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- 747_JK
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
- Location: England
- Posts: 417
MY2019 Discovery a joy to drive around the Outer Hebrides...
Just had our usual two weeks on North Uist for Easter, and the Discovery has been as phenomenal to drive as ever - despite being nearly five years old and approaching 50k miles.
It's made me think I will likely stick with my June build slot, and not run off chasing the hybrid dream in an X5...
Because of ferry chaos, we elected to go Ullapool - Stornoway, then Leverburgh - Berneray instead of the normal Uig - Lochmaddy, but we routed back the usual way, with an added day trip from Eriskay - Barra thrown in last week too.
A few pics of a key part of the family!
Alongside Loch Ness around 6am on the way up:
Coming over Harris:
On a private grass road... where my son (9), had a go... He's a big 9, and no longer fits on my lap to steer, so this time he got to do the pedals too.
Over the sea to Barra... flat calm day!
Very early start leaving North Uist on the early ferry, but treated to some stunning skies!
If you get a reliable one, the Discovery 5 truly is a fantastic car for eating up the miles in supreme comfort. The boot swallows a tonne too.
And the performance when overtaking ferry traffic snaking back on Skye surprises most!
Without doubt, the best car I've ever owned.
Last edited by 747_JK on 23rd Jul 2023 5:56 pm. Edited 1 time in total
MY23.5 D5 3.0 MHEV Metropolitan Edition – Santorini Black – Ebony Windsor Leather – 21” Style 5025 gloss black wheels – 21” full size spare tyre – Black roof rails – Black side mouldings - Williams Ceramic Coat. [Gone: D5 HSE @ 50,795miles: (now LH68 BYW)] -
- BigCol66
- Member Since: 06 Jul 2020
- Location: Mid Wales
- Posts: 293
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- Darras
- Member Since: 16 May 2020
- Location: Newcastle
- Posts: 764
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I live less than 100 miles from the Uists. Whilst it’s great you’re having a good holiday, this time of year fills us with dread because of the visitors.
Already I am seeing convoys of motorcyclists, Campervans and super cars going round the NC500. If I had my way, I’d have a physical boundary stopping people coming up here, as would many not deriving money from Tourism. Nothing personal - you’d understand if you lived up here.
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- 747_JK
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
- Location: England
- Posts: 417
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Oh I'm totally with you Darras... Why do you think I come up late March / early April. Because I hate anywhere which is busy... Our school finishes earlier than most, so we dash up while most are still at school, and the first week is empty. Second week is a little busier, but not much.
By a little busier, I mean, we had to share the whole of West Beach on Berneray with four other people on Friday - the week before we had it to ourselves...
C'mon, it's never "busy" on North Uist and that's why we love it so. But you wouldn't see me there in July or August.. because then it would be a few too many people, and midges...
The beauty of the islands is there's limited capacity. You need a plane or ferry to get there, and there's not a lot of either!
I love the area around Lochinver on the mainland too; haven't been for years since we now have property on the Uists we go to and share with others in our family. But my fear is that for all the positives the NC500 has brought, too many people is probably the biggest negative....
I hate seeing other people on holiday, I like to get away from others. And I hate queues in particular. Our other love is the USA, and that's why when we go, we go to the middle of nowhere, or to the places so hot in July/August even the Americans keep away!
MY23.5 D5 3.0 MHEV Metropolitan Edition – Santorini Black – Ebony Windsor Leather – 21” Style 5025 gloss black wheels – 21” full size spare tyre – Black roof rails – Black side mouldings - Williams Ceramic Coat. [Gone: D5 HSE @ 50,795miles: (now LH68 BYW)] -
- 747_JK
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
- Location: England
- Posts: 417
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- Wolfpack
- Member Since: 25 May 2019
- Location: Norfolk, UK
- Posts: 362
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Darras wrote:
I live less than 100 miles from the Uists. Whilst it’s great you’re having a good holiday, this time of year fills us with dread because of the visitors.
Already I am seeing convoys of motorcyclists, Campervans and super cars going round the NC500. If I had my way, I’d have a physical boundary stopping people coming up here, as would many not deriving money from Tourism. Nothing personal - you’d understand if you lived up here.
Too many people with too much spare time and cash. Probably just too many people.
We’ve noticed huge increases in footfall around our local nature reserves any/every day of the week. Especially after caravan magazines started extolling the virtue of visiting them (like the NC500). It seems visiting remote spaces have become a right of passage, ticking off what the magazines recommend….and in fact ruining the very natural environment of the location they come to see. Sad and annoying. -
- discus
- Member Since: 22 Aug 2019
- Location: North
- Posts: 161
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- Darras
- Member Since: 16 May 2020
- Location: Newcastle
- Posts: 764
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Like I said, if you’re making money from Visitors then you’ll support them. I know that holiday homes are fetching on average over £1k per week up to about £3/4k per week. Most are owned by people who live outwith the area, so the money doesn’t stay here.
I lived on Harris, I now live on the Highland mainland, I have done for the last 50 years, so I know what I am on about.
The ground swell from the majority of locals is things have got desperately out of hand. It’s destroying the culture and the beauty of the place. Holiday homes and let’s are forcing out the young folk, who can’t afford the prices and in effect is depopulating the Highlands. Without the young people we are lost as a community.
I was out yesterday in Gairloch. It’s over run with Visitors, Camper Vans by the score. Holiday homes with the big fancy cars parked outside. It’s definitely got worse over the past couple of years. Then there’s wild camping. Visitors letting their dogs run wild - Harris had a case the beginning of April, where Crofters lost a lot of lambs being savaged by visitors dogs, then they leave their litter, even human waste left near footpaths and on the machair. What? We should be thankful for this? Get a grip.
You now have dream chasers and retired people buying up property. That has an effect on services. It’s also very naive. The can’t get the NHS staff to support an aging population because the Doctors and Nurses can’t afford a home. Local school are closing because their roll has fallen off the scale. Take Harris, it had 8 primary schools in the 80’s, it’s now got 2. So it goes on. It’s becoming a big Eventide home. Why on Earth folk would up roots, leave supporting friends and family and move is beyond me. Unless you’re born and bred here, you can’t appreciate the problems we face on a daily basis.
Indeed a lot of dream chasers crash and burn within a couple of winters up here and return home. Take the case of a retired couple where the wife gets ill. The nearest main hospital is in Inverness, over 100 miles away. Then she dies, the husband is on his own, his relatives can’t help, he is simply too far away. Then you get to December, he hasn’t seen anyone for days, he can’t drive anymore. The hours of light are from 9.30 am to 3pm and that’s when it’s not torrential rain. He commits suicide. His Highland dream turned into a Highland Nighmare.
And you’ve the cheek to call an opposing view/post “grumpy old men” You should go and hang your head in shame. You obviously have no understanding of the problems of unregulated Tourism, depopulation of the Highlands by locals and young people and the disappearing Gaelic culture. It being made into a homogeneous Lake District or similar. At least the OP does to his credit. I’d better end it there before I say something I’ll regret. -
- 747_JK
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
- Location: England
- Posts: 417
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- Darras
- Member Since: 16 May 2020
- Location: Newcastle
- Posts: 764
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- discus
- Member Since: 22 Aug 2019
- Location: North
- Posts: 161
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- Darras
- Member Since: 16 May 2020
- Location: Newcastle
- Posts: 764
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Well it’s a pity you didn’t think about that before commenting, “ This forum seems to have a pretty high grumpy old man quotient in response to positive posts...” if you didn’t want the topic embroiled in discord.
As for your theory about the depopulation of the Highlands, maybe read the Scottish Office reports, H&I reports. It even in the press. It’s not like there’s a shortage of evidence to support what I said. These are just a few.
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- Craigp
- Member Since: 09 Nov 2016
- Location: Hull
- Posts: 690
Not considered the NC500 before. Looks really nice, might pencil it in for next year.
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- Road Runner 2017
- Member Since: 14 Jan 2017
- Location: Scotland
- Posts: 2010
MY17 First Edition - 3L Diesel Td6 - Farallon Black - Roof rails,side steps,tints,tow bar,mudflaps,door strips.
MY18 Hse Luxury - 3L Petrol Si6 Supercharged - Santorini Black - Roof rails,side steps,tints,tow bar,mudflaps,door strips,22's,dynamic pack 1,bonnet vents,t.v,dual view,frontcooler,360°camera,rear cooler/warmer,roof vane,black LR badges,wade sensing,door sill plates,boot liner, solar screen,wind deflectors,service plan,tracker,speed camera detector,dual dash cameras,ceramic coating. -
- discus
- Member Since: 22 Aug 2019
- Location: North
- Posts: 161
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Going to duck my head back down behind the parapet on this one, final comment will be that the grumpy comment was not originally aimed at an individual, but the direction that many threads tend to take.
Enjoy your Discovery everyone, wherever it may take you!
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