I’d like to take you back to winter 2019, prime surfing season, and the Hebridean islands off the coast of Scotland were looking very inviting. Known for their big waves, crystal shores and Baltic ocean temperatures, the idea of pulling on a thick neoprene suit and running out into a white-horse-peaked horizon felt like a crazy and awesome chilly dream.

With 10 days between Christmas, before heading back to the stresses of everyday life, I wanted to make the most my time. Packing the car and driving flat out up the North West coast of Scotland no longer had the same appeal that it had when I first discovered Scotlands wild coasts and Isles. Now it was more about the travelling, the places to see, and the people to meet.

I made the choice to spend three days appreciating the journey to Oban, so that I could stop off whenever I wanted, have cups of tea by lochside beaches, and rise early for a few much-treasured Scottish sunrises. Drumlanrigg castle in Dumfriesshire was on my way, and didn’t disappoint. Then it was on through Glasgow, and to Loch Lomond. Finally, a day trip to the Bridge of Orchy, and a pink dawn sky that would rival any I have ever seen.

This year looks as though it will be the year of the staycation (Although we’re big advocates of that every year) but I had no idea what 2020 would have in store for all of us. We want to get the most out of the time we had off, and see as much of the country as we could. There are some truly beautiful parts of the United Kingdom, and slow travel enables you to experience more of them, to be at one with your surroundings, and to stop the streaming rush of modern life.