Scotland from here!

[walti]

Anyone done a tour of Scotland from East Angular?

Got any routes/advice?

Planning to go up next April/May.

 

[Rawls]

Also planning tour from here to Scotland next May, not really got much of a plan yet - but thinking about first stop Lakes or just north and then Mull, Skye head up to JoG, not sure after that. Any ideas?

Keep us posted on your plans.

 

[John Armstrong]

Anyone done a tour of Scotland from East Angular?

Got any routes/advice?

Planning to go up next April/May.

How long do you want to spend getting there / back? Where in Scotland do you want to go to?

Personally, if I wanted to take the scenic route I'd go up the M1 etc and peel off at the Ripon area, and then follow the Pennines watershed, or close to, all the way up to Edinburgh / Glasgow. Then motorway around them, and then keep heading North.

April / May, best take thermals / heated clothing, but the midges should be still asleep. It will be cold if you go over the Bealch na Baa

 

[walti]

How long do you want to spend getting there / back? Where in Scotland do you want to go to?

Personally, if I wanted to take the scenic route I'd go up the M1 etc and peel off at the Ripon area, and then follow the Pennines watershed, or close to, all the way up to Edinburgh / Glasgow. Then motorway around them, and then keep heading North.

April / May, best take thermals / heated clothing, but the midges should be still asleep. It will be cold if you go over the Bealch na Baa

Haven't really got my head around where I want to go!

There's a few things I'd like to do, including getting right up to the top! I would like to get across to one of the islands!

There's a few towns I want to go and look at too, but they'd only happen if the route I choose goes near!

Timewise probably 10 days or so!

Bealach na Ba looks like a good ride!

 

[AlanAce1967]

Hi, ive done done trips, have a look at my trip reports.
I like to go across the Yorkshire Dales as it breaks the journey up and ties in with fuel stops etc. You will need at least 4 or 5 days if you want to get up to the north of Scotland and an Airhawk seat !!
Im hopefully going again around April or May.

Alan

 

[sherpatensing]

I will be there (every year) first week in May is Scottish Six Day Trial, Fort William area.

If you can fit in a look at one or two of the sections you will be amazed at these blokes skill

 

[walti]

Hi, ive done done trips, have a look at my trip reports.
I like to go across the Yorkshire Dales as it breaks the journey up and ties in with fuel stops etc. You will need at least 4 or 5 days if you want to get up to the north of Scotland and an Airhawk seat !!
Im hopefully going again around April or May.

Alan

Just had a look at your reports, even more determined to go now! Superb piccies and reports!

 

[pedro]

yes

don't follow any roadsigns marked 'Glasgow'.

 

[AdamA]

Personally, if I wanted to take the scenic route I'd go up the M1 etc and peel off at the Ripon area,

Are you on drugs, or just don't like corners?
The motorway?

Take a look here:
http://www.therevcounter.com/touring/17334-scotland-tour-may-2008-a.html (routes attached)
and here:
http://www.visordown.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/231943/

A top route north from Cambs is in the second link, and it includes the bare minimum of sodding motorways.

If you combine points 1-11 on this map with the york-fort augustus route below it is fab.

 

[AdamA]

the rest of the routes:

 

[AlanAce1967]

Only downside to not using motorways is the huge amount of time it will take to get there. I find it best to break the journey in the Dales then bomb up to Gretna Services and then on to Loch Lomond and start the holiday proper !!

If you want any help with routes etc feel free to pm me.

Alan

 

[stubox]

I'm doing a quick trip to scotland in May as well. Sounds like a few are!

I'm planning St Albans to Luss , fastest way poss so M1-M6 etc.. dull as hell but have I Pod

Luss to Dunvegan on Skye , Dunvegan to Clachtoll , Clachtoll back to Luss and then home.

So 5 days. Then I might come back and do the east side.

Praying for half decent weather and before the midges appetite is too great.

Stu

 

[AdamA]

Only downside to not using motorways is the huge amount of time it will take to get there.

Inverness - Cambridge in a day is easy avoiding motorways.
I have done it loads of times, even in the car.
On the bike it's a doddle.
Two days makes it an absolute breeze.

Christ, life is for living, not sleeping on the motorway.

 

[Packer]

Do remember that when you get to Carlisle its still as far to the north of Scotland as it is to the south coast of England.

The weather maps on the idiot box make Scotland look tiny, it's not!

 

[mr badger]

A top route north from Cambs is in the second link, and it includes the bare minimum of sodding motorways.

If you combine points 1-11 on this map with the york-fort augustus route below it is fab.

Nice routes there sir. Will download and use I'm sure.

We generally blast up the A1 after Lincs and then cut across to the M6 for West or just keep going for East side of Scotland. Will give Adam's a try next time, with suitable mods for starting in Norwich.

We're off to Scotland in May 2009 as well, setting out on the 14th. By then, Madame may well be GS shodtoo as she fancies an F800 as her second bike.

Currently planning to get to Ullapool in 2 days, stay there for 3 (loads of nice routes and places to go) then off to Orkney and Shetland for a while. Did similar last year (via Dumfries and Oban) and had no real rain until the last 50 miles of the journey home, when we got royally plastered.

Everywhere we've ridden in Scotland has been great, from the Borders to Skye and Orkney, but I have a real soft spot for the North-West and the Islands. It's the sense of space that gets me.

 

[AdamA]

If you PM me an email addy I will send you a GPX file of my fav route up to Ullapool from your neck of the woods if it's any help.

 

[mr badger]

You have pm

 

[Big Lee]

Pop into your local map selling shop and buy some of the Ordnance survey road travel maps. I suggest getting from map 1 to 5 that will cover from London up to Thurso. Theres nowt as good as spreading a big map over the kitchen table and planning a road trip The OS maps are so much better than the road atlases.

 

[mr badger]

Use the OS set for Scotland every time. So much more fun than sat nav on its own.

Ta to Adam for the routes.

 

[Big Lee]

Use the OS set for Scotland every time. So much more fun than sat nav on its own.

Ta to Adam for the routes.

I never have just used sat nav on it`s own. I always have a map to check then put the destination or route in and follow it. You can get a far better feel for the area via a map than sat nav IMO