The Carthaginians arrived in Ibiza in 654. The Goths and Visigoths, Muslims and Christians followed.  Then came the Chavs. And stag/ bachelor parties, the tattoos, the piercings, the thongs, the “full-on” party animals, the Jagerbombs, Phil’s full English all-day breakfasts, the Thirsty Thursdays and bottomless Gigglewater, the $30 G&Ts, the VIP chill pits, the ebullient non-binary scene, Deep House, Techno, the Ecstasy, the mixology, the re-dubs and the re-masterings.

Still wearing his lid and his thigh muscles glistening impressively under the Provencal sunshine, Romain pointed to all points of the compass and indulged in some proudly Gallic long-distance celebrity spotting.

“You’ve got Russell Crowe over there and John Malkovich that way.  That's where Richard Mayle used to live. Ridley Scott has a place in Bonnieux and Pierre Cardin owns most of Lacoste, including the chateau which was the Marquis de Sade’s old home.”

Should you be contemplating installing your own whisky and gin bar at home, you will undoubtedly undergo research to determine the design and feel. Your inspiration will be drawn from personal experience and research, perhaps looking at some of the finest whisky bars in Scotland. 

Not being much of a Welsh nationalist, Dylan Thomas wouldn’t have minded that the tableware in the Dylan Coastal Resort is Scottish slate and the balms in west Wales’ new Milk Wood Spa are made by Ishaga in Stornoway.

The drive from The Torridon Hotel to Murrayshall Country Estate was nothing short of spectacular, if at times happily slow, for all the right reasons. Where else is your progress in the magnificent McLaren 720s hampered by a wild Stag? Having driven the McLaren for hundreds of miles already, it was still exhilarating driving this supercar. At times blended in with the far-reaching sky in tonal colour and could easily become invisible in low-lying Scottish mist and rain.

Our final stop on the McLaren 720S International Excellence Magazine Tour was The Roseate Hotel in Edinburgh. They have free parking so we pulled the supercar around the back of the imposing detached Jacobean manor and ambled into reception.

McLaren 720S Scotland Tour.

Polaris was founded in 1954 and is now the leading global Powersports company in the world. They are no.1 in the global Powersports market. 

Their range is divided into two categories; ATV (All-terrain vehicles, quad) and UTV (Utility vehicles, buggies etc).

The Torridon Hotel is set on Upper Loch Torridon with spectacular views in the northwest of Scotland opposite the Isle of Skye. Driving to the Torridon is a visual feast of soft rolling orange fern-covered hills peppered with scintillating streams and lakes. It is an area of outstanding beauty and the hotel is the ideal place from which to explore. This is one for the romantics, the perfect venue for a spring, summer or winter weekend.

If you ride all year round, you will no doubt have your riding gear well-sorted. There's nothing worse than being wet, freezing and cold but you still have miles to go. 

From the Field of Miracles to the Gulf of Paradise

It’s a rare and special act travelling off-season especially somewhere so geared to the summer where sun loungers are arranged in busy blocks to dissuade the casual visitor. Off-season you meet only locals, you don’t queue and in time you start to feel a local. It’s all so much more immersive and rewarding.