettable has its advantages. I did make sure that I didn't jog their memories by managing to find a suitable pitch first time round, helped by the fact that the site was a lot quieter than July. By 6pm I was pitched, with the garlic bread in the oven and a glass of white wine to hand. The next day was a lovely, calm September day - ideal for hillwalking - so I drove to Linn of Dee and cycled up to Derry Lodge.

The track into Derry Lodge

I set off up the path towards Beinn Bhreac and was overtaken by a couple with two dogs. We got chatting, as you do, and I discovered that they also were in a caravan at the Braemar site. Small world. The sun was still shining when I got back to the site later that afternoon but, unfortunately, not on my pitch! However it was still warm enough for me to sit outside until it got too dark to see my laptop. I had a few minutes of panic when I saw a large minibus arrive in the tent area, right behind my caravan, (visions of hordes of noisy scouts), however it only seemed to have two occupants. Had they dropped the kids off to go wild camping while they had the benefit of a campsite with hot showers?

Braemar becomes an independently run site at the end of the season- hopefully that will not mean a price hike. It's a great location and must bring a lot of welcome income to the shops of Braemar. I'd certainly like to visit it again.

How not to endear yourself to the site wardens

I'm trying to pluck up the courage to go back to Braemar Caravan Club site. I went there for the first time in July, with a friend who was going to camp there, Braemar being one of the few CC sites which also has a tent area. We drove up on a baking hot Friday afternoon, arriving at 5.30pm. I finally got on to a pitch at 6.30pm, by which time I was desperate just to get the table up outside and the white wine cracked open. I spent the hour driving round the site 3 times, trying to find a suitable pitch and annoying the wardens in the process because, unlike other Caravan Club sites I've been to, you can't drive round and round within the site and the exit barrier needs a keycard as well as the entrance barrier! I was just too tired from the drive up and I also was not used to having someone with me. I should have dropped him at reception, with tent, and told him I'd see him later! Not that it was his fault - he was trying to be helpful. I just couldn't find a pitch that wasn't back-to-back with a huge family tent or on a curve of the road (making reversing into it difficult) or not in the sun. I eventually got settled on a pitch backing on to the main road next to the site but that was OK - I don't mind traffic noise! It's just screaming kids and barking dogs I can't stand!

Anyway, I finally got the table up, the wine opened and the oven on for dinner and I apologised to the wardens later! We had a super weekend with scorching temperatures during the day and cool mists at night. Unfortunately we had to head home on Sunday evening but we paid for an extra night for the caravan to allow us to stay on the pitch until 7pm on the Sunday - worth every penny on such a lovely weekend. I'd like to go back again before the end of the season as I hear that, after that, the site will no longer be a CC site but independently run, which probably means it will be more expensive for a solo caravanner like myself. It's a great location for hillwalking and also for visiting places like Ballater and Balmoral and it's only a couple of hours drive up the road for me. Now I know the site better, hopefully it won't take me an hour to find a pitch next time!