The weather turned vile and we wondered how our friends N and S were coping in the howling wind and torrential rain on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. They couldn’t possibly be out in the open cycling, could they? There was only one way to find out: to travel there ourselves and join (rescue) them.

We found them at Garynahine in a camper van! They had abandoned their original accommodation plans soon after arrival on discovering that the guest house was not all that the web site had promised. We persuaded N and S that all was not lost. TPR and I would show them a great time on the other side of the bay.

TPR took charge of the navy blue mark 2 VW Golf and I clambered into the camper van. Somewhat alarming were N’s driving skills. She seemed to assume that the vehicle knew the route. She frequently let go of the steering wheel to move across the van and look out the window on the other side. At this rate we would end up spending the rest of the holiday embedded in a peat bog rather than on the beach.