Bonnie Scotchland - advice

[Kris]

Hey all

I have a dream.. to tour Scotland with the missus this year. Looking to spend around five days, perhaps a week in total on this trip. We'll be looking to B&B it, perhaps with a decent hotel for a night or two. Campsites & youth hostels are a no-no.

I've never been before and I've been inspired by several road-tests north of Hadrians Wall including a BIKE trip to Dunnet Head. We want to take in the famous sights (including Loch Ness) as well as those hidden biking treasures and I know there are a few BCFers from Scotland on here that could help. (As well as those helpful peeps who tour quite a bit)

Although we could probably manage touring on the Bandit, I feel that it would be an unnecessary chore, especially so when you consider that I would have to kit out the bike with some luggage etc. I'm considering hiring a bike like a Pan Euro or a Goldwing so we can waft up in comfort and have the stereo on etc. Plus, there'll be room for all of her clothes in the panniers etc which I'd struggle with otherwise.

So, BCF massiv', any suggestions / helpful hints or tips / experience?

- Places of interest
- Good biking routes
- Good B&B's / cheap hotels
- Time of year to visit
- Costs
- Majestic viewpoints
- Any advice on bike hire

Thanks all.


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[TheDonUK]

I dont think you would have too many problems on a Bandit, I did a bit of scotland on a GS500, but i guess if your taking alot of stuff why not treat your self to a lardy tourer,

Of the top of my head the road roughly from Lairg-Ullapool was fantastic, views, roads had it all,

Im talking roughly about:
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr=bonar+bridge&daddr=invershin+to:lairg+to:rosehall+to:ullapool&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=57.919224,-4.987793&sspn=0.160462,0.617981&ie=UTF8&ll=57.789161,-4.191284&spn=1.358666,4.943848&z=8

You would be looking at roads like this:
https://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc21/thedonuk/pimpmybike5.jpg

And thats just the straight bits i could be bothered to stop and take a photo on.

Also The road from Glasgow-Fort William A82/85 off the top of my head is fantastic, through Rannoch Moor and past Loch lomond and eventually to Loch Ness, Its like a Canyon, with excellent views ahead, a real overtaking road...

Thats all i can think of now, im just surprised i beat Itchy to a post in touring

Have fun man
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[steve32]

if you get the chance you wanna go over to the isle of skye, the roads around the isle is great for cruising and theres not much traffic about
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[Itchy]

DEET , and some DDT , midges are really really bad in Scotland ,
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[Charlie]

Agree with Itchy, make sure it has got DEET in it, that is the only stuff that will actually keep them away. Even then they will pester you. Luckily midges don't bother me as much as other people, but even so, in Scotland they are pests.
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[kitty kat]

I have only done the west side, but you have to ride Glen Coe, fantastic road, leading to Mallaig & the ferry to Isle of Skye. If you want to ride near Loch Ness, the B road on the west of the loch is a great biking road, through heather covered mountains.
I managed 1003 miles in 3 days & with 3 night's camping with absolutely no effort at all and loads of time to stop & admire the scenery.
Loads of midges around Inverness in August, it was raining whilst I was on Skye, so they weren't a problem there.
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[Skudd]

Did a six day then a long weekend this years. Did the B&B pre booked way. Some of them were fantastic, some where ok, only one was dreadful. More the owner than the place to be honest.
Glencoe was really nice, full of bikers and bloody midges late evening/ early morning, but you just get on with it.
Doing around top North East over to North West next summer over a week this time. Will still be doing the B&B thing though.

Don't make the mistake I made by taking towels with you as all the rooms have them, we let the B&Bs know we had bikes and that there was a place to park them.

The B&Bs I would recommend.

Mike Richards
Strathassynt Guest House
Ballachulish ( Just of the A82)
01855811261

Gowanbrae
19 church Street
Dufftown
Banffshire
AB55 4AR
01340 821344

Ashbank House
14 Tomcroy Terrace
Pitlochry
Perthshire
PH16 5JA
01796 472711

We paid on average £28 for a single room but you will be wanting a double. Breakfasts were very good and and could put you on until late evening if that was your wish.

The roads between each place were fantastic. The place at Dufftown is about half a miles walk from the Glenfiddich Distillery and is well worth an afternoon there, note I said walk because you can have samples on the way around.


Anyway just a few places to look at to give you an idea, Google map the roads to see some of the places, there are loads of sights to see around all the areas.

One place I was disapointed by was Electric Brae, nice roads around there but I couldn't see the illusion of going up hill when you were going down, in other words rolling up hill. But others thought it was good.
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[Grav]

Your bandit will be fine for touring round Scotland on. My wife and I did a week round Scotland on my old 750 Zephyr. With throw overs and a large bag on the back topped off with a tent and an airbed the weight was hefty, but manageable for a chap of my stature. Fuel economy wasn't adversly affected either, I still managed around 45-50mpg so go for it on the Bandit.

West of Scotland is a mecca for bikes as the roads are well maintained and a joy to ride on. North of Loch Ness the roads are even better with very little traffic and plenty of outstanding scenery.

The A9 is full of speed traps so be careful should you use it.
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Dark Lord Of Custard

snigger.....

[rabbyl]

Touring Scotland 2 up? This is my passion and I have led a few trips.

I would recommend an upright all rounder - something like a Tiger/VStrom/GS etc as you can see all around and you may be tempted to nip down some of the rough roads that take you on to amazing beaches etc. I ride a Multistrada and it is ideal. Having said this, you'll see every type of bike on your way round. Big tourers are not so easy to squeeze past cars on the singletrack stuff.

Hostels are great and a lot have double rooms and access to full catering facilities - you can save a lot by doing this in between your luxury hotels! Most are next to good pubs and have laundry facilites. (Google Scottish Hostels "the Blue Guide", and also the SYHA site) They are no longer stuffy and I have sat up late in several of them enjoying whisky/beer between groups of multi-national bikers.

Awesome Route:

The south of Scotland has many great routes (especially through Galloway and backroads of Ayrshire) but if you want to get into the "big country" and away from traffic, blast to Glasgow and use this as a rough guide to your itinerary:

Day 1: Glasgow - Inveraray - Lochgilphead - Oban - Ballachulish, (then take short ferry at Corran over Loch Linnhe) - Strontian - Mallaig (a lot of Singletrack). You will pass through the most amazing landscapes and when you hit the coast - WOW! Stay night in Mallaig and get early ferry to Skye (it's well worth the money to use the boat as views to the Isles are magnificent.

Day 2: Tour Skye - and get lunch in the Stein inn in the north half of the island. Then take in north of the island and come back south to a great hostel with double rooms etc at the pub by Talisker Distillery which has great food and you can pre-book breakfast or cook your own (it's actually in Carbost). B&Bs everywhere.

Day 3: Take Skye Bridge over to mainland and follow road all the way up Glen Sheil. Stop at the top, Marvel at the views and the road you have just ridden then head back down Glen Sheil and over to Plockton for lunch. Plockton - Lochcarron - Applecross (takes you over the highest pass in Scotland down to the best pub (in my opinion) in the world. Then round headland to Torridon then north to Ullapool for the night.

Day 4: Ullapool - head north on good road and take in the small coastal routes as and when you feel like exploring. Achmelvich Beach, just upcoast from Lochinver is worth a visit, as is Stoer Lihthouse (both on Assynt pensinsula) there's also great food at Kylesku Harbour (just before the sweeping bridge). Get to Durness in late afternoon and take in beaches and caves.

Day 5. Ride North coast. Don't even bother with John O'Groats - a tacky waste of time and not great roads. Swoop along clifftop roads back towards Inverness from Thurso.


From here: You have the Cairngorms, east coast, Loch Ness (busy and lots of coaches) or whatever you want to visit on your way home. Note that the East Coast is generally drier with more villages etc but west is most dramatic and far easier to ride due to its emptiness. Well worth taking in both sides if you have the time.

Top tips - limit your miles on a Sunday when way up north or on the Isles as shops are shut and fuel is hard to find in the small hamlets. Some places are well marked on the map but may only consist of a post office/hotel etc. Do your research if you are depending on fuel. Midges won't bother you too much in the day - but certainly in the evening, if you stand around you will get attacked. I wouldn't bother camping in the midge prone months (late May to early Sep). Wear all-weather gear, bring extra gloves and buy good, non-cotton thermals. It can get very wet but that's what keeps it quiet and makes it the place it is!

I have not included much A82 travel - it's a great road but it is busy and in future trips you will end up on this road all the time either getting to the highlands or coming back. Avoid the A9 as it's a busy trunk road that is heavily policed and frustrates busy drivers who end up getting silly.
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RL

[map]

Have posted some advice on Scotland before, click here, here and/or here.
Also do a search on Scotland posts by stinkwheel as I recall he had some good things to say.

If you don't want to be tied down to a schedule you can roll up at a tourist info office in the afternoon and book a B&B there for the evening.

Watch out for speed cameras in the border area, they're a pain. Really only revenue earners as many I've seen placed on the only bit of straight overtaking bits of road. Once past Pitlochry you should be ok though (apart from mobile ones, wave to them at Glencoe )

Only other advice is go as north as you can and don't be afraid to go off the main A roads onto something more interesting. If you like whisky you can link up the distilleries and take in their tours which is quite interesting.

As for bike then a Bandit should be ok with throw over panniers, tank bag and maybe a rack/topbox. You'd be surprised what you see people 'touring' on up there.


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[kitty kat]

I managed just fine on a Fazer 600 with a large bag strapped to pillion seat with all my camping gear in it. This year I am hoping to invest in some throw-over panniers so I can take a pillion if I wish.
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Enjoy everyday, tell those you love everyday you love them
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[Darth]

[TheDonUK]

Wow cool, look at the deteriation of the road, my pic would have been taken a good 3/4 years ago.
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[Kris]

Your pics show much

When's the best time to go?
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[Darth]

[Red Mick]

This is a very good site https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/index.html

Lots of detail and links to Hotels and B&Bs some scenic roads marked. Worth a browse.

[Sir Black Pig]

[shenpen]

I lived in Scotland for 9 years and have spent a lot of time re-visiting on the bike since. I'd agree with everything posted above. Adding a couple of extra thoughts....

Kintail offers arguably the best 50 or so miles in Scotland (in the UK even?) from Invergarry (north of Fort William) to Dornie (a little before the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye bridge). Map

As for the midges, the secret weapon is Avon Skin-so-Soft (fresh dry oil body spray).

Once you've seen the scenary, you'll want to return again and again. Have fun on your trip.
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V-Strom Owners Club UK
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[Stevie GooGs]

I live in Ullapool if you are looking for biker friendly B&B i would recommend you look at:

www.visit-ullapool.co.uk (still working on this site)
www.riverviewullapool.co.uk
www.ullapool-bedandbreakfast.co.uk

My advice would be stick to the west coast all the way up via Skye up to Durness for the best scenery/roads.

Just watch in the Highlands a lot of petrol stations are closed on Sundays.

If you need a mechanic or tyres i personally use Tom at Spinngdale for my bike service and tyres. They are based in the east coast and can be contact n 01862 881212, they are always busy so if you do need to replace tyres or your bike fixed give them a call.


Spinningdale,
Ardgay,
Sutherland,
IV24 3AD
Tel: 01862 881212

My local sunday morning blasts, these are short trips but i think some of the best roads up here.

West Coast South Of Ullapool Ullapool-Gairloch-Applecross-Ullapool 197miles

West Coast North of Ullapool Ullapool–Achiltibuie –Lochinver-Durness-Laxford Bridge–Lairg–Ullapool 195miles
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[krebsy]

[UrbanRacer]

A86 - spean bridge to aviemore. nuff said

[Suitor_Stu]

To be honest (and this is a bit of a biased opinion here) you'd be hard pushed to not enjoy yourself! If you go west coast then there's massive mountains plunging into the sea with small ribbons of deserted road winding in between them. If you go for more highlands or around Aviemore you get amazing twisty empty moor roads intersperced with b-road dashes trough massive pine forests. Win, Win!

If you do go up the West coast, it's worth stopping off in this place for a night. Apart from the fact that the roads around that area are amazing, I stumbled upon this B&B when I was there with an ex a couple of years ago. We missed the last ferry from Bute to mainland so had to go find somewhere to sleep and just rolled up here. Was £45 for the room for the night (think it says it's £50 now), and they've only got 2 rooms, a double and a twin, so if you were going you'd be better to phone in advance. The place is run by 2 folk who made their fortune in the catering/wine trade then retired at 50 or something and bought this place. They run it as a guest house for some extra pocket money, but they fed us amazing food, gave us nice booze and the bedroom was seriously well fitted out, like a proper 4star hotel, on top of only being £45 per night! They're pretty biker friendly too - the guy has a Yamaha Dragstar Trike IIRC (apparently because his wife won't let him have something with 2 wheels after he crashed something silly like 4 times in a year), plus it's a bit of luxury for you and the missus.

(BTW, I have no affiliation with the place so please don't rate this as spam, just trying to give some advice!)

Cheers, Stu

[njd27]

[Scotsman37]

Do NOT travel at night between Loch Ness and Isle of Skye unless you want to potentialy meet a Deer crossing the road, as me and friend found out one night and he lost a quarter of his front mudguard, but thankfully the Deer jumped out of our way and only got clipped by it passing in front of him otherwise it would have been nite! nite! and so the bike stayed upright.

[deepfriedmars...]

Hiya

First up,well done for choosing Scotland As a Scot,you have much respect from me

I would hire a Pan European,I've been on the back of my uncle's from Dumfries and Galloway to Dundee and I loved the whole experience-so comfortable,it really is touring in style

Orkney,Dumfries and Galloway and places like Fife (the Forth Road Bridge is fantastic on the back of a bike!) and of course Argyll are superb,for the scenery if nothing else!

Best of luck mate

Kirsty
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