If there is any silver lining to be found from the past two pandemic-ridden years, it’s that many Brits have discovered just how alluring parts of our countries can actually be. Whether it’s simply getting out the house for some exercise or packing the family into the car and heading off in search of that campsite you’ve driven past on many occasions for the weekend, the thirst for sunshine on the continent was somewhat quashed when it wasn’t an option. As well as coastlines and countryside, our shores are home to some of the most amazing driving roads and we boast having the largest areas of Dark Sky in Europe (low light pollution areas), which makes the UK an ideal place to capture the canopy of stars with the naked eye or through a set of binoculars for a closer look.
Armed with sufficient (waterproof) clothing, Irn-Bru in every cup holder and a renewed adventurous streak for the outdoors, GQ was invited north of the border to explore northwest Scotland’s sweeping roads, and more alluringly, to drive off them. Our mission was a tough one – to put the new Land Rover Defender sufficiently through its paces off-road and in doing so, seek out some amazing dark skies.
Upon arriving in Edinburgh, a fleet of gleaming Defenders was there to welcome us. My choice of chariot to guide me through the Highlands was a 90 SE (short wheelbase), 2.5 litre diesel. Setting off in convoy, reminisce of that Succession episode filmed in Scotland, the conditions were suitably moody with grey skies and strong winds as we exited the Queensferry crossing, with the Highlands overlooking us in the distance.
My luxury tank made an instant impression. Powered by Land Rover’s D250 six-cylinder diesel engine, the powertrain has plenty of torque, is smooth, refined and it may not be as quick as its bigger brothers, but still packs a punch. You may lose some practicality over the 110, but the ’90s look is unmatched and the tech means it’s as easy as any other Land Rover to live with (which I would find out soon enough).
We had a good hour or so to get to grips with our Defenders before our first pit stop. As I drove up the M90 further north, the impending orange snow signs showed no indication of going away, however, such is the confidence the Defender gives you, you almost laugh them off.
As if sampling the deft new Defender wasn’t suffice, we had the pleasure of being greeted by Simon Stallard, founder of The Hidden Hut in Cornwall who recently cooked for the world’s leaders at the G7 summit. We were lucky enough to try some of Simon’s signature dishes, champagne sprayed scallops, venison and a centre cut of Scottish salmon, a firm favourite of the Royal family apparently.
The next stop was our destination, Torridon, and in order to get back onto the main roads, there were some tricky negotiations to be made with some tough terrain. This is where the Defender really came into its own. The Defender houses a Terrain response system, which is so easy to navigate your grandfather could transform into Colin McCrae with a few simple clicks. For the terrain I was navigating, I put the car into low-range gearbox mode with one click, and then into rock climb with another. With these modes selected, aside from the scenery my off-road drive felt like a routine trip to Sainsbury’s, with the Defender oozing confidence like nothing else on – or off – the road. The heads-up display uses the car’s camera system, which shows wheel positioning and balance, making it a breeze when off-roading through deep waters or up rocky heights as well. The user interface means selecting the different modes is a doddle and before I know it my all-terrain tyres had hit the tarmac.
Not just any tarmac, I rejoined the roads on the A896. Known as the Applecross pass, put simply it is one of the most spectacular driving roads ever. Cruising along it in the Defender enhanced the experience, but in all honestly, if I was driving Del Boys three-wheeled van, I wouldn’t have had any complaints about the scenery.
As the sun set behind the 3000ft mountains either side of me, it felt like I was driving on something between a Bond film set and Mars. And talking of stars, we arrived at our stargazing spot in pitch black for the last stop of the day. The weather was clear and many stars could be seen with the naked eye, I also had my trusty binoculars on me to intensify the experience. However, with my off-road mission accomplished, the weather decided we’d had enough fun and sent us packing back to our Defenders.
Scotland has an uncanny knack of showing off Land Rover’s slogan ‘Above & Beyond’ down to a wee tee, and this experience certainly provided such for me. The new Defender, be it a 90 or 110, makes the most extreme driving implausibly simple and at the wheel of one, it gives you the faith to go ‘Above & Beyond’ like nothing else on the road.
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