I wrote the following for the forum of the Jaguar XK
Enthusiasts Club – to which I belong. Then I thought - maybe some of the SkyeCalling
blog audience would also find the post of interest. A member of the XKEC (not
me…)! is organising a Highlands Tour for 2018. I hope to be able to join the
tour for at least a day or two when they come here. It will be something of a
novelty to see another XK on Skye!
What is the point in having a car which will do nought to
sixty just a few nanoseconds and has a top speed faster than Starship
Enterprise, if you spend most of your time in a traffic jam being overtaken by
cyclists and looking at the tailgate of a Ford Transit?
Yes – you need to take your Jaguar on holiday… The
ever-increasing popularity of taking a touring holiday in the Scottish
Highlands has prompted me to think of those of you who might be contemplating a
trip ‘over the border’, and to offer a few words of experience from a Jaguar XK
owner who actually LIVES here…
In the Scottish Highlands, while the minor roads are often single-track
and severely pot-holed, the main roads are two-way, mostly well-surfaced, and, out
of the peak tourist season, pretty-much traffic-free. (Peak season is June to
September).
When driving in the Highlands ,
you need to be very aware of animals on the road. Sheep grazing with heads down
on the roadside verge are unlikely to be a problem and can largely be ignored,
but beware in spring when there are lambs about, or if there are sheep on both
sides of the road – they may cross to be with their mates without warning.
Cattle in the road are pigs… Urmm… by that I mean that cattle will stand still
in the middle of the road and look blankly at you. Hooting your horn will have
no effect on them whatsoever. If you are brave enough, you will need to get out
of your car and apply a hefty whack to the rump of the nearest bovine. This may
get things mooving in more ways than one. I’m sorry – there are very few
car-washes in the Highlands … Then there’s the
deer. We have lots of them in the Highlands .
They sometimes gather close to roads, especially in winter when there is snow
on the hills. Deer can move very fast when alarmed. Red deer are big – the size
of a pony – so hitting one at 60mph can write off a car– so be VERY aware.
Then there’s the weather… It rains a lot here, so don’t come
with balding tyres, fit new wiper blades prior to your trip, and pack a
waterproof jacket for when you get out of your car. In winter – you may
encounter snow. You will see snow on the hills much of the time from November
to March. Snow can fall during the same period at road level as well, though
the Council gritting trucks do a pretty good job of keeping the roads open.
However, it is a bum-clenching experience to drive your precious wide-tyred Jaguar
on 3-inch deep slush…
Having said that, there are also periods of time between
October and May when the sun is shining, the roads are dry and deserted, and
the scenery is sparkling. I can think of very few more rewarding experiences
than that of unleashing your car on such roads. Of course, I am quite sure that
no responsible Jaguar driver would ever exceed the national speed limit, which
is 60mph here, the same as in England .
However, there are many stretches of Highland
roads that seriously tempt a little extra pressure on the right pedal. As far
as I am aware, there are no fixed speed/safety cameras in the North West Highlands
- though be sure - the local police regularly patrol using unmarked cars, and also
employ mobile camera vans. It is up to you to drive responsibly and safely.
 |
| This is Puss in Glencoe - before she had her 'PS55' registration |
Where are the best routes? Well – once you get north of
When you visit – and by now, you should be convinced that
you must – I do urge you to plan ahead. You will want to spend several days in
the Highlands . In tourist season, there are so
many overseas visitors here, you must book accommodation well in advance of your
visit. Out of season, many accommodation providers close for winter, so you
STILL need to book well in advance. At any time of year - don’t expect to find
any eating places serving food after 9.00 pm. Also - keep your fuel tank topped
up – garages are few are far between. Petrol on the Islands
is subsidised by the Government to the tune of 5p per litre, but there’s no
supermarket fuel here, so expect to pay more per litre than in most English
towns. If you are a fan of super-unleaded – you may not find it available at
every filling station.
If you are not already on your phone or computer booking
your trip to Scotland ,
and have any questions that I may be able to help you with – please ask-away. I
look forward to seeing photos of your trip in the forum…
No comments:
Post a Comment