The 2017 Highland 3 Day Classic Tour The 2017 Tour was yet again a triumph (not one in the event though), with a full complement of 26 cars taking to the high and low roads to traverse from the Borders to Durness, the northern most point on the country, via the most breath-taking scenery and spectacular roads that Scotland has to offer. Making this possible were the real stars of the event - the organisers, Mike and team whose time and effort gave the event its customary Wow factor. Our HUGE Thanks to you all. DREEK that was the weather that welcomed us to the Solway coast most certainly not applicable to the event!!!! Day zero saw us assemble in front of the Hetland Hall Hotel ready to take on the challenges ahead. An alphabet of classic and future classic vehicles were waved off the car park by our Chief organiser Mr Raven, to take to the route which would eventually lead us to our overnight halt at the Clyde side town of Helensburgh. The day also gave us the opportunity to pit our navigation skills against those of the formidable Mr John Hartley s and attempt to collect the correct number of via boards and reach the final checkpoint in a respectable time. After lunch with the weather improving by the mile our route took us via the scenic Dunoon Ferry and Rest and Be Thankful down the shores of Gare Loch to the Rosslea Hall Hotel.
Day 1 saw us heading north to our Auto test in the car park of the Glencoe Mountain Resort and with the customary dreekness descending again, the opportunity to combine the test with coffee was very welcome. Onward to Spean Bridge and excellent lunch halt at the Letterfinlay Hotel, from there our route took us further northwards and onto to our encounter with The Convoy Blue flashing lights from the police escort and we were all moved onto the grass verge and waited to find out what was the emergency causing the delay we soon found out. Trundling towards us were not one, not two, but three enormous specially adapted trucks. On their lengthy flat beds were secured what looked like vast dorsal fins from hitherto unknown leviathans. The tips hanging over the back flexed gently as passed very closely by. They were HUGE, never having been so close to these turbine blades before we were all amazed at their size. The familiar Dundonnel Hotel was our destination and to be our home for the coming two nights and once back on the road we all navigated the route safely. We reached the welcoming halt in time for dinner and lively discussions about the events and sights of the day. A fantastic ceilidh band and very interactive sing along rounded off another great day.
Day 2 Greeted us with a spectacular sunrise and held a promise that our journey to the most northerly point of the route may be even more outstanding. Our coffee halt was the Pier Café Lairg, where Aunty Mary and friend Phyllis counted us in and out. Heading on our single track way we continued on in the direction of Tongue and lunch. Just after Crask we met Kirsteen and Brandon whose lovely 1961 Austin Healey had come to an abrupt halt. After much consulting with various other participants and passing locals who offered much helpful advice the decision was that she needed to be recovered and reluctantly phone calls were duly made. Despite much persuasion Kirsteen and Brandon insisted they be left to await recovery and we continued on our way. The sunshine that had held promise earlier in the day brought the spectacular landscape to life and our journey to Tongue was amazing and left us speechless!!! The spectacular views continued at our lunch halt in Tongue at the Ben Loyal Hotel where we were treated to another glorious spread of home-made food.
From Durness our route turned south and via the highly recommended Lochinver scenic route back to the Dundonnel. A day of ups and downs and amazing scenery which ended with Kirsteen and Brandon being repatriated from Dingwall and their car being cared for in a local garage and awaiting transporting back to Somerset later in the week. Day 3 - The Day of the Hats - began with an array of daffodils, hairdressers, swimmers and Vikings passing bemused onlookers as we headed onto Skye and ultimately to Armadale for the ferry crossing to Mallaig. Just some examples here. Mike had urged us all to be ready and waiting in the ferry dock by 12.45pm or we would miss the crossing. His anxiety was unfounded - sorry if you had a sleepless night Mike, but we all made it in plenty of time. Some even caught an earlier ferry!!!!! Navigating another excellent route we headed back down to Helensburgh and the Rosslea Hall Hotel for our final dinner. A pictorial recap made up of a super montage of the pictures taken by many of the crews and expertly collated by Janet provided a great backdrop to our dinner conversations. At dinner our indomitable organiser Mr Mike Raven was presented with a locally made briefcase to express all the crew s thanks for his continued innovation and commitment to this very special event.
As usual we came across many quirky signs and thought you might like the following examples: Enough said.. Slow Explosives - Traffic Ahead Wonder what constitutes slow explosives? Inverary Jail Open all year - How obliging of them Feral Goats 2 miles if they re feral how do you know where they are? Stromferry no ferry!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Mr and Mrs Raven and thanks once again to all the organisers, the hotels and cafes we called into, stayed at and generally descended upon, and most of all to you the crews for your great company, chat and camaraderie. Bring on 2018!!!!!!! Best wishes to you all and hope to see you again next year. Christine and Frank Sharples Mary and Norman Stansfield P.S. Thanks to all the people who posted such great pictures on the Facebook site some of which you may recognise in this report. October 2017