cycling in Scotland

[uiende]

Hi:

We are planning a bike trip frpm Inverness to Leeds via Isle of Skye. Can anyone recommend the best route from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. The road which follows the railway looks attractive but I am concerned whether it is busy. We are going in last week of September so tourist traffic may have eased by then. Any advice welcome. Many thanks. We are also ready to go the more southerly route. Which route is best??

[Oldjohnw]

It’s a lovely route although I have not cycled it. Most people drive the Loch Ness way so it is very busy which is a nightmare although the south side of the Loch is considerably better.

Plockton alone will make the trip worthwhile.

[SimonCelsa]

If your 'we' is just a couple of reasonably experienced adult cyclists (as opposed to a family with kids) then the route which follows the railway line should not present undue concern.

There is one short stretch a couple of miles on from Garve which is a bit twisty with fairly poor sight lines, impatient motorists can make some reckless manoeuvres here.

I haven't cycled that way for a couple of years, and although traffic has increased with the popularity of the North Coast 500 it is still a relatively quiet route. Try and leave Inverness early, there are an awful lot of people living here who require a car to commute 2 or 3 miles to work and thus the town gets pretty busy at 'rush' hour (again, compared with other places in the UK it's really not that bad).

Enjoy your trip!!

[uiende]

thanks very much very helpful. We are on a tandem and are very experienced endurance cyclists having cycled all over Europe and a bit in North America so what you say is an "OK" for us to do the trip on the northern route!!! I shall start booking accommodation now. We have been in Norway which I guess is similar to Scotland and there the roads were not over-busy and that was in the height of summer. Thanks very much.

[LollyKat]

Out of interest, how are you getting the tandem to Inverness? Can you split it to take it on the train or are you doing a one-way car hire?

[Ron]

Any advice welcome. Which route is best??

I think the railway route would be best.
You could leave Inverness heading north over the Kessock bridge and when across look out for the signed route down to sea level and follow the road along the north shore to Redcastle then on to Muir of Ord for the A832 to Urray, Matrybank and Contin. I think the north shore is preferable to the south shore of the Beauly Firth as the road on the south carries commuters in a hurry!

[Jdsk]

Just booked the sleeper from London to Inverness in April. Two people, two uprights.

We're going to set off west by taking the train to Garve.

I've found the current ScotRail page, and the emergency timetable note:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/cycling

Any other advice, especially on booking, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Paulatic]

Just booked the sleeper from London to Inverness in April. Two people, two uprights.

We're going to set off west by taking the train to Garve.

I've found the current ScotRail page, and the emergency timetable note:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/cycling

Any other advice, especially on booking, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

You’ll pass me at 05:36 if on time no need to blow the horn though
April? brrr hope the weathers kind. I really don’t think you’ll have any problem on first come first served if that’s still the case then.

[Jdsk]

Thanks

: - )

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

Hi:

We are planning a bike trip frpm Inverness to Leeds via Isle of Skye. Can anyone recommend the best route from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. The road which follows the railway looks attractive but I am concerned whether it is busy. We are going in last week of September so tourist traffic may have eased by then. Any advice welcome. Many thanks. We are also ready to go the more southerly route. Which route is best??

It's something like sixty years since I rode from Inverness to the Kyle of Lochalsh so I couldn't help with your query. I see you posted early in September and I took it "last week of September" referred to 2021. As this has now been revived, I'll mention that if you are planning for September 2022, and if you need info about routes in England to Leeds, I'll be happy to help.

[nez]

Just booked the sleeper from London to Inverness in April. Two people, two uprights.

We're going to set off west by taking the train to Garve.

I've found the current ScotRail page, and the emergency timetable note:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/cycling

Any other advice, especially on booking, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

I was looking at that for April and couldn't make the sleeper work with a bike booking at all. Did you do it on line?

[Jdsk]

Just booked the sleeper from London to Inverness in April. Two people, two uprights.

We're going to set off west by taking the train to Garve.

I've found the current ScotRail page, and the emergency timetable note:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/cycling

Any other advice, especially on booking, please?

I was looking at that for April and couldn't make the sleeper work with a bike booking at all. Did you do it on line?

My wife did. Berths and bikes in one booking.

Lots weren't available, but it doesn't sound as if that's what you're describing.

Happy to ask her if you can describe the problem.

Jonathan

[Paulatic]

Should be there under options

I also learnt years ago to use web pages other than an app when looking to book a bike.

[nez]

I couldn't find any availabilities and I was willing to be really flexible. I came to the conclusion there was some web-page snafu. Maybe Paulatic's advice will help. Or maybe I lack your wife's charm

[LollyKat]

We're going to set off west by taking the train to Garve. ...

How far are you going that day? It's 'only' 25 miles to Garve and not too strenuous if you via the Kessock bridge and Redcastle, and then follow the A832 through Muir of Ord and beyond.

In recent years I haven't been able to book bikes on the Scotrail website at all - it just hangs. Maybe it's my browser (Firefox). These days I go to my local station, or just telephone.