Highlands

[Allyc85]

Red Devil said:

Which week?

The week starting September 21st, it can't come soon enough really!

[Patrick Bateman]

Craikeybaby said:

As above, it'll be busy at this time of year, if you've got time for a detour the B863 around Loch Leven is worth it.

I have to thank you for this, an excellent bit of road and almost totally empty.

As for the rest, nice scenery but I don't think the road is up to much- even if there wasn't caravans and the 45mph club out in force.

I got back 15 minutes ago, taking over 5 hours due to this-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-cent...

Got there in just over 3 hours. That diversion really was the scenic route.

I'll have to remember and check the news before leaving next time, my legs and back are aching.

[Red Devil]

Patrick Bateman said:

I have to thank you for this, an excellent bit of road and almost totally empty.

Well known to most PH petrolheads.

IIRC a previous poster mentioned that the south side had the dreaded surface dressing (i.e. a shed load of chippings) applied back in May/June (thankfully after our trip). Would be interesting to get the views of someone who can give a before/after comparison. Need to consider whether it has messed up the surface for next year's laps.

Patrick Bateman said:

As for the rest, nice scenery but I don't think the road is up to much- even if there wasn't caravans and the 45mph club out in force.

That's because you went at the wrong time of year. Peak season + school holidays = a recipe for trouble.

Go early or late in the year before the grockles arrive or have off home and it's fine.
Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe over Rannoch Moor comes into its own as a great drive.
Not the best though imo. I prefer the A87 (and indeed most roads north and west of Kyle of Lochalsh).

Patrick Bateman said:

I got back 15 minutes ago, taking over 5 hours due to this-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-cent...

Got there in just over 3 hours. That diversion really was the scenic route.

I'll have to remember and check the news before leaving next time, my legs and back are aching.

Pfft! Only 50 miles? Could have been worse: earlier this year - http://news.stv.tv/highlands-islands/313719-motori...
Your diversion is bearable for those going to/from Glasgow but not much help for anyone wanting to head east on the A85 from Crianlarich!
The A85/A819/A83* is a pleasant alternative to the A82 and Inveraray is excellent if you want to stop and refresh the inner man.

 * If going from the Loch Leven 'Scotsburgring' to Glasgow, you can avoid most of the A82 altogether, and in particular much of the slog along
    Loch Lomond, by using this route: A828 to Connel, A85/A819 to Inveraray, A83 to Arrochar, A814 to Garelochhead, the A817 (the Haul Road)
    back to the A82 (and vice-versa).

An essential link for anyone travelling on the A82 in the peak holiday months of July/August - https://twitter.com/a82_scotland
It shows with stark clarity just how often accidents/closures occur.

Thread has reached the 100 page milestone!

[Patrick Bateman]

Can't say I had an issue with the surface of the B863.

I was needing to get to Fort William anyway so I wasn't expecting the clearest of runs at this time of year but only a few parts of the road seemed that good from a purely driving perspective- even if it had been empty.

The A85 had a decent run of bends I wasn't expecting but the B863 really was on another level entirely.

[sjabrown]

The top coating on the south side of the B863 has settled in nicely now. Unfortunately at this time of year most of the A82 is dreadful. Long queues, slow average speeds and little chance to exploit the better bits of tar.

So far in the past 7 days I've driven 4 cars round the B863 - 2x 205 gtis, 1x 106 gti and 1x VW Passat!

[gowmonster]

sjabrown said:

The top coating on the south side of the B863 has settled in nicely now. Unfortunately at this time of year most of the A82 is dreadful. Long queues, slow average speeds and little chance to exploit the better bits of tar.

So far in the past 7 days I've driven 4 cars round the B863 - 2x 205 gtis, 1x 106 gti and 1x VW Passat!

and iyo which was the best?

[OvalOwl]

Red Devil said:

Patrick Bateman said:

I have to thank you for this, [B863 Loch Leven road] an excellent bit of road and almost totally empty.

Well known to most PH petrolheads.

I was once was heading for that coming past Ballachulish to take it anticlockwise, when I spotted blues turning into it coming from the south. Great thinks I an escort! Then I spotted what they were escorting, two mahoosive mobile homes on flatbeds. GAME OVER.

[sjabrown]

gowmonster said:

sjabrown said:

The top coating on the south side of the B863 has settled in nicely now. Unfortunately at this time of year most of the A82 is dreadful. Long queues, slow average speeds and little chance to exploit the better bits of tar.

So far in the past 7 days I've driven 4 cars round the B863 - 2x 205 gtis, 1x 106 gti and 1x VW Passat!

and iyo which was the best?

205 gti road car. No contest!

[gwm]

What you need is a bike (and decent waterproofs!) - then all those pesky dawdlers and queues disappear

[Who me ?]

Red Devil said:

 * If going from the Loch Leven 'Scotsburgring' to Glasgow, you can avoid most of the A82 altogether, and in particular much of the slog along
    Loch Lomond, by using this route: A828 to Connel, A85/A819 to Inveraray, A83 to Arrochar, A814 to Garelochhead, the A817 (the Haul Road)
    back to the A82 (and vice-versa).

Or forget the A817 and carry on down the A814 to Helensburgh. Then either follow the A814 through to Dumbarton to join the A82 just north of Bowling, or at the end of West Clyde St ,turn left on to the B832( Sinclair St) & B831 to rejoin the A82 a couple of miles north( 2.5 ) of Balloch.

[Red Devil]

Having done all 3 routes, I would take the A817 every time. The A814 through Helensburgh to Dumbarton is a real drag imo. Taking the left turn at the lights in Helensburgh is better but neither are a patch on the A817. The latter was originally built in 1987 during the Cold War years as an access road for the MoD to service Faslane and the nuclear warhead site at Coulport. It was upgraded in the 90s and became the numbered public road we have today: 8 miles of superb, well surfaced, sweeping tarmac across the hills to/from the A82.

Btw, the southern half of the B832 from Helensburgh to the Cross Keys roundabout no longer exists, and the B831 has gone altogether. Both were relassified a decade ago to become the A818.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.03124,-4.6676969...
http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title...

The A817 and the twisty rollercoaster section of the A814 between Garelochhead and Arrochar both feature in Top Gear Season 2 Episode 6.
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-02x06-sea...

[JM]

Red Devil said:

Having done all 3 routes, I would take the A817 every time. The A814 through Helensburgh to Dumbarton is a real drag imo. Taking the left turn at the lights in Helensburgh is better but neither are a patch on the A817.

Or for a bit more 'adventure' take the old Glen Fruin road which runs beside the A817 for part of the way.

[Who me ?]

Don't know what shape the Fruin road is now, but it used to be single track. But if A814 into Helensburgh bothers, (and I only suggested it a simple way for someone not knowing the town ), it's possible to avoid the town side of West clyde st and Sinclair st( that left turn), and get into the residential side streets a lot earlier ( between Ardincaple and Helensburgh) and end up on Sinclair st about the level of Helensburgh Upper station( Sinclair St is one of the few ways over the Glasgow -Fort Willian line).helensburgh is one of those towns built on a square box system,all roads being at right angles to each other.

[AdvocatusD]

Red Devil said:

Having done all 3 routes, I would take the A817 every time. The A814 through Helensburgh to Dumbarton is a real drag imo. Taking the left turn at the lights in Helensburgh is better but neither are a patch on the A817. The latter was originally built in 1987 during the Cold War years as an access road for the MoD to service Faslane and the nuclear warhead site at Coulport. It was upgraded in the 90s and became the numbered public road we have today: 8 miles of superb, well surfaced, sweeping tarmac across the hills to/from the A82.

Btw, the southern half of the B832 from Helensburgh to the Cross Keys roundabout no longer exists, and the B831 has gone altogether. Both were relassified a decade ago to become the A818.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.03124,-4.6676969...
http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title...

The A817 and the twisty rollercoaster section of the A814 between Garelochhead and Arrochar both feature in Top Gear Season 2 Episode 6.
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-02x06-sea...

Here's what it looks like for future planners. Only downer is you miss the drive through Glencoe. That being said, it's full of speed cameras now, so even if you're not speeding you're constantly worrying.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Porsche+Centre+G...

[Mike29]

AdvocatusD said:

Here's what it looks like for future planners. Only downer is you miss the drive through Glencoe. That being said, it's full of speed cameras now, so even if you're not speeding you're constantly worrying.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Porsche+Centre+G...

You can get the glencoe drive if you take ferry from mallaig.

[Red Devil]

JM said:

Or for a bit more 'adventure' take the old Glen Fruin road which runs beside the A817 for part of the way.

Who me said:

Don't know what shape the Fruin road is now, but it used to be single track.

According to Google Streetview it still is. I haven't used it but certainly worth a punt. The images are several years out of date (spanning 2009/2010/2011 depending on which part) but I very much doubt there has been any change. The surface looks pretty good for a single track road but whether it has deteriorated in the intervening years I don't know. There appears to be a choice at the western end. You can either turn right here - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.0703277,-4.79498... - and nip across to the A817 or go straight on, descend the hairpin bends through the trees, go under the railway bridge, and join the A814 at Faslane.

Mike29 said:

You can get the glencoe drive if you take ferry from mallaig.

Eh?

The same is true whichever crossing* you pick to reach Skye.

 * Mallaig->Armadale/Glenelg->Kylerhea/Kyle of Lochalsh->Kyleakin(Skye Bridge).

Going via Glencoe, or not, is completely irrelevant and makes no difference whatsoever.

[Mike29]

My mistake, apologies.

[GetCarter]

As for 6 hrs 31 mins... doing it at the WRONG time of day

[vrsmxtb]

GetCarter said:

As for 6 hrs 31 mins... doing it at the WRONG time of day

Hah, yes I nearly halved the google maps ETA for a drive from Achmelvich to Gairloch at the right time of day. Think they must base it on a dodgy old Dutch camper van pace

[Stylus]

I thought I'd add some pictures from a trip earlier in the year as I forgot to at the time, only remembered as I've just booked the next one!

We rented the Jaguar XKR from Avis Prestige (great service btw) from Edinburgh airport and headed north. Myself and my wife are from Scotland so know the areas, and living in the Middle East miss the scenery immensely.

First stop was Fort William to meet up with friends, then a few nights on Skye to chill, and then on to see families.

We did an immense amount of driving over the 5 days so I won't share a route as it's been done so many times before, but here's a couple of pictures.


On day one my wife hated the car as "it feels like it wants to kill me", but that was more to do with the continual rain than the car.







Fortunately for me I've a business trip back to Scotland in September, and with one day free I'll be picking up the F-Type V6S from Avis this time. Route is to head out from Edinburgh, along the Forth Valley and over the Ochils to Perth, picking up the Old Military Road from Blairgowrie and over the Sheet to Braemar, the Lecht and then it's decision time depending on time. Hopefully follow the road onto Inverness and follow the Great Glen south and back through Glen Coe, Callander and return to Edinbrugh.

Cannot wait!