Driving pleasure with very few fellow Travellers
I am probably like most people who drive, in that my driving is entirely utilitarian. I drive to get to the shops or to the city for various business reasons. My route covers the same roads every day and there is nothing new under the sun. I have to cope with the same traffic situations, and in some cases the same traffic. We know each other and expect to pass along the same stretch. Driving is a dull task.
I was watching a travelogue that took us through the highlands of Scotland. I admit that I was far more comfortable watching from my television than actually being there, because it evidently was very cold. What intrigued me was the discovery that driving along a road that had very little other traffic on it held for the driver.
The Scottish Highlands is not for the faint of heart. Firstly, take lots of clothes to bundle yourself in, otherwise you will need to be a very hearty person. There are few of us who are sufficiently tough to survive in that climate. To add to the cold the wind will give you a severe lashing, and the North Sea beats down upon the shores unmercilessly, creating a scene of great wonder and beauty.
There are the mountain passes and valleys, the coastal drives and the small towns. There are houses that sit all alone amid the empty waste that leaves the observer wondering why would someone have built a house in such a remote place? What must life be like for the people who live there?
Such places exists in my mind solely for the purpose of being visited. To get there we first make certain that the car is totally roadworthy before setting out, and we carry extra fuel. Then we are ready to go for a drive.
Should we take a camera? Frankly, I think that pictures can only do so much to tell the story. This is one of those things that each person has to experience for himself, particularly because getting there is really most of the fun.
I have this as one of my “Must Do” things before I turn in my driving license for good.
Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael
I am probably like most people who drive, in that my driving is entirely utilitarian. I drive to get to the shops or to the city for various business reasons. My route covers the same roads every day and there is nothing new under the sun. I have to cope with the same traffic situations, and in some cases the same traffic. We know each other and expect to pass along the same stretch. Driving is a dull task.
I was watching a travelogue that took us through the highlands of Scotland. I admit that I was far more comfortable watching from my television than actually being there, because it evidently was very cold. What intrigued me was the discovery that driving along a road that had very little other traffic on it held for the driver.
The Scottish Highlands is not for the faint of heart. Firstly, take lots of clothes to bundle yourself in, otherwise you will need to be a very hearty person. There are few of us who are sufficiently tough to survive in that climate. To add to the cold the wind will give you a severe lashing, and the North Sea beats down upon the shores unmercilessly, creating a scene of great wonder and beauty.
There are the mountain passes and valleys, the coastal drives and the small towns. There are houses that sit all alone amid the empty waste that leaves the observer wondering why would someone have built a house in such a remote place? What must life be like for the people who live there?
Such places exists in my mind solely for the purpose of being visited. To get there we first make certain that the car is totally roadworthy before setting out, and we carry extra fuel. Then we are ready to go for a drive.
Should we take a camera? Frankly, I think that pictures can only do so much to tell the story. This is one of those things that each person has to experience for himself, particularly because getting there is really most of the fun.
I have this as one of my “Must Do” things before I turn in my driving license for good.
Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael
