Local to Whalley 2 wheel recumbent to try out.

[oldwheels]

We found Mull to be busy. Two adults one 3.5 year old on a bike seat touring and camping. Going from the main ferry straight up to Tobermory (Balamory) was a nightmare at times. When the ferry came in to the halfway point to T the roads became sketchy with very dodgy drivers behaving like maniacs. A lot of big, new pickups when we were there too. Not nice being overtaken the way they did it.

I think the islands often have one or two main, connecting roads and a few minor ones. You end up having to use the main roads but the traffic isn't that quiet. Certainly quieter on mainland where you can often choose alternative routes. Just our experience.

I can only confirm your experience is pretty accurate.
There is a knack in cycling on single track which I find really needs a rear view mirror to pull into passing places in plenty of time.
If you do not pull over to let traffic in both directions get past then you do get harassed. Not an ideal way to travel with constant stopping and restarting but you can mostly adjust speed of travel to meet motor vehicles at a passing place tho' this would not be so easy with a child seat and luggage.
Be aware that most of the traffic you met were probably not full time residents but my bete noir of touroid who often have no idea how to behave.
This is one reason why I I take a trike when I visit family near Oban where things are much easier and there is also the cyclepath northwards.

 

[Time Waster]

The Tobermory Road cross island to the main Oban ferry was a nightmare for us. My partner's chain broke halfway just before the cafe and bike repair shop, which was closed. Not having the tools to fix and not much time to catch the ferry we were in trouble. Fortunately we got helped by a local who persuaded a neighbour to take everyone but me and my bike to the ferry in their minibus. I think they were a taxi or outdoor activity company. Anyway it left me with a very fast run to catch the ferry.

My upright was stuck in the 50t chainring the whole way due to a derailleur jam. Add in having to stop at passing points to let past cars and pickups. It wasn't the relaxing cycle tour we planned. 50t chainring with an 11t to 25t cassette isn't a great gear range for Mull hills or for starting off after stopping on a hill to keep out of the way of motorists.

Not so sure it's always visitors that are the issue. I thought the tourists were too busy going slow to look around or find their way. Locals to me seemed like they knew the rodes and drove fast on them. Like royal mail vans in the Highlands single track roads! We have them in the dead end roads around Kendal like Kentmere or longsleddale. Locals are absolute nutters the way they drive those narrow, bendy roads without care for what they can't see might be coming the other way! I think Locals everywhere do that.

 

[grldtnr]

To be

The Tobermory Road cross island to the main Oban ferry was a nightmare for us. My partner's chain broke halfway just before the cafe and bike repair shop, which was closed. Not having the tools to fix and not much time to catch the ferry we were in trouble. Fortunately we got helped by a local who persuaded a neighbour to take everyone but me and my bike to the ferry in their minibus. I think they were a taxi or outdoor activity company. Anyway it left me with a very fast run to catch the ferry.

My upright was stuck in the 50t chainring the whole way due to a derailleur jam. Add in having to stop at passing points to let past cars and pickups. It wasn't the relaxing cycle tour we planned. 50t chainring with an 11t to 25t cassette isn't a great gear range for Mull hills or for starting off after stopping on a hill to keep out of the way of motorists.

Not so sure it's always visitors that are the issue. I thought the tourists were too busy going slow to look around or find their way. Locals to me seemed like they knew the rodes and drove fast on them. Like royal mail vans in the Highlands single track roads! We have them in the dead end roads around Kendal like Kentmere or longsleddale. Locals are absolute nutters the way they drive those narrow, bendy roads without care for what they can't see might be coming the other way! I think Locals everywhere do that.
[/QUOTE
To be fair ,it was a long time ago since I toured the West coast of Scotland 30 yrs or more !
My first visit was even further back, when I first started cycling proper, an epic, for me ,LeJog trip, i'd been proper cycling a few months, think my first bike might have been one of Kirkpatrick Macmillans first bikes !

I jest of course, but traffic wasn't so much then, wrong of me to assume it hadn't changed much

 

[oldwheels]

The Tobermory Road cross island to the main Oban ferry was a nightmare for us. My partner's chain broke halfway just before the cafe and bike repair shop, which was closed. Not having the tools to fix and not much time to catch the ferry we were in trouble. Fortunately we got helped by a local who persuaded a neighbour to take everyone but me and my bike to the ferry in their minibus. I think they were a taxi or outdoor activity company. Anyway it left me with a very fast run to catch the ferry.

My upright was stuck in the 50t chainring the whole way due to a derailleur jam. Add in having to stop at passing points to let past cars and pickups. It wasn't the relaxing cycle tour we planned. 50t chainring with an 11t to 25t cassette isn't a great gear range for Mull hills or for starting off after stopping on a hill to keep out of the way of motorists.

Not so sure it's always visitors that are the issue. I thought the tourists were too busy going slow to look around or find their way. Locals to me seemed like they knew the rodes and drove fast on them. Like royal mail vans in the Highlands single track roads! We have them in the dead end roads around Kendal like Kentmere or longsleddale. Locals are absolute nutters the way they drive those narrow, bendy roads without care for what they can't see might be coming the other way! I think Locals everywhere do that.

The cycle repair shop is now closed I think as the owner has opened a new camp site instead.

Local drivers do go fast but they know when to have a foot poised over the brake or slow down for a blind corner. Touroid have a habit of slowing down suddenly if they see a bird and can often be found parked just round a blind corner. Either that or they crawl along in a stated of terror which is just as bad.
If I am going to or from a ferry or any other business such as hospital visit I do not hang around but I do know when to be extra vigilant.
The post van from the ferry about mid to late morning does not hang about either.

PS edit to add if going from Oban to Connel bridge do not take the cyclepath which goes to Dunbeg and then leaves you on the nightmare A85 for a couple of miles. Take the back road which is longer but safer.

 

[Time Waster]

Scottish Post vans seem bad due to single track roads but all royal mail vans are driven by nutters. I say that after listening to a bunch of 4 or 5 posties talking about how many van write-offs they've been responsible for. Averaged out about 4!

Two of those posties were good friends from a walking group. The others were there colleagues joining in one day on a group walk. Two delivered to the same routes (about 3 or 4 different routes shared out by 3 or 4 posties who rotated their routes). Rural routes all of them.

 

[yostumpy]

View: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishhumanpowerclub/permalink/10159879590796964/?


Heres a link to a cheap (£350) refurbished Orbit recumbent, located in Fife, might be worth a punt.

 

[grldtnr]

View: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishhumanpowerclub/permalink/10159879590796964/?


Heres a link to a cheap (£350) refurbished Orbit recumbent, located in Fife, might be worth a punt.

If that's the Orbit one ,then it's a bit decent, the Pete Ross original 'Sperd Ross' ,quality was variable, but they handled well.
The design is over 30 yrs old now.
Pity it isn't closer, I'd foolishly would buy it, thanks be I live the other end of the country !

 

[grldtnr]

To be

Something went wrong with that posting !
I meant to say , to be fair, it was a long time ago,over 30 years since I was in Scotland.
I might have been riding one of Kirkpatrick Macmillans original treadle machines!

 

[oldwheels]

If that's the Orbit one ,then it's a bit decent, the Pete Ross original 'Sperd Ross' ,quality was variable, but they handled well.
The design is over 30 yrs old now.
Pity it isn't closer, I'd foolishly would buy it, thanks be I live the other end of the country !

My thoughts are similar but it would be a round trip of up to four hundred miles and at best two days but more likely three of travel assuming I could get suitable ferry bookings.
On anything I have tried in the past I preferred underseat steering but at that price I could be tempted to try if it was nearer.