Glasgow/Western Isles tour - advice appreciated

[oldwheels]

You want to have serious look at timetables for ferries. Assume nothing! Ferries can be and often are cancelled because someone burped too hard or so it often seems to locals. In summer they are often late as the timetable is too tight with more traffic than can be handled in the time allocated.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

If you have a smartphone. the Traveline Scotland app is a godsend (even for us locals)

 

[oldstrath]

Many thanks. I'll add this to all the other posts I have to look into....but in a bit....right now I'm off for a ride.

They do take bikes, but it's not big, so pre booking matters.

 

[swee'pea99]

Having looked at all the threads on The Grand Tour (many thanks - highly entertaining!) I'm thinking maybe I should revise my basic gameplan, and concentrate on basing myself in just a couple of places, then using them as bases to do a bit of exploring in the locale. So maybe a few days in Port Charlotte, with day trips out around Islay, and maybe pop over to Jura, and a few at Inverary or Rowardennan, pootling off around Loch Lomond/The Trossachs. I don't know...I just think maybe I was being a bit ambitious - all those hills & headwinds sound daunting (and that's not even bringing rain into the equation)!

I think Islay's a definite. I'm kind of wondering about whether to make the other half isles (Mull?) or inland - The Trossachs. I need to start making my mind up/some decisions soon tho', that's for sure. Thanks again to all who've replied - lots of excellent grist to the mill!

 

[Fubar]

Having looked at all the threads on The Grand Tour (many thanks - highly entertaining!) I'm thinking maybe I should revise my basic gameplan, and concentrate on basing myself in just a couple of places, then using them as bases to do a bit of exploring in the locale. So maybe a few days in Port Charlotte, with day trips out around Islay, and maybe pop over to Jura, and a few at Inverary or Rowardennan, pootling off around Loch Lomond/The Trossachs. I don't know...I just think maybe I was being a bit ambitious - all those hills & headwinds sound daunting (and that's not even bringing rain into the equation)!

I think Islay's a definite. I'm kind of wondering about whether to make the other half isles (Mull?) or inland - The Trossachs. I need to start making my mind up/some decisions soon tho', that's for sure. Thanks again to all who've replied - lots of excellent grist to the mill!

The Independent Hostels Scotland might prove useful:

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

 

[swee'pea99]

The Independent Hostels Scotland might prove useful:

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

Thanks to Fubar and all who pitched in. I booked everything last night, Gawd help me! Ended up scaling back on my ambitions, partly on account of the reports of headwinds, hills and driving rain (thanks folks!), partly to fit in around the ferries. But I'm now set for a (much less ambitious) tour, including a four day stay on Islay, mostly to enjoy the jazz festival, with extra-curricular pootling around (Jura, eg) depending on the weather. One particularly happy discovery was a cyclepath that starts out barely a mile from the railway station, and takes you most of the way up the west shore of Loch Lomond - mostly on an old railway line, which will mean very flat - all the more welcome after starting the day at 3.30am, to catch the 5am train from Kings Cross.

Thanks again. I shall report back in due course, assuming I survive!

 

[Rasmus]

Nice one, have a great trip!

And after you fall in love with the west coast and isles, start planning your next trip to Mull