Hello Scotland!
Introduction
Late September is when Scotland changes colour. The hillsides turn from green to gold and copper, and the whole landscape looks like it's settling in for winter. The air is crisp in the mornings, sharp like the first bite of an apple, but the days can still surprise you with warmth. The roads are a lot quieter at this time of year. It's past the busy season, and you rarely come across other cars. If you're an absolute petrol head, this is the time for you. You can just let go and enjoy the road trip for what it is, every bend and every vista as it comes around. The sunsets are the real show. They're big, powerful and they fill the whole sky. If you can drag yourself out of bed early enough, the sunrises are every bit as dramatic.
Services of the M6 heading north to Lake District
Day One - Nine Days and a Two Seater Sports Car!
It's early morning, the car's packed and I'm ready to go. For the next nine days I'll be heading up to Scotland on a photography and videography trip for the new website and social media accounts.
The kit list is a full one. I've got my Sony camera, the drone, a DJI action camera that mounts to the car, and of course my trusty iPhone. They say the best camera is the one in your hand at the time, and most of the time that's my iPhone.
I've been to Scotland many times, but this trip is about experiencing the road trip in my Mazda MX-5, or Miata as it's known in many parts of the world, in late September. I want to catch those sunsets and photograph some of the fantastic places along the North Coast 500. I'll be visiting and passing by the hotels on our tours, but as this is a working trip, I'll be keeping things simple and staying in budget accommodation along the way. Somewhere warm to sleep and a hot shower, and I'm happy.
Home is in the Midlands, so getting to Scotland is a long haul. To break up the journey, I'm stopping overnight in the Lake District. It's absolutely stunning, with lakes framed by fells and lovely little towns and villages tucked in between.
Sunrise in the Lake District
Day Two - A Sunrise Worth the 6am Alarm
My bed for the night had been the YHA Ambleside, a youth hostel right on the shore of Windermere, England's largest lake. It was very pleasant, and I ended up with a six-bed dorm all to myself.
I was up at 6am, showered and packed, and with the bags left in the room I could just jump into the MX-5 and head out and be back in time for breakfast. Roof down and the lanes to myself, I wound out past Little Langdale, a quiet valley tucked between the fells, for the 35-minute drive to Castle Howe. It's a modest peak at around 170 metres, but it punches well above its weight.
I pulled up on the narrow lane just as the sun cleared the fells. It sat in the gap between two hillsides like a coin dropped into a slot, pouring gold down the valley. Mist lay along the valley floor like spilled milk, drifting around the trees and farm buildings, while the dry stone walls stitched the green fields together below. The bracken was just beginning to turn and the lane glistened with dew. Worth every minute of that early alarm.
By the time I got back at about 8am, a large school group was filing into the breakfast hall, with a queue snaking round the corner. So I found a quiet seat in the conservatory and mapped out the next 24 hours. I've booked a stop at Bridge of Cally, a small village in Perthshire on the road up towards Glenshee and the Cairngorms. It's around four hours' drive, leaving another four tomorrow to reach the start of the NC500.
Right, it's 9:10am, the bag's in the boot and we're hitting the road.
About an hour north of the lakes, I pulled into Southwaite services on the M6. I'd not stopped here before, and it's a nice little services, just right for a stretch of the legs and a coffee (decaf, of course).
Back on the road, I was ready for something with a few more twists than the motorway. So at Moffat, a pretty spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, I peeled off to try a scenic loop. The route runs:
Moffat → A708 → Grey Mare's Tail → St Mary's Loch → Talla Reservoir → Tweedsmuir → Devil's Beef Tub → Moffat
The A708 follows the Moffat Water valley past Grey Mare's Tail, a waterfall that drops down the hillside like a long white ribbon, then on past St Mary's Loch, still as a mirror. With the roof down and barely another car in sight, the MX-5 darted through the bends like a swallow skimming a field. At Talla Reservoir, I cut the loop short and carried on north through the Scottish Borders towards Edinburgh.
At the viewpoint by the bridge over Talla, I got chatting to a tree preservation worker. He reckoned the Borders are often overlooked, and standing there, I could see why. We agreed the Cairngorms have some of the best driving roads in the country, which was just as well, as that's where I was heading.
As the light faded, I pulled into the Bridge of Cally Hotel, my stop for the night. It's a welcoming, cosy place, the kind where you feel at home the moment you shut the car door. The bar is lined with Scottish whiskies, rows of amber bottles glowing like stained glass in the lamplight. I settled in with a pint of local lager, then a wee nightcap of local whisky. A perfect welcome to the gateway of the Cairngorms.
Welcome to Scotland. A93 into the Cairngorms.
Day Three - The Road That Says We've Arrived
From Bridge of Cally, the A93 heads north into the mountains. This is a special stretch of road for me. For years, we've driven it on our Christmas visits to Scotland, and every bend holds a memory. Those trips were a sanctuary for me. Time with family, time with my wife, and a short break from the rest of the world. This road was always the moment I knew we'd arrived. We're in Scotland, we're remote, now enjoy yourself.
I pulled up at Glenshee Ski Centre, at the top of the Cairnwell Pass, the highest main road in Britain. It's cold and blustery up here, but when the sun breaks through it brings a welcome bit of warmth. I'd just done some fantastic filming with the drone, catching the MX-5 winding along the A93 in bright sunshine. A cappuccino and a caramel chocolate bar warmed me up, and then it was back to work.
Every time I drop into the MX-5's cockpit, I'm 18 again, licence fresh in my pocket and the whole world waiting to be discovered. I can't wipe the smile off my face. It's cold with the top down, but it's the only way. With the heated seats and the heater going, you barely notice the chill. Only the top of my head was suffering, so I stopped at Goodbrand & Ross to buy a hat. It's a lovely little café and shop at Corgarff in Strathdon, right on the A939 as it climbs towards the Lecht.
The drive through the Cairngorms was spectacular. The A93, then the B976 and A939 over to Tomintoul, was out of this world. The road rose and fell through pine forests and open moorland, each crest revealing another sweep of heather and another range of mountains, and with the roof down I was part of the landscape rather than just passing through it. If I had to sum up today in a few words, it would be excitement, fun and exhilaration. Present, happy to be alive, and all down to that combination of car and landscape.
Crossing the bridge north of Inverness, I could smell the salt in the sea air, and it was hard not to breathe it all in. A little further on, the scent of pine needles took over, sharp and fresh like a walk through a Christmas tree farm.
Just before Helmsdale, I took a short detour to Dunrobin Castle near Golspie, the fairytale home of the Dukes of Sutherland, with its pointed turrets looking out over the sea. It was closed for the day, but that made it the perfect chance to get the MX-5 lined up in front of it. The sun was setting over the hills to the west, lighting up the tops of the towers in a warm glow while the rest of the castle sat in shadow.
I've now arrived at my stop for the night, the Bannockburn Inn in Helmsdale, a historic fishing village on the North Coast 500 north of Inverness. There's a full moon hanging over the village and it's just beautiful here. It's a very old inn, full of character, and the locals couldn't have been friendlier. Within minutes I was swapping stories at the bar, hearing about life up here and what keeps them in Helmsdale. I barely put my hand in my pocket all night, as one whisky after another found its way in front of me. We were strangers at the start of the evening, but you'd never have guessed it by the end.
Next time, in Part Two, I follow the North Coast 500 up the Caithness coast to John o' Groats, across the top of Scotland and down into the wild north-west. See you in Part Two.
Your Questions Answered
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Yes. The roads are a lot quieter, with the summer crowds gone, and the hillsides turn from green to gold and copper. Mornings are crisp, days can still be warm, and the sunsets and sunrises are big and dramatic.
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Expect crisp, fresh mornings and days that can still be surprisingly warm. It can be cold and blustery up high, like at Glenshee, but when the sun breaks through it brings real warmth. Sunsets are a highlight.
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The Lake District makes a perfect overnight stop to break up the journey. An early sunrise drive past Little Langdale to Castle Howe gives you misty valleys and golden light, and you can still be back for breakfast.
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Yes. Come off at Moffat and take the A708 past Grey Mare's Tail waterfall and St Mary's Loch, then over to Talla Reservoir and north through the Scottish Borders. It's quiet, twisty and a great driving road.
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The A93 from Bridge of Cally over the Cairnwell Pass at Glenshee, the highest main road in Britain, then the B976 and A939 over to Tomintoul. The road rises and falls through pine forests and open moorland with mountain views at every crest.
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Absolutely. With the roof down you're part of the landscape, not just passing through it. Even on cold days, the heated seats and heater keep you comfortable, so you really only need a hat.
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It's around eight hours of driving, so it works best split over two days. From the Lake District it's about four hours to Bridge of Cally in Perthshire, then roughly another four through the Cairngorms to reach the NC500.
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The A93 over the Cairnwell Pass at Glenshee, in the Cairngorms. It's a spectacular drive, and the Glenshee Ski Centre at the top makes a good place to stop for a coffee and the views.
