Heading south
There’s plenty to explore in the Outer Hebrides, but sometimes you might need to head off to the mainland. Good job, there’s plenty to see on the mainland too.
These road trip adventures normally begin with a ferry journey just to get you in the mood. All part of the experience if you’re staying on an island.
I only recently noticed that the ferry has free shower facilities onboard, which in itself makes the trip worth doing just to freshen up a little. Little details like this can make all the difference sometimes.
There are a few options for getting on/off the Western Isles with a vehicle. For this trip, I wanted to leave via Tarbert on the Isle of Harris to catch the Ferry over to Uig on Skye.
Route revisited
On this trip, I wasn’t in a rush. I wanted to take in some of the stunning scenery on the trip south. Plus, there was a particular road I wanted to revisit in slightly better weather conditions.
Last time I drove it, it was 5.30 am, still dark, raining, and I was driving through low cloud. That was quite an experience in itself!
This time round, the weather was a bit kinder to me. It is an amazing road to drive with the most incredible views. Just make sure you keep an eye on the single-track road when driving!
Spectacular Skye
The Isle of Skye is a pretty spectacular place. Being connected to mainland Scotland via a road bridge, it is a hugely popular destination.
If you want to minimise crowds at the various ‘must-see’ locations on Skye, I would say that early spring and autumn are good times to visit. That and get to see them early in the day.
Gets everywhere
Love the traffic sign at the top of the Quiraing that had been totally sticker bombed. If you look closely, there’s even one from the Small Mission Hall, no idea how that got there.
Skye is one of the places where the landscape is utterly mesmerising. No wonder it has been a popular backdrop for a range of different movies. In the peak season, however, it does get inundated with visitors.
Another great reason to go via Skye for me was to grab a bite to eat. Rude not to stop for a lunch break at my favourite Cafe Arriba in Portree.
Excellent food and coffee, worth the wait even if there’s a queue.
Location location
This is a road trip route that just keeps on giving in terms of amazing landscapes and locations. Glorious Glencoe just never disappoints.
I mean, imagine living here in this little white cottage with these magnificent mountains as your backdrop – yes, please!
Film fame
Not to be outdone for film location credibility, Glencoe has its own (not-so) top-secret film location spot. One for any film geeks out there.
Does anyone recognise the inauspicious little location from a famous film scene that was shot here? Can you name that film…
Scotland is right up there in terms of great road trip destinations. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. So as the mountains fade to a distant memory in my rear-view mirror, I’m soon back on the motorway in England heading south. Not quite so picturesque.
Radical regeneration
Collecting things and seeing people were the reasons for the trip south. Still, there’s always time to see something inspiring whilst down in Kent.
The Folkestone Harbour Arm redevelopment is a wonderful example of seafront architectural regeneration. Formerly a ferry port and commercial branch line train terminus, the Folkestone Harbour Arm is now home to a growing collection of independent businesses, as well as a great location for a renowned sculpture installation.
Art does not reproduce what we see. It makes us see.
Art does not reproduce the visible; it makes visible.
– Paul Klee
Particularly loved seeing British sculptor Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Time XVIII 2013’ piece in situ on the lower deck of the Harbour Arm.
Combining both the vision and collaborative power of art and architecture to transform a redundant facility. Very inspiring and well worth a visit if your in the area.
Funky Folkestone
In my ’yoof’, I used to regularly go and see bands live in different pubs and venues around the area. Cultural finesse wasn’t (and still isn’t) one of my strong points.
However, even I can see that things have moved on for the better since those halcyon days.
No ChatGPT
Hopefully, by now, you can tell that all of my written and image content is self-generated.
It’s far from perfect; a bit rough and ragged around the edges. Grammar and writing are not my forte; it’s a struggle and takes me an age to write anything.
However, it’s my own personal, authentic, and individual take on things; it’s all done by me. I do not, and will not ever use AI to produce generic churn for vdubxs.com – that is just not how I roll!
All of this is produced by my human hand. It’s an important part of the creative process for me. If you appreciate this in any way, please feel free to like, share, or otherwise let me know.
Hey, you could even go crazy and maybe Buy Me a Coffee if you wanted.
