Pioneering innovation is in Scotland's soul. From the reinvention of pneumatic tyres and the incredible feat that is Callum's Road on the Isle of Raasay to North Coast 500 and iconic venues.
Combined with a backdrop of beautiful castles and famous hospitality, it's the perfect destination for automotive industry events, from driving incentives to dealership conferences. Find out how Scotland can inspire your automotive events.
Off the Beaten Track - North Coast 500
The North Coast 500 is rated among the most beautiful road trips in the world, with stunning seascapes, rugged cliffs, and hairpin bends. Perfect for an incentive on the edge of the world, but where's the perfect base? Although the route officially begins in Inverness, a quiet town further north is making a name for itself as the ideal place to stay for the incentive of a lifetime.
Dornoch has long been famous for its award-winning, coastal golf course; but with the ever-increasing popularity of the North Coast 500, incentives are turning to this until-recently -undiscovered area of Scotland. The average North Coast 500 trip takes 8 days to complete (this includes stopping for distillery visits and whale spotting). From Dornoch however, drivers are well-placed to embark on day trips along different parts of the route. Discover more about North Coast 500.
Links House sits 40 yards from the first tee at the Royal Dornoch Golf course, and is an obvious choice for luxury driving and golf incentives. An award-winning, five star boutique hotel, with fifteen luxury bedrooms, elegant reception rooms and a restaurant offering the freshest local ingredients. There is even a putting green and a heated 'Bothy' for drying equipment.
The relaxed ambience of Links House in its idyllic Highland location, make it an ideal choice for small corporate and business groups. Links House is made up of 3 separate buildings, and among its different communal rooms is a spacious drawing room that can double as a meeting room. In addition, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club next door has further meeting rooms that can be booked on request. Links House offers a wealth comforts and other activities. Find out more about Links House.
Calum's Road
Looking for a real-life metaphor for perseverance and determination? Inspire delegates by bringing them to Scotland and sharing the story of Calum's Road. Or perhaps arrange an incentive to the remote Isle of Raasay so delegates can experience it for themselves.
The Isle of Raasay lies between the Isle of Skye and the West Coast of mainland Scotland, and is home to around 170 people. Calum MacLeod (1911 - 1988) was a Local Assistant Keeper of Rona Lighthouse and the part-time postman for the north end of Raasay. But he is most famous for building a road…
After decades of failed campaigning by the inhabitants of the north end of Raasay for a road, and several failed grant applications, Calum decided to build the road himself. He bought a copy of Thomas Aitken's manual on Road Making & Maintenance and set to work replacing the worn and narrow footpath that wound through the island's barren landscape. Over a period of about ten years (1964-1974), he constructed one and three quarter miles of road between Brochel Castle and Arnish, using little more than a shovel, a pick and a wheelbarrow. The road can still be visited today and is always an inspiring model of how a little determination can go a very long way!
John Boyd Dunlop
While Calum's Road is little-known, most people are familiar with Dunlop Tyres. But, did you know that they too were (re)invented by a Scotsman?
John Boyd Dunlop (5 February 1840 - 23 October 1921) developed the original model of pneumatic tyres into the model we use to this day. Dunlop was a Scottish inventor and veterinary surgeon, but while trying to improve his child's tricycle, he reinvented the pneumatic tyre! He then developed the model further for use in cycle racing before selling the rights to for a small cash sum and a shareholding.
Dunlop studied at the University of Edinburgh - why not contact Edinburgh First for your next dealership conference, and see what other ideas it might set rolling? Find more about Edinburgh First.
