Let's get a raidin'

Continuing on our lovely bank holiday weekend up in Dumfries and Galloway and still on a high from the wonderfully unexpected proposal in the gardens, another request was to 'Do' the Raiders Road. A forest drive that, in places, feels delightfully wild and magical. 'Off roading' enough to satisfy the off roading drivers in our midst and safe enough to cope with normal road vehicles for other members of our convoy. 

Four vehicles in total - us in our van, Youngest and his lovely girlfriend in his converted ex mountain rescue land rover, Eldest and his fiancé in their land rover defender and my brother and sister in law in their electric suzuki off roader. Plus three rather overly excited and enthusiastic dogs - Willow (Welsh collie) has two 'cousins' (American Labradors - yellow and fox red). So you can imagine the chaos....

We met up at the Clatteringshaws Loch side of the road and carefully picked our way down the forest road - stopping for photos and chats and swapping of drivers. The first park up was for the dogs (collectively known as the girls) so they could hurl themselves into the river. And bless her - Willow was the first in by a country mile - my little silly dog who would not walk through a puddle managed to out do the labs at the first swim!

After a vigorous rub down, the girls were dispatched to their vehicles and we all set off, trundling along. The weather had been promising potential rain and so far it was sunny and warm. 

We eventually reached our chosen lunch spot - Otter Pools - and found a park up that took all four vehicles and cracked on the kettles (yes kettles in the plural - Youngest's van and ours are both togged up to turn into instant cafes so there were teas, hot chocolates and coffees made on the spot) and opened tubs of home made cakes, biscuits and fruit pies and between throwing sticks for the dogs, drinking brews and munching cakes, chatting and batting away the midgies (we were all covered in 'smidge and had incense sticks smoking away!)

We had to retreat to the vehicles once the rain began, Youngest and I had already planned how to cope if the weather went bad - so we had his awning out between the van and landie making a safe dry space.

We must have spent aaaaages there - mid morning cakes turned into a delicious lunch while chatting and playing with dogs - it was wonderful. But it was time to move on, the rain was getting a little more persistent so we packed up and headed off, trundling through rain sparkly trees and gushing streams.

We pulled up into another favourite stopping place (Stroan Viaduct)  and set up for afternoon tea and cake (this off-roading business plays havoc with the waistline!!) and we just about managed to keep out of the rain - but we all agreed that it actually added to the adventure of it all.

This was our last planned stop - as the road was nearly done, so we said our good byes to my brother and sister in law and their girls and headed back to Kirkcudbright to dry off.

What a lovely day - despite the rain - we absolutely enjoyed it 

And in this last photo - it shows you how small Willow is compared to her cousins....