Fàilte gu Ullapul*

I’m on a bit of an adventure. Sort of. That is, if you count spending Saturday night in a seaside B&B ‘compact’ bedroom as an adventure. I am in Ullapool for the weekend. In case you don’t know, Ullapool is the most northerly town on the west coast, although its residents refer to it (more accurately) as a village. Unfortunately, I am not here for the Loopalu festival, or to do some hill walking, or even just sightseeing; I am here teaching.

Driving instructors have to pass three increasingly difficult tests to become a qualified instructor: Part 1 is an extended Theory Test; Part 2 is an extended driving test; and (the dreaded) Part 3 is a test of the instructor’s ability to teach. All three tests are far from easy, but Pt3 is the killer. I’m not sure of the exact figures, but I understand that the percentage of candidates that pass is less than 27%. Worse still, potential instructors only get three attempts each at parts 2 and 3. I have to admit, I didn’t pass my Part 3 first time, which put enormous pressure on my next attempt. If Parts 2 or 3 are failed three times, the candidate has to wait until two years after they passed Part 1 before they begin the whole process again. Many instructors (as I did) begin teaching soon after passing Part 2. They teach under a (pink) Provisional Licence for a period of six months, during which time they should pass their Part 3 to gain their Approved Driving Instructor licence (green). Many people sneer at the ‘pink’, including some driving schools. The fact is that, although they have not yet passed their final test of instructional ability, they have still received just as much training as any other instructor and will be as up-to-date as any instructor will.

So what does this have to do with Ullapool? Well, until recently, you could find out, but I have had to edit this page for legal reasons.
After so many years in the catering/hospitality industry, having Sundays off is still a novel luxury, but I’ll take the work whenever it is….. up to a point. Also, while it would be nice to have all my work centred within a 20 mile radius of our house, I have to accept that that aint gonna happen. I have recently stretched my area south to Aviemore/Grantown so why not expand it west to beautiful Ullapool? It is 79 miles from where I live, but it is 79 miles I can cover in about an hour and a half, and the drive is hardly a chore. Not long ago I had someone jokingly ask if I could teach her son…… in Manchester! (Were you joking Helen?) So, who knows?…. never say never.

The west coast of Scotland is THE most beautiful place in the world, I won’t listen to anyone who disagrees, especially on a day like today. I had to scrape the ice off my windscreen before Erin’s lesson in Inverness, but that was because of the crystal-clear skies. This meant that the drive over to Ullapool was an absolute joy. I used to love the drive west when I had my V6 Mazda and I would throw the car around those meandering curves between Contin and Loch Broom at speeds bordering on naughty. Today, however, I got my pleasure from sitting at 60mph and enjoying the sublime scenery. The road snakes alongside lochs and rivers with barely any other cars along the whole 57 miles, while light dustings of snow form crests on the highest of the surrounding mountains. Fifteen miles from Ullapool the road begins the long descent into Lochbroom and the views get even better with sunlight reflecting off the distant whitewashed cottages of Ullapool overlooking the loch.

What’s not to like about Ullapool? Ladies relax in the afternoon sun listening to Radio 4, colourful fishing boats bob gently by the quay, the last of the season’s tourists sit on benches eating the world’s best fish & chips, and have I mentioned the scenery? When I talked to Jane about coming over here at the weekends, she postulated moving to Ullapool for the short term. I didn’t give it serious thought at the time but, on days like today, it is very tempting.

On top of all that, it is always nice meeting new pupils and today’s lessons all went well. A nice meal at The Ceilidh Place ended the day and I have four new pupils to meet tomorrow. All in all, I am enjoying my weekend so far….. even Liverpool avoided losing (sssshhh….they didn’t actually play today).

Just one question: Why, when I am at home with Jane, is X Factor passable Saturday night telly, but, watching it alone, it is depressing dross?

(* Welcome to Ullapool)