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Rocked back and forth by gentle winds – and the occasional stronger gust – there was little else to do in this 10-seater plane than peer down at Scotland beneath me, Highlands, lochs and coast drifting by.
Like an unfinished painting, the scenery is patchy and blurred in spots, but the hint of detail pulls you in: the white of a lighthouse, the depth of a gorge, contrast of ruined buildings being swamped by nature. The sun flickered off the sea, as though the waves were wrapped in cellophane, and there was no hint of restlessness in the water. The scale of the region is humbling, especially from that vantage point.
My mind is preoccupied with a thought: “Is there anything they can’t Uber?”
I was soaring over the western border of Scotland for a first taste of the new experience being offered by the ubiquitous US tech firm. For three days later this month, Uber Seaplane will take to the skies from a jetty on the bank of Loch Lomond, following a route that almost mirrors the majestic West Highland Way – and incredibly, it’s free.
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Pilot John DiMarco – who previously flew seaplanes around the Maldives archipelago – brought the aircraft to life once our seatbelts were fastened. Every seat is a window seat on the Cessna 208 Caravan; you’re low enough to almost feel the splash of loch water during take-off, smoother than one might expect – a gasp of stillness when you’re finally in flight. A short climb and the horizon filled with scarped hillsides, covered with greens and browns. The crisscross of roads and scattering of houses peeled away.
With each tilt of the wings, Scotland’s raw beauty was on show. Clouds clung to the peak of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, as we stream past. The route takes in miles of the Glencoe Valley and the Trossachs, where from up high, oak, pine, and birch trees soften otherwise craggy terrain. You’ll spot the sweep of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, recognisable from scenes in the Harry Potter films when the Hogwarts Express steams across.
And what’s that in my ear as we gazed down? The velvety brogue of Alan Cumming, Scottish actor and host of The Traitors US, who provides an audio guide for the tour. In his wonderful timbre, he talks through the highlights of the flight while bringing some life to the Highlands below with tales of his upbringing and affection for the area.
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We went beyond the expected route, which would normally last 30 minutes, glancing over the Inner Hebrides – appearing as the smallest spits of land from high in the cabin – before swooping around and returning to Loch Lomond, barely a shudder as the floats met water.
It’s quite a departure from pulling up the Uber app to catch a taxi home from the pub after a few too many, or using it to order something deep-fried and delicious to your doorstep (which, I find, can often follow that evening in the pub).
But the company has come a long way since it was simply a ride-hailing or food delivery app. You can book trains through Uber, as well as flights. Bikes and scooters can be hired across cities. It’s taken to the water in London with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, and launched yachts in European holiday hotspots such as Ibiza and the Greek islands; in Venice, the company jostles with gondoliers with their “Limo Boat”, for on-demand journeys around the Lagoon.
Oh, and did I mention, hot air balloons in Turkey’s otherworldly Cappadocia region, Uber Sleigh – which saw reindeers lead guests through the wintry landscapes of Finnish Lapland – or, during the weekend of King Charles’s coronation, horse and carriage rides (in a replica royal carriage) around Dulwich Park in south London?
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So why the skies above this pocket of Caledonia to add to Uber’s already quirky roster? For Andrew Brem, general manager at Uber UK, it’s simple.
“The Scottish Highlands are one of the most beautiful sights in the world,” he says, adding that it’s a “special place”.
It also happens that there’s been a jump in Uber trips in Scotland – 30 per cent year on year – while train journeys booked with the app were up 448 per cent in July compared to the same month in 2023. Uber says the “roaring success” of the show The Traitors, and events such as the Highland Games and Edinburgh Fringe, are behind this rise – and shows the push to diversify the firm’s offering.
For this strictly limited opportunity – especially when potentially prohibitive costs are removed – it’s a promise of surveying the beautiful, wild Highlands from a remarkable angle that is reason to book.
“What makes it special and unlike the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon, is that the Scottish landscape not only has magnificent colours but changes every half mile,” says David West. He’s the chief pilot and owner of Loch Lomond Seaplanes, which has partnered with Uber, and has been flying for over 40 years.
“Every few moments, the view out the window changes from a castle to a beautiful loch, to an imposing mountain and is continuously changing.
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This is more rough-and-ready adventure than the other Uber experiences – or, to use the Uber taxi terminology, it’s not like you’re booking an Uber Lux. It’s bumpy, loud, and, at times, you’ll feel the change of altitude in your stomach. I’m told that sitting at the back is not the best for those sensitive to the whims of the aircraft; I’m inclined to believe the person who told me, as she promptly threw up once we returned to shore.
If you do want to bolster the flight with something more luxe, the obvious option is a stay at Cameron House; you’ll board on the loch just metres from the front door of the main building, or “Auld House”. Inside the baronial manor, grand hallways – polished mahogany, high ceilings strewn with chandeliers, plush soft furnishings all around – give way to warren-like corridors.
Otherwise Glasgow – my favourite Scottish city, with its vibrant, unapologetic energy – is only 30 minutes away by car, meaning you can easily pair rural with urban; the Caledonian Sleeper takes under eight hours to reach Glasgow from London (a delightful overnight journey that, as I have been reminded several times, one can book using the Uber app).
During the evening, I asked Andrew Brem what might be next for Uber – whether he believes that if one can travel on it, one would (or should) be able to Uber it. He paused, then said with a smile: “Absolutely.”
I’m not even sure he was joking; I’m sure Uber Camel was mentioned over dinner, though that may have been the effects of the single malt I’d been supping. For a brief spell this month, though, it’s all about watching the Highlands unfold from the sky.
How to do it
The Uber Seaplane experience is available 21–23 September 2024; the experience is free, though passengers must pay a £50 deposit that is refunded after the flight. Includes pick up and drop off in Glasgow and within 30 miles of Loch Lomond Seaplanes; over 18s only.
For more information, visit uberseaplanescotland.co.uk
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