which I treated to a beasting around Silverstone as a send off, this was to be a week long trip to Brora, in the Highlands of Scotland. This will be the third time there, but previously we’ve used the sleeper train to Inverness so this was to be the first time driving.
Part 1
So here’s the start of the journey, Saturday morning, just before I zero’d the trip. Wherever possible I always try (and have until this trip so far succeeded) in running this car on Shell V-Power and so I planned our route to take into account Shell petrol stations, and with it I would be keeping an eye on overall economy. First leg of the journey involved driving up the East Coast with a stop over in the Edinburgh Park Novotel.
Swapped over the driving at Scotch Corner, (where there is conveniently a Shell petrol station
), and after an hour or so got a bit bored
Angel of the North. Couldn’t have place that lamp post better if I’d tried.
No more photos this day, as it’s all just motorway really.
Next day, after a minor alloy kerbing in the hotel car park (Grrr!) we were off again, heading north firstly over the Forth Road Bridge
Then pausing for lunch for a tour of the Dalwhinnie distillery, where the roof was being fixed due to damage from high winds. At this point, I thought we were going to have a week of rain.
Car parked away from flying roof tiles and motorhome drivers...
Parked up at the Ralia Cafe just along from Dalwhinnie when I had some old motorbikes park up and couldn’t resist a quick photo.
After that on to Inverness and another Shell petrol station. No picture as my fiancé refused to be seen taking a photo of a petrol station. Fair enough.
Proof that I didn’t do all the driving. Small teddy bear bought in John O'Groats 7 years ago and being taken on a road trip home!
After seemingly ages overtaking everything on the A9, we arrive in Brora and a quick look at the dash shows some interesting economy. Amazing. (Oil light due to ignition, not because it's low!)
Part 2
After a few days, I was itching to get out and drive the car on my own so it was agreed that Helen would play golf with her parents in Dornoch and I would go and do some “photography”, which necessitated a long run out into the Highlands. My time was my own, and I just needed to be back for dinner at 6.30pm.
So at 1.00pm I set off on what somebody referred to as a lap of the Highlands. Not quite, but here’s the route.
In case you can’t visualise this, here it is zoomed out
Here’s the start, with Brora in the distance.
Ironically, as I was taking this I heard a train approaching. Now as mentioned we’ve previously taken the sleeper train from Euston to Inverness, which leaves at about 9pm and gets in at 7am. Then we’d wait until 10.30am to catch the train to Brora and I don’t remember it from previous years, but this is it. Tiny.
So even ignoring the drive I had ahead of me, it was good to be in the car!
Given I had a fair few hours I thought I’d try and take in a tour of the Glenmorangie distillery. Got a quick photo before going in:
Although I was on time for the 1.30pm it was fully booked, seemingly by Germans, so I had a quick look in the shop, bought a bottle and headed back out, where I found some fellow BMW owners parked around me.
So I left the distillery and headed for Bonar Bridge, which is a nice road but was busy with tourist traffic. Quick stop for some loch side photography, using the tripod for a change.
Bonar Bridge in the background
I then came across interesting rail bridge at Invershin so I headed up to the platform to see if I could get a good photo of it. I couldn’t but was impressed by the almost derelict nature of the station....
Love this sign, no taxis, no buses, so you’re either walking or cycling.
Another nice spot, where I pulled over to let the car cool down a bit and have a rest myself
Double bubble roof - coupe owners only, obviously
Then it was on to the A837, which I had sought out because of this thread:
http://www.bmwland.co.uk/forums/viewtop ... Cannonball
I’m not sure I agree with that post, because while the A837 is a good road, it’s also single track with passing places. And there were definitely more than 6 cars when I was on it. Still not that many mind.
Here it is, the open road
I then turned off the A837 onto the helpfully titled A835, which is much more like it. Two lanes, no traffic, plenty of curves.
Check it out:
Stunning scenery as well of course
Anyway after enjoying myself immensely I came into Ullapool, where I thought it would be nice to park up for a bit. As luck would have it I found myself at the perfect combination of hotel cafe, parking, outside seating and backdrop. Don’t get this in Surrey, that’s for sure.
Delicious coffee too
By this point the car was running low on fuel as earlier in the week I had had to use regular unleaded from Tesco (oooh, the horror
), as that was all I could find, so I hadn’t filled it up. But salvation comes in many forms and in this case it was a Gleaner petrol station selling super unleaded. Reasonably reliable sources tell me that Gleaner are a Shell fuel distributor and so this was apparently Shell V-Power, except much more expensive. I have no shame in taking a photo of a petrol station of course, although I should have cleaned my polariser a bit better, so apologies for the light streak.
But then some TVRs came past
There was a Sagaris too, but I was already back in the car by that point.
Then just as I was driving off I was sure I’d seen a classic Alfa. Being a massive fan, I thought I’d quickly park and try and get a few frames. Amazingly it was not one, but three immaculate late 50s Alfas, 101s I think, all Dutch registered.
Unfortunately in my rush, I hadn’t upped the shutter speed, so the other shots are a tad blurry but you get the idea
I then followed them for a few miles, before giving then a fellow motorist toot as I passed. Lots of appreciative waves back, which was nice.
This A835 only gets better and better outside of Ullapool and there’s lots of well sighted corners and flowing sections. The Z4M really came into its own on this stretch and instead of struggling with the clunky drivetrain it all came together as the speed rose and I could flow between bends. The usual gripes about the ride went away too, as the roads are much better and at higher speeds I think the car feels much more settled. For the first time ever though I detected the faint whiff of understeer, but then I think my front tyres are past their best.
I then came across the hydroelectric dam at Loch Glascarnoch, which obviously meant taking some photos and again a chance for everything to cool off. Amazingly the car was telling me it was 26 deg C at this point.
Dam it!
Front dam!
More fabulous scenery, complete with lovely driving road
Sometime later I turned off the A835 to the A836 and came across the Spa town/village of Strathpeffer where I stopped for a break and an ice cream at this interesting building
Also some very smart toilets (externally at least) and a chance to practice some contre-jour photography (not very successfully, I hasten to add!)
By this point it was getting late, so I carried on through Dingwall and had just enough time to call in to the Dalmore distillery. It always looks closed from the road, and indeed I bumped into the architect who told me it has been undergoing a refresh. She offered me a quick look round, which was very generous given it was 5.45pm, but with no time I just took another “Z4M outside a distillery” shot for the album and was back on the road.
And so after nearly 5.5 hours and 165 miles I arrived at Dornoch golf course, car and driver still in one piece.
So much as I enjoyed the day, and the car felt fantastic, back in the gridlock that is Surrey with the poor quality roads and the need to commute in traffic, I'm confident that my needs would be better served by something else, so my Z4M will be up for sale shortly, freshly serviced and with the balance of its BMW warranty. It's been great to use it for this trip though and I can sell it knowing I've had some really memorable drives.
Finally then, after dinner and as we headed home along the A9 I stopped off for a few shots in the evening sun.
If you've very thought about a trip to the Highlands, you really must do it. The roads are brilliant, the scenery is fantastic and the people are really friendly. Both you and your Zed will thank you for it!
Cheers for reading.
James
