Digital Nomad part four

Tensions that we now understand.

Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a place in my seasonal Book Artist Studio for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE.Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons….

If I wanted to sum up this digital nomad experiment so far I would say that it has been ‘a journey into the unexpected.’ As I pondered in my last installment, it has been the people that have told the brightest stories, not the places. I am not a people person so that is a huge surprise. It teaches me to be more open to beautiful encounters in my life. Despite this, places still play a key part in a journey that seeks out new destinations, many of which have been on a wish list for quite some time.

Absolutely top of that list was the small village of Applecross on a remote peninsula connected by single track roads that demand the best from the driver. Folk that know me well will be glad that it was not me driving. I have wanted to visit Applecross forever and, in my head, even imagined relocating there. I love remote. The peninsula itself is absolutely stunning and there is no getting away from that. The problem begins there I think as it is included on the NC 500 route and, as a result, is extremely busy with vans like ours and bigger meandering their way along these tiny roads. These roads are not built for vans like ours and I began to understand the problem as we dipped in and out of the NC 500 route. We aren’t really following it but some of the places we have visited are on the route. I can’t speak for the communities but I can understand the tension that must exist by being included in such a popular tourist route. Tourism is now the main driver of these very rural economies now fishing and agriculture have all but disappeared. However, it comes at a cost and that is laid bare in Applecross. As you enter you are met with more signs than are necessary telling you not to park here or there. There simply isn’t enough public parking for all the folk that want to visit and this causes a tension. There are also signs about protecting the Machair but I was pleased to see these.

The village is no more than a hamlet that simply can’t cope with the traffic that visits. There is a campsite but sadly that is far below what is acceptable in modern day camping and the whole place just felt overwhelmed and a little sad. The NC 500 has cost this community dearly I would say and this is not the first time we noticed that on this trip. We are obviously part of the problem but it wasn’t a problem we were tuned into when we started this journey. We need to mend our ways and we will.

Having left the Applecross peninsula we began our travels south in earnest and quietly and gently visited Plockton for a short while frequenting shops and purchasing gifts. Plockton was on our way but we were much more tuned into the downside for communities feeling the heat from over tourism. We headed for the Croft Cafe in Duirinish and fell into a conversartion with the owner about locals being priced out of the housing market and the area being full of second homes. We have the same problem on our wee Scottish island. The food at the cafe was just wonderful and I highly recommend a visit.

So, it has been a bit of an awakening in this phase of the trip at the cost of tourism on beautiful spots in Scotland and I am not sure what the answer is. As a nation we have not invested in our agriculatural or fishing industries so can we blame folk for turning to tourism to pay their bills? I would say, however, that routes such as the NC 500 probably cause more harm than good in the bigger picture. It has been a sobering lesson for us.

Despite these moments of pondering van life continues to be just wonderful. There is no other word for it. I think we thought it would be far more of a challenge than it has been especially given our joint ages of 121! Routine and organisation are our new buzz words in order to make each and every day easy to navigate. Hubby is taking on lots of the chores and in that time I work. That means that when all the chores are done we are free to roam and roam we do. Through mountain passes and in and out of forested lands we travel always delighting in the small moments along the way. People have not featured highly the last couple of days as places have stolen the limelight. We seek out forest carparks as favourite places to stop for coffee and take the dog for a walk and we never stop for the night where we are not wanted. Apart from campsites we have used forestry carparks that are happy for over night stays in return for a small fee or small park ups away from communities. We have left no trace at every stop we have made and even collected litter on beaches and in woodlands to dispose of it properly.

Each evening we spend some time chatting over our days and focusing on what they have taught us. This experiment has taught us so much about what is possible rather than what is not. It continues to suprise and delight in equal measure and it will live within us forever. Hubby and I met in 1984 and became a couple in 1986 and that is 39 years ago. In that time we have raised four children and this trips has made us feel that we are back at the beginning of our life journey all over again. I think that is because we are so far out of our comfort zones. I have had to learn how to work from a tin can with four wheels and hubby has had to learn how to fill day after day with no work commitments. These are not easy changes to make and yet they have been easy to achieve and this has surpriised us. It all speaks to the benefit we have felt of removing ourselves from our daily lives and pitching up somewhere else. I think as we age we are, sometimes, less willing to do that, preferring to lean into what we know and trust. We find comfort there, or at least I find comfort there. Living and working out of a van and travelling to new places has taught me that I can be comfortable in different places and, with comfort, comes contentment.

Speaking of comfort I need to report that we sleep so well in the van. It was the bit of the experience that worried us the most. Neither of us do well off poor sleep. Our bed has to be made up each night but we invested in a mattress topper and that has made a big difference. But I think living a life largely outside has made the biggest difference as we are physically tired when we go to bed at 9pm most nights which is really early for hubby. We have found that some road noise doesn’t botter us but high winds do as the van shudders and shakes all night. One night we escaped to a campsite to sit out a big storm and even there we had a disturbed night. In the mornings we fling the back doors open and drink tea in bed and establish a rough plan for the day. Joyful.

From the start we knew we wanted to eat well and continue a health kick we established back home. Hubby cooks fabulous van meals on two gas rings but we do have to shop with care. I am vegan so getting things like oat milk has not be easy. Coming south from some of the remote areas up north we were running very low on supplies but hubby still made it work. I have been surprised how well stocked small village shops have been for the vegan diet but you do have to dig a bit deeper into your purse as prices are generally higher.

So sleeping and eating have been managed with some flair I would say but our best finding is just how much we have walked. We are both keen walkers but it is suffice to say that our relatively young border collie is looking forward to some sofa slumber on our return. We have walked more forest paths than we can remember now and meandered along one beautiful beach after the other. Scotland draws your inner walker out of you and we shall always be grateful to our evening walks that have been some of our most special moments.

In another installment I will be focusing on how I have worked from the van and what I have produced along the way. This has been the biggest learning curve for me and I have much to take away. I set myself the challenge of running every aspect of my wee business from the van and I will be sharing just how I got on with that challenge very soon.

Meantime I will close with some beautiful blooms from Plockton that appears to have its own micro climate and is still in summer bloom. Until next time, Fiona x

If you would like to support my work you can buy me a coffee and I will probably use the funds for fuel in the van! Thank you. xx