Scotland July 2012
 

Hi there!

After a big trip last year from amsterdam to malaysia, south africa and back up home, its time to look for more fun just around the block ;-)

So we're planning a three week trip to Scotland. Who has tips about nice roads, getting off the roads and nice small campsites and possibilities for wildcamping?

Looking forward to get some input!

cheers Els

Two for the Road

Bealach na' Ba
 

Head to the North and the West.
No 1 on your list must be Applecross & Bealach na Ba, a high pass over the hills used by cattle drovers in years gone by.
If you have time take a ferry to the Islands in the West and you will find some of the best beaches in europe.
If the weather is kind to you , you'll never go home!:D

Good luck on your trip.:thumbup1:

Rory

Hi Els,

I've done a Trip to Scotland last July, it was fantastic!!
On the way up i stopped at the HU Meeting in Ripley and got a load of tips.

My highlights have been:

Applecross
Isle of Skye
The road west of Glencoe

but i had only a few days, sadly i had to skip some other tips!
Wildcamping is allowed, even though i found it a bit difficult to find suitable spots, many places are fenced.

I've stayed at these Spots:
57.567806,-6.376662 (Uig, Isle of Skye)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--...0/DSC_0348.jpg

Another one a few km west of Glencoe, at the river Etive. there are a lot of spots at this river, but for some i would recomment you to park beside the road, i nearly crashed my bike there (was to steep for my street tyres)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_...0/DSC_0410.JPG

A third spot was on Uist, i didn't like the island too much (the weather was bad), but the camping spot was nice.

Here are some links to the post i did last year:
1World2Go | Day 15 - 3700km - Scotland
1World2Go | Day 19 - 5850km - The Way Back
Route: 1World2Go |

I had a lot of rain on my trip (about 50%), but it wasn't that bad. the beautiful landscape lets you forget that.
And i've met midges just once :)

Have a nice Trip!
Moritz

Hi Els, with 3 weeks you have plenty of time to explorer the many small roads in Scotland. i recommend that you purchase a detailed map of Scotland as many of these roads are not shown on large scales maps. I would suggest travel North up the West Coast and return South through the middle. a couple of good free camp spots; Inverornan (a little past the hotel), Glenelg (beside the monument) and take the ferry from there to kylerhea Skye. if the midgies get too bad try the 'Independanthostels'. Andy

Hi,

WIth three weeks you have lots and lots of time to explore. North and West are the best. The very north is like a different country/time. It's like th old joke. Welcome to Lochinver - please set your watches back 40 years...

Applecross is a must and the Bealach na Ba road over the pass is great but don't forget the north road to Torridon. I'd ride in over the pass and out to the north. It is also a great road with amazing views of the Torridon mountains and my dad helped build it too! The Applecross Inn is a great place to eat, but can get very busy. Tables (unless for big parties) are on a first come first served basis, so get in early!

As said, get a detailed map and just explore. Scotland is one country where a GPS is really only a help to find your campsite or hotel. Much better to just search the map for little unclassified roads and go and see what's down them. There are lots and lots of campsites scattered about. You won't ride for far without spotting one. Especially in the West.

There's a great pie shop in lochinver and a superb fish & chip shop in Ullapool. Scotland is enjoying a culinary revolution at the moment. There are still some bad places though. Safest thing is to do a bit of research on Trip advisor if you want to get the best places. Quite honestly, I've had many meals in Scotland that rival anything I've had anywhere else in the world. Seafood is a speciality.

The outer hebrides are another world - especially if you get good weather, although the midges can be horrendous (tip - buy a midge headnet!). Harris is the best IMHO. Stunning, almost other wordly landscapes.

The north coast is also fantastic. Tongue is great and the hotel there in the centre (I forget the name) did the biggest, fattest, most beautifully cooked scallops I've ever had.

Scottish beer is also on the up. Try some of the local brews. Not so long ago Scottish beer was almost universally terrible - with a choice of Tennants or MacEwans lager/heavy and thats it. Now there's lots of great little breweries.

Prepare for rain - it does rain here quite a lot. But if you are prepared for it, it's not that bad. Just get into the nearest pub, sit by the fire and enjoy a good malt whisky with, perhaps, a drop of water to taste. Whisky is our gift to the world. The greatest, most subtle, most wonderful drink bar none. Which reminds me, it's quarter past eleven and I'm stone cold sober...

:)

Totally +1 for all the suggestions.

The west coast has geography that is similar to Norway with Fiord type inlets and pretty big fresh water lochs.
So, what I have done is just keep turning toward the sea and follow the coast; you can ride a couple of hundred miles and not be very much further north while doing this! :thumbup1:
Take in the Isle of Skye along the way and there's a few more Km.

Fill up when you can and close your mind to the price of fuel though.

Heya,

Just to add to what others have said here, the islands are definitely worth a ride round. Ferries aren't as expensive for bikes as for cars, but can add up - most of them are run by Caledonian MacBrayne, who do "island-hopper" tickets that can work out cheaper, website is Official Caledonian MacBrayne Hebridean & Clyde Ferries site.

Hope that helps, and enjoy!

Laura