jonny5859
Registered user
Hi Fran,
The trip was top class... Roads excellent, food very good everywhere we ate, people very friendly and helpful, and beer and whiskey everything youd expect.
This was my first biking trip to Scotland also after doing most of europe so I wasnt sure what to expect only being told that the roads were like racetracks in the highlands... (not that we were racing as such)
We booked accomodation before we went which I would recommend. I got the places from guys on here and also from the motorcycle scotland website.
For routes I also got some great advice from the chaps here including one very helpful lad who sent me on routes also. With these ideas and a michelin map i plotted some routes following the green routes, you really cant go wrong with these for your first trip. Here's a summary of my trip...
Our ferry brought us to Cairnryan after lunch on the Thursday so we got up past glasgow and loch lomond and stayed in Ben More Lodges... timber lodges that were warm which was welcome because if was pissing all day and it turned to snow 30 mins before we arrived. Great food and Id recommend the malt of the month!
That was the last severe rain we saw until we headed home on the Monday.
Friday we stuck to the a82 north through glen coe to fortwilliam and headed west on the a830 to Mallaig for the ferry to skye. Road was fantastic. Ferry to skye was beautiful in full sunshine with snow on the mountains all around. Up the road to Portree and we did the loop around the Trotternish (spelling?) peninsula and down past the old man of storr, lovely place. Stayed in the royal Hotel Portree, nice spot and very friendly.
Saturday headed off skye over the skye bridge with great views again and went over for a look at Eilan Donan castle. Up the a890 to strathcarron and then over the Bealach na Ba pass to applecross where we had great fish and chips. This pass was great fun. We stayed on the coast road all the was around the peninsula heading north and I would highly recommend this road, no traffic and some great visibility. Joined the a896 and kept going and joined the a832 heading for Gairloch. Kept on the a 832 until we met the road from ullapool to inverness the a835. At this junction we stopped at the corrieshalloch gorge spanned by a suspension bridge, i think its victorian. well worth the stroll down from the road. then we headed 10 miles towards inverness and stayed in the aultguish inn near Garve. Lovely rooms, fire lit and great hospitality, a real biker friendly place.
This was the best driving day we had, some exhilarating stuff. The satnav was easy and Just put in my start and finish points with a few way points, it took 2 mins. You really cant go wrong up here, there arent that many roads to get lost on just keep going!
Sunday we had to head south to be within firing distance on the ferry monday morning. Just put back in the ben more lodge crianlarich and it brought us back to the a82 by Urequhart castle, nice spot. stayed on the a82 the whole way down. I think this can get busy but again we were very lucky again. stopped to take in the lake and the commando monument and glen coe again and that was it, nice relaxing day.
The was home monday it pissed again until Irish soil (surprisingly not Pissing).
Our diets consisted on scones, coffee, fish and chips and steak pies. Top class. Dont know if it would suit your Missus but we had an absolute ball.
As I said, if its your first trip everything will be new and you cant go wrong with the roads in the highlands.... you could spend a month there so Ill be going back again. Hoefully I get the same weather.
I dont know if that was any help but if you have any questions Il do my best and if i dont know il find out. Just message me no problem...
Good Luck and enjoy it, be safe!
Rory
This has been great to read for my route planning to the NC500 thanks for posting it but now with reading all about the hotels/guest house issues I'm in panic mode as myself and my dad are going in July and only have the ferry booked haha oh dear..
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