Drive to Inspire!
Ever fancied taking a road trip? The road trip on our bucket list has been ticked off the list - and it was breathtaking!
I have just had a week in Scotland with my husband, where we completed the NC500. This 500-mile circular tour around the northernmost part of Scotland was something we had long wanted to do, and this year we had the opportunity to make it happen.
The route begins and ends in Inverness and can be completed in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. We chose to drive anti-clockwise, driving north from Inverness along the east coast. This first section from Inverness to John O’Groats was a part of Scotland that we had not visited before, and we were excited to get started!
The east coastline is geographically not as rugged as the west, but it is by no means less beautiful. Pretty villages hugged the coastline, and around every bend, we seemed to come across another wide sandy bay stretching ahead of us. Miles of golden and sometimes white sands, undisturbed by people, with turquoise blue water, was not what we were expecting to find here.
As we progressed along the route, the wide expanses of sand gave way to large craggy outcrops and jaw-dropping cliffs. The sometimes single-track road took us high up into the mountains and then dropped back down into valleys with beautiful lochs edged with lush green vegetation.
We took 5 days to complete the NC500, and as we progressed, the scenery changed from wide sandy beaches to craggy cliffs and steep drops to the sea. But the constant for me was the richness of tone and colour in the countryside. Even on the chillier days, the colours in the landscape have a real warmth to them, a sense of comfort. The colours and the textures have inspired ideas in me and have made me want to reach for my paints and embroidery threads! Watch this space for how my ideas develop over the next few weeks!
There is just so much sky in Scotland! You feel so small in the landscape, and in some places you feel as though you are the only people left on earth! Our entire trip was full of excitement and adventure from start to finish, making it one of our most memorable holidays. If the NC500 is on your bucket list, I recommend you make the trip - I doubt you will be disappointed.
If you are interested in taking this trip and would like suggestions for stopovers and must-see sites along the way, drop me a message, and I will be happy to share. But for now, I am off to find my embroidery threads!
Happy sewing!
Suzanne, Charlotte and Rebecca