The Lancashire Automobile Club Ltd - The Highland 3 Day Classic Tour

We met up with Mike Raven, checked in, then joined the queue for our first Autotest, which involved a cone chicane, to be completed in the correct direction, as quickly as possible. As we were at the back of the queue, we were kept entertained by the various routes taken through the 50-yard course by the other cars. Next it was our turn – we managed it perfectly, albeit slowly! By now, it was 9:30 am and time for the morning’s Navigation Section – we were off!

Correctly identifying Ordnance Survey features was the key to success – no mean feat for the rookie Navigator! “Some experienced Navigators” Stuart & Jacqueline Hamilton in their MGB Car No.4 Half way through the section, we made a wrong turn, realised immediately and came to a halt, only to hear the screech of tyres and see smoke through the rear view mirror, as two other cars had mistakenly followed a little too closely. We all carried out an almost perfectly simultaneous three-point turn – much to the amusement of local onlookers! Back on track, we were going well when, in the middle of the road, a family of pheasants were jaywalking. As we approached, they scattered, but one decided to come back, and unfortunately …… well, the car behind got covered in feathers! (Poor pheasant.) After this drama, we finished the Navigation Section and were on the Tour proper, passing through the most beautiful countryside.

We joined some fellow Tourers where they had stopped for a coffee break in Edzell - we were ready for the rest already. Off again, we took our chance for a quick re-fuel – we weren’t sure how often this would be necessary due to the remoteness of the route and as this was the first big trip for the E-Type, fuel consumption was an unknown quantity! Then we were away up into the Cairngorms, stopping for lunch at The Nethybridge Hotel – considerably behind all the other cars though. After soup and sandwiches we were off into the mountains, via Aviemore with its ski slopes.

We had a wonderful meal in The Tongue Hotel, then filled up with petrol at the Spar shop, where we were given a potted history of the locality by the pump attendant - who we were to see a few weeks later featured on BBC2’s Great British Journeys – a real authority then!
Across the Kyle of Tongue Causeway into quite a rainstorm – thankfully, we were ensconced in the E-Type’s cosy cockpit, all the while seeing our fellow Tourers hastily putting up their roofs, or bravely battling with the elements – either way, they were obviously old hands. As the weather cleared, we followed the coast round the north west of Scotland, over some challenging routes, but with stunning views of ocean and coastline. Occasionally we hit blind summits, with just the expanse of EType bonnet and blue skies to gaze at. Then back to more conventional roads to rendezvous at The Dundonnell Hotel
with its loch-side location.

After the Autotest we joined everyone in the Isle of Skye’s capital, Broadford, at The Claymore Restaurant for the most delicious fish chowder! Then a short drive over the hills to join the ferry which transported six of us at a time across the Sound of Sleat, back to the mainland. Yet again, another single track road and eventually on to the A82 through Spean
Bridge, past the impressive Commando Memorial. Not much later, along a forest track, a very enjoyable and exhilarating Autotest.

Nearing the end of the day and the Navigator took the wheel for the first time (not only on the Tour, but ever!) and realised just how difficult it was to stop the car - as the brakes leave much to be desired on a 41-year-old E-Type! We made it to The Stewart Hotel, to be met at reception by none other than Fort William’s answer to Basil Fawlty!!! That evening we had yet more interesting dinner company – together with Basil’s answer to cordon bleu cooking! The live band kept us singing and dancing well into the small hours, and a good time was had by all.

Day Four – Sunday – the morning after brought breakfast with a difference, together with much mirth – we none of us had seen so much toast and butter in one place! One final Autotest and we left the hotel. We passed signs to Ben Nevis and made one of our regular stops for fuel before driving along the edge of beautiful Loch Linnhe. Then we were off on another single track road up into the hills and back down again for perhaps the best lunch spread yet, in Dalmally. We set off on the final stretch via Glen Orchy, with a photo stop to capture the spectacle of it’s waterfalls and rivers in full flow.

After a quick drink in the bar, a final shower and change for dinner. Mike treated us to a rundown of events and announced the awards, including the long awaited, much envied, and very prestigious Best Hat-wearers of the Tour Award!! Yes, another table of different dinner companions, with stories to keep us amused. After a wonderful evening, we retired, worn out, with memories of one of the best four days’ holiday we’ve ever had – and with every intention of repeating the experience next year.

Having read about previous Highland Tours in the Austin Healey Club magazine, we have often thought about having a go ourselves, and when we read last years article in the March 2006 journal by Peter Austin, we decided to go for it. We have a Healey 3000 Mk 1 BT7, which has been on the road for 11 years after our 10 year rebuild, but which we had never taken on particularly long journeys due to work and family commitments. Hence, there was also a slight apprehension about going so far North and driving around some remote, narrow, steep roads and tracks in uncertain Scottish weather! I should point out that Kirsteen is a Scot and I am English, which has its moments, and that we have had many excellent holidays in Scotland, but we also know how rugged and isolated the countryside can be, although this is also part of its attraction and beauty.

The organiser, Mike Raven, welcomed our application and after some re-assuring telephone calls with him, we were booked in. There were some 26 classic cars planned to take part ranging from 12 Healeys and 4 MGs to a couple each of performance Cortinas and Minis. Many had taken part before, but there were a few novices like us. Having made all the necessary preparations, such as packing some tools and spares, a petrol can and a few waterproof and warm clothes plus having the rear leaf springs replaced, we drove up from Somerset on the Thursday, some 434 miles, to meet the Team at the Erskine Bridge Hotel just outside Glasgow.

After a good meal in the hotel and an opportunity to talk to some of the “old hands” as well as Mike and his team of organisers, we got some much needed sleep and were ready for the off in the morning. Every morning Catherine (Mike’s wife – who I called Carol and Caroline for three days – I wondered why I got some funny looks!) gave each navigator a Route Book for the day, except for Charlie in his XJS who seemed to have lost his navigator! He just followed the car in front.

Cars were rubbed down from the overnight dew and soft tops stored away. Silly hats were the order of the day – fortunately I couldn’t see what I was wearing. Setting off at one-minute intervals we found our way over the Erskine Bridge heading for deepest Scotland. We headed out on the road to Loch Lomand after which we had our first checkpoint at “Rest and be Thankful”, where there was a fantastic view across the glen. We then had our first taste of driving on single track roads with passing places. We were doing quite well until we met a white van coming round a corner far too fast to stop, so I drove round him on the grass verge – surprising how narrow the Healey is!

The drive cross country to the Tarbet Ferry was excellent, we were in company with Ross and Steve in their Cortina GT and Graham and Tony in their B Roadster, so there was some progressive driving! At one stage we were stopped by a local bobby in his police car, which as quite surprising as we were on a single-track road in the middle of nowhere, but he was warning drivers of a tree across the road further on. It was only after we had left him that I realised I had still been wearing my silly hat when I had been talking to him – decent of him not to comment. When we came to the tree across the road, Kirsteen hopped out the car and pulled the branches back to let all 3 cars through – all in a days work for the navigator?

Whilst waiting for the ferry at Portavadie, we had time for a coffee and a chat about the drive so far. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the driving and the spectacular scenery. With all the cars embarked, we crossed the Loch for Tarbet. Leaving Tarbet behind, we followed the route crossing the Crinan Canal at one stage, as well as going on a road where we had to open and close the gates to get through. It was on this stretch where we met a lady exercising her dogs in the middle of the road next to her house – seeing her in the distance, I had slowed down to 5 mph, whereupon she leaned in and told me to slow down – clearly she felt this was her private bit of road, which I could understand if she had lived there all her life, but from her accent she was clearly English up for the weekend in her holiday home! The lunch stop was at the Cuilfail Hotel at around 3 pm with soup and sandwiches, which by then was most welcome - we had driven about 130 miles.

After lunch and another 35 miles saw us entering the Highlands, and a further 10 miles or so took us to the Corran Ferry to cross Loch Linnhe, about 9 miles south of Fort William. Before we got to Morar, some 60 miles away, we were given a little speed / distance test. There were various alphanumeric boards placed by Mike at the side of the road to indicate a distance from a T-junction, and we had to choose the correct one using our self-calibrated car mileometers. I think this was an exercise in preparation for the subsequent navigation tests.

Finally, we reached Morar, where we checked in at the Morar Hotel at about 6 30 pm. Here we learnt that Ross and Steve had literally lost their windscreen when a passing lorry had flung up a stone, which had shattered it. Nevertheless, they had continued the drive, but with more fresh air than they had bargained for. We had a comfortable room in the hotel with a cracking view of Loch Morar, the deepest lake in Europe, and enjoyed reviewing the days events with everyone else during the evening over a few drinks and a good meal.

After a fine breakfast, we headed off to Malaig just a few miles down the road, where we queued up for the ferry to Skye. We met up with Nick and his daughter Tara in their red Healey Mk 111 and Simon and Julie in their black Healey. Nick had been having problems with his brake light switch, in that it was bust. Ever resourceful, he had rigged up a set of wires from the switch, which Tara held and touched together whenever he shouted “brake”. Neat solution, but I don’t think it will catch on. This ferry was a 35 minute crossing, so there was time to get one’s sea legs and a cup of coffee. Once on Skye, and some dozen miles down the road, we were taken down a private council road for an auto test. The idea was to drive, one car at a time, as accurately as possible at 25 mph over an unknown distance (to the cars occupants), with one’s time at the start and finish recorded by the marshals. Not very difficult really! After that, it was back on the road for a drive round Skye. Once again we took some single-track roads, with a few hairpins and steep descents thrown in for good measure.

One thing I haven’t mentioned so far is petrol. Clearly if your car is giving you about 20 miles to the gallon, on a good day, then you’re going to need to top up fairly frequently, given the mileage we were driving each day. The advice was never to let your tank go below half full and top up when you had the chance – Mike had even given locations of garages in each of the Route Books, so there was no excuse for running out of petrol and getting stranded up some mountain pass, although Dave Bell in the Lotus Cortina had to borrow Mike’s spare gallon.

However, back to Skye. We stopped at the Kilt Rock Viewpoint after 60 miles to see the waterfall going down to the sea and met up with a few other cars, had a chat and took a few photos. Some of the views as we came down the mountain passes were quite spectacular, but in other parts, Skye was quite desolate and bleak. Not a place to break down! Another 40 miles on from Kilt Rock found us at our lunch stop at the Claymore Restaurant at Broadford. Here there was a truly magnificent spread of food, almost a banquet, of soups, poached salmon, sandwiches and canapés. I must say that I thought the salmon chowder was the best I have ever tasted – and the second bowl confirmed it!

Over lunch we were given the first navigation route directions for later in the afternoon. Never having done this sort of thing before, Kirsteen was a little apprehensive to say the least. Although I haven’t the space here to explain in detail these navigational exercises, suffice it to say you are given a set of OS map features in a given order with a start point, and you have to work out the route to the finish point. On the way, you pass alphanumeric boards by the side of the road, which one records, and this shows if you were on the right route or not. Mike is devious here, in that he places boards on the wrong roads too, so when you see a board you think you’ve got it right, but you haven’t! Paul and Charlie (driving a Mini) joined our table when we were working through the clues, so we tried to pick their brains as we assumed they must know more about it than we did. Either they were playing it very cool, or they really didn’t have a clue.

Back on the road after lunch, we gave the Airfield autotest a miss, and headed for the Skye Bridge. Apparently seeing Paul and Lily start their run in the Fulvia in reverse was a sight to behold! We did the nav route, got lost a couple of times, saw lots of cars going the wrong way (according to us), noted a few alphanumeric boards and went down a road to Stromeferry (which we didn’t need to) before we turned round and found the checkpoint. Surprisingly, we did better than some! After that, we then opted for the Applecross loop – climbing up a steep and narrow road with some serious hairpin bends to take a view at the top of the mountain, which was breathtaking. Coming down the other side to Applecross was exhilarating too, but the brakes worked fine. At Applecross, we took a 5 minute stop, and gave Charlie in his XJS some directions for the next part of the route, but he decided to go back over the mountain pass again, and find someone else to follow.

A few minutes later and Mike arrived in his Healey and we followed him for a while heading for Loch Torridon. This part of the drive is quite fantastic, mostly along the side of the loch on a single undulating road, straight and fast in parts. I only got it wrong once when I tested my new rear suspension quite heavily on a part of the road that resembled a Harrier Jumpjet ski ramp on a naval carrier! The scenery was truly magnificent, but as time was drawing on, and we didn’t want to miss supper, we took the direct route at Shieldaig to Balmacara reaching the Hotel at about 6:45 pm, having done about 240 miles throughout the day. This was a really nice hotel on the North shore of Loch Alsh in the Kyle of Loch Alsh. Again we had a lovely room overlooking the loch and after a very swift shower and change we joined everyone else for drinks and a meal.

At breakfast the next day we learned that some had been out in the early hours trying to remedy a few problems on their cars. Bernard had been helping Phil and Rosemary in their green 3000, trying to fix his clutch hydraulics (he had to pump the clutch pedal to change gear – tricky on the mountain passes), Clive had been fitting his overnight charged spare battery into his Scimitar and Nick was having another go at his brake switch.

After receipt of the final Route Book and the nav section clues, we were off on a fast road down the side of the loch in clear, calm conditions. With hardly any traffic on the road, we passed Eilean Donan Castle (the one on the rock often seen on TV) and drove on the same road for 47 miles through Glenshiel and on to Invermoriston, where we turned right towards Fort William. At Fort Augustus, we stopped for petrol, by which time it was quite cloudy and cold. We met up with Ross and Steve at the pumps and Kirsteen lent Ross her spare hat as the lack of windscreen was turning his head blue. Steve was wearing his Hi Vis jacket round his head – cool or not?

We headed NE alongside Loch Ness for another 15 miles or so and then started the nav test. It is surprising how competitive one gets doing these little exercises, especially when it is clear one is totally lost. Driver / navigator relationships can become a little strained! We went through some beautiful scenery on a mountain track through farmyards and forests. Eventually, we got back on a proper road and were caught up by Francis and James in their red Healey, sporting their new tam o’ shanty Viking hats. We followed them for a while, before we turned off on another road, thinking we knew better, only to reach the checkpoint later from totally the wrong direction.

By this time we were experiencing some occasional light drizzle – more like rain drops in the wind. We kept the hood down. The last section before lunch took us on a single-track road up and down the Slochd summit before reaching the Carrbridge Hotel. We weren’t last in, I think Clive and Sue had that honour as their battery had packed in and needed changing for the other spare. After a superb carvery lunch and pudding we hit the trail for the last time. Opting to keep the hood down, despite all the signs and against common sense, we also bypassed the afternoon nav section, as we were a bit late. We headed SW to Dalwhinnie (sadly not to the distillery), through Tummel Bridge at the side of Schiehallion, well in the clouds, and on to Kenmore. The drizzle was getting more persistent now, but not enough to make us stop.

The final challenge was a 10 mile section from Kenmore to Amulree over Glen Quaich on a very narrow single track road with hairpin bends, steep ascents and descents, in what by now was driving rain and flash floods. Everything in the car was soaking except our bags under the tonneau. Had we stopped to put up the hood, even those would have got soaked, so we just carried on, driving through rivers coming down the road. Kirsteen was alternating between drying the inside of the windscreen and my glasses so I could see where we were going! Happily the car never missed a beat, despite all the water everywhere. Having covered about 90 miles since lunch, we came to the final checkpoint where John gave us a reassuring welcome, telling us that they had been watching the adjacent River Almond rise by about two feet since they had been there. We were not surprised.

The last 15 miles of the afternoon took us to the outskirts of Perth via a garage for a petrol top up (getting seriously low, but still had the reserve petrol can in the boot) and then to the Huntingtower Hotel, where we met up with everyone else. This was a lovely hotel with very comfortable rooms, and very hot showers. The Highland Classic Tour finished with the traditional dinner, at the end of which Mike informed us of some of the successes and failures by the participants. Congratulations went to Simon and Julie for getting all the nav sections correct (wow!) and to Derrick and Barry in their Sprite for being within two seconds of the target time on the 25 mph timed run. Commiserations went to Charlie for his timed run, which was clocked at 77 mph!

The biggest unplanned detour went to Philip and Glynis in their Mazda, who did a 55 mile round trip to Glen Elg on the last day, bagging a pheasant as well, I believe, and Mick and John had an unfortunate incident (allegedly) with a sheep in their 100/6. The airfield autotest was won by Kevin Willers in his MGC and for some reason the silly hats competition went to Kirsteen and me (Mike announced me as Bernard, so I guess we were quits on the names front) and everyone was presented with commemorative crystal whisky glasses to round off the formal part of the evening. The bar stayed open well into the following morning.

It was a fantastic 3 day tour of the Highlands over some challenging roads and through some of the most impressive countryside in Britain. Mike and his team (Catherine, Owen, Gordon, John and Nina, Mike and Judy) had put in an enormous amount of work to ensure an enjoyable and successful event, and received very grateful thanks from us all. Overall, we drove about 800 miles in the 3 days, plus another 800 miles to and from Somerset. It is very much an event for those who enjoy driving and putting their cars through their paces, in some beautiful countryside on challenging and enjoyable roads. It was really good that there were enough people there from different age groups, as well as an assortment of classic cars. Everyone was very helpful and we made some good friendships. We are certainly planning to go again next year, and I know Mike is already planning the route!

EVENT REPORT (2003)

THE HIGHLANDS (VIA NORFOLK)

WE’LL BE BACK

A report on the 2003 Highland 3 Day by Sylvia Bales

I’d like to include “our” trip up to the Highlands because although it took us all day it was superb – why superb you may ask – what’s so special about the A17’s, A47’s and A1’s of the world? Well, when you’re in the Healey, top down (of course) sun on your back and wind in your face roaring along – then its special. When we reached the A74 it was like driving through a beautiful water colour, this roller coaster ride takes you through the pretty countryside where I’m sure James Herriot got his inspiration for his vet series. I’m an avid fan of his and as we travelled his pages unfolded before my eyes. On one particular stretch when we were looking “down” on two jets strutting their stuff over the sunlit valleys of patchwork fields, we felt privileged to be there. Some 8 hours into our journey we reached Edinburgh but couldn’t find the Firth bridge and it started to rain at about the same time as we started to ache, so we dug a bit deeper for a bit more enthusiasm. The nice taxi driver, who told us to take the Forth road over the Firth bridge wasn’t pulling our leg!! It was now 6pm, nicely raining and we were tired, Bill didn’t want to put the hood up – I did – but he had to concede when the rain got heavier and the spray from the lorries added to our degree of dampness. We reached our hotel at 7pm (10 hours journey) tired and achy but very happy. We’d made it – we’re here in the Highlands, we said “we’ll be back”.

This is where Mike and Co ( Mike Raven and Owen Drew) take over because even now on Thursday evening he is busy taking care that we are included over at the Lovat Hotel although we are staying at the Queen’s. So a short trip over to the Lovat and there they all are, smiling happy faces (that’s the cars in the car park) and their owners all equally smiling and happy in the restaurant, we were pleased to see so many friendly old faces – a few not so old and a few new ones.

When we finished our last Highland Trip we vowed we would be back, but over the last 2 years there have been many times that Bill would not have been able to drive the Healey out of the garage, Bill’s doctors even suggested selling the Healey!! Sell Henry!! NEVER – its unthinkable because even if he is sitting quietly in the garage waiting for the turn of the key Bill doesn’t want to let him down, he is Bill’s responsibility and therefore Bill needs to drive him and so here we are……….

Day one – Morning- Perth to Nethybridge

Amongst the Healeys is a Morgan, Phil and Rosemary Thorpe’s Datsun, a Mini Cooper and MG’s, a few bonnets are up, the sun is shining and Mike’s got his flag. We are all assembled nicely outside the Lovat waiting for the “off”, we are car 5 but we set off 4^th. You see the 4ths and 5ths always get mixed up in Scotland! It reminded me of the football results when it was Forfar 5, Fife 4!! I’ve carefully studied which way to go when we leave the car park – to go the wrong way here would be akin to getting the £100 question wrong on Who Wants to be a Millionaire – someone will do it one day and I’d really laugh but I don’t want it to be me. Bill would not drive back past you all, we would wait till you had all left hiding round a corner!

The morning was an approximately 134 mile run through pine forest, over bridges spanning beautiful wide shallow rivers full of trout and salmon, across fords which can rise to 6ft, along the single tracks past the Balmoral Estate into the most beautiful countryside imaginable, onwards towards lunch and Nethybridge. About 10 minutes from our lunch stop high up in the hills we all came to a standstill. The culprit was a coach which had caught fire and burnt out. No one was hurt, so everyone felt justified in whingeing because we were all late for lunch and cold having stood around for 45 minutes high up in the Highlands. A superb lunch although everyone, on spying the soup pot rushed over to find it hot – but empty!! The jolly owner of the hotel wanted a photo of all the cars outside to add to his collection of other events which have used his spacious amenities.

Day One – Afternoon- Nethybridge to Inverness

We were off at 2.40pm – our lateness due to the coach fire not Bill’s diversions into seafood restaurants! We have approximately 85 miles to do. We are now climbing higher and higher, snow poles line the roads , pine trees as tall as Big Ben and we watch a baby red squirrel crosses the road – the ferns are turning to gold, Aviemore is green and gold and I wonder what she looks like dressed in silver and white when the hikers leave and the skiers arrive – at Feshiebridge dozens of white riverlets join together tumbling down the hills creating a waterfall which in turn crashes into a beautiful emerald green Loch, natures very own colour chart is in abundance, 40 odd miles further along we slowed down as a group of mechanics were all gathered around Phil and Rosemary’s - quick decision here, and as we had already robbed them of their oil (thanks Phil) we decided this was our chance to get in front so we shot off!! Surely we won’t be last tonight! For the next 5 or 6 miles I studied my directions carefully as they looked somewhat peculiar (I wish there was another Healey in front or even and MG!) – just before you joined the A9 at a T junction going right it seemed you have to take an earlier right hand turn – I told Bill to slow down, but the A9 was only yards away when the other right hand turn which was just a single track came into view – “that can’t be it” said Bill in a weary tone which he saves just for my navigating – “it is, it is” I shrieked all excited because I thought of the other cars behind catching us up. So up there we went with Bill convinced it was wrong. I was really relieved when just a few miles along this pretty track Mike and Co have found us, Phil and Rosemary come into our rear view!! We pulled over and waved them on, so much for our bit of glory! At about 5pm we reached the RSPB nature reserve and Loch Ruthven, the sun was still managing to peep through clouds of white and the ever increasing thundery greys, the whole area was dappled with the dark greens and greys of threatening rain and now and again the soft pinks and flame oranges and the sun struggled to splash her own colours around before slipping away for the evening, a beautiful end to a beautiful day – The Craigmonie Hotel was a welcome sight. I’d long lost any feeling in my rear end and so day one came to its end with all the cars safely put to bed and all the owners easily slipping into a happy evening of fine food, good company and lots of laughter.

Day 2 – Morning – Inverness to Tongue

Start 9am, skies grey, but as we head off towards Wick back into sunshine – today’s drive we have been told will be more dramatic that yesterday’s!! So here we go – past the oil rigs looking like giant meccanos way out to sea, and then up, up and away, we thought Cromarty Firth was particularly beautiful and before our coffee stop towards Laid we’d driven along roads with mountains way up high on our right sloping gently away into pine forests, on our left pure magic.

The ladies looking after us at the coffee stop had a wonderful sense of humour and dotted around the café were lots of little ditties. In the ladies loo was one dedicated to the Angler and the last verse went –

And upon his return

He smelt of strong drink

And there was no truth in him ---------

Now does that sound familiar? Now off we go towards Tongue and our next checkpoint – we followed wide shallow rivers along a single track road, the only other occupants being a group of cyclists who must have got fed up with waving us on – 14 miles further we came to Crask where unbelievably there was just one house on one side of the road and one pub on the other. On a one to one situation the men all thought it the perfect place to live!

We were now way up in the hills with the snow poles again lining the road we pulled off the track just to sit and experience the sheer vastness and beauty of it all and wondered how these folk cope when the snows arrive, further along we stopped again by a bridge spanning a wide shallow river of rushing waters, one side and the other side of the bridge pools of deeper waters where Bill informed me there would be lovely fat salmon. This is where he would like to spend a week. We steadily climb even higher until the sunshine disappears and we are among the clouds and their dampness, not exactly rain, because if it rains we put the hood up – Bill doesn’t like the hood up so he decides its not raining, just damp! However upon reaching our lunchtime stop – possible last in – we find the early arrivals had had a deluge of rain and apparently there was a mad scramble from the hotel lounge to the car park to get the cars rainproof – so the early birds don’t always get the worm. Sometimes they just get very wet!!

And so after a superb “top-up” of calories we are off again, the afternoon run is approximately 140 miles Tongue to Dundonnel, petrol is required and Bill sees his chance to quiz the petrol man about the fishing in this area. We were stunned to be told that a rod for the day costs £900 and you have to put the first one back! The accommodation in the area are mainly lodges at £14,000 per week which includes 8 rods but there is a waiting list!! We are even more stunned when we see our first beach – I’m ashamed to say that I/we didn’t know Scotland had such beaches as we encountered that afternoon. We stopped many many times that afternoon, the sights were too good to miss. The sun was shining again and there were even swimmers – what a beauty Scourie turned out to be again. We stopped by the jetty chatting to a charming lady who had lived there thousands of years, she pointed out the red necked diver and we sat and watched him diving again and again catching his supper - Drunbeg , Clachtoll, Strathan ooh’s and aah’s of the beaches and seascapes all along the drive we even found a cottage to buy and phoned the agent, but it was already sold! What a beautiful afternoon – we always come to a time where we have to head for home, today home is the Dundonnel Hotel still some 40 odd miles away, trouble is with Mike and Co you never quite know how long his 40 miles might take, so we reluctantly put our blinkers on and head for home, the Lochs, rivers and mountains and waterfalls are a mere blur, a wonderful day but 4 more hours would have helped – Mike and co work so hard to get the venues right for our lunchtime and evening stops , this important part of the event, this is clearly indicated by the sumptuous evenings. What is so great is that when dinner is served you never know who you’ll spend the rest of the evening with – but one thing you can be sure of is that it will be fun.

Day 3 Morning Dundonnel to Loch Carron

A beautiful crisp sunny morning perfect for the group photo, now being taken in the car park. Lots of jostling going on as we all try for the front row – vain lot- all of a sudden we are off – waved off by Mike – First! Not another Healey in sight! This was scary, but that’s how it stayed for 1and a half hours, we raced along “don’t let anyone pass” was my frequent plea – above the wind I didn’t see much, there was no-one a the “possible checkpoint”s and no one at the “possible autotest” although we pre-decided we would pretend not to see anyone anyway! We caught sight of rainbows over mountains and beaches as Gareloch, Kinlochewe flashed by , we bumped over cattle grid over cattle grid over cattle grid – yet another rainbow at Annet but after 67 miles out there on our own we threw the towel in – the pressure got to us! We pulled in for Scallops at Ardheslaig, we stopped again to view the harbour the beach, the fishing boat, this is more like it – this is us. Now we are going up Applecross the other direction of 2 years ago – how clever – how different it all is – we bounced our way up into the clouds ears popping and slid back down again – thank you Mike and co for including Applecross again. Lunchtime we stopped at the wonderful Loch Carron Hotel and we always say “we’ll be back!”

Day 3 Afternoon Loch Carron to Arduaine, the final run

Hoods now have to go up ITS OFFICIALLY RAINING and that’s how it stayed all afternoon all the beautiful places Kyle of Lochalsh, Strathacarron, Plockton, Drumbuie the Caledonian Canal Bridges, more single tracks, Fort William, Ben Nevis, Oban were all viewed through our rain splattered windows but all were beautiful in their soft grey Scottish Mist, completely different to when the sun is shining of course – but a different beauty to be sure. And so we make our way to the Loch Melfort Hotel for our final evening, a beautiful hotel sat on this beautiful Loch and again we say it – we must come back. We were tired and our rear ends numb, but we’d made it. I gave Bill a big hug, a well done hug, an I’m proud of you hug, a we’ve done it hug.

The evening was grand. Lots of the men had their DJ’s on and did us proud – what a handsome group the Healey Club made as we all made our way into dinner. The banter and laughter throughout the evening is so much part of it. The speeches got the usual jeers and cheers. A special thank you Mike and co for such a wonderful event, your efforts were truly not wasted.

Now its time for our goodbyes as we have to be off at 6am in the morning.

But not before, thank you Bill because despite the pains you suffer, your determination and your will made it all possible, you said we’d be back – and we were!

Bill and Sylvia Bales – Austin Healey 3000 Mk III

Branden & Kirsteen Heselton

Decisions

The Start

The Second Day

The Finish

Impressions

Day one – Morning- Perth to Nethybridge

Day One – Afternoon- Nethybridge to Inverness

Day 2 – Morning – Inverness to Tongue

Day 3 Afternoon Loch Carron to Arduaine, the final run