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Welcome to An A-Z of Scotland… but not necessarily in the right order!

I was born in Scotland, grew up in England and then moved to Australia where I spent the majority of my adult life working in the Australian film industry. Although I have returned to the country of my birth on numerous occasions, those trips were either to see family or for work. At the end of 2021, I moved back to the UK to care for my elderly mother and 4 years later, now aged 101, she suggested I have a holiday... or long service leave as she coined it.

My mother’s favourite comedy moment on TV was when the world- famous conductor André Previn attempted Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Eric Morecambe as his soloist. When Previn pointed out Morecambe was playing ‘all the wrong notes’, Eric grabbed Andre by the lapels and said: ‘I’m playing all the right notes... but not necessarily in the right order!’

This hilarious sketch inspired me to create an A–Z of Scotland using the names of places beginning with each letter of the alphabet, and then take a road trip to see every one of them... but not necessarily in the right order.

There are already many existing scenic drives to experience, the most famous being the NC500. However, as I wanted mine to be a little different, it took me quite a while to finalise my route. Initially, I searched for the most amusing place names; Twatt was the obvious first choice, but sadly I wouldn’t have enough time to visit it. I also considered Auchtermuchty, Auchenshuggle and Assloss, but thought they sounded too much like the world’s worst firm of solicitors. Brokenwind, Bonkle and Shitterton didn’t fare much better. Eventually, I did what I should have done in the first place and worked out my journey based on what I could realistically do in 15 days.

Although Scotland is the perfect destination for outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, cycling, camping and climbing, I decided to focus on places of historical interest and areas of exceptional natural beauty. As I also wanted to support and champion Scotland’s rich and diverse food and drink industry, I decided to visit as many cafes, farm shops, restaurants, pubs, distilleries and breweries as I could. Along the way, I created a second A–Z. A list of all the Scottish food and drinks consumed on my adventure, with an emphasis on local produce.

Having chosen my destinations alphabetically and subjectively, I then had to work out a logical circuit allowing me to visit each of them without the need to backtrack too often. With the itinerary of my grand tour finally locked in, the timing of where I was and when also had to accommodate my photography aspirations.

To capture the kind of images I hoped to get required research, as to what time the sun would rise and set each day, when the tide was in or out, and most importantly at my age, where the next loo stop would be between A and B... or between A and Z as it turned out to be on this particular trip.

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