Highlands

[danpollard]

GetCarter said:

It will take you twice the time to do the same miles, I'm afraid. Roads are full at Easter.

Boo... though I'm not surprised. Early starts it is! If we can leave Thursday night, we'll be looking at more like 6.5 hours a day though, so a bargainous 13 hour stint by those maths!!

[GetCarter]

danpollard said:

Boo... though I'm not surprised. Early starts it is! If we can leave Thursday night, we'll be looking at more like 6.5 hours a day though, so a bargainous 13 hour stint by those maths!!

I have noticed that most holiday makers don't make it out of their hotel/B&B/Let until about 11 a.m. The problem comes if you get behind someone who doesn't know what "Use passing palces to let drivers behind pass" means. I took this pic the other day on a stretch of single track that lasts about 11 miles. If someone wants to hold you up... they can!

Then there's the guy with the caravan that can't reverse...

[andydax]

Just listening to Red Box on radio 2 .......
Reminded me of the Highlands , how weird !

GetCarter said:

I have noticed that most holiday makers don't make it out of their hotel/B&B/Let until about 11 a.m. The problem comes if you get behind someone who doesn't know what "Use passing palces to let drivers behind pass" means. I took this pic the other day on a stretch of single track that lasts about 11 miles. If someone wants to hold you up... they can!

Then there's the guy with the caravan that can't reverse...

[GetCarter]

andydax said:

Red Box

Lifetime ago.

[Red Devil]

GetCarter said:

On the single track roads you'll average less than 30 mph. On the other roads you can easily average 55mph. It's really down to the time of year and the time of day. I regularly take a trip up to Kylesku which is 102 miles, and I almost always do it in just over 90 mins. But I do the journey when it's quiet... not on a Sunday lunchtime in August. (Which would double the time it would take).

There is one single track road I can think of where you can average a LOT more than 30mph.
The A836 Tongue to Lairg. But, as said, you have to go at the right time of year.

GetCarter said:

danpollard said:

I can generally assume ice isn't a worry.

Ice not a problem unless you are above +/- 2000 ft in April

We go every April. Done the Bealach 6 times during the last 7 years and have never encountered any ice.
Just some low cloud once. Rain likewise. The other 4 have been fine. Maybe I've been exceptionally lucky?

GetCarter said:

danpollard said:

Unfortunately, we need to go at Easter

It will take you twice the time to do the same miles, I'm afraid. Roads are full at Easter.

Somebody (not me) forgot that the dates clashed with Easter last year when arranging the trip.
We went anti-clockwise that time and I was dreading mixing it with all the tourists.
After Bridge of Cally it wasn't too bad and north of Ballater it dwindled rapidly.
Skye and the far The North West was just as empty of traffic as any other year.
I'm guessing that Easter isn't a big deal in Scotland and it's too early in the year for the English southern fairies!

GetCarter said:

I have noticed that most holiday makers don't make it out of their hotel/B&B/Let until about 11 a.m.

Sounds about right. We are always on the road by 09.30 at the latest.

GetCarter said:

The problem comes if you get behind someone who doesn't know what "Use passing palces to let drivers behind pass" means. I took this pic the other day on a stretch of single track that lasts about 11 miles. If someone wants to hold you up... they can!

11 miles - pfft! I'll raise you the 35 miles from Laxford Bridge - http://goo.gl/GvlkxD.
It's only just wide enough for two cars from here - http://goo.gl/lzyOJ0 - shortly before it joins the A836.
It's then a normal width carriageway with a centre line from the junction to Lairg. About 2 miles in all.

GetCarter said:

Then there's the guy with the caravan that can't reverse...

I can thankfully say I have never encountered a towed caravan on any of our April trips.
A couple of motorhomes is the worst and each time it was on the A87 in Skye.

[GetCarter]

I should point out that when I mean the roads are full, I mean one car every minute or two, as opposed to this time of year, when it's one every hour or two.

[Laurel Green]

GetCarter said:

I should point out that when I mean the roads are full, I mean one car every minute or two, as opposed to this time of year, when it's one every hour or two.

Bliss.

[Red Devil]

GetCarter said:

I should point out that when I mean the roads are full, I mean one car every minute or two, as opposed to this time of year, when it's one every hour or two.

Ah...

My mistake.

Still outnumbered by this lot then.

[danpollard]

GetCarter said:

I should point out that when I mean the roads are full, I mean one car every minute or two, as opposed to this time of year, when it's one every hour or two.

I'll count myself lucky if it's not towing something, or a Volvo! I'm hoping early starts to the day can dispatch the traffic for brief periods at least. It may even allow us to catch a sunrise or two (perhaps I'm getting too ambitious). I'm used to considering catching traffic as the ideal time to stop and take some photos!

Any food places (either lunch or dinner) that we should definitely not miss (I mean pub grub, not fine dining!). We're looking at a couple of places that we could actually self-cater in, but we'll see how that goes...

[Who me ?]

Red Devil said:

GetCarter said:

I should point out that when I mean the roads are full, I mean one car every minute or two, as opposed to this time of year, when it's one every hour or two.

Ah...

My mistake.

Still outnumbered by this lot then.

That's the locals out in force to show a bloke from Southern climes way a good day out.

[pharmvrs]

danpollard said:

GetCarter said:

I should point out that when I mean the roads are full, I mean one car every minute or two, as opposed to this time of year, when it's one every hour or two.

I'll count myself lucky if it's not towing something, or a Volvo! I'm hoping early starts to the day can dispatch the traffic for brief periods at least. It may even allow us to catch a sunrise or two (perhaps I'm getting too ambitious). I'm used to considering catching traffic as the ideal time to stop and take some photos!

Any food places (either lunch or dinner) that we should definitely not miss (I mean pub grub, not fine dining!). We're looking at a couple of places that we could actually self-cater in, but we'll see how that goes...

Three days in the highlands? This was my trip last April during Easter.

Day one was a long slog to the Falkirk wheel (worth viewing IMO) and a good stop point for the night, various routes north through Northumberland (we choose the A697 going North).

Day two from Falkirk to Dornie (or Skye if you prefer) via The Dukes pass and Kinlochleven (dubbed the PH scotsburgring). A nice stop in Aberfoyle to stretch your legs and have a wander before the onslaught of the pass before lunch in Kinlochleven http://www.lochlevenseafoodcafe.co.uk/location/ or at the Onich hotel http://www.onich-fortwilliam.co.uk/restaurant.asp. Pop via Glenfinnan viaduct if you are a Harry potter fan or just like looking at a huge viaduct. The Dornie hotel has good pub food too for an evening meal.
https://goo.gl/maps/jADaf

Day three could take you around Skye and onto the Applecross Inn for lunch https://goo.gl/maps/uZeiV before heading to Ullapool and Lairg https://goo.gl/maps/RFd65 We headed south to Inverness for the night at this point.

Day four from Inverness southbound https://goo.gl/maps/df4UV Plenty of Distilleries to stop at on the way through, we found The Glenlivet to be very pleasant, the free tour and sample afterwards helped!

[danpollard]

pharmvrs said:

Three days in the highlands? This was my trip last April during Easter.

Day one was a long slog to the Falkirk wheel (worth viewing IMO) and a good stop point for the night, various routes north through Northumberland (we choose the A697 going North).

Day two from Falkirk to Dornie (or Skye if you prefer) via The Dukes pass and Kinlochleven (dubbed the PH scotsburgring). A nice stop in Aberfoyle to stretch your legs and have a wander before the onslaught of the pass before lunch in Kinlochleven http://www.lochlevenseafoodcafe.co.uk/location/ or at the Onich hotel http://www.onich-fortwilliam.co.uk/restaurant.asp. Pop via Glenfinnan viaduct if you are a Harry potter fan or just like looking at a huge viaduct. The Dornie hotel has good pub food too for an evening meal.
https://goo.gl/maps/jADaf

Day three could take you around Skye and onto the Applecross Inn for lunch https://goo.gl/maps/uZeiV before heading to Ullapool and Lairg https://goo.gl/maps/RFd65 We headed south to Inverness for the night at this point.

Day four from Inverness southbound https://goo.gl/maps/df4UV Plenty of Distilleries to stop at on the way through, we found The Glenlivet to be very pleasant, the free tour and sample afterwards helped!

Thanks for sharing your experience. We're currently trying to work out exactly where our overnight points are, so the restaurant tips could be most useful. I think the majority of roads there we're covering - all if we don't do the tourist stop in JoG, which I'm well aware you're all advising against!

[Lancs Dave]

If you do go to JoG it's well worth a short detour to Duncansby Head if you have time

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/sutherland/duncansb...

[danpollard]

Lancs Dave said:

If you do go to JoG it's well worth a short detour to Duncansby Head if you have time

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/sutherland/duncansb...

Now that sounds much better!

[CarbonXKR]

matchmaker said:

imagineifyeswill said:

Im not sure there is a ferry from Aberdeen to Orkney, I think its just the Shetland boat sails from Aberdeen. Orkney ferries are Northlink from Scrabster to Stromness, or Pentland Ferries from Gills Bay to St Margarets Hope.

There is. Some Aberdeen - Shetland sailings go via Orkney and have done so for years.

Aberdeen - Kirkwall Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Southbound Monday, Wed and Friday.

[pharmvrs]

For what its worth, we decided to book mostly premier inn's for the trip. This year we are stopping at Helensburgh (Travel lodge), Dunollie hotel on Skye, Premier inn Inverness and Dunfermline.

Organising a group of 10-12 blokes from my car club was too difficult, those places are a good balance of price, parking, food, beer etc etc and took the hassle out of the trip for a large group.

[RobGT81]

http://www.northcoast500.com/

[rst99]

RobGT81 said:

http://www.northcoast500.com/

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/pictures-youve-heard-route-66-5259105

[Craikeybaby]

rst99 said:

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/pict...

Fixed the link.

[GetCarter]

Was it NHI or the Daily Record that decided our roads were blue? I assume the former. Wonder why they thought that?

Out of interest, this is the real colour of that bit of tarmac:



Don't get me wrong. I'm not down on the idea, just the colour.

Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 4th March 07:38