h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My life has a fair amount of serendipity that I'm very fond of. Yesterday was an example of that. I've been talking about going on holiday in Scotland when my mate, quite out of the blue, asks me if I want to go to John o'Groats/Dunnet Head "just because it is there". The only catch was that it was a there-and-straight-back job: a 1,000 mile round-trip.

It was amazing. I never quite realised just how big Scotland is. It just kept on going - getting to Inverness felt like an achievement and then we still had 100 miles to go before we ran out of road. For the first time in my life I realise the sheer stupidity of calling myself a northerner when I've spent almost my entire life living just off the M62. That just isn't northern.

The sights, even from the car, were spectacular. Driving up the east coast north of Inverness will stay with me, especially the Berriesford Braes and the Flow Country. I was caught out by how normal the northern coast was - I was kind of expecting it to be wilder and less habitable, when actually it looked perfectly comfortable and nice. Reminded me a lot of Cape Cornwall and Lands End. Speaking of Lands End, I was expecting John o'Groats to be an anti-climax and it was. Dunnet Head was much more breath-taking and wild, much more what I was expecting and it reminded me a lot of Lizard Point. It's cool that for a brief time I was the northern-most person on the island of Great Britain.

I wish I could have spent more/any time up there, but I guess any amount of time wouldn't be enough and I'll have a crack at spending more time this summer. Quite tempted to add Ardnamurchan Point to this summers route as it means I'll have visited the 4 extreme points of Great Britain (I went to Lowestoft Ness when I had a job interview in Ipswich).

That reminds me of a line in the Liver Birds which I somehow have never forgotten (back in the days of black and white TV). One of the girls had a boyfriend who was keen on cycling and she came home exhausted from a long cycle ride.

"How did the trip to Rhyl go?"
"!!!"
"Well, what did you do when you got to Rhyl?"
"A U-turn"

At least you looked out of the window and took in the landscape on the way. My husband has a problem with some of his cycling friends who really just do it for the cycling, and won't stop to look at things on the way.

you're in the North(ish) of England though and that counts for me

sounds like a great trip - but oh my, didn't you have back ache from driving so much?

That sounds like a wonderful trip. I've spent precisely two days in Scotland. Really must go back. And try to get further north and climb more mountains next time.

I know the name Ardnamurchan Point from the Radio 4 shipping forecast.

TRiG.