exploring Scotland

[Johnwebley]

as the title says,I want to explore Scotland,

  as I live in the west mid lands,its will involve a ride  north,

 my general plan is,

 ride north,use the M6 to get past Manchester,then explore  the local areas,

I amexpecting to ride around 300 miles a day,that can be adjusted,

 so ideally a B&B  north of  Manc

I have a friend to stay with near Glasgow,
I want to explore the islands,so info on ferries  and B&B,so a nice cruise to John O'groats,

return south on the easter side,

  similar into england,down as far as Lincilnshire,then home,

 time is not critical,
 suggestions from those thatlive in the areas,

also reccomendations of places tovisit.


  some thing for 2025

  your help is appreciated

[Orcade-Ian]

Hi John,
It would be great for Johnny and I to meet up if it fits with your schedule.  Any idea what month in 2025 you might prefer?  Late May/early June is often kind weather-wise and accommodation is probably a bit easier too.  If you are visiting Glasgow, then the West is maybe the best - the North Coast 500 is great too but buggered up a bit now by gobbins in hired campervans.  Hubert (honda enthusiast) might also have suggestions too.  We can get discounts for friends and family at certain times of the year on the Northlink Ferries - they go from Scrabster to Stromness (90 mins) and Aberdeen to Kirkwall ((7 hours).  If you are intending coming to Orkney, we can ask around for suitable places to stay and can certainly give you a tour and some visits to other toy cupboards.

Ian

[magpie114]

A good starting point would be Moffat just off the M74 which is very bike friendly. Hotels and B&Bs will give out route maps with suggested rides.
Theres a description of the area in my site with some good helpful links. https://alanmedlock.com/2021/09/05/three-lochs-run/

Alan

[Johnwebley]

Thanks guys,



May/June sounds great,

I shall start exploring links



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[taysidedragon]

Use A6 North of Manchester, good road roughly parallels M6.
Scottish Borders are beautiful,  Moffat, Kelso, St Mary's Loch.
Glasgow roads are horrible,  get out of town ASAP!

Loch Lomond, pretty but jammed with tourists. Roads to Inverary and Oban good, ferries to islands from Oban.
Lots of bikes stop at The Green Welly, Tyndrum for fuel, bike and rider. Glencoe, of course.

Eilean Donan Castle, Isle of Skye, lots to see on Skye. Plockton.
Applecross and Bealach na Ba, amazing road.
Applecross Inn recommended.
After NC500 avoid the A9 south, not a great road for bikes, 50mph average speed cameras full length.
Head to Grantown on Spey and Ballater, then Balmoral Castle, Braemar and Glenshee. (my favourite road) or to Aboyne then south over Cairn o'Mount, fantastic views from the top car park.

Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven, A92 coast road, Glen Clova all worth a look.
Broughty Ferry is nice, sandy beach and Visoccis Ice cream. 😎 Friendly bikers too.

Coast road through Fife is great, lovely old fishing villages.

In the Highlands fuel stops can be a long way apart so plan ahead. Some close on Sundays.

If you need any help let me know. I'd be happy to meet up for a ride if you want.

[Athame57]

Whatever you do, don't go in the MIDGE SEASON!

[Johnwebley]

Whatever you do, don't go in the MIDGE SEASON!

When is it?


Thanks for all your inputs

With the rubbish weather so far, gives me time for some route planning,



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[Athame57]

Whatever you do, don't go in the MIDGE SEASON!

When is it?

All you need to know about the dreaded midge!  https://www.calltoadventure.uk/journal-entry/midges-in-scotland/
Gawd knows how they survive in Kilts! 

[Johnwebley]

Whatever you do, don't go in the MIDGE SEASON!

When is it?

All you need to know about the dreaded midge!  https://www.calltoadventure.uk/journal-entry/midges-in-scotland/
Gawd knows how they survive in Kilts! 

Any time between April and September

When the wind doesn't blow!!



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[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Yikes I've just read the Midge link - thank goodness Scotland is so far away, it's no longer on my bucket list. Amusingly  written I started to itch by the time it reached Scottish Clegs.

[Johnny4428]

Not much of a problem with them up in Orkney. They don’t like the wind so not many days they get a chance here. Generally late summer they seem to be more prolific. And apparently they don’t like certain blood groups. Good repellant - Avon “skin so soft” better than the repellant they sell in the shops and keeps the skin soft!😂

[taysidedragon]

Plus 1 for Avon Skin so Soft. The midges don't bother me much but they really go for my daughter!
The East Side of Scotland doesn't have the problem. 👍

[taysidedragon]

A couple more places to see in Scotland are V&A museum and Captain Scott's ship RRS Discovery in Dundee, the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, the Forth Bridges (Biker's Cove in South Queensferry for pitstop and viewpoint).

[Honda enthusiast]

John

Inveraray is a good central point to explore the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas both back waters away from the hordes of traffic which swell the roads in the summer months. The two peninsulas offer beautiful rides along the sea lochs often just yards away for mile upon mile. I'd look into it if time allows.

Imho avoid the idea of doing the nc500 , an aerial view would show a mass of vehicles in transit round it, not what I'd like if seeking isolation beauty and peace. Perhaps a way of short circuiting that is to find a nice place to stay in the area and make forays to see points of beauty.

Regards Hubert

[ozzybud]

Coming to Scotland in Late August as part of a 3 week Vacation. Now ill be sure to Bring my Midge Repellent. This is the first i have heard of these Creatures. Living near Seattle Washington we don't have a lot of bugs.