glamping – Tracy Goes Outside

Gateway to an adventure at Dalraddy!

30th Jan 20235th Mar 2023 tracygoesoutside

We had not been to Dalraddy Holiday Park for a really long time so we thought we would try it out again. The campsite is located just a few miles from Aviemore with lots of activities on and off site.

Camper van and bike parked up at campsite — Our Pitch

The site itself is large with chalets, residential caravans, seasonal & touring pitches as well as tent pitches. Around the site there is a main toilet block with showers, dishwashing and laundry. There is a smaller shower block as well as other small toilet blocks. At the reception you can find a small shop stocking the essentials. There is a great play park for the kids and an abundance of picnic benches. If you are in a group there is a fantastic bbq area if you want to get everyone together.

Old red tractor with train like trailer — Alvie Tractor Train

At the entrance of the site you will find Alvie Forest Food a fantastic food van with beautifully prepared dishes and a recent addition of a coffee cart called Cabin coffee. Quad biking treks are available to book at the gate there are plenty of other activities and it is worth checking out the Alvie Estate website for something that suits you.

For me Dalraddy is a great place to get walking and biking. There is a fantastic walk to the Duke of Gordon Monument. You can walk/cycle along the Speyside way. We headed to Kincraig and Loch Insh and got a pint at the Boathouse before heading back.

Large monument with trees and blue skies — Duke of Gordon Monument

If you would like to explore the area there is plenty to do within a 10-15 mile drive.

Highland Wildlife park is around 5 miles away. At the park you can drive through the reserve and see the polar bears, snow leopards, amur tigers and many other animals then visit the wildlife discovery centre. Entry fees do apply.

Loch Insh Outdoor Centre is around 3 1/2 miles. Where you find a large selection of watersports as well as tubing, skating and archery. Prices vary depending on activity.

Large building with balcony next to a loch and blue skies — Loch Insh

Cairngorm Mountain Railway is around 12 miles away. The railway has only just reopened after being closed for some time. You don’t have to take part in snowsports to go up the railway you can just take a trip up to enjoy the views and have coffee and cake at The Ptarmigan restaurant. Return tickets can be purchased at Cairngorm Mountain resort.

Snow covered mountains — Cairngorm Mountain looking down to the Ptarmigan restaurant!

Strathspey Steam Railway is only 4 miles away at Aviemore and is a fantastic day out for everyone including your dogs. You are taking along the line from Aviemore to Broomhill and return in a beautiful steam locomotive. There is an option to enjoy a light lunch or afternoon tea along the way. Booking available online or at the station.

Steam train on track — Strathspey Steam Railway

This is only a very small selection of activities available!

Dalraddy is a great site to visit with everything you need and so much to do just on your doorstep!

https://www.campinginaviemore .co.uk/

https://www.visitcairngorms.com/

Latest Blog, Places to Stay

Relax and Put you feet up at Barrow Campsite

4th Jan 20235th Jan 2023 tracygoesoutside

Starting off my new sections to my website with where I have spent the last 2 weeks. Barrow Campsite is an independent campsite situated in the beautiful countryside only a few miles out of Nairn. It is a relatively new site and ideal you if you want to explore the area or relax and put your feet up.

Onsite you will find a range of hardstanding and grass pitches with a semi wild area camping area. Also a couple glamping pods. In the summer months we usually park on the grass area but in the winter we prefer to have a hardstanding pitch with hookup. The facilities are clean and modern with toilets, showers, a dishwashing and laundry room.

Around the site there is a small kids playpark, it is very dog friendly with fantastic walks and an enclosed area with a good sized pond. I have done a bit of paddleboarding in the pond. There is a fantastic bothy with seating and a bbq area which is a great place to get together or shelter out the rain. Not far from the bothy you will find Hangman hill which is a well preserved bronze age barrow hence the name Barrow Campsite.

Nairn is only 3 1/2 miles away and if you are feeling energetic you could walk or cycle along the quiet country road. The town has a fantastic range of independent shops, supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, takeaways and a leisure centre. You also will find a beautiful beach on the Moray Firth with excellent views across the water. If you would like to treat yourself you could book a spa day at the Golf View hotel. There are also excellent public transport links to Inverness.

If you are like us and you want to explore the area there is so much to do within a 10-15 mile drive.

Brodie Castle is around an 8.5 mile drive where you can have a guided tour, explore the grounds and have an excellent play area. Entry fees do apply or free to National trust members.

Cawdor Castle is around a 5 mile drive and open in the summer months. Although we have never visited it is renowned for its beautiful garden and grounds. Entry fees do apply

Fort George is around an 8 mile drive and is the mightist artillery fortification in Britian and was built in the 18th century following the defeat at Culloden. Entry fees do apply or free to Historic Scotland members.

Culloden Battlefield is around a 9 mile drive and it is the site of the bloody battle of the Jacobite rising. Although a very eery it has an excellent visitors centre and a fascinating place to go. Entry fees to the visitors centre do apply or free to National trust members.

Brodie Countryfare is around an 8.5 miles drive and is almost next door to the Castle. This is a fantastic shop to explore their extensive range of clothing, giftware and food range and you can’t leave Brodie without visiting their fantastic restaurant.

Inverness is around a 15 mile drive but if you don’t want to venture into the city there is a large retail park on the outskirts that has a good selection of shops, a cinema and a large supermarket.

This is only a small selection of places to visit that are close by, there are many more plus Barrow is a great start/end point for the fabulous North Coast 500 route.

Barrow gets a thumbs up from us we love it here and it is definitely a home from home!!!

https://www.barrowcampsite.com/https://nairnscotland.co.uk/

https://www.nts.org.uk/

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/

https://nairnscotland.co.uk/https://nairnscotland.co.uk/

Latest Blog

All Snug in Fife

18th Oct 202130th Dec 2022 tracygoesoutside

After we got a wee invitation from the lovely folks at The Snug at Logie farm to come and review one of their lovely new luxury camping pods we couldn’t wait to go and explore. I didn’t really make much of a plan but I did put a wee post on Facebook looking for recommendations and I certainly got plenty! So after a trip to the Deli to stock up on snacks and pack a case I waited patiently for Mr C to finish work and get away. It was only a couple hours down the road for us so we made it down just after sunset. When we arrived at the bottom of the road I was intrigued to where the pods where. We headed up the track and got the first taste of the amazing location as we passed a herd of deer just hanging around in the park. A little bit along we reached the pods.

Wow we made it in time for the amazing view and a lovely we plaque with our names on it. Cause well its the little things its it.

Inside the pod we was greeted by a stunning modern interior and every gadget you could ask for.

We stocked up our fridge, Mr C played with all the buttons then we got our feet up and set too a Squid Games binge watch on Netflix. Well I think we managed to stay wakened till about 10 o’clock. The bed was so comfy.

Next morning we was wakened early but we had a long lie had a lovely Nepresso coffee in bed then got up and organised. After a wee chat with Jo the owner we headed to the Buttercup Cafe in Newbrough for brunch. Jo had recomnened it to us and we could see why it was lovely.

We hadnt made any kind of concrete plans just go for a run and see. First stop was a quick one at the round tower at Abernethy which is thought to date back to 1100. We couldn’t get parked as we had the van so it was just a snap of the camera before heading off.

Not far along the road was Auchtermuchty are next planned stop to see Jimmy Shands memorial. If you know the Bluebell poker you know who Jimmy is! This was Mr C’s highlight of the day! That set him up for the day and we had to listen to his music the rest of it! Even through the blue tooth speaker in the pod at night!

We headed for Falkland next but after we circled a couples time we ended up on a different road. It was actually the way to the Lomond hills. We took the opportunity to give the dogs a run about. The views from even the car park are great. There is a lovely picnic area and a well maintained toilet.

Back on the road again for the second try to get parked at Falkland. We eventually found the car park. I grabbed my camera and National trust card and went for a wander. Falkland is a lovely wee village with lots of quirky shops and nice looking cafes/pubs.

After a walk about I went along to Falkland Palace and gardens.

I decided to just have a look around the gardens.

The inside was very busy so I decided to look round the gardens. They were lovely and extensive. There is lots of wee hidden area and even a tennis court.

Back on the road again. We hadn’t really planned anything so we thought we would go to Scotlands Hidden Bunker. On the way there we went past the Hill of Tarvit mansion so we did stop for a wee look. Another place well worth a visit and there was a view point walk.

We couldn’t do everything in one day so next stop was Scotlands secret bunker.

This is a amazing fascinating place to visit for Adults and kids.

It’s a underground cold war bunker museum and its huge. With lots of interesting rooms and artefacts.

Our last stop of the day was Arstruther for tea for some of their famous fish and chips! We had to queue for a little while but it’s was lovely and well worth the wait.

We headed home before it got dark thinking we could sit outside with a gin! But the rain came on and oh my it’s rained a lot! So we snuggled up watched tv had snacks and enjoyed our last night in the snug before heading home the next morning.

Thank you for reading I have posted all the links below! The Snug was amazing and totally recommend if your looking for somewhere to stay in Fife!

Please note the stay at The Snug was part gifted!