Take the Slow Road: Scotland: Inspirational Journeys Round the Highlands, Lowlands and Islands of Scotland by Camper Van and Motorhome

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We include the steepest, the bendiest, those with the most interesting bridges or views or obstacles, ferries and tidal causeways. And you don't even have to own a camper van or motorhome – we'll tell you the many places you can rent one to take you on the journey.’ Being open-hearted gets you places, so get out of your motorhome and talk to people. It’s really worthwhile and the people I’ve met have been very generous and kind. Be adventurous. Explore roads that you wouldn’t necessarily go down because there could be something amazing at the end of them. There are also themed journeys like the Harry Potter Trail which takes in Fort William, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Rannoch Moor, while the Bonny Botany Trail links up botanic gardens near Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stranraer, Peebles and Dunoon.

As we round the last bend before Lochranza, we get our first view of the bay and we also see something that definitely doesn’t belong in this most bucolic of landscapes. It’s an enormous superyacht. It belongs to Roman Abramovich. So this is where the oligarchs have their holidays! Benmore Botanic Garden near DunoonAnd what more could you want? Great advice, superb pictures and route maps, hints, tips, and stories, all told in such a way that you can’t wait to get going yourself.

Loch Lomond is just a short drive from Glasgow and driving down the West Coast of Scotland’s main route from Fort William to Glasgow is incredible. You can’t say that about the M1.” Launched using the topical hook of the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth in 2021, the company was confident that the chance to explore aregion that inspired not just Scott but also many others before and after would be popular. We include the steepest, the bendiest, those with the most interesting bridges or views or obstacles, ferries and tidal causeways. And you don’t even have to own a camper van or motorhome – we’ll tell you the many places you can rent one to take you on the journey. All of this is interspersed with beautiful photos, handy maps and quirky travel writing from the king of camper vans and motorhomes, Martin Dorey. In this book Martin defines the best driving routes around Scotland for camper vans and motorhomes,showing the reader the coolest places to stay, what to see, what to do and explain why it's special: ‘We meander around the highlands, lowlands and islands of Scotland on the most breathtaking roads, chugging up mountain passes and pootling along the coast. We show you stuff that's fun, often free. We include the best drives for different kinds of drivers; for surfers, wildlife watchers, climbers and walkers.It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey’: TV presenter Sarah Heaney loved her motorhome holiday Looking up at the 50 sequoias that tower above me, stretching off into the distance along a verdant avenue carpeted with vibrant, early spring grass, I see a history of the earth rising up from the elephantine trunks of those giant redwoods. Sandwood Bay The Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh is the start and finish of this epic drive around Scotland, especially if you are flying in and want to hire a camper or motorhome. As cities go, Edinburgh is one of the finest, with wide streets and a cosmopolitan feel. Stay as long as you like but take the M8 towards Glasgow when it’s time to make your escape. It’s not wildly exciting for the first section, but once you cross the Clyde on the Erskine Bridge and follow the A82 up the western bank of Loch Lomond it starts to get interesting. As with Route 4, take the A83 at Tarbet up to the Rest and Be Thankful before hitting the southern shores of Loch Fyne on the A815.

We would also have missed the highest road in Britain, the A93 in the Cairngorms, had we not read the book. The Bonnie Botany Tour is a long distance driving route in the south of Scotland, conceived for lovers of gardens, scenery and Scotland, to complement the North Coast 500. It takes in some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery and offers drivers the opportunity to see the very best of Scotland at their own pace. A self-guided walking holiday through the Tweed Valley, launched in autumn 2020 as quarantine restrictions continued to make overseas destinations difficult, has become the best-selling holiday ever in one year for Inntravel, a specialist slow travel company with a 37-year history. In this book we define the best driving routes around Scotland for camper vans and motorhomes. We show you the coolest places to stay, what to see, what to do and explain why it's special. We meander around the highlands, lowlands and islands of Scotland on the most breathtaking roads, chugging up mountain passes and pootling along the coast. We show you stuff that's fun, often free. We include the best drives for different kinds of drivers; for surfers, wildlife watchers, climbers and walkers. We include the steepest, the bendiest, those with the most interesting bridges or views or obstacles, ferries and tidal causeways. And you don't even have to own a camper van or motorhome - we'll tell you the many places you can rent one to take you on the journey. Forget the blur of a life lived too fast. This is a look at taking life slowly. It’s about taking the time to enjoy journeys and places for their own sake.In this book we define the best driving routes around France for camper vans and motorhomes. We show you the coolest places to stay, what to see, what to do and explain why it's special. We meander around France on the most breathtaking roads, chugging up mountain passes and pootling along the coast. We show you stuff that's fun, often free. We include the best drives for different kinds of drivers; for walkers, wine-quaffers, climbers and skiers. We include the steepest, the bendiest, the most picturesque and most interesting. And you don't even have to own a camper van or motorhome – we'll tell you the many places you can rent one to take you on the journey. We hop fences and arrive at a tiny cove at the far end of Hushinish’s main beach. Further out to sea, the water is stunning azure, reflecting the blue sky. It looks like the Caribbean. Kintyre Forget hurrying. Forget putting your foot down and racing through sweeping bends. Forget the understeer (whatever that is). Forget the blur of a life lived too fast. Take the Slow Road is about taking the time to enjoy journeys and places for their own sake. It’s about stopping and putting the kettle on. Stopping to take a picture. Stopping to enjoy stopping. How are you going to do it? In a camper van or a motorhome, of course.

First off, let’s say this book feels great. It’s more than just a book; it’s an object that feels good to hold. The cover is robust and folds open to reveal a map of Scotland with numbered routes of Martin’s travels, each corresponding to a chapter in the book. Having driven up the M74 to Glasgow then straight north, I was ignorant of what was there, so exploring the area on the 7Stanes cycle route was a lovely surprise. The Botanic Gardens route is really good because it takes in a part of Scotland that many people bypass.” Driving route and map (courtesy of Martin Dorey ‘Take the Slow Road: Scotland, Bloomsbury Publishing)I’ve been working on guides to England and Wales. Wales is similar to Scotland in that it’s very beautiful but in England it’s harder to find really good routes.