Driving in the Outer Hebrides
By Steve Hatherley
When you think of the Outer Hebrides, you normally think of sandy beaches, ancient standing stones and lilting Scottish accents. You don't normally associate the Outer Hebrides with some of the best driving in the British Isles...

I certainly didn't expect to enjoy the driving so much when I visited the Western Isles (the other name for the Outer Hebrides) in Scotland recently.

It certainly isn't speed that makes the roads in the Outer Hebrides so exhilarating. In fact, for much of the time I didn't get out of third gear...

The roads are often single track with passing places. And where they are single track, often there are rocky ditches either side of a surprisingly narrow track. If you are at all in doubt of the width of your car, don't drive on the Outer Hebrides!

If the width of the roads wasn't enough, there are other distractions to keep you busy. The first are sheep. There are several times as many sheep on the Outer Hebrides as there are people, and for some reason sheep enjoy standing around in the middle of the road. Lambs are particularly lively and you have to take care when passing.

The other distraction is the often jaw-dropping scenery. Sometimes it's all too tempting to look at the view when you should be watching the road...