To get myself back into the time-consuming yet enjoyable habit of blogging, rather than just posting on Instagram, I thought I'd blog my pictures and memories of my most recent trip to Loch Ness, one of my favourite places on Earth.
I do enjoy reading my old blogs once in a while, as they always remind me of travels and moments in my life that I know I'll especially treasure when I'm older... I think the reasons I've been blogging less in the last year or two are:
a) now that I live in the countryside, rather than in London, I tour every month at least once. I enjoy the lifestyle very much, but it would mean a lot more blogs if I wrote up every single one! I used to write quite detailed blogs about my tours when I only did 2 - 3 a year.
b) I'm just very, very busy with doing the actual modelling, touring and behind-the-scenes work, leaving less time to write about it. I do sometimes envy models who have enough time on their hands to blog extensively!
I was on tour for three weeks or so, which is pretty standard for a mainland UK tour, but this time I booked a whole five days off in the middle to go on holiday in Scotland with boyfy. I'm friends with a lovely couple who live in an idyllic log cabin on the shores of Loch Ness, who I met a couple of years ago when I took my little car off-roading and needed rescuing. After dragging me out of the woods in a 4x4, they took me back to their place to sit up drinking Scotch and getting to know each other until the sun rose the next day, and we've stayed in touch ever since.
This picture of my butt has nothing to do with my friends at Loch Ness, but it was shot during this trip to Scotland, so behold my Bettie Grable impression.
Thank you Bareskin Beauty skincare and Mya Minerals eyeshadows.
I had already driven as far as their place over the space of a week or so of working my way up from Somerset, shooting along the way. We picked boyfy up from Inverness Airport and drove along the famous and beautiful Cattle Pass to a gorgeous little pub on the edge of a loch, where the owners row out in their boat every day and serve the catch in the pub that evening, along with lots of very old Scottish whiskies.
After dinner, we "glamped" in what I can only describe as a hobbit log cabin, then continued exploring West Scotland the next day.
We dropped in on Nessie Steve, the world's foremost Loch Ness Monster hunter, and let him know that he was in the new issue of Fortean Times! He gave me a funny little Nessie he made in his converted mobile library home.
We spent our last evening in Scotland on our hosts' private beach on the shores of Loch Ness, with them and their dogs.
We even got taken out onto the Loch in their boat! Then it was party time as the sun went down over the water.
The next day, I showed boyfy Boleskine Burial Ground, and then we started driving South the scenic route via Glencoe, so that we could have a vegetarian haggis lunch at the equally spooky C18th pub, The Drovers' Inn, which is full of taxidermy and antique weaponry. We vowed to return in the winter and spend a night at the inn when the huge open fire is blazing and it's snowing outside!
We/ I have definitely been spoiled this year; we didn't go on holiday for years, but this was our second holiday this year after Paris. Next up we are going to Cornwall in September and Amsterdam for the first time in October. If anyone can recommend places to stay in Amsterdam, do let me know using the link below, as we are still looking for an apartment for four (we are going with another couple we're friends with).
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