Monday, April 07, 2008

A Scottish Adventure

Just got back from my tour of Scotland and what an excellent time I had. 5,000 kilometres in seven days and it was simply magnificent. On my way up to Scotland, I decided to have a look at the Lake District, which was very pretty. But nothing in comparison to the beauty of Scotland.

I started off at Loch Lomond, which was very pretty indeed. Drove across to Oban and up to Fort William, taking in Ben Nevis on the way. I took in the snow-capped mountains at Glencoe, which were simply staggering. Then across to Loch Ness. Had a look around the Cairngorm mountains, and then took the magnificent road from Fort Augustus to Skye.

At this point, half my exhaust fell off, but Rudy was still driving well (allbeit now sounding rather disconcertedly like a Vauxhall Nova). Had a look around Skye, then took the Wester Ross trail from Lochcarron to Applecross, which was simply stunning. I carried on along the West Highland coast til I picked up the wonderfully fantastic John O'Groats coastal road. Then down the east coast to Inverness, followed by some random zig zagging, to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

Finally, decided to take the scenic route home rather than the motorway, so I came home through Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales, which were both covered in snow.

A truly fantastic holiday, quite simply the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The southern highlands have got the most beautiful mountains, lochs and trees. The Western highlands are barren and yet awe-inspiring. The north is greener, with beautiful coastlines and beaches. The east is a bit like Cornwall, big seas and green coastlines.

And there was hardly anyone there. A lot of the roads are single track roads, although very well maintained and quite often, I wouldn't see another car for hours. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I thought I was lucky living in Devon with Cornwall on my doorstep, but the Scottish Highlands are simply magnificent. I will certainly be going back as soon as I can. Photos and videos to follow!

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