94 replies to this topic

[dandywarhol]

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

Hahahaha.................welcome to Scotland

http://www.wido.co.uk/

[ChrisG]

Plan on doing very little motorway both there and back. Will prolly go up through Wales and the lakes me thinks.

On the way back from last years G2G Tony and I went cross country from the Lake District to south of Birmingham on the advice of Big Dave. Some fantastic roads including 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 but Tony or Dave might. Definatly worth going cross country at least from the Midlands. Once we got further south though we hit the motorways to make up time as the roads weren't as interesting and were a lot busier. I plotted it out afterwards. Problem with going cross country is it does take time, that must have taken over 10 hours including stops.

[dapleb]

Great info, thanks for posting Chris. Yer route goes roight thru Oxon too so will def take that route either up or back doon. If the guys can remember the name of the single track over the big hill that'd be grand.

[ChrisG]

You got GPS or autoroute? I should have both the autoroute file and the lat/long off all the points on that map at home if you want to PM me an e-mail address. Fairly easy to work out the good stretches of road from that. There was one section around Manchester that was a bit crap and in hindsight we should have hopped on a fast road for a couple of junctions to avoid it.

[dapleb]

You got GPS or autoroute?

No but I have a sexy new map pocket. Can prolly work most of it ooot from yer lille mappy and workin out where snake pass and trough of Bowland are.

[stormy]

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)?

1/ Forget Scotland (or the UK in general) for the WOW factor.

2/ You can hit Interlaken (Switzerland) in one day from the UK, around 600 miles. Awesome scenery on route and once you get there. (We did it last time in 8 hours and 15 minutes from Calais, including fuel and food stops)

3/ Forget per day mileages, do you want to do.

4/ Tell them that only old men stay in B+B's. (I use hotels!)

5/ Alps are clear from May onwards.


or......

Take overnight ferry to Santander in Spain, blat around the Pyreenees for a couple of days, and then ride back up the western French Coast line back to blighty.

The UK has only ooer factor, plod, cameras, plod, fuel prices, plod, car drivers who hate us, plod, and shit road surfaces, plod...... etc etc

Get out while you can.


Mike

Edited by stormy, 23 April 2008 - 10:42 am.

[dandywarhol]

1/ Forget Scotland (or the UK in general) for the WOW factor.


Get out while you can.
Mike

You obviously haven't done much riding North West of Glasgow then Mike.................

[dapleb]

1) Gotta agree with the weewan (which never fails to be a painful experience ) but North West of scotland has certainly got the wow factor, especially when all you have seen is very flat (but beautiful) landscape.

2) They wouldn't make 600 miles in a day...I am doubtful about 200 miles.

3) Think you have a point there Mike. Certainly on me tod I just travel till oi find somewhere oi loike the look of but with a group (especially those who wont camp) might need to plan some stops ahead.

4) Will give that one a go.

5) Looking at the exchange rate and me bank balance the Alps/Euro is not goin to happen. Definitely planning for Scotland now.

Luckily there are few/no speed cameras once you get far enough ooop, not much traffic, roads are well surfaced.

[stormy]

You obviously haven't done much riding North West of Glasgow then Mike.................

A week last July up around Fort William, Great Glen and on up to Gairloch was very nice, but compared to the Alps?

not even close.



OK, geographically they are closer, but Alps are way more challenging IMHO.

[srvben]

Here's my 2p's worth;

North West Scotland it has to be! On your way up/down, from Gretna I can recommend the B7076/78 - I first noticed this road while commuting on the train from Edinburgh to Manchester - I would stare at it out of the window! It runs pretty much parallel to the M74 and makes a great alternative to the motorway - it's near empty of traffic, a good part of it has lovely new(ish) tarmac, it's reasonably wide, and it has some awesome long, sweeping bends.

Oop North, besides the already-much-posted (and deservedly so) Applecross pass, the A896 from Lochcarron to Kinlochewe is cool - the towering scenery as it winds through the mountains of Torridon make you feel like you're in some Tolkien novel and Sauron is waiting for you at the end!

Try and take in the 'mad wee road' - from Lochinver to Achiltibuie. It's a single-track road with some great hairpins and steep inclines - and a few combinations of the two. Look out for the occasional hazard.

I wish I could make a trip like this but I'm currently motorbike-less due to house purchase!

Ben

[dapleb]

Brilliant thanks Ben...will add em to the list. Just the kinda info oim arter.


On a slightly different note: Me mkI was last road legal in June '06. Dusted the ole bugger off, didn't do a very good job of cleaning afore it was rested ....installed map pocket....took off the terrible Armstrong rear pads and replaced with Ferodo.....rode to MOT test....PASS.....carrotty.

[srvben]

I should have mentioned, of course, the A82. Up past Loch Lomond then later through Glencoe to Ballachulish. If you (or any of your party) have never been along this road, then you should! The later part is quick, but can sometimes have a good bit of holiday traffic on it - slow caravans and the like - but overtaking opportunities are fairly frequent. The scenery is superb, and the Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum is often packed with bikers on a sunny weekend. I can't remember exactly but somewhere along this road (post-Tyndrum I think) there is a really long straight, which crosses over an iron bridge. Great for a max speed test, but watch out because plod camera vans are not unknown.

As an aside, in an old classic car mag I have, a guy explained how once, when driving around some of the minor roads around Loch Lomond, the 'mountain in front of him literally opened up, and a millitary articulated truck [nuclear warhead carrier] drove out, and the mountain closed up again'. James Bond stuff indeed!
As another aside, a work aquaintance (and talented biker) of mine told me of a time he was once out on his GSXR Thou, 'making good progress' in the same area, rounded a corner and glanced in his mirror and caught a glimpse of a stickered-up plod Honda ST. 'Bollocks' or something similar he thought, but said plod simply whizzed past, giving him both fingers as he passed. For the next few miles they traded places, knee (or no doubt pegs on an ST) down - him getting back past plod on the straights, only for plod to get back on the corners. After their dual the road split, plod gave him a wave and they went their separate ways!

Back on topic, supercar-daft Jay Kay rates the A830 from Fort William to Mallaig as one of the best. I havn't been all the way to Mallaig on this road; I turned off at Lochailort to go the long way round the Ardnamurchan Penisula on the way to the Lochaline ferry to Mull.

This website has a good few routes across Scotland, with reviews too.

For acommodation, the SYHA may be your friend. If you manage to get across to the Outer Hebrides (Calmac offer handy Island Hopscotch tickets) then you could splash about in the Atlantic, visit the Calanais Standing Stones (Scotland's answer to Stone Henge), and stay in a historic 'Black House'.

Disclaimer: I don't work for a tourist agency, it might just seem like it!

Ben

[dandywarhol]

A week last July up around Fort William, Great Glen and on up to Gairloch was very nice, but compared to the Alps?

not even close.
OK, geographically they are closer, but Alps are way more challenging IMHO.

True

[dandywarhol]

Here's my 2p's worth;

North West Scotland it has to be! On your way up/down, from Gretna I can recommend the B7076/78 - I first noticed this road while commuting on the train from Edinburgh to Manchester - I would stare at it out of the window! It runs pretty much parallel to the M74 and makes a great alternative to the motorway - it's near empty of traffic, a good part of it has lovely new(ish) tarmac, it's reasonably wide, and it has some awesome long, sweeping bends.


Ben

Ahhhhhhhhh......I'd forgotten about that road - that's the old A74 i'm sure - hence the occasional dualled bits.

A mate and I back-to-backed his Multistrada and my 900 on a long open strech there...........infuriatingly, apart from the flat oot from rest to flat oot the Multi whupped me on the top gear roll ons from 50, 60 and 70 mph

[cupasoop]

What about the Black Forest in southern Germany? Never been there myself but apparently it's the dogs danglies. Just checked on google maps and it's 6 hours from Calais, 3 in the morning stop for lunch the 3 in the afternoon and your there. Another 4 hours will take you into the heart of the Swiss alps.

[dapleb]

Yeah black forest is ferry noice....but its definitely Scotland now due to exchange rate.

[MarkyMark]

Had a week up there last summer camped in Fort Augustus.

Have a day on Skye and be sure to visit Glen Brittle - there is a camp-site there (basic)

[Hartside Man]

you mentioned the lakes ? how far you wanna go in the lakes ? all the passes are do-able in one day, then there is allways hartside , into kielder , st mary's loch , and the leadhills road. all nice starters for ten

do you think they could handle hardknott and wrynose ? ( it may be wet remember) what kinda bikes are you talking ?

you have a wealth of knowlege to tap for nearly all the country would also suggest devils bridge , settle , giggleswick, ribblehead, hawes, then either sedburgh to kendal and A6 or hawes nateby, kirkby, middleton in teesdale , alston.

god mate you have some choosing to do.

[dapleb]

Hehe yeah thought it would be good to tap the local knowledge for the trip. Plan on doing as many of the suggestions as possible.

They are all competent (if slightly exciteable) riders. Bikes of "wherevers" are Suzuki VX800 (recently purchased from our Carpedian Spongey), R6 or MT-03 (which he has just bought for touring ) and Suzuki SV600. The "mights" are on ZX-12, ZX-9, GSX1000R etc.

Would be good to include a day in the Lakes if we have the time. Think its time to sit doon with a map and do some thunkin.

[Jankers]

I scoured these from all over the 'net, not been to any yet and they include some already mentioned.

A87 : Invergarry - Kyle of Lochalsh

God must have rode a bike! Absolutely amazing section of road built with bikes in mind, and if you carry on through to Skye and do the top loop as well, it's one cracking day out. And for those thinking of doing some touring around the area, you can do no better than stop at Ardgarry Farm in Invergarry, almost at the junction of the A82 and the A87(check out the web site ardgarryfarm.co.uk). John and Joan who run the place will make you more than welcome and there's a pub which does meals a 15 minute walk away.

Make sure you stop at Eilean Donan castle. The food is okay and the castle is in a fabulous position.

Bring a camera and stop at Glen Garry viewpoint and Eilan Donan Castle for your postcard pics! There is a short section before the castle that is a continuous series of open bends, like short circuit riding, fantastic on any bike. Even if you have planned this as part of a route you will be strongly tempted to retrace your steps to ride it again. Road surface is very good overall. Watch out for a twisty downhill section near Glen Garry on the return trip.
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A896 / Mountain road : Lochcarron - Applecross

Not for speed-freaks. This is one for taking it easy and soaking up the view over towards Skye. The road is narrow (with passing places?? I cant remember!) and not well surfaced, but will leave a smile on your face. The perfect way to take a break from a fast tour and see some of the best vews around.

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A819 : Dalmally - Inveraray

A short but fun blast down a quiet well surfaced road, with some good corners. Well worth doing if yuor in the area.

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A815 : Gourock - Strachur (Scenic route into West Highlands, Scotland)

For those of you touring Western Scotland and wishing to by-pass Glasgow and start the scenery show as early as possible: Take the Gourock/Dunoon Ferry from Gourock (just before Greenock on the A78 coast road) Ferries run every hour and it's a twenty minute crossing. Once on the other side of the water carry on northbound. The roads are quieter and even more beautiful than those upto there. Take the A815, which runs along the banks of Loch Eck to a T junction on the banks of Loch Fyne. Turn right, northbound, to another T junction on the A83. Turning right will take you to Loch Lomond (and the tourist traffic) Turning left will carry on around Loch Fyne into Inveraray. If you want to head north, take the A819, which is a narrow right turning just into Inveraray and takes you through Glen Aray, along Loch Awe, to a T junction on the A85, halfway between Tyndrum (for GlenCoe) and Oban (for the coast road). Have fun!

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A816 : Oban - Lochgilphead

This route has everything, Be very carefull leaving Oban as the main street has some seriously sunken manholes and bodged road repairs, once in the national speed limit the road is largely superb. Within 20 minutes you will have negotiated some spectacular hairpins as you climb up the hilly coastal road. Pegs and panniers can be scraped on some of the corners. The road changes from tight and twisty to wide open stretches where you can see four bends ahead, then quickly back to reality with a series of sharp bends. Some hard down hill braking required on some bits but it's a fantastic road and in places will challenge your road reading skills. As you approach Lochgilphead there are some very long straights with good visibility for one last stretch of the bikes legs. Personally, it's best done north to south.
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A82 : Alexandria - Fort William

A great run up the sie of Loch Lomond, Ranoch Moor, & through Glen Coe, on a sunny day it`s one of the good ones.
can get very busy, traffic often a problem - use it as a means of getting North easily.

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A821 : Callendar - Aberfoyle (The Dukes Pass)

A cracking bit of road that demands attention at all times. Lots of blind corners (including a corner that if you're not paying attention will run you wide into the loch!!......) plus a few dips and humps on the road that will have you pulling wheelies and being totally airbourne at times... Watch out for the bends approaching the Tourist forestry park - it's tight, covered in gravel, and there's no run off areas. Look out for people in cars doing less than 25mph or even less - it's more common than you think.

Everyone should do this road at some point. It's tight and twisty, anything over 3rd gear, and you're going too fast!!and you have to be pay constant attention to tourists and old grannies doing sub -20mph. Watch out for the tourist buses (yes buses!!) coming round the corners on the other side of the road....
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A83/B828/A815 : Arrocher - Inverary ( via Hells Glen )



From Arrochar head west on the A83 then left onto the B828 at the rest and be thankful (bacon butty van) a detour can be taken to Lochgoilhead via the B839 coffee,lunch etc lovely bay views.Backtrack tothe B828 and head through Hells Glento the junction with the A815 where you turn right until you join the A83 and turn left to Inverary.

A brilliant bit of riding here, very very busy in the summer months as you might expect. Heavy police presence at weekends, they have been known (apparently) to sit high off the road with binoculars to radio details ahead to waiting marked cars - but Ive never noticed them! Midweek is quiter and safer, then you can really let loose on a fine piece of tarmac. One to find and do - dont stop in the middle though, it would spoil the flow.
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A85 : Lochearnhead - Crianlarich

A nice pleasant route, nice scenery, & nice corners, a popular tourist route in
summer, an alternative route to the north.

Between Callander and Lochearnhead has more than its share of biker accidents
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A85 : Tyndrum - Oban

A selection of really good corners in some great scenario. Some of the route runs alongside an old Steam Railway line which is still in use and check out the bridge over Loch Creran. Recommended.

Did this route twice this year and it always pleases. The road winds down all the way to the sea. Some real long bends towards Connel, that beg you to 'wind it on & hold it down'. The twisty mountain section has some great corners with passing opportunities to get round the tourists.

A better route to get to Ballachulish than going over Rannoch Moor, especialy in summer when you always come upon the tourista where the double whites (ie. the best bends) start. Also the run from Oban to Lochgilphead can be added, which is even better.

agree with Yeti - a great alternative. I make it a bit longer by coming round from Inverary to Lochawe on the A819 then pick up the A85. That section up the Pass of Brander is truly awesome on a good day, i.e. without the traffic. Plenty of big bends thyat you can do at a great rate of knots, with no real shockers to catch you out. Plus, as described, it links to other roads round here which, lets face it, are non too shabby.

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A861 Ardgour (nr Fort William) - Strontian

Recently rebuilt (2005) and resurfaced, this outstanding road turns to single track if you proceed past Strontian towards Salen and the western edge of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. But the road from Ardgour to Strontian and back is brilliant, wide, sweeping and fast. Stop at Strontian for grub and then go back to the ferry and Ft William. The sheep are ok with traffic, but at lambing time watch out for mothers running after lambs!

Have been to Ardnamurchan twice now and highly recommend it for scenery and good roads. Considerable number of well paved single track that require some caution around blind corners, but for the most part is hazzardless. Very little traffic once off the A830 (Mallig-Ft. William) and onto the A861 and B8007 - just take your time winding through the penninsula and enjoy a more remote and beautiful part of Scotland.
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B836 / A886 / A815 / A83 Dunoon - Inveraray

Leave Dunoon north on the main road from the ferry boat, then bear left on the smaller B836 as far as Lake Striven and then on to Auchenbreck. Turn north on B886. All pretty scenic.
I have ridden the last section of this ride, the bit into Inverary but that is very nice indeed. Views are great, road is good quality surface and the corners flow one to the other really well. If the bottom section is as good (and that's twice I've heard about it now) then it is a must for me during 2006.

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B844 : Knipoch - Easdale ( A Bridge Over The Atlantic )

From Knipoch ride south on the A816 to the signposted Easdale on the B844 continue 6.5 km to the very single track bridge that spans a small part of the atlantic on the way to Seil Island continue a further 9km to your destination Easdale where a small ferry can be taken (passanger only ) to the island and a interesting museum to the people of a bygone era also a local brewery.
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Hope they are of some use.

J.