Road Trip up North.

Heading out on a road trip from Banchory to Borgie Lodge hotel on the NC 500.
Spending a week doing any kind of repairs necessary and some gardening. My son and his wife don't have the time for some of the jobs as they are fully booked.
Had a bit of drama before I even set out when @Delbourt informed me my spare whell might not fit over my upgraded brakes and he was absolutely correct. I put a can of gloop and a mini compressor under the bonnet along with a new tyre but no rim. I reckon if I can limp to a garage and produce a tyre they can fit it!
Second drama came after about 30 miles when the temp gauge crept up to about 3/4 of the way. Panic!
I pulled over and let it cool checking the oil and oil cap whilst it was doing so for mayonaisse but all good.
As I undid the resorvoir cap I saw a big gloop of sludge being spurted in to the tank. Hmm..I had flushed it out last year. I decided to carry on, I have a good sixth sense and reasoned it was the now cleared blockage. The water level hadn't dropped.
It settled down and behaved normally. Phew!
I will make several posts because I am sure one long post will crash the thread.

First picture stop was just past Strathdon at the Lonach field. It is a place celebrating the yearly Gathering of the Clan Chieftans.
You can just see the seats in the background.
It is on the Candacraig estate that was once owned by Billy Connolly who brought friends like Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman over for the celebrations. The locals enjoyed the various guests he brought over and he did a lot of good for the estate and surrounding residents.
 
 

The car was behaving at this point.

Having serious problems uploading pics..a bit of a pain.
Will try later.

Looking forward to the updates. 
Safe journey 

The drive from Strathdon to Corgarff at the base of the Lecht was very quiet and it was a spirited drive.
At the top of the Lecht is the Ski centre which in winter is packed out with skiers. Not so much on this bright sunny day.

 

   



 

At the bottom of the hill from the Ski centre is an interesting cottage..

An interesting cottage that I wrote about..added the pic and lost it all..oh well.

 

Sir Percy Topliss, otherwise known as the Monoculed Mutineer..his hideaway cottage.
ITV made a drama out of it and it is a true story. It starred Paul Mgann as Topliss.
I will once again try to fill in the detail...in the next post.

An interesting read sounds like a great trip. Well done. Glad you found a solution (no pun intended) to the spare issue.
As a matter of curiosity what are those beastly midges like at this time of the year up there?

Today down hear in Devon it has been hot but worse is the humidity.

Thank you.
The midges aren't as bad as the west coast and it has been hot but breezy. As soon as we have a shower they come out afterwards en masse.
I really am grateful for pointing out the spare wheel issue because now I am a little bit better prepared.
I am going to take some pics of the edges of the single track roads..absolute tyre wall slicers.
Managing to dodge the tourists so far!

Carrying on the story..
Topliss was an Infantryman in the trenches of WW1. He was injured in a blast and his Commanding Officer next to him was killed. He decided to switch clothes and tags and took the Officers identity. When the Medics arrived they removed him from the trenches and sent him back home to Blighty.
He ended up in a high class convalesance home where he mixed with other Officers and gentry.
When he was discharged from the home he was invited to the estate of one of the Lords he had met and enjoyed the highlife and the Lords daughter too.
The Military were aware he had been returned to Blighty and were looking for his wherabouts when he did not return to his Unit.
Eventually he was tippled and did a runner. He ended up in the north of Scotland in this little empty cottage about 6/7 miles outside of Tomintoul which is the highest village in the Highlands.
The next part of the story is dedicated to Cobber as it involves a bicycle..

 

I think he arrived just before winter and proceeded to make himself at home. 
He lived off fish in the burn and a plentiful supply of sheep.
One day in the middle of winter the local Bobby from Tomintoul rode out on his bicycle to the area as there had been reports of sheep rustling. 
Trust me the ride is hilly and he must have been a fit Bobby!
He knocked on the door of the cottage and asked if Topliss had seen anything and a few questions about why he was staying there.
Apparently the Bobby was satisfied and turned to leave. Topliss thought he had been found out and that reinforcements would arrive once the Bobby got back to the Station.
He panicked and drew his service revolver and shot the Bobby in the backside! He once again did a runner thinking he had bought some time.
I feel for that Bobby shot in the arse and having to pedal back to Tomintoul on a boneshaker of a bike in winter.
He was eventually caught and faced the firing squad as a Deserter.
 

Once again I am thwarted ..but I will try later.