I love a good road trip.

Start the day with a coffee and pastry to go in Glasgow, select your finest Spotify playlist and fasten your seatbelts before heading out on whatever that day's adventure may be.

Maybe Ice cream by the sea in Largs, a fudge doughnut while wandering through St Andrews, or even world-famous oysters on the banks of Loch Fyne.

The only issue here, is that I can’t drive.

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Before deeming me totally useless, let’s backtrack just a little here, and let me assure you that ok, yes, I technically have a full UK license earned by the skin of my teeth at the age of 17.

But, moving to traffic-dense Glasgow from the relatively rural single-track roads of Benbecula just a few weeks later, means that in the 10 years since then I’ve yet to tackle a roundabout, motorway or even a traffic light from behind the wheel.

Newhall Mains Hotel (Image: Newsquest)

That’s why a canny food and drink writer quickly learns to choose her plus ones wisely, so that when the prospect of an overnight review stay at a five-star hotel in the Black Isle lands in her inbox, she can rope in a willing driver who is far more likely to get them there without disaster.

There will be more to follow soon about our end point of Newhall Mains near Dingwall, home to its own airfield, an enviable selection of Japanese whiskies and what was potentially the best duck dish I’ve ever had the pleasure of tearing into.

Until then, I’ll use the rest of this week's newsletter to share a few of the stops we made on the big trip up north and, feeling inspired by a day of exploring outside of the central belt, end on the promise that I will someday soon tackle my first roundabout. If only in search of good food.

For a light bite by the water:

A detour to the ever-charming town of Dunkeld brought with it the chance to enjoy a venison salami pizza drizzled in firey hot honey as the sun shone and the River Tay bubbled by happily below.

Look out too for the nearby Aran bakery for acquiring any further pastry-based goodness for the road ahead.

For great coffee:

While the business park setting might not look like much at first, awaiting you on Dunkeld Road in Aberfeldy is the team at Glen Lyon who roast some of the world’s finest coffee beans on-site.

For another quirky caffeine hit further up north, make a beeline for Slaughterhouse coffee in Cromarty which serves a fantastic flat white – best sipped while watching the tiny passenger ferry make its way backwards and forwards from Nigg.

For lunch and a sugar rush:

On our return, we passed through the Victorian spa town of Strathpeffer, enjoying a menu of paninis with thick deli ham and local cheddar cheese, handmade burgers and (for a smug non-driver only) an top-notch wine list to boot at the Unwined café and bar.

For a hit of e-number-fuelled nostalgia, the next-door Strathpeffer Sweet Company sells almost every pick-and-mix classic you could ask for, as well as coffee from the Inverness Coffee Roasting Co to turbocharge the return trip.