Who’d have thought we would start our travels in Newcastle with sunshine? The sun was out for the bigger part of the day. So this adventure couldn’t have started in a better way.

In Berwick-upon-Tweed we were welcomed ever so friendly at Marshall Meadows country house hotel to enjoy scones, coffee and tea.

Today was meant to get us at the starting point of the NC500 so we skipped the scenic bendy roads and chose the fast lane. But thankfully in this part of the world this means the roads are still worth driving with a smile.

Still sunny weather, we ended up in The Boat House at Lake Leven just north of Edinburgh for lunch.

Loch Leven is the home of a small island with it’s own castle on it. It can be visited but not by us because of our time schedule.

So this day turned out to be one about food. Because yet another stop was planned after some 80 miles. And what a stop this was! Glentruim Estate is managed by Deirdre Falconer and she and her team made us feel so welcome on these beautiful grounds. Outstanding tea with all the small bites that go with it, every single one was perfect. Take the castle building and the grounds into account and this is the perfect place to organise a big family meeting, wedding or a company training.

Reluctantly we left this place, but we had to move on. Next stop, and final stop of the day, was Evanton. In the Novar Arms hotel we finished of with some more food, of course, and a pub visit. We’re all ready for our first leg of the NC500!