Northern Chapter Meet 2015 - Fri 19th - Sun 21st June

Definitely like the idea of distillery visit. Not so sure about going round and round afterwards though, at least not on a wheel. Walking that way might be enforced by circumstances

Just read in the paper this morning, an article about the best campsites in the UK:

Witches Craig Caravan & Camping Park

Scotland national winner

Nestled in a dramatic setting at the foot of the Ochil Hills, Witches Craig is family-owned and -run, and features extremely appealing landscaping that’s tended personally by the owners. Not a large site, but nevertheless one that features a bar, swimming pool, and immaculately-kept communal facilities.
The AA says: “Year-on-year improvements have recently included WiFi access, a new garden area and a new security barrier, which all clearly demonstrate that the owners are keeping abreast of customer expectations.”

Trust me...theres no bar or swimming pool! There definiately is a barrier

Skytiger wrote:

Trust me...theres no bar or swimming pool! There definiately is a barrier

I'm sure we can help out with the bar when we all rock up - not sure about the swimming pool

Don't know if anyone managed to catch Great Canal Journeys on channel 4 last night,

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/great-canal-journeys

it was the Scottish episode, giving some history to the canal, Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies.

Anyone else up for this year's Northern Meet?

I need to get myself booked for this. Do I need to mention the group when I book?

I think so, Simon - that way they'll make sure we're all together. I just added a note to the online booking information area.

The link's here: Witches Craig

Dear Mr B,

Thank you for your reservation.
I look forward to welcoming you to Witches Craig on the 19th June.
You can check in anytime between 1pm - 8pm.

Kind regards

Mrs Veda Dewar
Witches Craig
Caravan & Camping Park
Blairlogie
Stirling
FK9 5PX

Tel:  01786 474947
Email:  info@witchescraig.co.uk
Web:  http://www.witchescraig.co.uk




-----Original Message-----
From: c13mpr@btinternet.com [mailto@btinternet.com]
Sent: 01 March 2015 12:26
To: info@witchescraig.co.uk; info@witchescraig.co.uk
Subject: Booking Form
Importance: High
Below is the result of your feedback form.  It was submitted by Martin Bellamy (c13mpr@btinternet.com) on  2015-03-01 13:25:34

email: c13mpr@btinternet.com
Arrival_Date: 19/06/15
Departure_Date: 21/06/15
Total_No_of_Nights: 2
No_of_Adults: 2
No_of_Children_(2-13): 0
No_of_Children_(under_2): 0
Pitch: Standard Pitch (With Electricity)
Type: Motorhome
Motorhome_Length: 4.3m
Sun_Canopy: Yes
information: We are part of the Brazilian VW Campervan group
Where_did_you_hear_about_us?: Personal Recommendation
Submit: Submit

Booked

Tim's new 2015 Sleepover sticker remined me that I hadn't done the 2015 Northern Chapter Meet ones.

Sorted now:

Gooh job Martin, well done!

Anyone else wanting to book for the Northern Meet?

We'll be finalising numbers with the campsite soon.

Can I buy a sticker please nice Mr B!!!

It'll cost you a gin!

sounds like a deal...thanks

Not long now

We've been to the campsite and confirmed the numbers, 8 campers and 1 eriba altogether. Shes having to give us hard standing pitches as due to the weather we've been having she couldn't guarantee we wouldn't sink into the grass!
No event shelter allowed, but will allow close pitching so we can organise sun canopies together if needed.

We're off to sample the local brewery tour this weekend, its a tough job but someones got to do it!

okay, so we've been out and about this weekend to see what our options are for being a tourist!

There are a few things we can do locally which doesn't involve driving the campers anywhere but there are options for that too!

On the doorstep we have Wallace Monument http://nationalwallacemonument.com/index.php - this is a cost tour of £9.50 per adult

Further along, still within walking distance, we have Allanwater Brewhouse http://bridgeofallan.co.uk/ - they have three levels of tours starting at £12 per person  but are also a pub that allow you to sample the ales before purchasing your pint  Dogs are allowed. There are other nice pubs in Bridge of Allan too, also plenty of eating places if required and a few quirky shops too.

For the walkers amongst us, the local hill Dumyat - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumyat would be a free option for the day!

Stirling town is also within walking distance but a local bus service also runs from just outside the campsite.

A local farm shop and coffee bothey about 20 mins walk away - http://www.blairmains.com/

If you fancy a wee jaunt out in the buses the closest distillery is Deanston - http://deanstonmalt.com/ They also have a nice café, the eggs benedict are highly recommended

For Sunday we had thought to head in Falkirk direction to visit the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel.  The Kelpies http://www.thekelpies.co.uk/ is a free attraction, but parking could cost £4 if we can't get into the first carpark.  Tours are available at £6.95 per person, but I'm sure we could make something up to tell you for free!

The Falkirk Wheel - http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/ has a visitor centre and café, but if you want a go on the wheel it costs £8.95 and it would probably need to be booked in advance to ensure we were all on the same boat, dogs are not allowed The cost for the carpark that campers can fit in is £2

It takes 30 mins to get from the campsite to the Kelpies (that was in a MINI JCW roadster, but we were driving slowly!) and 20 mins from campsite to Deanston.  Bridge of Allan probably about 30-40 mins walk (not done that yet!)

We would probably need to know numbers for those that want to go on the distillery tour, brewery tour and the Falkirk Wheel boat, but I think everything else is flexible.

The Kelpies can get busy depending on the weather, so would probably aim to leave the campsite on Sunday around 10am and then leave for the Falkirk Wheel around lunchtime as trips are available at 12.30 and 1.30 for those that want to go on a boat.  


To be honest, it all looks a bit complicated, but we didn't want people to come this way and not have the option to do the touristy bit if they wanted.

Let us know if there is anything in particular you would like to do so we can look into the booking arrangements if necessary.

Thanks

Allan & Jane

We'd be up for any of this. I think that the Wallace Monument is £9.50 rather than £98.50. We'd expect Mel Gibson for £98.50!

ooops Sorry ! Thought I'd edited that part! For £98.50 I'd expect Mel Gibson to have a Scottish accent!

We're up for whatever the consensus fancies doing. For £98.50 I want a personal meeting with Nicola Sturgeon though!

For £98.50, I'd pay not to meet her

Stirling Castle might be interesting too.

Thanks Skytiger - those all sound great suggestions - our preference I think would be not to drive once we've pitched up until we depart for Falkirk on Sunday - but it's all a bit weather dependant, if it's gloriously sunny (as I'm sure it will be) a stroll to the Wallace Monument and Stirling/Bridge of Allan sounds good to us but we'll see what everyone else fancies doing.

Van emptied this weekend to give it a good 'bottoming' before, selectively, re-stocking. Having its annual service this week at my local - 1 mile away - garage, gotta be better than the usual £500, 3 day trip to Yate.

ST - we're off to Tony and Penny's site after we leave you guys. How long do you think it will take us to drive there from Falkirk?

It would be about 1hr 20mins

Thanks ST.