Ayrshire/SW Scotland Advice

[BFS]

I'm looking at doing a Mull of Galloway to JOG trip with my 9 year old lad this summer. I'm fairly familiar with most of Scotland, but not the south west.

Proposed route is:
A77 north hugging the cost, onto the A78 and then A737 towards Glasgow before picking up the A82 heading north.

I know the A77 is dualled between Glasgow and Prestwick, though it's been a while since I've been down there. Is most of the coast road A77 single c/w? Any tips or definite places to avoid with the lad?

He managed Oban to Montrose last year. I'm keen to avoid dual carriageway in particular. I made a point of avoiding the A9 last year, but otherwise, he was ok on all the roads.

Would welcome any advice/local knowledge. Cheers

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Maybe @Brandane or @Bobby Mhor can help.

 

[furball]

I haven't been that way for a long time so don't know current road conditions but I would suggest you time your departure after a ferry has arrived at Cairnryan and the traffic has cleared the port otherwise you will have a constant string of HGVs passing you.

 

[Scoosh]

@Edwardoka has done some of this area too, I believe.

 

[Rasmus]

Can't help you for the far southwestern bits, but would strongly advise against the A737. Horrible road with a large volume of fast moving traffic. Luckily there is the generally excellent sustrans ncn route 7 - between Kilbirnie and Paisley this runs on a well surfaced off-road path (old railway line). I think it starts in Troon on a mixture of paths and quiet roads. You can get off in Johnstone and cross over on some minor roads to the Erskine Bridge for a slight shortcut avoiding the centre of Glasgow.

 

[Brandane]

I'm looking at doing a Mull of Galloway to JOG trip with my 9 year old lad this summer. I'm fairly familiar with most of Scotland, but not the south west.

Proposed route is:
A77 north hugging the cost, onto the A78 and then A737 towards Glasgow before picking up the A82 heading north.

I know the A77 is dualled between Glasgow and Prestwick, though it's been a while since I've been down there. Is most of the coast road A77 single c/w? Any tips or definite places to avoid with the lad?

He managed Oban to Montrose last year. I'm keen to avoid dual carriageway in particular. I made a point of avoiding the A9 last year, but otherwise, he was ok on all the roads.

Would welcome any advice/local knowledge. Cheers

Funnily enough, I was going to do the same ride a few years ago but a niggling injury stopped me. I did however manage the section from MoG lighthouse to my home in Largs. To be honest, I would NOT consider cycling on the A77 coast road by myself, never mind with a 9 year old in tow. It is the main route for a lot of traffic including numerous HGV's running between the ferry port at Stranraer and the central belt; and it is single carriageway. Similarly the A78 is not good. The A77 is a good cycling road from Kilmarnock to Glasgow, mainly because it no longer carries much traffic as the M77 has taken most of it. There is also a well surfaced bike path adjacent to the A77.

My recommendation for getting to Kilmarnock from Mull of Galloway would be this.....

B7041, A716 toward Stranraer but turn right onto B7084 towards Dunragit. Cross over the A75 (involves a few hundred yards on A75!) to Glenluce. Unclassified road northeast past Loch Ronald (good campsite at "Three Lochs") stay on unclassed road until B7027, turn left heading north until next unclassed road on right. Take that road to A714 turning left towards Glentrool. At Glentrool pick up the Sustrans route north, which takes you over a long climb (Nick o' the Balloch) to Crosshill. Continue to follow the Sustrans route on minor roads to Ayr, along the seafront at Ayr then through Prestwick (still on Sustrans route), Troon, Irvine. In Irvine pick up the riverside cycle route for Kilmarnock, then from Kilmarnock pick up the B7038 north which will take you to the start of the cycle route running alongside the A77. Do NOT be tempted to pick up the A77 on the section before the M77 as up until that point it is the main dual carriageway. Cyclists might not be allowed anyway IIRC..

The A77 will then take you right into Glasgow. From there you have choices.... If you are planning on going to Loch Lomond and the A82, there is again a cycle route from central Glasgow all the way to Tarbet (Loch Lomond). From Tarbet you need to use the A82 - which is narrow and windy in places, and can be busy. Once north of Inverarnan it improves.
Personally, I would head northeast from Glasgow on the canal path to Falkirk. Thereafter things get a bit complicated - there are various minor roads you can use to head north for Crieff and Aberfeldy. I would then join the Sustrans route north from Pitlochry. Whatever you do, do not be tempted to cycle on the A9 section between Stirling and Perth, or Perth and Pitlochry. It's bad enough on that road driving a 44 tonne lorry!

Sorry I don't have the techie skills to post a map; but if you use google maps or some of the other bike route software you should be able to plot a route using the above as the basis. Good luck - it's a great ride and one which I still plan to complete sometime.

 

[Edwardoka]

@Scoosh You have set my route-building self off. I'm meant to be planning my own trip!

My route agrees with @Brandane's as far as Irvine - the Nick o' the Balloch road is spectacular and was extremely quiet the time I used it. I'd certainly suggest some variant that includes it. For whatever reason, Google Maps isn't showing it as a cycling route but it is definitely part of Sustrans' NCN7 Lochs and Glens South.

I'll go into (a lot!) more detail in my next post...

 

[Ajax Bay]

Here's @Brandane 's route with variation [edit: to go inland rather than close to Ayr and Troon) and north of Kilmarnock (have sought to avoid handrailing A77/M77) through to Ballachulish.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12849823 318.9km + 2825m

Allow me to 'shout out' for the route up to Fort William via Arran, Kintyre and Oban. It is about the same distance/height climb and avoids Glasgow and the A82 (till Ballachulish).
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12849824 356.3km + 3052m (of which 30km is ferries)

Also note the option, given you're starting from the south west and having to 'crab' across to Glasgow, to keep north and use the Gourock ferry across the Clyde to Kilcreggan and up through Garelochhead, thus avoiding the Glasgow conurbation and postponing joining the A82 till Tarbet (Loch Lomond).

 

[Edwardoka]

Curse you @Ajax Bay ! I'm partway through the same thing as you!

Mull of Galloway to Kilwinning
Follow Brandane's route as far as Irvine, I can't recommend the Kilmarnock/A77 route. It's just not fun, the cyclepath runs out on the outskirts of Newton Mearns and becomes a crappy cycle lane alongside a busy road all the way into Glasgow City Centre. While Fenwick/Eaglesham Moor can be great, it's not fun getting out there.

It's possible to avoid the A77 and Glasgow entirely by continuing to follow the NCN7 from Irvine north towards Kilwinning.

Kilwinning to Inverness
From Kilwinning your route has two options depending upon your thoughts regarding ferries:

Overland Option

Follow NCN7 from Kilwinning north along quiet roads and old railway paths but leaving the route at Johnstone or Paisley as @Rasmus suggested and making a bee-line for the Erskine Bridge you can cut out the entire vastly meandering Glasgow loop.

On crossing the Erskine bridge, head west along the route to Dumbarton, from there you have two options to my mind.

1. Follow NCN7's mix of off-road routes and minor roads through Balloch, Aberfoyle, Callendar, Aberfeldy and Pitlochry then follow the NCN7 all the way to Inverness. CC Ecosse did this route last year (search the site for writeups on Lochs and Glens North). (My recommendation.)
2. Continue west from Dumbarton, through Helensburgh to Arrochar.
   At Arrochar you might be tempted by the A82 (don't.), but you should instead go over the Rest and Be Thankful - the old military road. DO NOT follow the main road on the climb!
   At the summit, rejoin the main road downhill, follow it round to Inveraray.
   You then head for Oban, either by
   - Going the (very) long way round Loch Awe on quiet roads and joining NCN78
   - Head north out of Inveraray, and be resigned to an unpleasant 10 mile stretch of A85 from Dalmally to Taynuilt.
   
   In either case, there are beautiful back roads from Taynuilt right into Oban. (for route from Oban, see below)

Ferry Option
From Kilwinning follow the signs to Ardrossan, get the ferry to Brodick, round the north of Arran to Lochranza, jump on the ferry to Kintyre and you can head directly north towards Oban and friends via Tarbert/Lochgilphead along NCN78

From Oban there's a cycle route that will take you as far as Ballachulish, then a couple of miles on the A82 before the Corran ferry and the back road to Fort William.

From Fort William your options for getting to Inverness are a bit limited to what NCN78 can offer, the terrain is variable to outright mountain bikey as I understand it. I've encountered plenty of people who have ridden the off-road way to Fort Augustus, and I would not recommend the A82 for love nor money. From Fort Augustus take the quiet but very hilly road to Foyers and into Inverness.

Inverness to John O'Groats
As many options as you want. Roads are significantly quieter north of Inverness - I have cycled on the A9 along there. Wouldn't recommend it though :-)
My preference would be NCN1 from Inverness to Alness, back road to Ardgay/Bonar Bridge, through Lairg, Tongue, Bettyhill and then along the north coast.


Maps
Don't necessarily follow these to the letter, they were pretty hastily sketched out and might contain some dangerous/impassable sections that I or the route builder have missed.
Use them as a jumping off point for your own route plans.

Overland via Pitlochry: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12850740
By ferry: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12850835

 

[Edwardoka]

{snip}minor roads through Balloch, Aberfoyle, Callendar, Aberfeldy and Pitlochry{/snip}

@Fubar !!! *shakes fist* You broke me, are you happy now?

 

[AndyRM]

All good advice, but missed out the key part of stopping at Browning's Bakery for a Killie Pie - recently voted (again) the best pie in Scotland. Shame we don't have the fitba team to match it.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Curse you @Ajax Bay ! I'm partway through the same thing as you!

Bit harsh.
Only comments I have on your suggestions (apart from appreciating the Arran/Kintyre option) is that one doesn't have to go through Inverness. Cutting off the A82 at Drumnadrochit offers a nice line up (to strat with significantly so) more or less due north to Dingwall and the back road to Alness. And earlier north of Fort William, make sure to ride the Caledonian Canal towpaths which are superb.

 

[Edwardoka]

Bit harsh.
Only comments I have on your suggestions (apart from appreciating the Arran/Kintyre option) is that one doesn't have to go through Inverness. Cutting off the A82 at Drumnadrochit offers a nice line up (to strat with significantly so) more or less due north to Dingwall and the back road to Alness. And earlier north of Fort William, make sure to ride the Caledonian Canal towpaths which are superb.

Sorry if it seemed harsh, I'd written the first draft of the bulk of my post (including the awesome Arran option that we agree on) when you posted it!

As per your change at Drumnadrochit, I can't comment as I've only cycled the towpath between Fort Augustus and Aberchalder, which was rideable but a bit rocky/potholey (particularly when you're balancing a boat hook on your handlebars like a couched lance - long story!)
I've heard that the Great Glen Way is only really passable on a mountain bike but did encounter people on a JoGLE coming the other way.

I had it in my head that the GGW route followed the big climb up towards Foyers when leaving Fort Augustus, but I will defer to your experience.
Just don't ride on the A82

 

[Ajax Bay]

If I was going to Inverness I'd do the climb up towards Foyers (though I prefer the Torness/Achnabat road after that) to but you can avoid Inverness and the Kessock Bridge otherwise by going left and up the Dd climb.
As far as the A82 is concerned I found the worst part to be the 11 miles from Corran (I had come via Mull and Fishnish/Lochaline ferry). Keeping to the west side of Loch Linnhe up to opposite Fort William is very dependent on the Camusnagaul ferry boat operating and getting times right and there being space. I chose the A82.
The bits of the A82 I had to go on to get to Drumnadrochit (Commando Memorial nr Spean Bridge to Bridge of Oich, and Ft Augustus to Dd) were not too bad, but people's tolerances differ (7 years commuting by bike to school along London's south circular for me).

 

[Edwardoka]

If I was going to Inverness I'd do the climb up towards Foyers (though I prefer the Torness/Achnabat road after that) to but you can avoid Inverness and the Kessock Bridge otherwise by going left and up the Dd climb.
As far as the A82 is concerned I found the worst part to be the 11 miles from Corran (I had come via Mull and Fishnish/Lochaline ferry). Keeping to the west side of Loch Linnhe up to opposite Fort William is very dependent on the Camusnagaul ferry boat operating and getting times right and there being space. I chose the A82.
The bits of the A82 I had to go on to get to Drumnadrochit (Commando Memorial nr Spean Bridge to Bridge of Oich, and Ft Augustus to Dd) were not too bad, but people's tolerances differ (7 years commuting by bike to school along London's south circular for me).

I completely agree that the stretch between Fort William and Corran is awful. If the Camusnagaul ferry wasn't operating and time wasn't a factor, I'd sooner ride round Loch Eil than subject myself to that bit of road.

I rode the entire A82 from Fort William to Glasgow once, many years ago (I was young and thought myself invincible).
Every time since, I've used the Dumbarton-Helensburgh-Garelochead-Arrochar road to get to Tarbet, and every time, I dread the section between Corran and Fort William.