Best route across Scotland? Not in a rush...

[tbessie]

Hi all...

Last year I intended on doing a LEJOG, at a relaxed pace. My pace was so relaxed, however, that after 3 weeks I was only at Edinburgh.

This year I'm going to continue the trip; when I had got to Lancaster last year, I had intended on going through the Lakes, but it was a bank holiday and I couldn't find a single place to stay that wasn't outrageously priced. So, instead, I veered off east and went over the Yorkshire Dales.

This year I'm going to take the train up to Lancaster and start there, see some of the Scottish islands, then cross back over and go up to Tongue, and over to JOG.

I've planned a preliminary route, and wonder if you folks think this is a good one. Some of it is what I wanted to do, some of it is what Google tells me I should do (which, despite my not liking it, seems to sometimes be a reasonably good route).

Here 'tis - what do you think? You'll need a Google account to see it (still not sure how to make it available without that)...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uOiu2 ... sp=sharing

Also, I've scheduled this to be a couple of weeks starting in mid-June; I hear that's probably the worst as far as midges are concerned. If I have plenty of repellent and a head-net, do you think it'll be bearable?

- Tim

[matt2matt2002]

I'm just back from a south to north Hebridean Way trip.
Ferry from Oban to Castlebay then Stornoway to Ullapool.
Plenty of hostels. Flat in south. Couple of big hills on Harris.
Nice scenery/ beaches.

A few years ago I also did Ullapool to Wick. Minimal traffic.

Pm me for any other info

Matt

[tbessie]

I'm just back from a south to north Hebridean Way trip.
Ferry from Oban to Castlebay then Stornoway to Ullapool.
Plenty of hostels. Flat in south. Couple of big hills on Harris.
Nice scenery/ beaches.

Huh, interesting - do you think that would be more interesting (and faster, perhaps?) than the route I had planned, from Oban to Skye?

- Tim

[matt2matt2002]

Well, much less traffic for sure.
But extra ferry costs.
Looking back, I didn't find the Outer Hebrides that interesting.
But on balance I'd take that route over Oban Fort William Mallaig.
Less chance of being squashed.

[tbessie]

Well, much less traffic for sure.
But extra ferry costs.
Looking back, I didn't find the Outer Hebrides that interesting.
But on balance I'd take that route over Oban Fort William Mallaig.
Less chance of being squashed.

Is it only major highways on the Oban/Fort William/Mallaig route? Lots of traffic?

I live in San Francisco, so I'm used to lots of cars whizzing past me; and I got used to the narrow roads in the UK when I was there last. Is it any worse than what I've already experienced, do you think?

- Tim

[andrew_s]

I'd head for Ardrossan, then Arran, Kintyre, up the west coast of Knapdale from Tarbert to Kilmartin (there's a prefectly rideable track between Ellary and Kilmory), up the west side of Loch Awe to Taynuilt, the back road in to Oban, ferry to Mull, take the long way round to Tobermory, ferry to Ardnamurchan, Mallaig, ferry to Skye, over the Skye bridge to Kyle, Plockton, Lochcarron, Applecross, Torridon, Gairloch, Ullapool, Lochinver via Inverpolly and Drumbeg, up to Laxford Bridge, then head for Durness and the north coast road.
If you feel adventurous, you could take an inland route from Laxford Bridge via Lock Merkland, Gobernuisgach, Altnaharra, Kinbrace, Forsinard, Altnabreac station, Loch Watten. It's possible that you may see no more than a couple of dozen vehicles between Laxford Bridge and JoG going this way.

http://cycle.travel/map/journey/39283

Cycle.travel won't do the inland route because the Altnabreac station tracks are on OpenStreetmap as footpaths, but they are actually very good gravel roads.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4620975
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4696011
Bealach nam Meirleach between Loch Merkland and Gobernuisgach isn't so good, but still OK with a loaded touring bike.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4913406
Should you fancy the inland route, there's a bunkhouse/hostel at Trantlebeg, 2 or 3 miles N of where the track to Altnabreac goes off
https://independenthostels.co.uk/member ... bunkhouse/

You did say you weren't in a rush?

Traffic-wise, the road to avoid is the A82, in particular the stretches along the northern part of Loch Lomond, across Rannoch Moor to the top of Glencoe, and up the Great Glen to Inverness.
With the A85 into Oban, or the A830 to Mallaig, there's enough traffic to make it more enjoyable to do as little of the roads as reasonable, but it's not what I'd call a real problem if you go that way.

[tbessie]

I'd head for Ardrossan, then Arran, Kintyre, up the west coast of Knapdale from Tarbert to Kilmartin (there's a prefectly rideable track between Ellary and Kilmory), up the west side of Loch Awe to Taynuilt, the back road in to Oban, ferry to Mull, take the long way round to Tobermory, ferry to Ardnamurchan, Mallaig, ferry to Skye, over the Skye bridge to Kyle, Plockton, Lochcarron, Applecross, Torridon, Gairloch, Ullapool, Lochinver via Inverpolly and Drumbeg, up to Laxford Bridge, then head for Durness and the north coast road.
If you feel adventurous, you could take an inland route from Laxford Bridge via Lock Merkland, Gobernuisgach, Altnaharra, Kinbrace, Forsinard, Altnabreac station, Loch Watten. It's possible that you may see no more than a couple of dozen vehicles between Laxford Bridge and JoG going this way.

Wow! Thanks for all that detailed information, Andrew! I'll check all that out and see how it looks! Much appreciated!

- Tim

[matt2matt2002]

Well, much less traffic for sure.
But extra ferry costs.
Looking back, I didn't find the Outer Hebrides that interesting.
But on balance I'd take that route over Oban Fort William Mallaig.
Less chance of being squashed.

Is it only major highways on the Oban/Fort William/Mallaig route? Lots of traffic?

I live in San Francisco, so I'm used to lots of cars whizzing past me; and I got used to the narrow roads in the UK when I was there last. Is it any worse than what I've already experienced, do you think?

- Tim

There is a cycle route from Oban to Fort William. On a disused railway track. So most of it is off road. But I found it slow going with many deviations. I was in a hurry to reach the Oban ferry so mostly used the road. But some of the cycle path was great.
If you are ok with traffic, then no problems.
The other recent post here is good. I've done most of that as well. Good advice.

[Tinnishill]

Hallo,

I have tried to have a look at your Google map thingy and couldn't see it even when signed in to Google. Never mind, Google maps are pretty poor quality in Scotland anyway.

It might be useful to have a look at the Sustrans website map for an idea of planning quiet routes.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map

The Open Cycle Map is very useful.

http://www.opencyclemap.org/

For proper paper maps, Sustrans Pocket Cycle Maps from their shop are a good scale for cyclists.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/shop/info/po ... aps-region

Undoubtedly the best quality maps of Scotland are Ordnance Survey. Their 1 to 250,000 scale series, known as "OS Road Maps" are useful for road cyclists.
On a smartphone, Bing Maps have free OS on three different scales but they need a phone signal. The Viewranger and Osmand apps can both allow you to download a free copy of Open Cycle Map to your phone for off line use.

To add to what has already been suggested (all good advice). There are a couple of ways to get from Carlisle to Ardrossan with the least use of busy motor roads.

Actually leaving Carlisle for the north is trickier than is reasonable to expect. Exit the city on Sustrans route 7 as far as the village of Rockcliffe. The main route squeezes between the Rockcliffe Marsh and the Central Ammunition Depot and you have to cross the river Esk. You may know that it is illegal to cycle on the motorway. The M6 crosses the Esk on what is called the Metal Bridge. A minor road for farm traffic has been tacked on to the south side of the bridge; you can see it on OS and GoogleEarth. There aren’t many relevant sign posts.

There is a route choice from Gretna.

The slow way is to follow Sustrans route 7; there are a few stretches on gravel forestry roads and there is a stupidly steep but easily avoided short stretch just south of Ayr. It is all very scenic.

The quicker way is to follow the motorway relief road, the B7076, parallel to the M74. The road isn't very busy, goes through the villages by passed by the motorway and also has miles of segregated cycle lane (a lot of it is a downgraded dual carriageway where they turned one lane over to non motorised use). There is a background hum of road noise from the motorway. At Abington the road number changes to B7078. One km north of Abington, turn left on to a minor road for Crawfordjohn. Follow B740 to Sanquhar and Kirkconnel. Five km west of Kirkconnel on the A76, at the county boundary, you can turn right on to a minor road across the river in to New Cumnock. From New Cumnock it is fairly simple to plot a route on the network of minor roads through Ayrshire to Ardrossan.

Regarding midgies, what kind of accommodation are you planning ? If you have stone walls around you at night you should be OK. Note that "mosquito" head nets have bigger holes than "midgie" nets and won't defend you. The most effective repellent is a Scottish produced product called "Smidge".

Best of luck.

[bogmyrtle]

Actually leaving Carlisle for the north is trickier than is reasonable to expect. Exit the city on Sustrans route 7 as far as the village of Rockcliffe. The main route squeezes between the Rockcliffe Marsh and the Central Ammunition Depot and you have to cross the river Esk. You may know that it is illegal to cycle on the motorway. The M6 crosses the Esk on what is called the Metal Bridge. A minor road for farm traffic has been tacked on to the south side of the bridge; you can see it on OS and GoogleEarth. There aren’t many relevant sign posts.

Getting out of Carlisle is quite straightforward if you don't go via Rockcliffe. When the dual carriageway was upgraded to motorway a new road that runs from Carlisle to Gretna was constructed alongside the new stretch of M6.

[Tinnishill]

Getting out of Carlisle is quite straightforward if you don't go via Rockcliffe. When the dual carriageway was upgraded to motorway a new road that runs from Carlisle to Gretna was constructed alongside the new stretch of M6.

Yes that is the road I was trying to describe at the Metal Bridge. How would you phrase a simple instruction to a foreigner which would get them from central Carlisle (say, English Street) out on to the motorway relief road without taking them through the cycling purgatory which is to be found on the Victoria Viaduct, the Caldewgate, the Sandbed, Stanwix Bank, or Kingstown Road ? These are not good places to be on a bike even when you know where you are going.

My alternatives were either to follow NCN7 out or cross the Caldew on the Rome St footbridge and head west through the back streets to the A689 to cross the Eden on the new road bridge before skirting the west side of the Kingsmoor railway yards.

Sustrans seem to want cyclists to cross the Esk via Longtown, which is a bit out of the way.

[Paulatic]

Getting out of Carlisle is quite straightforward if you don't go via Rockcliffe. When the dual carriageway was upgraded to motorway a new road that runs from Carlisle to Gretna was constructed alongside the new stretch of M6.

Yes that is the road I was trying to describe at the Metal Bridge. How would you phrase a simple instruction to a foreigner which would get them from central Carlisle (say, English Street) out on to the motorway relief road without taking them through the cycling purgatory which is to be found on the Victoria Viaduct, the Caldewgate, the Sandbed, Stanwix Bank, or Kingstown Road ? These are not good places to be on a bike even when you know where you are going.

My alternatives were either to follow NCN7 out or cross the Caldew on the Rome St footbridge and head west through the back streets to the A689 to cross the Eden on the new road bridge before skirting the west side of the Kingsmoor railway yards.

Sustrans seem to want cyclists to cross the Esk via Longtown, which is a bit out of the way.

Yeah I find it so much easier to avoid Carlisle now if coming from the Dalston side. I usually use the cycle path beside the relief road and come out passed the railway yards.

[tbessie]

(maps and instructions)

Thanks again for all that useful info!

Regarding midgies, what kind of accommodation are you planning ? If you have stone walls around you at night you should be OK. Note that "mosquito" head nets have bigger holes than "midgie" nets and won't defend you. The most effective repellent is a Scottish produced product called "Smidge".

Well, I'm not sure; last year, when I went from Land's End to Edinburgh, I had planned on starting out with B&B's and hotels, and then start camping.

I camped in Exmoor, and found that I didn't like the extreme wetness (plus my tent got a lot of condensation, so wasn't any help). So I ended up staying entirely in B&B's and hotels after that - d'oh!

I've heard that Scotland 1) more sparsely populated than England, 2) has lower accomodation density, 3) often has more inclement weather, 4) has many more places you can easily camp (wild and otherwise).

I was hoping I could camp more of the way this time (I got a better tent ), but also wondered, if I didn't want to camp, would I be able to find accommodation as easily as I did in the UK.

What do you think?

I ordered "smidge" and one of their head nets from their website, and had it sent to a friend in the UK, where I'll pick it up. I already have plenty of DEET (not sure if that works well for midges) and a head-net, tho' it might not be a good head net for midges.

- Tim

[tbessie]

Yeah I find it so much easier to avoid Carlisle now if coming from the Dalston side. I usually use the cycle path beside the relief road and come out passed the railway yards.

I don't absolutely HAVE to go through Carlisle; the reason I wanted to go there is because it's nice to stop in towns along the way, and I visited it once many many years ago, when I had a girlfriend in Eskdale. So... sentimental reasons.

- Tim

[Tinnishill]

More about midgies and a bit about accommodation in Scotland.

Midgies don't like weather which is colder than about 8°C, wind faster than about 8 mph, heavy rain or bright sunshine. If you have to camp in weather which indicates a threat, try to pitch somewhere to catch the breeze. Midgies do like damp soil and woodland. Camp in a midgie proof tent with all your clothes and a midgie net handy to put on before unzipping. I once had to take a lad to hospital who went out naked for a pee at three in the morning; he went in to shock. You might also want to keep a roll of sticky tape handy in case they find a breach in your tent wall during the night.

During the day be prepared to wear long trousers, long sleeves and thin gloves as well a head net; no skin showing at all. The other troublesome invertebrates we have are the tick, and the cleg (our local variety of horsefly) and a thing called the deer ked. Keds don't normally bite humans but they can be a bit unpleasant while they search for something to lay their eggs in. Midgie precautions will also protect you from the other things, though clegs like to attack cyclists backs and have been known to bite through a thin shirt.

Most villages will have a couple of B&B's or a pub with rooms. Most advertise but some don't. In busy periods (the English school holidays) it can pay to book a day ahead.

Most, but not all, commercial campsites are listed on
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/count ... n=Scotland . Tell them your tent is a single berth backpackers job, it can make a difference to the price.

Although wild camping is legal in most of Scotland (not around the south end of Loch Lomond for environmental reasons) it is sometimes a struggle to find somewhere that it is physically possible to camp near a road. Away from human habitation it shouldn't be too hard to find an unobtrusive spot for a single tent. Water from streams isn't as pristine as we would wish for but if you either boil or use chlorine dioxide tablets it's fine. Campfires are illegal without the landowners permission.

Hostel and bunkhouse accommodation is usually cyclist friendly. See, http://www.syha.org.uk or http://www.hostel-scotland.co.uk . If you make it to the Western Isles the Gatliff Trust run interesting bunkhouses.

Also, Scotland is still in the UK.

Cheers.