Highlands

[Who me ?]

Hero- no I'd say very dedicated, or just a dour Highlander. That JCB could have gone over easily with him in it. And his mate was equally daft.

[Hyperen]

Thanks for your help guys. I didn't have much idea of the roads in the area after Ullapool and was going to just head down the A9 from Inverness to Perth - after looking at the roads you've mentioned I'm definitely not going to miss out those now!

[Red Devil]

Who me said:

A much improved road ,alternative to the A82 from Tarbet Loch Lomand ,is to head over to Arrochar on the A83, then the A814 to Dumbarton .

Agreed. Indeed the whole of the A82 along Loch Lomond has little to recommend it. Given sufficient time, avoid it altogether.

By turning right on to the A85 south of Tyndrum then the A819 to Inverary. Well worth stopping off there if your peckish. Either the George Hotel, Brambles Bistro, or the Royal Burgh Cafe. It also has an exceptional whisky shop - Loch Fyne Whiskies. Hopefully the quality hasn't deteriorated since Richard Joynson sold it to The Whisky Shop chain last year. From Inverary head east on the A83 to Arrochar. A good photo opportunity to be had at Rest-and-be-Thankful.

Who me said:

Or an alternative to going out to Dumbarton ,is to go into Helensburgh and turn left from West Clyde st ( opposite the pier) on to Sinclair St and follow this all the way back to the A82 .

Is there any gain by doing this?

Who me said:

Or if you want to be adventurous ,there are a few lanes ( I remember them as single track gated roads) from the A814 to the A82 between Helensburgh and Dumbarton .

Really? I don't know if you ever used to be able to traverse the whole of Stoneymollan Road through to the Balloch roundabout on the A82, but you can't now. The only other route I can find is just after the old church in Cardross. This unsigned road leads over to Renton but doesn't connect with the A82.

Who me said:

Or there's the Glen Fruin road from Gairlochhead ( about 6.25 miles before Helensburgh).Not sure of it's width now, but it was always ungated .

Enter here. Exit here. Width is single track with passing places (pan left and you can see Gareloch and the nuclear sub base at Faslane). An alternative is to take the minor road straight ahead here. It climbs away from the Fruin into more open country with better views and comes out here.

Who me said:

Again an alternative to the Erskin bridge is to continue into Glasgow on the A82 and take the A739 ( Clyde tunnel )at Anniesland cross to the M8 ( avoids the Erskine bridge and the alternative of the Great Western Road bottleneck on to the M8 in central Glasgow.

The A82 is 2 lane d/c and, AFAIK, a 50 limit from just before the Clydebank exit to just after the Great Western Retail Park. It's then drops to 30 at the Drumchapel off ramp (but gains a third lane after the bridge) all the way to Anniesland. Plus the speed camera and bus lane on the final stretch. Not to mention the two roundabouts and a whole slew of traffic light controlled junctions and pedestrian crossings. The 30 limit continues on the A739 until some distance beyond Jordanhill station where it goes up to 40.

Again AFAIK, the M8 only has a 60 limit over the White Cart viaduct then is NSL until the Govan off ramp where it becomes 50. Lacking any traffic lights, the motorway must surely be a quicker route than via the tunnel.

[Who me ?]

Depends on time of day .The section up to the A82 turn off can get pretty congested at times and the section from the M8 turn to Anniesland cross is another bottleneck. ,whereas I never had many problems going through the tunnel . possibly just personal preference, but it looks likr Glasgow has decided to deter traffic from using the section from the A82 turn to Anniesland cross and I've never had any problems with the bus lanes/cameras. The speed cameras are well marked ( only problem is the well documented van site). There's also a lot of limit changes ( from memory) from Dumbarton to the Dunochter island.
Bit about Loch Long is that this road is seldom mentioned .It used to be a not very nice road, but the few times I've used it in the pastv few years it's much improved, and a lot more pleasant drive than the A82 trade route.

I don't see any advantage to me of going via A85. Only means that I'd have to cut from the east coast to the west coast to pick up the 74 to take me down the west side .
Side roads from A814 -A82, I think I mentioned that thre used to be a few ,but don't know about now. Possibly most have now shut, but I seem to remember dad telling me about quite a few .

Food wise- we always travel light, or know where the good chippies en route are .

Edited by Who me ? on Saturday 25th January 20:49

[Stevenr]

[quote=Who me ?]Hero- no I'd say very dedicated, or just a dour Highlander. That JCB could have gone over easily with him in it. And his mate was equally daft.
[/quote]

Actually not as easy as you may think to make it go over.Seen and been in them in far worse situations/positions than that and been perfectly safe.

Bit of drama for the cameras though I suppose.

[LukeDM]

Just thought would post some photo's from the Isle of Lewis/Harris when I lived there last year. Most of these were taken from the road, it's defiantly worth the extra day to the loop on Harris and as much of Lewis as you can fit in! Sorry for the quality.

[Craikeybaby]

Those bring back memories from my trip there in 2012!

[LukeDM]

Craikeybaby said:

Those bring back memories from my trip there in 2012!

It's such a nice place to visit, I wouldn't recommend living there though!

[GetCarter]

Applecross road - Bealach closed due to snow at the moment. This is as far up as I could get:

[z4goon]

All set to go on the 11th May, can't wait!

What's the best route from Glasgow to Fort William?

I'm stopping in Dumbarton and initially thought of going west to Oban, upto Glencoe for a few laps of the Scotsburgring and up on to Fort William. However looking through this thread, there seems to be a few choices.

1. Dumbarton > A83/A816 to Oban > A828 to Glencoe
2. Dumbarton > A811 to Aberfoyle > A84 to Callander > A85 and A82 to Glencoe
3. Dumbarton > A82 past Loch Lomond all the way to Glencoe

There doesn't seem to be much at Fort William(?) so I don't mind spending a bit longer on the roads that day.

Edit: Forgot to say, on the way back I'll be stopping at Stirling / Cumbernauld, so on the way there I could do A83/A816/A828 and on the way back do Duke's Pass / Aberfoyle etc.

eg Glasgow to Fort William: https://goo.gl/maps/EXFr6
Inverness to Glasgow: https://goo.gl/maps/YYSrq

Edited by z4goon on Thursday 6th March 14:47

Edited by z4goon on Thursday 6th March 14:48

[markmullen]

I usually go option 2 as I find the loch lomond road not ideal for making progress, particularly at night, or in heavy rain (when it floods quite a lot).

If you're passing through Callander stop at Mhor Bread for a pie, the best there is! Steak and haggis is my favourite, followed by steak and black pudding. If you overshoot Callander the little shop at Strathyre sells Mhor Bread pies.

[z4goon]

Cheers for the tip, the list of places to eat is becoming as long as the roads to check out!

Sunday 11th May: Doncaster to Dumbarton
240 miles / 4hr 45m
https://goo.gl/maps/Uiijr
 
Monday 12th May: Dumbarton to Fort William
170 miles / 4hr 25m
https://goo.gl/maps/Y1gPk
 
Tuesday 13th May: Fort William to Poolewe via Applecross
170 miles / 4hr 45m
https://goo.gl/maps/WPUon

Wednesday 14th May: Poolewe to Inverness
233 miles / 6hr 30m
https://goo.gl/maps/97Kum
 
Thursday 15th May: Inverness to Stirling
215 miles / 5hr 40m
https://goo.gl/maps/zUnkR

Friday 16th May: Cumbernauld to Gosforth
186 miles / 4hr 30m
https://goo.gl/maps/2sx4B

Saturday 17th May: Gosforth to Doncaster
200 miles / 5hr 20
https://goo.gl/maps/jUjor

Final route if anyone is interested. Some of the places probably appear slightly random (Stirling, Gosforth?!) but I'm basing the destinations each day on where there's a Travelodge - it's probably only going to be me and maybe a mate so I thought the money saved on posh hotels can be used for another trip later in the year, or a long weekend in Wales again. Chose Poolewe to stop off at instead of Ullapool as Firemore Beach looks a nice place to camp.

Hopefully those mileages will be doable. I think I'll aiming to do more things in the day (stopping off for a decent lunch - and it'd be rude not to have a swim with all that water!) and getting to my final destination later, rather than getting there earlier and doing things that night.

Edited by z4goon on Thursday 6th March 15:23

Edited by z4goon on Thursday 6th March 15:57

[markmullen]

The Premier Inn at Fort William has better parking than the Travelodge, but the Weatherspoons at the Travelodge slightly edges the Brewer's Fayre at the Premier Inn, that said it is only a 10 minute walk into town. The staff at Fort William know me now from all my photography trips up there!

[Who me ?]

If you're a cyclist- some great mountain bike trails just north of Fort William. Follow the A82 north past the A830 junction and turn right where the sign says "North Face", around Torlundy . Mallaig is a lot less than an hour by road and if you want to see a bit of testing road, try going off on the B8008 , which was for years the main A830 .Can't offer any advice on places to stay as up to a couple of years ago I had family there .

[Red Devil]

z4goon said:

Cheers for the tip, the list of places to eat is becoming as long as the roads to check out!

Sunday 11th May: Doncaster to Dumbarton
240 miles / 4hr 45m
https://goo.gl/maps/Uiijr

Unless you enjoy motorways or have time constraints, you might like this.

Leave A74(M) at Gretna
A75 to Dumfries
A76 to Thornhill

then either
A702 via Dalveen Pass to Abington
or
A76 Nith Gorge/B797 Mennock Pass via Wanlockhead and Leadhills to Abington

Then A702/B7078 - the latter is the old road to Glasgow.
The M74 can be joined at J11, J10, or J8 - whichever you prefer.

z4goon said:

Thursday 15th May: Inverness to Stirling
215 miles / 5hr 40m
https://goo.gl/maps/zUnkR

You seem to be doing Dukes Pass again (already on your outward leg to Fort William).
If so, why go via the (boring) A9 between Perth and Dunblane? Do it in the opposite direction

A85 via Crieff to Lochearnhead
A84/A821 to Aberfoyle

z4goon said:

Friday 16th May: Cumbernauld to Gosforth
186 miles / 4hr 30m
https://goo.gl/maps/2sx4B

Most traffic from Edinburgh to the south uses the A68.
It's also infested with speed cameras which is why I prefer this route.

A7 to Selkirk
A699/unclassified to Ancrum
A68 to Jedburgh
Only 1 camera (hidden in the trees just before the entrance to Jedforest RFC).

As you're going through Kielder I can recommend a break at the Cafe on the Water.
Excellent tucker and a stunning view over Kielder Water.

[Mostro]

z4goon said:

All set to go on the 11th May, can't wait!

What's the best route from Glasgow to Fort William?

I'm stopping in Dumbarton and initially thought of going west to Oban, upto Glencoe for a few laps of the Scotsburgring and up on to Fort William. However looking through this thread, there seems to be a few choices.

1. Dumbarton > A83/A816 to Oban > A828 to Glencoe
2. Dumbarton > A811 to Aberfoyle > A84 to Callander > A85 and A82 to Glencoe
3. Dumbarton > A82 past Loch Lomond all the way to Glencoe

There doesn't seem to be much at Fort William(?) so I don't mind spending a bit longer on the roads that day.

Edit: Forgot to say, on the way back I'll be stopping at Stirling / Cumbernauld, so on the way there I could do A83/A816/A828 and on the way back do Duke's Pass / Aberfoyle etc.

eg Glasgow to Fort William: https://goo.gl/maps/EXFr6
Inverness to Glasgow: https://goo.gl/maps/YYSrq

I did 2. last year, taking the A821 Dukes Pass after Aberfoyle. It's a great start to a Highland trip, a really tight technical challenge. You then have the magnificent stretch of the A82 across Rannoch Moor on the approach to Glencoe - simply majestic.
(see p27 of this thread)

Edited by Mostro on Thursday 6th March 22:41

[Red Devil]

Mostro said:

I did 2. last year, taking the A821 Dukes Pass after Aberfoyle. It's a great start to a Highland trip, a really tight technical challenge. You then have the magnificent stretch of the A82 across Rannoch Moor on the approach to Glencoe - simply majestic.
(see p27 of this thread)

We did exactly the same route in April last year on Day 1 of our annual club bash. Starting at the Travelodge Dumbarton.
Then Dukes Pass, Rannoch Moor, Scotsburgring, Fort William, Loch Ness (east side B roads), Inverness, Tore, Garve, Ullapool.

We will be doing the tour anti-clockwise this year starting from Perth on Day 1 and heading over the Cairnwell and the Lecht.
Then Inverness, Cromarty, Bonar Bridge, Ullapool.

[z4goon]

Thanks Red Devil, some real good info there. As you've mentioned on day 4, I'll have already done Duke's Pass on day 1. Is it worth including this in again or is there a better way from Perth to Cumbernauld?

A route from Cumbernauld to Selkirk would also be good, Google Maps defaults to the M9 / A7, I'm wondering if the A73/A721/A72 would be a better bet?

[JM]

z4goon said:

Thanks Red Devil, some real good info there. As you've mentioned on day 4, I'll have already done Duke's Pass on day 1. Is it worth including this in again or is there a better way from Perth to Cumbernauld?

An option would be not to follow the A93 all the way to Perth, but turn off for Pitlochry on the B960-A924, then from Pitlochry you have more options!

If time was ok I'd go west to Tummel Bridge, then B846 to Aberfeldy. (option to stop in at Fortingall to see the oldest tree in Britain!) Or instead of Aberfeldy go to Kenmore and take the unclassified road to Amurlee
Then A822 to Creiff/A9. Or A85 west to Lochearnhead to take the A94 to Kilmahog->Dukes Pass.

Also maybe worth finding a way from Aberfoyle to Cumbernauld going past the Carron reservoir.

[alangla]

z4goon said:

A route from Cumbernauld to Selkirk would also be good, Google Maps defaults to the M9 / A7, I'm wondering if the A73/A721/A72 would be a better bet?

Definitely more enjoyable though you'll probably be stuck in (mild) traffic a couple of times as you pass through Airdrie/Carluke etc. Depending on where you are in Cumbernauld, it might be quicker to go M80/M73/A8 to the A73 turn at Newhouse rather than hacking through Airdrie & surrounding villages on the A73. M73 can get very busy in the morning peak around the A8 roundabout at Baillieston though.
Try this route - http://goo.gl/maps/5gOjY - though this one is also good - http://goo.gl/maps/NLHy3 - TBH, you can't go far wrong with any combo of A72/73, if you had more time, I'd advise this - http://goo.gl/maps/UTmUT - the A708 is also good, but was shut last week for roadworks - not sure if it's reopened yet. If you do decide to go the A7, be aware that it's extremely muddy & mucky at the moment and has various sets of roadworks including some long waits at temp traffic lights as a result of the Borders Rail construction works.