| 15 Apr, 2009 - Ben, Glen and Hamish's further adventures in Scotland |
15 - 19 April 2009
"Why don’t you come with us on the trip to Scotland?" - Wise words from those in the know.
We’d been in the club for over a year and, I’d have to say, our attendance was patchy. What with part time work in the evenings and family commitments at weekends we seldom came to events.
Often the best we could do was to try out the Sunday runs on our own when a space appeared in the diary. ( Those tulip maps that are posted on the web are perfect for this. I wish other regions would do the same, then, if any of us were in "foreign parts" we could log on and find some runs)
So, as more free time started to appear, we determined to get to know people better at the club. The trouble was that after each meet we went home having really enjoyed the night but not able to remember names, only faces. "The best way to get to know everyone is to come away with us and you’ll soon start to fit names to faces and cars".
Bearing this in mind we signed up for five days in the North West of Scotland, just after Easter. What a great time we had !! After a meet-up at Tebay Services on the M6 we were all given a small card with details of everyones cars, registration numbers and names. All you had to do was check it out, once you’d caught up with the car in front. (Remember "the car in front is a Toyota"? Well, how about "the car disappearing over the horizon was an MX5"!!!)
Catch up time at the lights
Rob put it in a nutshell to me, in Fort William, at our first evening together: "You couldn’t have a better holiday. All the bookings are made for us, places to eat are sorted, overnight stops arranged, trips suggested if you want to go off on your own, routes pre-planned, new places to go and great scenery." He was right.
Learning names was a little slow at first. I bought a Stella for Teresa (or was it the other way round?).
After a good nights sleep we assembled at 9.00am prompt, ready to drive up the A82 to Invergarry, along the A87 towards the Kyle of Lochalsh, stopping for coffee by the beautiful Eilean Donan Castle.
Eilean Donan Castle
Then onward along the A890 to Strathcarron and the A896 towards Shieldalg. As if this wasn’t enough for one days perfection, we turned a sharp left and up onto the Cattle roadover the mountain and down to Applecross.
Wow !!! a thirteen mile single track road climbing over 2000 feet along one of the highest passes in the UK. The views were fantastic along with the weather and our 17 car long crocodile zipped along at quite a pace as patient and well mannered drivers, coming the other way, moved regularly into the passing places.
I think we’d all seen some of the TV programme about life around Applecross , so it was wonderful to stay for lunch at the Inn there. The menu of fresh fish was mouthwatering. I didn’t want to eat too much at mid day, what with the prospect of a long evening meal ahead of us, but the King Scallops in garlic butter, crispy bacon, rice, salad and bread was too good to miss! Then, full of food, we were off again around the coast to admire the wonderful scenery at a more leisurely pace. The extra weight didn’t seem to affect the car one bit.
If ever you get the chance to spend some time in the North West of Scotland, I recommend this route. The views were breathtaking. We arrived at Gairloch during the late afternoon to stay at the timber Gairloch Highland Lodge. Two nights here allowed everyone to take a breather and explore the area.
There was the tiny distillery at Lochewe, the Inverewe Gardens, boat trips looking for whales, a glass bottomed boat to let us look beneath the waves, a unique site in Melon Charles that made perfumes, and a stunning beach at Melon Udrigle with views of the Highland mountains.
Melon Udrigle Beach
In the evenings we ate at the Old Inn, a couple of hundred yards downhill from the lodge and serving real ales with superbly cooked food (OK, so we did have to wait a while but it was well worth it ! ). On the first night Jim was a little late since Marian had left her coat back in Applecross and he’d driven back over the Cattle road, solo, to retrieve it!
He seemed to make up for the lost drinking time on the second night, though. It was a joy to watch him sink slowly lower and lower into his chair as he told me tales of great journeys in Spain and the Alps and, finally, his memories of sticky dates were recalled as my pudding appeared.
Saturday and a run to Falkirk . We left Gairloch and headed north past Poolewe and Laide to have a last look at the West Coast. Then along the A835, through Braemore Forest, and a spirited run towards Inverness. My word ! I didn’t know the car handled or accelerated that well ( or one or two of the transit vans that we passed !). We followed them for a while and then, I think, Peter got fed up and overtook. You just need to keep the revs high and she flies.
Once again, the scenery was marvellous as we turned south onto the A9 and headed into the Cairngorms and down towards Edinburgh. Passing Aviemore, Kingussie, Blair Atholl, Pitlochrie, Perth and the Forth Road Bridge, we all took opportunities to stop along the way and become tourists.
Sunday! Our last day!
Peter and Christine had organised a trip to the Falkirk Wheel, a modern canal boat lift that works by Archimedes principle of Flotation, aided by a tiny amount of electricity. The cars were parked up as a second tourist attraction and we all embarked for a great trip. As much as I enjoyed the short “voyage”, I found the tour guide equally fabulous with her dry sense of humour, especially when dealing with Health and Safety issues: "Once we’ve started our voyage, if any of you feel anxious, sea sick or want to get off... TOUGH!" She was larger than life!!
The Falkirk Wheel
It seemed strange, at the time, to realise that the tour was over, the itinerary complete. The runs had been so good, the company so warm that it was a shame to have reached the end – even though, I have to admit, it was going to be nice to be home again!
The cars were everything they were designed to be - "B road classics". The roads seemed to have been created just for us. The weather was stunning.
"Why don’t you come on a trip to Scotland with us?" - Wise words from those in the know.
My sincere thanks to Christine, Peter, Jim and Marian for organising such a brilliant trip (and also to Roy and Herta for the DVD which was presented to each of us at the next club night.
Dave
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