Highlands

[Drive Blind]

giveitfish said:

Sounds good to me as I won't be in Scotland until May

We're doing something a bit different this year,

are you up to speed with the Arran ferry chaos?

the boat might be from Troon depending on which one is working

[giveitfish]

Cheers, yes - hopefully they're getting on top of it now - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg38x7k9v7o

The new ferry between Lochranza - Claonaig has a broken ramp too, scheduled to be fixed before we travel but I'll keep an eye on it as I think the old boat might cause problems due to my car being quite low.

If it's still in a mess we'll drive round via the Rest and be Thankful, but that adds a load of motorway and traffic I'd rather avoid.

[littleredrooster]

giveitfish said:

Sounds good to me as I won't be in Scotland until May
...
My biggest concern is the state of the potholes. Last time I was on the A702 the surface was in an absolutely shocking state. Does anyone have any insight into any repairs over the last year?

I was down the A702 late last September and it was still very poor, can't think that winter will have done it any good.

It wasn't as bad as the A708 (St. Mary's Loch) road, or - particularly - the B709 (Eskdalemuir). Both of those were nothing short of treacherous, with sections of tarmac 2ft x 4ft missing in places altogether. In the MX-5, 30mph in some of the twisty bits felt like too much because if there was any oncoming traffic, it was impossible to miss some large, sharp-edged holes.

Having been a regular on the Border roads since the 1980s (on two wheels and four), it comes as a huge disappointment to say the least.

[giveitfish]

Thanks, that was my fear. I might take the B797 Mennock Pass instead of the A702 Dalveen Pass. Even though it's a smaller & rougher road in general it didn't seem to have the wheel-destroying holes in it last time I went.

[littleredrooster]

giveitfish said:

Thanks, that was my fear. I might take the B797 Mennock Pass instead of the A702 Dalveen Pass. Even though it's a smaller & rougher road in general it didn't seem to have the wheel-destroying holes in it last time I went.

Don't forget to stop for a cuppa at Scotland's highest village...

[Nigel_O]

giveitfish said:

Does anyone have any insight into any repairs over the last year?

My son and I did a lot of the Scottish West coast in my V8 Vantage last October. The road conditions can best be descibed as "varied". Sometimes we were on roads where we could quite happily cruised at double the national speed limit for mile after mile (not that we would, of course, officeer...). On some stretches, we were crawling in 2nd or 3rd gear, dodging the potholes. On one particularly bad section (The Quiraing on Skye), we were advised by a local to turn around or lose our front bumper and a tyre or two.

Some of the single-track is great (Bealach Na Ba stands out - recently resurfaced), but other bits are rough and require concentration.

PH thread on our trip here:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Nigel_O]

While I'm thinking about it - I finally got round to putting together some video footage.

There are huge gaps - it was never designed to be a vlog - more of a road trip with some video when we could remember to turn the cameras on. Rubbish weather also mean that for large sections, we simply didn't bother.

Anyway - enjoy...



(I really must upgrade my M365 account so I can upload from Clipchamp in 4k....)

[Ramsden2019]

How’s the fuel prices up there at the moment?

[GetCarter]

Ramsden2019 said:

How s the fuel prices up there at the moment?

1.56 for U/L 1.90 for Derv.

[Cpt Stirling]

GetCarter said:

1.56 for U/L 1.90 for Derv.

Any signs of shortage?

[GetCarter]

Cpt Stirling said:

GetCarter said:

1.56 for U/L 1.90 for Derv.

Any signs of shortage?

No. People up here are much less stressed than those down south (where I came from). If they can't get fuel, they stay at home and relax. No queues at fuel stations.

Having said that - depends what the mad king of the USA decides to do next.

[Cpt Stirling]

Cheers Steve.

[flatlemon]

giveitfish said:

Thanks, that was my fear. I might take the B797 Mennock Pass instead of the A702 Dalveen Pass. Even though it's a smaller & rougher road in general it didn't seem to have the wheel-destroying holes in it last time I went.

Might be worth considering coming off at Moffat and taking the A701 up through the Beeftub and onto Edinburgh. A lot quieter than the A702 and plenty overtaking spots. Not the best condition surface but what road is these days

[Red Devil]

flatlemon said:

giveitfish said:

Thanks, that was my fear. I might take the B797 Mennock Pass instead of the A702 Dalveen Pass. Even though it's a smaller & rougher road in general it didn't seem to have the wheel-destroying holes in it last time I went.

Might be worth considering coming off at Moffat and taking the A701 up through the Beeftub and onto Edinburgh. A lot quieter than the A702 and plenty overtaking spots. Not the best condition surface but what road is these days

That's heading east so no good for the other coast. It's definitely a way more enjoyable way to reach Endinburgh though than the A702.

20/04/2022


Looking forward to my next trip to the far North in 10 days time. Won't be going that way this time though.
Going up the east side using some fun, usually traffic free, roads - https://maps.app.goo.gl/UMdmoWYNUvBqRivPA

[giveitfish]

Thanks, but yes, Edinburgh is the wrong way for me on this trip.

I thought the 701 was pretty good. Last time I was there the view wasn’t so good though!

[ovalowl2]

littleredrooster said:

Don't forget to stop for a cuppa at Scotland's highest village...

That height above sea level of 1,531ft isn't accurate for the actual village buildings.

The doorstep of the highest house is 1,457ft.

The highest village in the UK is Flash in the Staffordshire Peak District at 1,519ft

[andy43]

Wow there’s a lot of useful info here.
I’ll be going to the Gairloch area soon to see relatives so I’ll be on a fair bit of the NC500. It looks stunning. Planning to see the Skyfall Glen Etive location enroute so I’ll be sticking to the western side, maybe going more towards In Venice (thanks Mr Carter) on the return leg.
I’ve done a fair bit of street viewing and am mildly terrified as I’ve got a choice of X5 or LC500 depending on who’s coming with me - neither are the most slenderest of cars.
How tricky is it up there for fat people cars driven by Highlands virgins? Potholes, width etc?
(Also got the option of a Mini JCW but I’m grand touring, not looking to invest in chiropractors.)

[GetCarter]

andy43 said:

Wow there s a lot of useful info here.
I ll be going to the Gairloch area soon to see relatives so I ll be on a fair bit of the NC500. It looks stunning. Planning to see the Skyfall Glen Etive location enroute so I ll be sticking to the western side, maybe going more towards In Venice (thanks Mr Carter) on the return leg.
I ve done a fair bit of street viewing and am mildly terrified as I ve got a choice of X5 or LC500 depending on who s coming with me - neither are the most slenderest of cars.
How tricky is it up there for fat people cars driven by Highlands virgins? Potholes, width etc?
(Also got the option of a Mini JCW but I m grand touring, not looking to invest in chiropractors.)

My daily drive is a RR Velar, and it's fine. Some of the single track roads have bad potholes - most two lane roads are okay (or very good). People on 21" rims should consider fatter tyres for a visit.

[andy43]

GetCarter said:

My daily drive is a RR Velar, and it's fine. Some of the single track roads have bad potholes - most two lane roads are okay (or very good). People on 21" rims should consider fatter tyres for a visit.

Thanks Steve, that’s reassuring. I’m planning on daylight driving only but will be rollin’ on 20s or 21s so I will probably be the slowest car on some of the back roads.
Relatives in Port Henderson are addicted to your daily photos btw

[Red Devil]

I'm due to be passing here in 5 days's time.- https://maps.app.goo.gl/KBxz3XBS84xcNzpY8
The weather forecast for next weekend is not lookimg promising.