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SCOTLAND is a land of colourful history and splendid scenery and my wife, Helen, and I sampled both during a 10-day trip north of the border in a motorhome.

The history was not that of Rob Roy and Bonnie Prince Charlie but, more prosaically, that of the McIntyres - the Clyde coast family of my mother-in-law, Isobel, who came along with us for the 1,200-mile ride.

Our holiday home was a four-berth Auto-Sleeper Sigma, with several of our nights spent at caravan sites run by that excellent organisation for touring holidaymakers, the Caravan Club.

The Sigma, coachbuilt on a Peugeot Boxer van chassis, was equipped with all modern comforts: a bathroom and toilet, gas cooker with oven and grill, fridge freezer, hot and cold water, a wardrobe and cupboards, and plenty of space for dining and lounging.

After picking up the van up from Marquis Motorhomes in Preston, with a demonstration of how everything worked, the three of us enjoyed the scenic drive up the M6 past the Lake District to Scotland.

We travelled first to Largs on the Clyde coast - a wonderful seascape of a wide estuary and distant hills that has been seen by generations of Glaswegians going "doon the watter" of the River Clyde in the steamers of yesteryear.

Armed with research supplied by a Canadian cousin, we went in search of the places where my mother-in-law spent her childhood holidays: a farm on the coast near Largs and two smallholdings inland at picturesque Lochwinnoch, which has sailing and cycling and a nature reserve run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Our base for these two days was just inland from Largs at South Whittlieburn Farm, where we enjoyed the simple but adequate facilities (£10 a night) of the farm's Caravan Club-certificated campsite.

It had a small shower, toilet and washing-up block and, more importantly, electricity "hook-up" to supply light and heat for the motorhome, as well as fresh water and disposal for the chemical toilet and "grey water" from our cooking and washing.

Although the 20ft-long Sigma had plenty of room, Helen and I decided not to make use of the overcab double bed for our passenger and, instead, Isobel enjoyed the farm's excellent bed and breakfast facilities. In fact, she lodged out for the whole trip, while we made up the comfortable double bed every night in the centre of the motorhome.

The next stage of our journey was a trip "across the watter", a 35-minute journey from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, on the island of Bute, by Caledonian-MacBrayne (CalMac) ferry, costing £34.30 single for the motorhome and three adults.

Here lived more McIntyres, but the sightseeing was beginning to take over and we enjoyed a great day at Mount Stuart, the magnificent house and gardens owned by the Marquess of Bute.

We hopped back to the mainland the next day by the short CalMac ferry crossing (£15.10) at the north of the island, and stopped at nearby Colintraive churchyard to see a McIntrye tombstone and found a cousin who apparently used to row across from Bute every Sunday to go to the church and visit his parents.

Now we headed north, admiring the increasingly rugged loch and mountain scenery, and stopped for an excellent seafood lunch at the Loch Fyne Smokehouse. Then we found our best and wildest campsite yet: a strip of grass on the shore of Loch Linnhe, 20 miles from Fort William, with magnificent sunset views down to the island of Mull, shared with just one other motorhome and a caravan.

The next day took us across the Great Glen and into the remoter parts of the Highlands for two nights at the well-appointed Caravan Club-run site at Kinlochewe in the heart of the Torridon mountains (£10.50 a night for the motorhome and two adults for club members, £6 extra for non-members). This is wild and rugged country, home of the golden eagle and Scottish wild cat, and a favourite destination for climbers and walkers ready for testing weather and terrain.

However, our stay was less testing and the next day we drove by the shores of spectacular Loch Maree to the sea at Gairloch for a walk on the golden sands with distant views of the Isle of Skye.

Then we drove to Inverewe Gardens, the wonderful creation of Victorian gardener Osgood Mackenzie, who set out successfully to prove that tender plants could be grown in the far north of Britain because of the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.

The following day, we had to head for home. After days of fine June weather, we had a wet journey south past Inverness on the scenic A6, stopping off to see the nesting ospreys at the Loch Garten RSPB reserve, before arriving at Killin, on Loch Tay, for an excellent stay at another Caravan Club site (£15 for the night, £21 non-members).

Then it was down past Loch Lomond, through Glasgow and southern Scotland for our final overnight stop in the Lake District at the Caravan Club site at Troutbeck Head, near Penrith (£16 for the night, £22 non-members), before returning the Sigma to Marquis Motorhomes.

The Motorhome Information Service, who supplied the vehicle, says hiring a van such as the Sigma would cost £500 a week upwards, including insurance and breakdown recovery. We found the van returned an excellent 31mpg, thanks to its 2.2 litre diesel engine and economical six-speed gearbox.

Buying a new one would cost a smidge under £40,000, but prices start at £19,000 for smaller, camper van-style motorhomes, and there is a burgeoning secondhand market.

The Caravan Club, which celebrates its centenary this year, provides advice and information for members, has campsites all around Britain and offers travel, insurance and breakdown services.

So, after many years, my mother-in-law had seen the old country again, and my wife and I had seen more of a land which is always worth a visit - at any time.

11:08am Wednesday 12th March 2008

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