Highlands

[monkfish1]

snowandrocks said:

Skye isn't any better. We were over staying with a friend last week and had to tow a rented motorhome out of the ditch. From what I could work out they'd just reversed straight off the road when faced with oncoming traffic. Completely clueless with no idea even where the toolkit was for the towing eye.

In saying that, there was a surprisingly large number of American and Chinese tourists in normal hire cars who were also causing chaos and seemed equally unable to drive. Who knows what the answer is!

I still remember meeting someone is a normal nsl section on a corner on my side of the road 2 years ago, both travelling at a good speed. How we didnt hit each other i dont know. I presume he had fogotton what side to drive on, with there being no other traffic about.

[monkfish1]

mikey k said:

I'll have to settle for early morning runs from home in the Snowdonia and Mid Wales

Yep, did mid wales 2 weeks ago on an extended day trip. Given it was a bank holiday, still no one about, though we did set off at 5am.

Whereever you are now, if you want a decent drive, early morning or late evening is the only time in the summer.

[Red Devil]

monkfish1 said:

Whereever you are now, if you want a decent drive, early morning or late evening is the only time in the summer.

- That said, in some parts of the country it is a necessity for most of the year.
Up at dawn and finish at a café is my preference, which has the added advantage that I don't have to cook breakfast or do the washing up.

[mjlloyd500]

Just ready to leave now, had the best weather ever this week. Shame about the cocks in campervans and idiots in supercars. Nevermind going back home to drive Britain's lovely roads in my lorry hahaha be back in a few months time.

[leggly]

mjlloyd500 said:

Just ready to leave now, had the best weather ever this week. Shame about the cocks in campervans and idiots in supercars. Nevermind going back home to drive Britain's lovely roads in my lorry hahaha be back in a few months time.

Feel free to call in next time you’re up here.

[legendracer]

Red Devil said:

If I have read his most recent post correctly it's a 3 day trip. 1. Drive up. 2. Stay over. 3. Drive back.
The point of driving 1200+ miles, a considerable percentage of it on the most boring roads imaginable, for a one day sojourn in the Highlands escapes me.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

I did it. Hehe. 11 hours reached. While returning I took A1. Not fast road but scenic. Return took 12 hours.
Car was 1.2 NA Skoda fabia. Was above 3000 revs always and sometimes above 4000. Gave 45 mpg.

[egor110]

monkfish1 said:

Yep, did mid wales 2 weeks ago on an extended day trip. Given it was a bank holiday, still no one about, though we did set off at 5am.

Whereever you are now, if you want a decent drive, early morning or late evening is the only time in the summer.

And st weather.

If the weather's good the farm contractors will be out in force.

[Riley Blue]

egor110 said:

monkfish1 said:

Yep, did mid wales 2 weeks ago on an extended day trip. Given it was a bank holiday, still no one about, though we did set off at 5am.

Whereever you are now, if you want a decent drive, early morning or late evening is the only time in the summer.

And st weather.

If the weather's good the farm contractors will be out in force.

I also think a lot depends on taking a car that's most suited to the roads you'll be travelling on. There's little point in driving a supercar on narrow, poorly surfaced, singletrack roads that have high percentage of tourist traffic. At best you'll become frustrated, at worst you'll take risks. In both cases you'll be bored rigid.

[matchmaker]

This topic reminds me of a trip about 5 years ago where one part of the route was on the B8025 over the Moine Mhor near Lochgilphead. We came across (presumably) a tourist who was bumbling along the single track road at 25mph. They wouldn't let me pass, even at passing places. This went on - literally - for miles.

Wish I'd had one of these handy...

[matchmaker]

stogbandard said:

Two years ago we did Kettering to Garve. Best thing we did was set off at 5am to get past Birmingham, Manchester and the Lakes on the M6 on the bank holiday weekend morning. The rest was also easy. We stopped three times, first at Tebay, then at Stirling up the A9 and stopped for fuel at Inverness to get there by 3pm.

On the way back we stayed at the Hilton at North Queensferry. Choosing to get there via the A82 was a big mistake. Tag teams of dawdlers were in force - as soon as one turned off another emerged from the same junction. Pass one, another pulls out in front at the next junction. That’s how it went. My patience was wearing a bit thin when I got stuck behind a Civic bending time at 30 mph on the A84 between Callander and Stirling. That and roadworks at Tyndrum added well over to Google’s ETA. I regretted not taking the A9! A train trip over the Forth Bridge into Edinburgh for a couple of beers at Cafe Royal made up for it.

Ironically, that stretch of the A84 is a fairly fast road if it's not busy. I can set the cruise to 60 leaving Callander and only have to slow down in a few places. However, if you get stuck behind a 30 mph dawdler, there are few good overtaking possibilities!

[mjlloyd500]

Thanks, leggly which part of sutherland do you reside in. Just got home 11 hours no traffic.

[leggly]

mjlloyd500 said:

Thanks, leggly which part of sutherland do you reside in. Just got home 11 hours no traffic.

We live in Portskerra, a mile from the Halladale Inn.

Edited by leggly on Wednesday 30th June 19:41

[plenty]

Posting this on the ferry from Mull to Oban. 700 miles covered - 200 more to go today.

Since my last visit in 2018 the “NC500” road signs have gone up, and there has been a massive increase in the number of cyclists.

Traffic is not as bad as I had feared and is quite manageable. It helps that I went anti-clockwise through the NW Highlands - seems that clockwise is the much more popular direction.

[GetCarter]

plenty said:

Since my last visit in 2018 the “NC500” road signs have gone up

Most have been turned round to point in the wrong direction here.

[Red Devil]

plenty said:

Posting this on the ferry from Mull to Oban. 700 miles covered - 200 more to go today.

Since my last visit in 2018 the “NC500” road signs have gone up, and there has been a massive increase in the number of cyclists.

Traffic is not as bad as I had feared and is quite manageable. It helps that I went anti-clockwise through the NW Highlands - seems that clockwise is the much more popular direction.

I don't think it makes much difference on the single track sections...

[JmatthewB]

We're going up to do a tour of the Western Isles in late August/early September. Going form Fort William to Skye, back to Mull via Kilchoan-Tobermory ferry, over to Oban then down to Islay.

We didn't plan it as a 'driving holiday' but I was hoping to enjoy some of the roads, but I imagine it's just going to be clogged up with coaches, camper vans, cyclists and dawdling sightseers.

[GetCarter]

JmatthewB said:

We didn't plan it as a 'driving holiday' but I was hoping to enjoy some of the roads, but I imagine it's just going to be clogged up with coaches, camper vans, cyclists and dawdling sightseers.

Time of day determines everything. :0)

[JmatthewB]

GetCarter said:

Time of day determines everything. :0)

I image it does, however travelling time will be dictated by ferry timetables and how much single malt I've sampled the night before.

[snowandrocks]

JmatthewB said:

I image it does, however travelling time will be dictated by ferry timetables and how much single malt I've sampled the night before.

If you're not in any great hurry it's worth stopping for a bit once you get off a ferry and allowing the ferry traffic to clear. Can make the difference between following a convoy of tourists that have come off the boat and having a completely empty road.

[GetCarter]

snowandrocks said:

If you're not in any great hurry it's worth stopping for a bit once you get off a ferry and allowing the ferry traffic to clear. Can make the difference between following a convoy of tourists that have come off the boat and having a completely empty road.

This. Or get of first.