Do bring a midge net for your head and long sleeved top, trousers and gloves for the Glencoe to Loch Ness parts.
I realise this isn't the question asked but here's another option for you.... setting off from Bristol in July, if I were you, I'd consider something European, like train to Portsmouth/Plymouth then ferry to St Malo / Roscoff then pedal to Nice / Santander and cheap flight / less cheap ferry back.
As a self-declared novice, you may think this sounds more difficult than the UK plan you list but it's actually very straightforward as there are no midges, plenty of campsites, lots of small roads and the drivers are very reasonable.
The Scottish circum-navigation has a good conceptual quality to it but the French one has an equal end-to-end grandness. You can include the Pyrenees too, if you fancy some big scale scenic glamour.
If you do your finals in late May, you could do Scotland after that - avoiding the midges!
Just an option - I'm sure Scotland will be good too, even in August.
I realise this isn't the question asked but here's another option for you.... setting off from Bristol in July, if I were you, I'd consider something European, like train to Portsmouth/Plymouth then ferry to St Malo / Roscoff then pedal to Nice / Santander and cheap flight / less cheap ferry back.
As a self-declared novice, you may think this sounds more difficult than the UK plan you list but it's actually very straightforward as there are no midges, plenty of campsites, lots of small roads and the drivers are very reasonable.
The Scottish circum-navigation has a good conceptual quality to it but the French one has an equal end-to-end grandness. You can include the Pyrenees too, if you fancy some big scale scenic glamour.
If you do your finals in late May, you could do Scotland after that - avoiding the midges!
Just an option - I'm sure Scotland will be good too, even in August.
