Advice on Oban to Glasgow

[Dwn]

Hello all,

I’ve been trying to think of short-ish (less than 200 miles) trips I could make in June. Most ideas aren’t getting very far because of potential bike on train hassles if the journey involves multiple trains from/to Glasgow at the start and end of the ride,

Latest idea is taking the train to Oban and cycling back via Claonaig / Lochranza / Brodick / Ardrossan. Plan is to do it in two days, stopping at a b&b somewhere. The section of the journey from Tarbert is a known quantity, but I have no idea of the suitability of the road south from Oban. Sustrans have a suggested route but I’ve noticed a tendency to optimism on their part when it come to how quiet roads are, or how good the surfaces are.

So, I wondered if any of the cyclechat members have been along this route, and their impression of it?

Thanks

 

[Bored Man]

Hi

If memory serves, I headed back inland heading east towards Taynuit, then south towards Lochgilphead and down Loch Awe... it was a little round the houses but avoided main routes.

Planning on a similar route again soon but not yet fixed start/finish and will include Kintyre.

I’d be interested in your route when you finalise.

Jim

 

[tinywheels]

I would imagine that route will be very busy at that time of year. Remember everyone is holidaying at home this year.its bad enough in normal times.

 

[Brandane]

I can't claim to have cycled the A816 between Oban and Lochgilphead, but I have done it by car and motorbike a few times over the years. I seem to remember almost being wiped out on my motorbike by a logging lorry on that route, but maybe I was just unlucky. Or lucky, as the case may be!
It is a fairly busy road between tourists, loggers, and others, but nice and scenic. A few climbs too. I notice that when I search on Google maps for a cycle route from Oban to Lochgilphead, it routes away back towards Dalmally then down the single track road along the east side of Loch Awe. That being another route I have done on a motorbike.
Which brings me to a possible alternative. Unless you particularly want to go to Oban, you could get off the train at Dalmally then cycle down the side of Loch Awe, then a short section of the A816, turn right towards Crinan canal, then into Lochgilphead on the decent path that runs alongside the canal from Crinan. From Lochgilphead, south on A83 to Tarbert. Looks like there's a path from Lochgilphead to Ardrishaig, but after that you need to mix it with the traffic. And likely to be plenty of it, HGV's and the rest, heading for south Kintyre, Campbeltown etc..

Edit... must learn to type faster than @Boredman !

 

[HobbesOnTour]

To answer your question, no, I haven't been on that route, but as @tinywheels suggests, all bets are off this year.

Have you tried cycle.travel?
A quick look throws up a route following Route 78 from Oban.
A few random taps throws up streetview images that are either very small roads or just cycle-tracks (I can't tell) Ideal in my book.

By throwing in the towns you mention, the climbing profile changes, though.

It's calculating a distance of +/-250 km Oban to Glasgow. For me, that's a lot for a first tour.

I think this is a link to it.
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/212846

I admire your persistence in getting a tour under your belt!
Is this solo, or with your wife?

The way I see things, is that we just don't know what is going to happen in June. You're depending on a train and ferries which can add stress if things go pear shaped.

I'm assuming you're in Glasgow? If I was in your shoes, especially if not going solo, I'd be looking to start from my own front door and do a loop. Totally independent.
Anywhere you want to go? Anyone to visit? If not, cycle.travel can throw up some suggestions (choose starting point and then "suggest a ride". You can adjust distance to preference.

Starting from home and riding in (presumably) familiar territory may not be the sexiest tour of all time, but it has advantages for a first one.

If solo, you can always ask your wife to drop you off/pick up up at a handy spot?

Good luck!

 

[Bored Man]

It’s definitely going to be tough out there this year. Almost every form of transportation is going to be packing the roads n routes once unlocked.

It must not stop us though...

Short ‘local’ routes and tours will be the preferred option for me this year. Cowal and Kintyre, passing through Arran/Mull if the spirit takes me there.. 2-4 nights max.

 

[tinywheels]

Oban to Campbeltown is a good run.the scenery is awesome. Plus cycling by the sea is soo nice.If you want a challenge try round kintyre, you will not be disappointed.

 

[bruce1530]

I asked about the trip in the opposite direction, here’s the replies...

still haven’t done it!

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/route-from-lochgilphead-to-oban.257875/

 

[IaninSheffield]

Have done that section in the past on two occasions, although from south to north. The A816 between Oban and Kilmartin (slightly north of Lochgilphead) looks like it ought to be busy as some have suggested; we didn't find that on either occasion, even in late July. There was traffic of course, but nowhere near what you might find on a road with a similar designation south of the border. Maybe we were lucky, or maybe things have changed in the intervening ten years. I would echo the sentiments that others have expressed though - depending on when you're able to travel, current circumstances make it likely things will be much busier this summer. If you're prepared to live with that possibility though, the ride is a corker.

If I were to do it again, simply for variety, I would choose NCN Route 78 - I think you considered this as a possibility? The road down the west side of Loch Awe looks wonderfully quiet and, from a quick mooch on Streetview, has a decent surface.

 

[PeteXXX]

https://strava.app.link/hB7KGAEQpfb

https://strava.app.link/Lqqtp3LQpfb

https://strava.app.link/oGaWubSQpfb
This was my route from Ardrossan to Oban over two days. I was hoping to do it in one, but the weather deteriorated into drizzle, mizzle and a storm so I did a very cold and soggy Wild Camp 17 miles short of Oban. The A816 did not appeal to me as a daytime ride so I got up before midge o'clock, set all my lights to Stun and arrived in Oban just before 07.00.

 

[Dwn]

Hi

If memory serves, I headed back inland heading east towards Taynuit, then south towards Lochgilphead and down Loch Awe... it was a little round the houses but avoided main routes.

Planning on a similar route again soon but not yet fixed start/finish and will include Kintyre.

I’d be interested in your route when you finalise.

Jim

That sounds a bit like the route I had guessed would work best; certainly via Loch Awe rather than the A816. Will post route when I finalise (and work out overnight stop - which will partly depend on B&b availability.

 

[Dwn]

I would imagine that route will be very busy at that time of year. Remember everyone is holidaying at home this year.its bad enough in normal times.

I’m sure you are right about that - hoping to avoid the worst of the madness by going midweek before the school holidays start

 

[Dwn]

I can't claim to have cycled the A816 between Oban and Lochgilphead, but I have done it by car and motorbike a few times over the years. I seem to remember almost being wiped out on my motorbike by a logging lorry on that route, but maybe I was just unlucky. Or lucky, as the case may be!
It is a fairly busy road between tourists, loggers, and others, but nice and scenic. A few climbs too. I notice that when I search on Google maps for a cycle route from Oban to Lochgilphead, it routes away back towards Dalmally then down the single track road along the east side of Loch Awe. That being another route I have done on a motorbike.
Which brings me to a possible alternative. Unless you particularly want to go to Oban, you could get off the train at Dalmally then cycle down the side of Loch Awe, then a short section of the A816, turn right towards Crinan canal, then into Lochgilphead on the decent path that runs alongside the canal from Crinan. From Lochgilphead, south on A83 to Tarbert. Looks like there's a path from Lochgilphead to Ardrishaig, but after that you need to mix it with the traffic. And likely to be plenty of it, HGV's and the rest, heading for south Kintyre, Campbeltown etc..

Edit... must learn to type faster than @Boredman !

Yeah, I’d plan to avoid the A816 as much as possible - exactly for the lorry reason. I’ve cycled in Cowal a few times and the timber lorries always felt a bit alarming; I suspect partly because of sheer size and partly because you get used to long stretches with no heavy traffic and then suddenly have some behemoth doing a close pass.

I’ve picked Oban for pretty arbitrary reasons - easy to get to by train, and not too far to return from. At some point I’d like to do Campbeltown but not quite ready for that yet.

 

[Dwn]

To answer your question, no, I haven't been on that route, but as @tinywheels suggests, all bets are off this year.

Have you tried cycle.travel?
A quick look throws up a route following Route 78 from Oban.
A few random taps throws up streetview images that are either very small roads or just cycle-tracks (I can't tell) Ideal in my book.

By throwing in the towns you mention, the climbing profile changes, though.

It's calculating a distance of +/-250 km Oban to Glasgow. For me, that's a lot for a first tour.

I think this is a link to it.
https://cycle.travel/map/journey/212846

I admire your persistence in getting a tour under your belt!
Is this solo, or with your wife?

The way I see things, is that we just don't know what is going to happen in June. You're depending on a train and ferries which can add stress if things go pear shaped.

I'm assuming you're in Glasgow? If I was in your shoes, especially if not going solo, I'd be looking to start from my own front door and do a loop. Totally independent.
Anywhere you want to go? Anyone to visit? If not, cycle.travel can throw up some suggestions (choose starting point and then "suggest a ride". You can adjust distance to preference.

Starting from home and riding in (presumably) familiar territory may not be the sexiest tour of all time, but it has advantages for a first one.

If solo, you can always ask your wife to drop you off/pick up up at a handy spot?

Good luck!

I’m doing the first trip (with wife) in three weeks time. We will do it at a very leisurely pace (65 miles over two days, and it’s essentially a circular route), but the June trip will be solo.

You’re right to counsel caution, but at the moment June looks pretty clear with regard to the virus and trains/ferries (multiple trains and ferries every day). My main concern would be weather and I’d just cancel if the forecast wasn’t good.

I did have a look at street view and the roads look ok, but wanted to get some views from people with first hand experience of the roads, since google often doesn’t give a real sense of traffic volume on quieter roads (based on roads I know).

Sadly, a drop-off or pick up wouldn’t work. We’ve managed to acquire two cars useless for that purpose - my mx-5 can’t carry bikes and the wife’s mini needs to be fitted with a specific Mini rack which costs an eye-watering amount of cash. Bad planning on our part!

Not read your Mexico diaries for a while - hope all is well

 

[Dwn]

I asked about the trip in the opposite direction, here’s the replies...

still haven’t done it!

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/route-from-lochgilphead-to-oban.257875/

That’s really helpful - I completely missed that thread when I did a search!