NW Scotland research trip

Made a glorious trip in May 2016 to NW Scotland, in aid of research for the end of my new novel, Outwalkers. Mostly my work involves me sitting for long hours on my own at a desk, surrounded by books, paper, notes, staring at a screen and battling my sentences. So having a legitimate work reason to travel to places like Sandwood Bay –

and Applecross –

feels like a rare gift.

The last scene in Outwalkers takes place on the beach at Applecross, and it made such a positive difference, having stood on that beach and watched a boat in the distance in that bay.

I have joked, over the years, that I should really set my novels in warm, glamorous-to-travel-to places. I think I did well with Scotland this time around, especially since much of the novel, up to that point, is set in grungy, abandoned buildings, or beneath the ground, or in the back of a lorry!