Recommendations needed for 1 week Scotland tour

[Spinney]

From personal experience, I highly recommend the Mull/Lochaber/Skye area, but you really are spoiled for choice, with great cycling also to be had in the far north, the borders, the north east, the western isles, and the central highlands...

Have you actually missed out any bits of Scotland here?
(Maybe the central corridor between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but other than that....?)

 

[Rasmus]

Have you actually missed out any bits of Scotland here?
(Maybe the central corridor between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but other than that....?)

I did get carried away a bit, didn't I...

 

[dr snuggles]

Couple of years ago cycled from Inverness home to Newcastle down the east coast mostly on the NCN1 and loved it. Well worth a look. Inverness, Elgin, Maud, Stonehaven, Strathkiness, and Edinburgh. Nothing at Maud so wouldn't go there again. B and b's all the way. Not too remote but a really good ride nevertheless.

 

[dr snuggles]

Last year came from Inverness to newtonmore, Perth, Edinburgh and kelso from there you could pop across to the coast and up to Edinburgh. Before Perth you can head over to Glasgow. Slightly more remote and another good ride.

 

[Herbie]

Hello everyone!

I'm arriving with a friend to Edinburgh on June. We plan to do a one-week tour of Scotland.
We're both experienced riders, though I have more touring heritage than him.

We won't be carrying any camping gear, so we need to end every day in a descent hotel/ hostel.
We'll have road wheels, so off road, rough trails are not considered.
We look for scenic, remote landscapes, obviously.

Any recommendations? Tips?

Is it worth taking a train to Inverness, and cycle North or West from there?

Get the train to Garve and cycle round the north west coast across the top and down the east side to Inverness....i did that 2 years ago ...fab scenery and very remote in some bits...took us a week and was brill

 

[dr snuggles]

Get the train to Garve and cycle round the north west coast across the top and down the east side to Inverness....i did that 2 years ago ...fab scenery and very remote in some bits...took us a week and was brill

Think I quite fancy that myself.

 

[PaulSB]

Outer Hebrides without question. Take the ferry from Oban to Barra. Ride to Stornaway and take the ferry back to Ullapool.

Obviously you need to do the bits at either end. Possibly train to Oban to save time but note when you land back on the mainland it's approximately 50 miles to nearest railway station.

 

[Oren_Hershco]

Outer Hebrides without question. Take the ferry from Oban to Barra. Ride to Stornaway and take the ferry back to Ullapool.

Obviously you need to do the bits at either end. Possibly train to Oban to save time but note when you land back on the mainland it's approximately 50 miles to nearest railway station.

Well, that's definitely "remote". Can you be more specific about these islands? why should we go there and not the mainland?
How's the weather there? What about accommodations - will we find any? (we don't plan to carry camping gear)
Is the landscape variable enough to be interesting along a 7 days ride? On the mainland the variety is big, and that's important when cycling.

 

[PaulSB]

Well, that's definitely "remote". Can you be more specific about these islands? why should we go there and not the mainland?
How's the weather there? What about accommodations - will we find any? (we don't plan to carry camping gear)
Is the landscape variable enough to be interesting along a 7 days ride? On the mainland the variety is big, and that's important when cycling.

Yep, it's remote and for me initially took me out of my comfort zone but I soon settled. I made the trip I'll describe below two summers ago. I'm now 60 and while I do go for what I call "cycle tours" most would probably think of it as credit card touring. I mainly use hostels, bunk houses and B&B and if I'm really stuck I'll drop into a small hotel. I live in Lancashire and so I'll just describe the part of my trip from home that is relevant to you. For the ferries you can get an island hopper ticket for about £35, you are considered to be a foot passenger so you simply turn up, no need for a reservation.

I am recommending this trip to you because before I went I had no idea anywhere so beautiful existed in Britain. I'm not a worldwide traveller by any means but I would put the Outer Hebrides right up there with the most special places I've visited. I found it a very emotional, and still do to think of, and enjoyable experience. The roads are excellent, the scenery and riding is enormously varied from easy in the south to some tough climbs on Harris and Lewis.

I took the ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, Arran, cycled round the island to Lochranza and took the ferry to Claonaig. From there I rode to Tarbert and then turned south on the B8024 following this road until it joins the A83 south of Ardrishaig. Up to Lochgilphead on the A816 and turned off on the B840 to Loch Awe. (I needed to go to Taynuil to see friends - you could follow the A816 to Oban). I rode up the west side of Loch Awe which I found very hard and another time I would take the east road. At Kilcrenhan I turned towards Taynuilt.

On to Oban and take the ferry to Barra, visit Vartersay and Barra (rode round twice, it's very small) to see white beaches and torquoise seas. If going north on Barra use the west road to avoid a vicious climb. Great place to walk as well! If you go it's essential to book B&B before arriving on Barra as everyone getting off the ferry at around 10.30pm will be doing the same thing. Eat on the boat, the pub could be closed or not doing food. If it's a beautiful evening as you approach Barra the sun will be setting behind the island. From Barra ferry and ride to Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist. On to Berneray and then ferry to Harris to ride up Harris and Lewis to Stornoway to get the ferry back to the mainland at Ullapool. I would take the west road round Harris - I won't say why but it took my breath away. You then have a 70 mile ride to Inverness to get a train! There is a station before this after about 50 miles but I don't know where it goes!

I had no problem finding accomodation using B&B, bunk houses and hostels. My only problem on the whole trip was at the bunk house on Berneray. This appears to be a mecca for young people looking to party all night. There was one older, aggressive person who seemed to be a semi-warden (the only one I met in the various bunk houses) and saw himself as something special with his tales of world travel etc. - always bettering the person he spoke to. The night I was there this person lead the singing and partying in the communal area next to my room. I had to get up at 4.00am for a ferry, at 2.30am I went to ask them to stop. I was verbally abused by this guy, felt physically threatened and felt it necessary to sit guarding my bike till 4.00am before heading off to the ferry!! I only stayed because I was waiting for an Australian I had teamed up with to wake up!! Earplugs apparently.

I know this experience can happen anywhere but I would not recommend the Berneray bunk house as it did seem to attract party animals rather than walkers and cyclists that I encountered everywhere else.

For me the Outer Hebrides will always be a magical and special place. I raved so much about it my French friends from Nice insisted I take them the following year. They found the islandswonderful.

 

[Spinney]

I cycled the Outer Hebrides some years ago (when I was much less fit than I am now). I did a write-up with pics here:
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/outer-hebrides.155949/

- should give you some idea.

If you are going to do anything in the Outer Hebrides or on the west coast of Scotland, aim to cycle south to north - you have a much better chance of having the wind at your back.

 

[Ticktockmy]

In June 2009 I cycled from Barra to the Butt of Lewis then back to Stornoway, before taking the ferry to Ulapool. As Spinney says its best to cycle South to North. At Leverburgh I took the east coast route along the Golden road. Weather wise, when the weather was good it was really nice, but when the wind and rain is in your face there no hiding from it. From Ulapool I cycled the A835 bad to Inverness, Though I had not booked any B&B's when I need them I had no problems finding them. I did stay at the Youth Hostel on Berneray which was packed because the very high winds that evening had wrecked a lot of tents of people camping in the sand dunes. to give a idea of the wind on the road across part of UIST the wind was at my back, and was pushing me along at 30 Kps

 

[snorri]

Inverness, Barra, Lewis and back to Inverness is a fine tour, but I think a bit much for five days as you are bound to spend half a day, perhaps more, waiting for ferries along the way.
I like Herbies suggestion, train to Garve cycle to Ullapool, on to Lochinver via Inverkirkaig. There is the option of following the coast right round and back to Inverness, or devising smaller loops using the numerous roads across the interior.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

<snip>I assume all cellular network have cover in this remote area, at least next to villages. Is this assumption true?

(I had a weird experience in Yellowstone National Park in the USA, two years ago, where there was no Wi-Fi, no 3G data and not even simple 2G availability for the phone I had. It was like being back in the '90)

Do not make this assumption. It is getting better, but there is still a long way to go (and not just with Scotland either). You may get a signal in more remote areas if you use a carrier such as Go-Sim or similar that are designed to use any available network, but as for whether Vodaphone, O2, EE, 3 etc will work in any particular place, it is hit & miss. I would suggest you google it etc. This is the O2 coverage for the UK and as you can see it is variable. Vodaphone and the rest are similar. (We take our Go-Sim card with us when touring in Scotland because it will use any available network and pick the strongest signal if more than one is available rather than restricting ourselves to a single network, but we already had that card for when we went on a long multi-country card.)

As for remote - I love the Outer Hebrides as well. I can also vouch for the North West of Scotland, though the single track roads do sometimes get to you after a while because cars can not overtake you or even pass you (head on passing) without you stopping and it really makes getting any rhythm going quite hard (and yes this is the A road - its the only road in that area!) The west coast of Scotland is imo more beautiful/rugged than the east coast which is more rolling, but the east coast generally gets the better weather.

What kind of mileage are you looking to do each day?

 

[KneesUp]

I'd not heard of Go-Sim, @SatNavSaysStraightOn, I'll look out for them. Last time I went properly north I had phones from T-Mobile (remember them?) and o2. The o2 one got signal much more reliably I have to say - but then T-Mobile was always a bit rubbish all the way back to when they were called 'one to one', or 'one to no-one' if you were outside London

 

[PaulSB]

Inverness, Barra, Lewis and back to Inverness is a fine tour, but I think a bit much for five days as you are bound to spend half a day, perhaps more, waiting for ferries along the way.
I like Herbies suggestion, train to Garve cycle to Ullapool, on to Lochinver via Inverkirkaig. There is the option of following the coast right round and back to Inverness, or devising smaller loops using the numerous roads across the interior.

The point about waiting for ferries is a good one. I planned my days around the ferry sailings which is why I left Berneray at 4.00am. I don't feel any time was wasted or lost but it is necessary to work with the ferry times rather than just hanging about waiting for them.