94 replies to this topic

[dapleb]

After many years of me tryin, some of the Clanners lads have been convinced that although Oxfordshoire is flat...ya dunt fall oft the edge if ya leave it.......the world ain't flat

So, they now want to go touring on their boikes and want muggins ear to be squadron leader.

Want to go somewhere that makes em go "WOW". We have a week for this. Some say they "might" come if its in the UK. But 3 of emm wanna go wherever it is. I don't want to arrange stuff for the "mights" and spoil the "WOW" for the "wherevers" when the "mights" might not even come but at same time it would be good to drag the "mights" from the gravitational field of Clanners.


Some quessies:

1) Scotland or the Alps (or somewhere else)?
2) Alps too far for 1 week with noobie tourers?
3) What is reasonable mileage per day? 200-300?
4) How do you persuade a bunch of soft lads that camping is a better idea than B&B?
5) When is good time of year for Scotland (thinkin traffic and midgies) and Alps (thinkin traffic and snow)?

Bo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0p


EDIT: Route planning:

Applecross - Skye for sure.
Applecross - Ullapool, Lochinver, Scourie, Durness, Tongue.............. great roads - Dandy.
A701, from Edinburgh to Moffat, (approx. 50 miles) - Paco.
Snake Pass and the Trough of Bowland and a fantastic single track stretch over a big hill that I can't for the life of me remember the name of - ChrisG
From Gretna I can recommend the B7076/78 - It runs pretty much parallel to the M74. - srvben
The A896 from Lochcarron to Kinlochewe is cool - srvben
'mad wee road' - from Lochinver to Achiltibuie. - srvben
the A82. Up past Loch Lomond then later through Glencoe to Ballachulish - srvben
the Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum - srvben
the A830 from Fort William to Mallaig - srvben
hartside , into kielder , st mary's loch , and the leadhills road - amarko
devils bridge , settle , giggleswick, ribblehead, hawes, then either sedburgh to kendal and A6 or hawes nateby, kirkby, middleton in teesdale , alston - amarko
A828 the is a nice cafe just passed Creggan - TAM
B&B/hostel is Corran House in Oban - cyco
the B869, Lochinver - Newton via Drumbeg. - assyntgirl


EDIT: Route plan so far....please lettuce snow if ya have any betterer ideas.

A429
A444
A38
A61
A57 Snake Pass - ChrisG
M67
M60
M66
A56
A671 Clitheroe
B6478 - Trough of Bowland - ChrisG
A59
A65 - gigglewick, settle - amarko
B6479 - B6255 - Hawes - A684 - B6259 Nateby - A685 - B6276 - Middleton in Teesdale - B6277 - A689 Brampton - A686 Hartside -A6
A65/A6 - carlisle
A74
B7076/78 from Gretna - Boghead/Sandford - srvben
A726 - paisley
M8
M898/A898
A82 - Loch lomond - Crinlarich - Tyndrum (The Green Welly Stop) - Fort William - (Roybridge as base for a day or so)- srvben
..or A85 at Tyndrum then A828 (cafe at Creagan) - TAM
A830 to Malaig - ferry - Skye (though A861 look good? Never done that one.).
..or A87 Invergarry to Kyle of Lochalsh...arghhhhh.
Blat round Skye.....any suggestions for routes?
A87 (over bridge)....bridge now toll free- amarko Ferret timetabel: http://www.calmac.co...ig-armadale.gif
A890 Auchtertyre - New Kelso
A896 Tornapress
Bealach Na Ba Tornapress to Applecross - z900, weeman
Bealach Na Ba Applecross to Tornapress - z900, weeman
A896 Kinlochewe - srvben
A832 (right or left?)
A835 Ullapool - Drumrunie lodge (hang left) - weeman, srvben
Road past Loch Lurgainn..Loch Osgaig (towrds Achiltibuie)
Hang right head North to Lochinver (or is it worth goin south first into Achiltibuie?). -srvben
B869 (left) or A837 (right)?
A894 - Unapool - Scourie - weeman
A838 - Durness (there is a pedestrian only ferry to Cape wrath or summat?).
More A838....to TONGUE.....gotta go to that pub again.
Moray Firth (Chanonry Point) - Dolphins and seal argh argghh argghhh).
Some detours! http://www.richard-b...e/mm-p21-28.pdf Snorvey

[TDMTAM]

1) Scotland or the Alps (or somewhere else)? Scotland
2) Alps too far for 1 week with noobie tourers? I think it maybe
3) What is reasonable mileage per day? 200-300? Thats what I like to do that way you actually see things
4) How do you persuade a bunch of soft lads that camping is a better idea than B&B? Tell them wimmin think it really cool
5) When is good time of year for Scotland (thinkin traffic and midgies) and Alps (thinkin traffic and snow)? May

Bo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0p

[ChrisG]

As a not very experienced tourer I've found on a few forrays in to france that 300 miles in a day is the most you want to do, maybe less if you're camping and will therefore take longer to get going in the mornings. By the time you've had your breakfast, mid morning coffee and croissant stop, a nice lunch break at a village cafe, and your afternoon coffee and pain au chocolat break, anything more than 300 miles in a day doesn't leave you much time for sightseeing. Plus if they've never toured before they're probably not used to doing more than an hour or two in the saddle.

To do the alps in a week you're looking at a couple of high-ish mileage days to get there, plus a couple of days back, which doesn't leave you a lot of time to play in the mountains.

If you took them to Scotland (or maybe Wales or Ireland) and managed to drag a few of the "mights" along they could well become "wherevers" for next year.

[TonyDevil]

1) Scotland or the Alps (or somewhere else)? scotland - the current exchange rate will make the alps much more expensive
2) Alps too far for 1 week with noobie tourers? not much further than scotland really
3) What is reasonable mileage per day? 200-300? 250 is a sightseeing day, 400-500 is a get somewhere day
4) How do you persuade a bunch of soft lads that camping is a better idea than B&B? whats wrong with B&B ? me loikes both
5) When is good time of year for Scotland (thinkin traffic and midgies) and Alps (thinkin traffic and snow)? jockland dunno, alps early june is best

touring wise always decide a cut off time. ie 6pm you make for the nearest sleeping quarters

both Alps & Scotland are doable in a day from Southern England, but ...... if they are that soft it'll prolly hurt their bottoms too much......

[tdm850rider]

What about Stonehenge?

Any of these lads actually been there?

[TonyDevil]

a lovely area, but way to touristy, lots of & scameras and major towns&cities are pretty close

[dapleb]

Spanks for the replies.

Sounds like maybe me Alps plan was a tad ambitious, though I was really hopin to shock the feckers. Think yer right Chris, try and win over a few "mights" and not get too ambitious to start with. Jeebus out of touch with exchange rate.......yeah Alps would be much more expensive.

May might be a tad too soon to get it all organised. June should be ok'ish for Scotland?

400-500 miles a day would put them off for sure....these guys spend max of 2 hours for a day a week in the summer riding in and around the local area.

Reason to try and get em to camp is....cos its basically all I can afford if this is gonna happen. The other option in Scotland is to try and make hostel type places (like Roy Bridge) as a compromise. Also its possible if all the "mights" come along that we have 10ish peeps (unlikely).....making B&B a bit tricky.

Thomas, luckily they don't live too far from Avebury (close to the Oxon border) which in my very biased opinion is much more interesting and spectacular than Stonehenge as it also has Silbury Hill, the Long Barrows and various other historically linked sites in the vicinity. But yes they have beed there.

Thanks for the advice....keep it comin.

b0oo0o00o0p

[TDMTAM]

If your touring Scotland I would work things out with an average speed of 40mph when you start to go more north of loch lomond as some of the "A" road are aot more twisty than they look on the map.
TAM

[dapleb]

OK thanks Tam will do that, think its gonna be Scotland. I remember some of the roads are also bloody fast as there is burger hall traffic and noice sweepin bends....loike the road to Ullapool.

Next quessie:

Roads/places to visit in Scotland? Can think of MANY but would appreciate some suggestions for roads and routes. Will prolly head up North West as far as possible and then come back doon more Easterly.

b0o0oo00op

[z900guy]

if you are going to Scotland you have to do Applecross just north of Plockton near the Kyle of Locash and a good place to base yourself for a blast round the Isle of Skye . Weve done it a few times and going back May Bank Holiday weekend , its just far enough into the highlands and the scenery is breathtaking

[dapleb]

Scotland list of Roads and places to visit:

Applecross - for sure. There is B&B (at the pub?) there aswell as camping?

[dandywarhol]

Agree with most of whats been said..............one negative of noobies abroad could be their comfort at riding on the right.

June's good for up here - midsummer at applcross the sun's down around 11 and twilight at midnight til 1 then it's light again.

Midgies do start biting in June - stick to the coast for a breeze - the wee feckers don't like the wind

As you prolly know, th East and West are quite different, both good but the West IS spectacular and dramatic!

Here's a hostel guide.....

http://www.hostel-scotland.co.uk/

Applecross - Ullapool, Lochinver, Scourie, Durness, Tongue.............. great roads.

Lettuce snow when you're coming up - and I'll make sure I'm well away from youse - nothing worse than a bunch of southern fannies who've never seen a hill clogging up the roads..................

Edited by dandywarhol, 22 April 2008 - 06:50 pm.

[dapleb]

Lettuce snow when you're coming up - and I'll make sure I'm well away from youse - nothing worse than a bunch of southern fannies who've never seen a hill clogging up the roads..................

...check yer PM's....again..

Spanks fur the hostel linky dink.

[dapleb]

Tongue.......

Not yet recovered from me last visit. Went to that pub under the hotel there, judging by the frosty reception me thinks its for locals only.

Applecross

B&B there?

[Paco]

OK thanks Tam will do that, think its gonna be Scotland. I remember some of the roads are also bloody fast as there is burger hall traffic and noice sweepin bends....loike the road to Ullapool.

Next quessie:

Roads/places to visit in Scotland? Can think of MANY but would appreciate some suggestions for roads and routes. Will prolly head up North West as far as possible and then come back doon more Easterly.

b0o0oo00op

In the way down, you could go through the A701, from Edinburgh to Moffat, (approx. 50 miles) which will take you to the juntion 15 of the A74. Nice bendy road, no really busy, with fairly new tarmac. Getting near to Moffat you could enjoy your last drammatic views of the scottish glens. It could be a good way to say ADIOS to Scotland, before hitting the motorway back home.

Paco.

[dapleb]

Great, thanks Paco, have added that to the list. Plan on doing very little motorway both there and back. Will prolly go up through Wales and the lakes me thinks.

[dandywarhol]

Not yet recovered from me last visit. Went to that pub under the hotel there, judging by the frosty reception me thinks its for locals only. B&B there?

http://www.applecross.uk.com/

Ever heard of Google in Fannyland???????

[dapleb]

Ever heard of Google in Fannyland???????

Yeah but luckily we have a monkeyboy to do it for us.....have a banana.

[tdm850rider]

Yeah but luckily we have a monkeyboy to do it for us.....have a banana.

Google FANNYLAND and you get this.