Travelling - The Hebrides.

I've just returned from a trip to the Hebrides. Generally speaking I don't much like organised tours, but my independent trip with friends got postponed, so this was the alternative.

There is something that reaches deep into the soul about wilderness areas. Vast expanses of land, sea & sky with hardly any human habitation, or indeed humans, to mar the wonder of natures creation makes one very reflective.

The contrast with a coachload of people, mostly elderly, being moved around like a parcel with a running commentary is obvious. The practicalities of getting a big group of people, with varying degrees of mobility, on & off coaches, ferries & small boats & in & out of hotels & cafes are also obvious.

My preference would always be to chose my own itinerary, to go at my own pace, to stop where the spirit moved me for as long as I wanted. Or to move on. You can't do that if you are travelling with more than one person. Or if you have to book a place on a ferry or a B&B in advance. I also like to chose whether to make conversation or not & with whom. I'm not good at listening to other peoples trivia - (I know that sounds pompous). Possibly the best way to see the islands is with a camper van & there were certainly quite a lot of those.

I wouldn't have missed the Hebrides, both Inner & Outer, for worlds. I simply hadn't realised the huge variation there is in character & landscape. It is really interesting to experience how different life on a remote island can be - (especially when the tourist season is over I imagine). Humans have a great capacity to adapt to very different circumstances. In areas like this you must live close to the natural world all the time - you can see the weather coming & much of it is very challenging. Your perspectives are completely different in every sense of the word.

The Islanders have something very precious which we in cities have lost.