Possible tour of Scotland early June - any advice ?
Discussion
As per the title, I have a free week early June and a bike tour of Scotland is on my bucket list.
(Hopefully that's before the tourist season really kicks off and the midges are too bad ?)
I'm riding up from Berkshire, so its a hike before I even get there, maybe overnight around the Lake district. I want to stop at Perth for a day, then head north.
I know very little about the NC500 (I've read its possibly overcrowded route?) would ride each day with very little agenda, and try and pick accommodation as I go.
Open to suggestions of routes to take, places to stay and sights to see. Don't expect to do everything in a weeks trip, just see what I can.
Cheers
(Hopefully that's before the tourist season really kicks off and the midges are too bad ?)
I'm riding up from Berkshire, so its a hike before I even get there, maybe overnight around the Lake district. I want to stop at Perth for a day, then head north.
I know very little about the NC500 (I've read its possibly overcrowded route?) would ride each day with very little agenda, and try and pick accommodation as I go.
Open to suggestions of routes to take, places to stay and sights to see. Don't expect to do everything in a weeks trip, just see what I can.
Cheers
My advice would be forget about the official "nc500" route.
There are so many other good areas and roads up Scotland without flogging it to Inverness and following the official route where you will undoubtedly have all of the other summer traffic doing exactly the same thing at that time of year.
If you are staying over in the lakes, head up to Carlisle then follow the A7 north to Selkirk. From Selkirk, head west over to carluke, then jump on the M8 for about half an hour to get across the Erskine bride which brings you onto the A82 to Dumbarton.
Head up to Tarbet in loch lommond then bear west again towards Arrochar then Inverraray. Theres a cracking road from Inverraray (A819) that takes you north where you can then either:
Head west to Oban or Head East to Tyndrum where the Green welly is (you can then progress to Glencoe this way)
Once youre on your way past Fort William and Spean bridge (commando memorial), get on the A87 at Invergarry towards Dornie (Eileen Donan castle) & Kyle of Lochalsh (probably one of the best roads up there IMO)
From there, pass through Lochcarron, Applecross if yo fancy it then basically stay on the west coast all the way north until you reach Durness.
This is where I would say stay on the West coast for the return as long as you can until you can get across to the Cairngorms then return via Braemar, Glenshee etc then head back through the scottish borders back to England.
There are so many other good areas and roads up Scotland without flogging it to Inverness and following the official route where you will undoubtedly have all of the other summer traffic doing exactly the same thing at that time of year.
If you are staying over in the lakes, head up to Carlisle then follow the A7 north to Selkirk. From Selkirk, head west over to carluke, then jump on the M8 for about half an hour to get across the Erskine bride which brings you onto the A82 to Dumbarton.
Head up to Tarbet in loch lommond then bear west again towards Arrochar then Inverraray. Theres a cracking road from Inverraray (A819) that takes you north where you can then either:
Head west to Oban or Head East to Tyndrum where the Green welly is (you can then progress to Glencoe this way)
Once youre on your way past Fort William and Spean bridge (commando memorial), get on the A87 at Invergarry towards Dornie (Eileen Donan castle) & Kyle of Lochalsh (probably one of the best roads up there IMO)
From there, pass through Lochcarron, Applecross if yo fancy it then basically stay on the west coast all the way north until you reach Durness.
This is where I would say stay on the West coast for the return as long as you can until you can get across to the Cairngorms then return via Braemar, Glenshee etc then head back through the scottish borders back to England.
I've been going twice a year recently (in my campervan and off season.) Even in June it'll likely be very busy these days. Assuming you can easily pick up accommodation is overly optimistic in my opinion. I really suggest you take a tent along too, or pre-book everything (less flexible obviously). Expect some midges by June, potentially a lot in some bits of the west coast
There is a midge forecast these days, that's already showing the buggers as active, even now, in early May:
https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/
There is a midge forecast these days, that's already showing the buggers as active, even now, in early May:
https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/
Edited by FullyReclined on Tuesday 6th May 17:00
What ever you do, stay away from Edinburgh.
The bike thefts are through the roof at the moment, it's now so bad there is a small vigilante group going after the rats as the police aren't doing a thing to combat it.
Oh and be careful with the cagers.. 11 deaths up here since the start of the year...
Some of the roads are falling apart as well..
Apart from all the above, it's all good.. hope you have a nice time!
The bike thefts are through the roof at the moment, it's now so bad there is a small vigilante group going after the rats as the police aren't doing a thing to combat it.
Oh and be careful with the cagers.. 11 deaths up here since the start of the year...
Some of the roads are falling apart as well..
Apart from all the above, it's all good.. hope you have a nice time!
pcn1 said:
As per the title, I have a free week early June and a bike tour of Scotland is on my bucket list.
(Hopefully that's before the tourist season really kicks off and the midges are too bad ?)
I'm riding up from Berkshire, so its a hike before I even get there, maybe overnight around the Lake district. I want to stop at Perth for a day, then head north.
I know very little about the NC500 (I've read its possibly overcrowded route?) would ride each day with very little agenda, and try and pick accommodation as I go.
Open to suggestions of routes to take, places to stay and sights to see. Don't expect to do everything in a weeks trip, just see what I can.
Cheers
Whilst the west coast is undoubtedly beautiful, there are so many aspects to Scotland that might appeal to you. I guess it depends on whether you’re looking at a scenery, driving roads, attractions (distilleries, history, architecture etc) . From a ‘sights’ pov and my personal favs and interests I’d :(Hopefully that's before the tourist season really kicks off and the midges are too bad ?)
I'm riding up from Berkshire, so its a hike before I even get there, maybe overnight around the Lake district. I want to stop at Perth for a day, then head north.
I know very little about the NC500 (I've read its possibly overcrowded route?) would ride each day with very little agenda, and try and pick accommodation as I go.
Open to suggestions of routes to take, places to stay and sights to see. Don't expect to do everything in a weeks trip, just see what I can.
Cheers
If your want to visit Perth on the way up, I’d certainly then head via Glenshee to Braemar and down to Ballater for a wander around, it’s a lovely wee village (& poss visit Loch Muick). Then head north over the Lecht road via Tomintoul +\ - Graton on Spey to Aviemore and poodle around Loch Morlich and a visit up to Cairngorm itself on the Funicular (note, it closes for maintenance next week, and is due open beginning June, but check first, history shows they slip). And maybe take in Loch An Eilein. Superb.
From there it depends on whether you want : scenery, or driving roads and the time you have. The NC500 is beautiful, esp the west side, but maybe you could go dolphin / whale watching from Chanonry Point north of Inverness, head diagonally (A836 or A838) from Bonar bridge to either Tongue or Scourie, and then travel south along the coast. Around loch Assynt is stunning, and drop into LochInver for a decent pie - they Mail order and are in demand!
Head down to Ullapool. And make sure you then circle around Loch Marée / Gairloch into Torridon, and then to Kyle of Lochalsh to the famous castle that overlooks Skye!
It really depends on time but if you head that way, we adore spending time walking in / around Glen Garry and Glen Affric.
I fear you might be running out of time by now, but if you can drive south via fort William, circle around Kinlochleven, back onto the Glencoe road East, as it’s worth doing as it is pretty magical to see the Three Sisters.
Good food and coffee are always essential on my trips so when you have a rough route I could always recommend good places - though my ‘expertise’ is more the Cairngorms and east.
Enjoy planning!
We don’t really get midgies on the east coast, certainly nothing like the west coast.
The NC500 is crazy busy all summer, best to book accommodation and be prepared for quite a lot of time stuck behind camper vans that won’t let you pass.
Skye is nice, glen Coe is worth a run through as it’s fairly epic. Watch out for police and tourists stopping randomly to take pictures.
Applecross is impressive on a nice day.
You could do all that then ride along the banks of Loch Ness to get to the east coast. There’s an east coast 250 that’s a decent loop and the creiff cloverleaf has some great roads. You could essentially cherry pick from parts of each loop to suit your intended time/milage.
I’d avoid going much more than 250 miles a day on the smaller roads, they tend to be quite technical and relatively slow so you can get tired and take longer than expected.
The east coast is far less busy with more accommodation available.
The NC500 is crazy busy all summer, best to book accommodation and be prepared for quite a lot of time stuck behind camper vans that won’t let you pass.
Skye is nice, glen Coe is worth a run through as it’s fairly epic. Watch out for police and tourists stopping randomly to take pictures.
Applecross is impressive on a nice day.
You could do all that then ride along the banks of Loch Ness to get to the east coast. There’s an east coast 250 that’s a decent loop and the creiff cloverleaf has some great roads. You could essentially cherry pick from parts of each loop to suit your intended time/milage.
I’d avoid going much more than 250 miles a day on the smaller roads, they tend to be quite technical and relatively slow so you can get tired and take longer than expected.
The east coast is far less busy with more accommodation available.
Edited by Speed addicted on Tuesday 6th May 22:03
Just got back from a long weekend up there an hour ago. I can’t really improve on the suggestions above but I think riding up in a day and back in a day was a mistake. Up to Dumbarton day 1 (from Surrey) was okay but leaving Edinburgh at midday today was an absolute slog as we were pretty knackered. arrangements were messed up because my mate had to source a new tyre - make sure you’ve enough rubber before you leave! Our thoughts after this trip were maybe it’s worth sticking bikes in a van or on a trailer if we can park it somewhere for a few days.
Shout out to BikeSpeed in Livingston for getting a pair fitted this morning. Boo to motorrad in Dalkeith who had the right tyres but were too busy to help.
Highlights were riding across the Cairngorms via the Old Military Road, even though it was bloody freezing on Sunday, and Skye.
Shout out to BikeSpeed in Livingston for getting a pair fitted this morning. Boo to motorrad in Dalkeith who had the right tyres but were too busy to help.
Highlights were riding across the Cairngorms via the Old Military Road, even though it was bloody freezing on Sunday, and Skye.
thepritch said:
...
I fear you might be running out of time by now, but if you can drive south via fort William, circle around Kinlochleven, back onto the Glencoe road East, as it’s worth doing as it is pretty magical to see the Three Sisters.
...
Enjoy planning!
The Kinlochlevan "long cut" to avoid the bridge is a lovely bit of road. One of my favourites. I fear you might be running out of time by now, but if you can drive south via fort William, circle around Kinlochleven, back onto the Glencoe road East, as it’s worth doing as it is pretty magical to see the Three Sisters.
...
Enjoy planning!
I went up this time last year, did the NC500 in 3 days, took me a day either side to travel there. I wish I'd budgeted more time. It really was amazing though, while I'm certain theres decent roads all over Scotland, the roads and scenery along the route are something else. There was no traffic the entire time, incredibly rare I met more than one car in a row after John O'Groats.
Travelling up and back from the Midlands was a killer, 9-10 hours to get to the first stop near Inverness. Doing it again I would perhaps stop half way up or have a day to just rest after that slog. Using 1000 of a 4000 mile tyre just for the motorway is irritating too.
First leg up the A9 to John O'Groats is not that exciting but if you go off the beaten track inland a bit there's some great and deserted roads. Still it's all nicer than 90% of England. Recommend stopping by Falls of Shin and Camster Cairns, using as little of the A9 as possible to get to them.
After that the road just opens up and it feels like you're the only person in the world, gets busier around beach locations but that way across the top of Scotland is just so good to blast through, can imagine it sucks in a van though having to stop to pass on the single tracks.
Upper Highlands, Torridon and Applecross are the highlights after that, I'd love to go back up that way and spend more time there. The road back to Inverness after Bealach na Ba through the forest and lake areas was fantastic too.
I was camping, setting up every night and taking down every morning was quite tiring, next time I'll set up in a central location like Lairg and do trips out I think, not having a 17kg bag on the back seat the whole time would be nice. That said I'm doing the exact same thing in Ireland next week but I've got a simplified tent set up now that's not as arduous.
Accommodation, you need to book now as it gets pretty thin for non-camping out in the sticks. Even in May the van spots at sites were rammed.
So yeah do go but maybe consider going right now before everyone and their dog takes a camper up.
Travelling up and back from the Midlands was a killer, 9-10 hours to get to the first stop near Inverness. Doing it again I would perhaps stop half way up or have a day to just rest after that slog. Using 1000 of a 4000 mile tyre just for the motorway is irritating too.
First leg up the A9 to John O'Groats is not that exciting but if you go off the beaten track inland a bit there's some great and deserted roads. Still it's all nicer than 90% of England. Recommend stopping by Falls of Shin and Camster Cairns, using as little of the A9 as possible to get to them.
After that the road just opens up and it feels like you're the only person in the world, gets busier around beach locations but that way across the top of Scotland is just so good to blast through, can imagine it sucks in a van though having to stop to pass on the single tracks.
Upper Highlands, Torridon and Applecross are the highlights after that, I'd love to go back up that way and spend more time there. The road back to Inverness after Bealach na Ba through the forest and lake areas was fantastic too.
I was camping, setting up every night and taking down every morning was quite tiring, next time I'll set up in a central location like Lairg and do trips out I think, not having a 17kg bag on the back seat the whole time would be nice. That said I'm doing the exact same thing in Ireland next week but I've got a simplified tent set up now that's not as arduous.
Accommodation, you need to book now as it gets pretty thin for non-camping out in the sticks. Even in May the van spots at sites were rammed.
So yeah do go but maybe consider going right now before everyone and their dog takes a camper up.
I'd go Perth, Across to Oban. Go to Islay then down the Mull of Kintyre. Back up the east side of Kintyre to Skipness. Ferry to Arran. Tour round Arran (It's Scotland in miniature). Ferry across to mainland. Down the Ayrshire coast (Culzean Castle, Turnberry) to Mull Of Galloway (Stop at Portpatrick).
Back to Carlisle over the hill road from Newton Stewart to Crocketford where you'll pick up the A75 and head home.
Back to Carlisle over the hill road from Newton Stewart to Crocketford where you'll pick up the A75 and head home.
I went up there a few years ago over about 4 or 5 days.
Rode from Berkshire to North Yorkshire day 1 and camped (in February), rode via Whitby across the penines to near Glasgow to a B&B, next day up to Glencoe and then back to the B&B, next day down through the Lakes to Nantwich to a hotel, final day via Nat Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.
Short and sweet but I absolutely loved it. Glencoe was one of the best places I've been.
Rode from Berkshire to North Yorkshire day 1 and camped (in February), rode via Whitby across the penines to near Glasgow to a B&B, next day up to Glencoe and then back to the B&B, next day down through the Lakes to Nantwich to a hotel, final day via Nat Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.
Short and sweet but I absolutely loved it. Glencoe was one of the best places I've been.
Berkshire based rider here too (Reading).
My biking crew did a Highland tour about 15yrs ago. We took the view that we wanted to concentrate on riding the most, without having to pack up our luggage every day. So we stayed at Morag's Hostel in Fort Augustus at the bottom of Loch Ness for five nights.
It was absolutely perfect because it meant you could ditch all your gear there and then do a great circular ride out from it every day, covering the whole area of the Highlands. It made it more 'sports' than 'sports touring' on some epic roads, and meant we did not have the aggro of hotel/B&B check-in every night.
Applecross, Bealach na Bà (The Pass of the Cattle) Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull (hop on the ferries) were all real highlights.
The Lock Inn and The Bothy in Fort Augustus were friendly places to unwind at night.
I must admit I wasn't a fan of the idea when it was put to me (I usually favour a new stop off every night) but it worked and meant we could really spend some time enjoying some excellent roads and scenery.
My biking crew did a Highland tour about 15yrs ago. We took the view that we wanted to concentrate on riding the most, without having to pack up our luggage every day. So we stayed at Morag's Hostel in Fort Augustus at the bottom of Loch Ness for five nights.
It was absolutely perfect because it meant you could ditch all your gear there and then do a great circular ride out from it every day, covering the whole area of the Highlands. It made it more 'sports' than 'sports touring' on some epic roads, and meant we did not have the aggro of hotel/B&B check-in every night.
Applecross, Bealach na Bà (The Pass of the Cattle) Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull (hop on the ferries) were all real highlights.
The Lock Inn and The Bothy in Fort Augustus were friendly places to unwind at night.
I must admit I wasn't a fan of the idea when it was put to me (I usually favour a new stop off every night) but it worked and meant we could really spend some time enjoying some excellent roads and scenery.
OutInTheShed said:
It's a whole country FFS.
You can't bucket list it in a week.
^ so much that. You can't bucket list it in a week.
You would not choose to see England in a week, nor see it as 'one place'.
A bike, next week, how about a tootle around Dumfries and Galloway, then on up to Arran on the ferry, over to Kintyre, down the peninsula, before back up to Crinan, and a daunder back down to Glasgow via as many coast roads as you can and the Ferry across to Wemyss. Come back down through the Borders area, Northumbria and pick up either A1 or M6 home.
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