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….
As I start this piece I am a little lost for words which can’t be a good thing! We are just over the half way point of our digital nomad experiment travelling around Scotland in our rather old and battered van that we love so much. This trip has already delivered far more than expected and we both feel very fortunate to be able to do this. Hubby works in a business that encourages travel and therefore banking leave and taking unpaid leave is perfectly fine. As you know I am a self employed artist so I have flexibility built in. We are taking our chance and giving it a good go and I am pleased to report that we may have lost 30 years in doing so. Somewhere along the rugged coastal roads we realised that we had stopped putting obstacles in our way and everything seemed possible. Looking for wee corners to have coffee in became more important than most things and washing in the van with a bucket became normal. It only took a few days to reach this point and that, in itself, teaches me more than I have probably contemplated so far.
For my part being able to work from the van has been joyful. I have two subscription communities (here and Patreon) and I did pre-record some of those offerings as they were vlogs. Writing in the van is absolutely fine as is seeking out pockets of signal or wifi to upload. However, it is the making of art that has been the most transformative and I don’t think I expected that. Sadly, working outside the van has not really been possible as the Highlands are a very blowy place but there is still time. A visit to Culloden Moor inspired a piece that sat with me for a few days as we trundled west. The battlefields were covered in seedheads, far too many to ever be able to count and it provoked a feeling of deep loss in me for all the souls that lay undiscovered in that beautiful place. I wanted to create a piece with seedheads where they were turning to seek the light.
Enough said.
Our travels have taken us down more single track roads than I care to ponder over but the destination is always worth the journey. We discovered one of our favourite places on the planet after a particularly long single track road - Port a Blaigh campsite was a destination of choice for a couple of nights and it really is a magical corner of the world. We met a lady emerging from the sea that moved to this wee place 40 years ago despite there being no infrastructure but that is why she loves it. The campsite shop is nothing short of epic as it fuels the local community as well as those passing through. I am vegan and I rate it one of the best stores I have ever visited.
Great wifi meant I could work from the van overlooking a beautiful shore and later, go for a much needed paddle.
Travelling north was our default mode so we headed up the coast stopping off for coffee and seeking out good spots for the nights. Durness was a destination but en route we discovered this……
The beach at Achmelvich Bay is absolutely stunning and if you walk a wee bit further from the carpark you get it all to yourself. Excellent. We are travelling in and out of the NC 500 and I can quite understand why so many locals regret being on this route as it is campervan city and, on the whole, we avoided the very busy places. I am not a fan of crowds.
Durness was at the end of yet another long stretch of single track road but, for me, it was the most ‘real’ place on the journey so far. The local spar shop was off the scale in what it offered community members and visitors alike and the coffee and sandwich from Cheese N Toasted has no comparison. However, in my world it was the craft village, Balnakeil, that truly took my breath away. All the artisans live and work in what was MOD buildings. I loved all the studios but one, in particular, captured my heart. Cast Off Crafts is home to a lovely lady who took up residence 14 years ago. Like me, she works with waste materials and never throws anything away. A charming oasis of beautifully handmade items and inspiration that will last a life time. Please visit if you can.
I have supported lots of makers on this trip so far, just as it should be. The tiny craft shack honesty box was another favourite and it has given me the idea to do something similar….
I am writing this from a campsite in Gairloch so that we can do laundry etc and continue to sit out a nasty storm. It means I can upload this and anything else I need to do. The drive here was nothing short of spectacular but I do think you must be quite hardy to live out here as it would be bleak in the winter. Beautiful but bleak.
From here we are heading to the place I have most wanted to visit in the UK - Applecross. Ever since I watched Monty Hall’s exeprience of living in Applecross for 6 months. It captivated me and then I found a beautiful property for sale nearby with access by boat….goodness was I tempted. We have a night in a glamping pod on the peninsula to look forward to but not before travelling to Torridon and Shieldaig.
Living and working in the van has taken on a routine of its own and hubby and I are just going with the flow. The world beyond this experience feels a long way off and it has been so good for the soul. Now we feel like we are 30 something rather than 60 something. We wake with the dog jumping on the bed at silly o’clock and have tea in bed with the backdoors flung wide open. We wash with a bucket and have become experts at using google maps to seek out public toilets! We drink far too much coffee but walk for miles every day. Chores are still taking forever to be completed and we are fine with that. We problem solve throughout each and every day and I find some quite moments each day to work. As an artist I gather as I wander and then start from there. Van life suits us well even when a huge storm hit and we had to retreat to a campsite to sit it out fearing that the van would topple over (not sure about that experience)……
The whole experience so far has reminded me to be humble and grateful but, at the same time, be more willing to live outside what I perceive to be my comfort zone. It might only be a short experiment but it has already taught me so much more than I believed it could. The strength I am gaining from this travelling time will, no doubt, live within me forever.
Until the next installment.
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
Reading this makes me want to get in our van and drive back up to Scotland. It looks like you are having an amazing experience in your van.
The NC500 is on our bucket list for the near future, but we want to spend a month touring so we have the time to find all the hidden gems off the route rather than sticking to the main route.
That craft village you found sounds right up my street, I've made a note for future reference 😊
I’m loving this series of blogs, the sense of freedom and release is so strong and inspiring. I think there’s real bravery in anyone stepping out of their comfort zone and leaving the secure and familiar behind, and your account of how a different flow has affected your creativity makes me want to take my words somewhere new. Thank you 🙏