I returned late last night from my latest European adventure: A road trip to France and Belgium for my birthday weekend.

October sees the annual Cheltenahm Literature Festival and this year I’ve spent in excess of £150 on tickets and new books to read.

I’ve been in Manchester (well… Salford actually) where the Community Media Association put on its annual conference at the BBC’s Quay House, at MediaCity UK.

Today, after a little bit of Scottish city sightseeing, I made it back to England and after a drive of 238 miles I’ve arrived in Preston, Lancashire, to grab a few hours rest before I drive to work.

The best part of 120 miles without much in the way of traffic and I did the whole journey from Strathpeffer to Perth without stopping. Would have been quite a scenic drive had it not been dark…

I’ve often heard it said you get four seasons in one day fairly frequently in the Outer Hebrides. Yesterday was no exception to this. Friday was a day of contrasts; rain in the morning and Sunshine in the afternoon.

This morning I am in my final Hebridean destination before I return to the mainland and start driving back down South. Yesterday after a 135 mile drive and a ferry journey I reached Stornoway.

Yesterday was the one dry day we’ve had in the Western Isles since I got here at the weekend, and I spent the day doing a road trip to Berneray – a round trip of 150 miles.

My Scottish island hopping adventure continues: Yesterday I travelled on to my next island and today I wake up in the village of Lochboisdale on South Uist.

Yesterday was a wet day in the Western Isles: Probably the one area of the UK where it hasn’t been hot and Sunny! I am enjoying being in a little pocket of the country with no mobile signal.