FINEST ROAD IN THE WORLD (TRAVEL/TRANSPORT/SCOTTISH HIGHLAN)

Trains and stagecoaches stuck in the snow, wild storms driving ships off course, traffic pile-ups on 'killer' highways - for centuries, travel in the Highlands and Islands has given rise to stories of horror and heroism. Some of the figures are familiar - General Wade, Thomas Telford and Joseph Mitchell among them - but there are a host of others, including the intrepid Lady Sarah Murray, who offered sound advice for travellers ('Provide yourself with a strong roomy carriage, and have the springs well corded').