Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'I think they're going for the incongruity factor; a black cab round the Highlands,
puttering through the misty glens beneath the fearsome peaks, that sort of thing.'
'These people are from London, aren't they?'
'Where else? Plus they thought you might share some witty repartee with a garrulous
Glasgow cabbie.'
'So they don't know me; good, good …'
'Anyway, Banksie, what do you think?'
'Can we ditch the taxi? I mean, they're fine in cities, but some of these distilleries are
hundreds of miles away in the middle of nowhere.'
'What do you propose to do? Walk?'
'No, I'll just use my own wheels. I'll drive myself. To drink. Ha!'
'So you'd be alone?'
'Yes.'
'Then where's the witty repartee?'
'Maybe I can get some of my pals to come along and help with the driving and the
tasting and the repartee side of things. Some of my friends are quite witty. Well, they're
always insulting me. That's the same thing, isn't it?'
'Of course it is, my dear.'
'… Hmm. And we are talking expenses included here, right? Petrol, hotels? Umm …
More petrol?'
'Of course.'
'And you really think they'll fall - they'll agree to this?'
You can hear somebody smile over the phone sometimes, just by the quality of their
voice. 'Leave it with me.'
'Brilliant! I'll do it!'
Which is why I find myself standing on the deck of this ferry, heading for sunny Dunoon,
about to start the research phase of - gee! - my first non-fiction book. This next week on
Islay should be fun if I don't let the war get me down. And then there's Jura, of course;
I want to get across to Jura this time, to visit the distillery there and maybe get to see
Orwell's old house near the northern tip, and even - just possibly - finally see the Corry-
vrecken, the great tidal whirlpool between the north of Jura and the south of Scarba which
I've heard about and seen some footage of (and mentioned in an earlier book or two) but
always wanted to experience for myself. I mean; a whirlpool! One so ferocious you can
hear it from miles away! How cool is that?
From Dunoon along the coast road - past the peaceful-again Holy Loch where the old
US Polaris subs had their floating dock and support ships - to the first of the Great Wee
Roads we're going to encounter in this topic. Officially it's called the B836 but I'm really
