Must drive roads for visitor to UK

[TomN94]

andrew said:

JazzyO said:

If anyone is ever on the west coast of Scotland: the road from Fort William to Mallaig. Drove it in my 365BB, will remember it till I die. Best thing is, you need to drive it back too (unless you take a ferry to the end of the world).


Onno

agreed
do not loop back on the a861 unless you have many hours spare and enjoy single track roads !

Yep, love that road, only ever done it in the back of a Vectra Estate when I was 12, but it sticks with me. We then set off back with the steam train along side, stopping off at Glenfinnan viaduct to re-live the scene from Harry Potter...also, Morar beach is a lovely place to stop, white sands, clear water...

But yeah, that road is good.

[chilistrucker]

andrew said:

you should also just once try the m1 and m25 on a monday morning : afterwards any road will feel like the empty alpine pass of your dreams

if you are scotland bound, and going up via the a1m, it may be worth coming off at newcastle, take the a69 towards hexham, then onto the a68 for jedburgh, and onto scotland for other routes suggested.
been a while since i've done the a68, so not sure on cameras and the like??? but used to love this route in the lorry if i was doing a scottish run. it was a great drive in a 40 ton truck, and often thought it would be a cracking run in a "decent" car. there is a short stretch, that was like being on a rollercoaster, you'll know it as soon as your there
its just an all round nice drive, and jedburgh is a decent place for a lunch stop, and some photos of the ruins, and a walk by the river
you may even see some low flying jets doing their thing on your journey.

[Guyr]

I know it's taking it slightly off-topic, but as nice as Scotland is, it's much nearer and quicker to drive to the Alps from Paris (you said you're going there by train) and with the greatest of respect to the wonderful Scottish scenary, it's not a patch on driving through the Alps.

[Sandy59]

If you're heading up to the west of Scotland, lots of good info here :

http://www.stevecarter.com/picaday/roads.htm

[mhh]

Sandy59 said:

If you're heading up to the west of Scotland, lots of good info here :

http://www.stevecarter.com/picaday/roads.htm

Wow, great pics!

[Shnozz]

Gouki said:

I have done the evo triangle, and compared to roads in Europe it may leave you a bit underwhelmed. It can be easily understood why reviewers use the triangle since each side is a completely different type of road, there are also IIRC no junctions within each road.

The triangle is very small, so I hope some folk come on here and suggest additional routes.

And just as a final nail in the coffin, I was there a few weeks ago and it's just been resurfaced and so has a 20mph limit and loose chippings everywhere. That said, the Evo triangle is only a small sample of some great roads in that area. It is a great combination of open roads with decent clear space for overtakes and some nice twisties to enjoy the handling. From my limited experience of Scotland, its a close run thing, and as a Southerner living in Yorkshire, the roads in the dales/peaks/lakes are still pretty special themselves.

[Sandy59]

mhh said:

Sandy59 said:

If you're heading up to the west of Scotland, lots of good info here :

http://www.stevecarter.com/picaday/roads.htm

Wow, great pics!

It's a great site in general, lots of interesting car stuff included.

[birdcage]

Driving to near Skye from london week after next, are there any Scottish experts I could ask a quick question about route?

[blugnu]

birdcage said:

Driving to near Skye from london week after next, are there any Scottish experts I could ask a quick question about route?

Don't know about expert, but I've driven from London to Sheffield a fair few times, and to Skye four or five times.

Where are you going, and what do you want to know?

[Alex]

After the evo triangle, head West to the Llanberis pass. Some beautiful roads and scenery around there.

[Cheib]

If the OP is already going to Paris I would seriously consider renting a car in France and doing a week driving through the Alps instead.....taking in some Autobahn's too ?

If I had the choice I'd definitely go for a week driving in Europe rather Wales and Scotland in October. You could have a very wet week in Wales and Scotland in October...same could be said in Europe but if it is looking dodgy head further South.

Regardless of whether you are in the UK or Europe try and avoid the school half term week.

[chevronb37]

B6255 in North Yorkshire is worth a crack.

[birdcage]

blugnu said:

birdcage said:

Driving to near Skye from london week after next, are there any Scottish experts I could ask a quick question about route?

Don't know about expert, but I've driven from London to Sheffield a fair few times, and to Skye four or five times.

Where are you going, and what do you want to know?

Thank you,I am stopping in Glasgow for a night and then on to a place called Torridon, above Lochcarron and google maps for example wants to take me to Inverness and across where as I thought going on the A82 through Loch Lomond, then a87 and up from there.

I was curious to see what might stop me from doing my route and if the Inverness way was better?

[mhh]

Cheib said:

Regardless of whether you are in the UK or Europe try and avoid the school half term week.

Thanks for the tip. Which week(s) exactly should I avoid?

[blugnu]

birdcage said:

Thank you,I am stopping in Glasgow for a night and then on to a place called Torridon, above Lochcarron and google maps for example wants to take me to Inverness and across where as I thought going on the A82 through Loch Lomond, then a87 and up from there.

I was curious to see what might stop me from doing my route and if the Inverness way was better?

The Inverness route is quicker by google's reckoning. I'd guess that the difference will be more than it says too, because you get a lot of tourist traffic between Glasgow and Loch Lomond. That can all change with one accident in Scotland though - the diversions are enormous.

Your route is more interesting and has better views, but it's also going to be busier. That said, sight lines are normally pretty good on Scottish roads and they are more open than in Wales and the Lakes, and even North Yorkshire, so unless you get a bunch of caravans you rarely seem to get huge impassable slow moving queues - certainly not if you have a decently quick car.

EDIT - just looked at your garage. You'll be fine for overtaking. Motorists in Scotland are normally quite well behaved in my experience, and do let you past - although that said I've never tried it in a big orange Porsche

[birdcage]

blugnu said:

birdcage said:

Thank you,I am stopping in Glasgow for a night and then on to a place called Torridon, above Lochcarron and google maps for example wants to take me to Inverness and across where as I thought going on the A82 through Loch Lomond, then a87 and up from there.

I was curious to see what might stop me from doing my route and if the Inverness way was better?

The Inverness route is quicker by google's reckoning. I'd guess that the difference will be more than it says too, because you get a lot of tourist traffic between Glasgow and Loch Lomond. That can all change with one accident in Scotland though - the diversions are enormous.

Your route is more interesting and has better views, but it's also going to be busier. That said, sight lines are normally pretty good on Scottish roads and they are more open than in Wales and the Lakes, and even North Yorkshire, so unless you get a bunch of caravans you rarely seem to get huge impassable slow moving queues - certainly not if you have a decently quick car.

EDIT - just looked at your garage. You'll be fine for overtaking. Motorists in Scotland are normally quite well behaved in my experience, and do let you past - although that said I've never tried it in a big orange Porsche

Thanks Blugnu, much appreciated!

[jackal]

just planned my scottish tour for september

this is as good as its gets




the A87 into skye
A830 Road to the Isles
the A836 south of tongue
the 'mini nurburgring' down to Moffat
the A822/A826 Crieff to Aberfeldy
A93 Bridge of Cally to Ballater
Ulapool to Durness
the Applecross penninsula
the run up to Glencoe/Fort william
Eilean Donan Castle
Loch Ness
Kylesku Bridge

Edited by jackal on Tuesday 24th July 22:27

[threesixty]

jackal said:

just planned my scottish tour for september

this is as good as its gets




the A87 into skye
A830 Road to the Isles
the A836 south of tongue
the 'mini nurburgring' down to Moffat
the A822/A826 Crieff to Aberfeldy
A93 Bridge of Cally to Ballater
Ulapool to Durness
the Applecross penninsula
the run up to Glencoe/Fort william
Eilean Donan Castle
Loch Ness
Kylesku Bridge

Edited by jackal on Tuesday 24th July 22:27

Could be better! Take the tiny ferry over to Skye at glenelg instead of going over the bridge. Great roads and the ferry is quite an experience!

[jackal]

We're going over by ferry at Mallaig after the A830 so have that covered.

[threesixty]

Your coming back via the bridge though? You'll be missing out!