Can you do Scotland from the Midlands and back in a long weekend ?

DJ GSA

DJ GSA

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How doable would anyone think this is

Day 1 : West Midlands to Garve (456 Miles, 7h41m)
Day 2 : Garve to Staffin, Skye (158 Miles, 4h25m)
Day 3 : Staffin to Fort William (148 Miles, 4h:45m)
Day 4 : Fort William to West Midlands (381 Miles, 6h52m)

Possibly do longer/shorter days just to even out the riding.

3 or 4 food/wee/stretch breaks on route

Any thoughts or comments (clean and sensible please) would be most welcome
 

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If you're happy with the mileage then yes it's do-able. Why Garve though there's nothing there. You could easily shorten your first day and stay somewhere nicer with more to do. It would make the second day longer but I wouldn't say that's a problem up there.
 
Looks good ... I was up there last year and the year before .. long days but if the weather is good you will be rewarded ! :thumb2
 
What about first day to Torguish House Daviot 7 miles south of Inverness on the A9. I always stay there when I am South. That makes day 1 less of a slog and day 2 slightly longer. You are going aginst the sn Bad Luck. Better to go Fort William first an then with the Sun. We always turn the ship with the sun clockwise, just what we were brought up to do.
 
I think your day 1 and 4 are pushing it for you timings depending on weather and times you pass areas.

I wouldn't be going to Garve either.
 
columbus said:
If you're happy with the mileage then yes it's do-able. Why Garve though there's nothing there. You could easily shorten your first day and stay somewhere nicer with more to do. It would make the second day longer but I wouldn't say that's a problem up there.
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Only picked Garve for the start of the route. We've done that road going East by chance, just seemed a good idea to do the rest.

No problem starting somewhere else

We've only just started exploring Scotland on the bike, we've done most of Wales and got bored with it (lol)


PS: Thanks all for the comments
 
I do Perth to Towcester via M6 in just over 6 hours with one fuel stop. There are now average speed cameras from Dunblane to Inverness as well as the speed camera van that seems to live between Dalwhinnie and Daviot. So not much chance to push on if you are running out of time. You will make good time from Inverness to Garve so stopping south of Inverness on day one is quite a good option.
 
Try and avoid the A9. There are SPECS cameras from Dunblane north and they vary on whether they pick up the front or rear number plate so they will get motorbikes.

As he said
 
The only ones that get the rear no plate are Tomatin and Moy. Often vans though.

The road west from Garve is a belter, but you would be better shortening your first day and stopping south of Inverness, as suggested above. Similarly I would get on beyond Fort William on the third day, somewhere like Tyndrum or Crianlarich...even Loch Lomondside.

Easily doable though if you don't mind getting on with it.


And another thing....turn left at Staffin north of Portree, go through the Quirang to Uig, rather than hugging the coast.
 
Alternative Route

Using Fort William as the base of operations.
 

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gerarddwatts said:
And.......if you can, include the loop from Glencoe village through Kinlochleven to Onich......
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I notice there are some roads titled "Old Military Road". They look navigable but google says

- 14mph from Fort William, Lundavra Farm, Lairigmor to Kinlochmore

Any reason why so slow, there is streetview all the way along so I can assume a Google car has been down that way
 

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If your pushed for time get the ferry onto Skye and then ride straight off it, you won't miss much. Agree with everyone about the A9, I was there two weeks go and it's a painful 50 all the way down to Perth.
 
If the old military road doesn't have a road classification, it ain't passable by road-bike/car. Mostly. Certainly the one you show.
 
Its the same at the other end.....but there's quite a schlep in between. I'm confident that were it possible, it would be a well known traillie type excursion...and it isn't. GC is the man to know.

It'll be the same as the Corrieyairack....looks OK on paper but virtually impossible on the ground.
 
gerarddwatts said:
Its the same at the other end.....but there's quite a schlep in between. I'm confident that were it possible, it would be a well known traillie type excursion...and it isn't. GC is the man to know.

It'll be the same as the Corrieyairack....looks OK on paper but virtually impossible on the ground.
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We'll be two up so I think I'll leave it. Been caught out like that before :)
 
gerarddwatts said:
Its the same at the other end.....but there's quite a schlep in between. I'm confident that were it possible, it would be a well known traillie type excursion...and it isn't. GC is the man to know.

It'll be the same as the Corrieyairack....looks OK on paper but virtually impossible on the ground.
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Once did the Corrieyairack on a mountain bike which I had to carry for a chunk of the route. Went back a few years later intending to do it again on the 1150GS. All the top dressing had been washed out and the surface was mini boulders like baby heads. Alone and with no phone coverage I judged it a no no. The Kinlochleven to Fort Bill track is also the route of the West Highland Way footpath and the OS map on Bing maps marks numerous fords to add to the adventure. You've probably made the correct decision.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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