Where the signal goes
- Knoydart. Mainland Britain's only place with no road in. Naturally also no signal worth speaking of.
- Assynt & Sutherland north of Ullapool. Patchy on the coast, gone behind every hill.
- Glen Affric, Glen Cannich, Glen Strathfarrar. Drop-out at the head of every glen.
- The Outer Hebrides west coast. Better than people think on the main road — gone the moment you turn off it.
- Ardnamurchan past Strontian. Long stretches with nothing.
Plan for it, don't fight it
- Download offline maps for the whole region before you leave reception. Google Maps, OS Maps, or both.
- Carry a paper map. The OS Landranger 1:50000 series is the right scale for driving. They don't run out of battery.
- Tell someone your route. The day, the road, where you're sleeping. Old-fashioned. Still works.
- Top up the tank. Petrol stations are spaced further apart than you think. Half a tank is empty in the north-west.
- A real torch, a real first-aid kit, water. The car is your backup. Treat it like one.
What you get back
Conversation that isn't interrupted. A meal where no one's checking. The light over a loch as the only thing happening for forty miles. Sleep that's deeper than it's been in months. Most people overestimate the inconvenience and underestimate the recovery.
The first night without notifications, you sleep like you used to.
Where next