It's got a name, let's put it on the bucket list.

[FifeingEejit]

The A9 goes from Stirling to almost the arse end of nowhere, if you are at Crawford and heading to Edinburgh you may be planning to cross glenfarg via Collaine du Beath and thus pick up the sensible route adjacent to the A9 at Perth on your way to the Dutch blokes House at the arse end of nowhere.

It's fairly reasonable to know if you're going up the middle of Scotland.

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[sg37409]

The A9 goes from Stirling Polmont to ....

 

[FifeingEejit]

The A9 goes from Stirling Polmont to ....

 

Shite yes so it does.
I'd forgotten about the bits that remain despite the M9 existing

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[ravenbait]

I can't work out where this is. Crawford's in Lanarkshire, thobut? Or England somewhere? Nowhere near the A9.

Sam

[FifeingEejit]

I can't work out where this is. Crawford's in Lanarkshire, thobut? Or England somewhere? Nowhere near the A9.

Sam

Crawford is just off the A74(M) in what we can call the south of Scotland.

Edinburgh where they appear to have been heading for an overnight stop is to the north east of there and is in central Scotland.

The question of whether they were travelling north up the A9 corridor after their overnight in edinburgh was unanswerable as they didn't know.

The assumption would be that they are lejoging a supported tourist route.

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[yoav]

Presumably the original A9 ran from Edinburgh to Thurso but the M9 superseded it up to Stirling? Is any of the original A9 from Edinburgh to Stirling identifiable? Perhaps as a series B roads. I would like to try to follow if it is possible.

[Rod Marton]

Some of it has disappeared under Edinburgh airport. But it's fairly clear after that: Kirkliston - Linlithgow - Falkirk. Can't remember the road numbers, I'm afraid.

[citoyen]

Is it the A9 that goes to Pitlochry? I drove up it once. Never again. Horrible road.

Certainly wouldn't cycle on it.

[lissotriton]

SABRE has details of the old route. https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=A9/history
Can also follow it on the old maps from the NLS. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/

[ravenbait]

The question of whether they were travelling north up the A9 corridor after their overnight in edinburgh was unanswerable as they didn't know.

That's the part of the geographical equation I was missing, thanks. Mind you, I constantly* complain that it's unfair Belgium and Bolivia aren't near each other and think countries should be arranged alphabetically. My geography is utterly appalling.

Sam
*Obvious hyperbole. I only complain about it when I get a geography question wrong.

[Pingu]

Presumably the original A9 ran from Edinburgh to Thurso but the M9 superseded it up to Stirling? Is any of the original A9 from Edinburgh to Stirling identifiable? Perhaps as a series B roads. I would like to try to follow if it is possible.

I think it originally went to John o'Groats.

[FifeingEejit]

Is it the A9 that goes to Pitlochry? I drove up it once. Never again. Horrible road.

Certainly wouldn't cycle on it.

Yes.
Theres pleasant enough cycling alternatives to it.

Rumour has it that once the upgrade is complete it'll be like the edinburgh bypass and have restrictions similar to motorways applied.

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[ravenbait]

Yes.
Theres pleasant enough cycling alternatives to it.

Rumour has it that once the upgrade is complete it'll be like the edinburgh bypass and have restrictions similar to motorways applied.

It wouldn't surprise me. That's what they did with the Aberdeen bypass.

Sam

[salar55]

You can do a new route up through Scotland, much better than following 2 motorways north (Arran and the west coast/islands excepted) is the new trail that starts near Sheffield and ends at Cape Wrath. Looked at it and the only issue is it goes thro Edinburgh and along canal. Peebles to Clyde valley for us if we try it.

[mzjo]

Locally I know the roads very well, many of them not signed. But even the lanes that are named I don’t pay attention to that, as it’s not necessary for navigation.  I just know where I’ll end up if I head down it and what the options lead to as I come to the junctions.   Mental navigation maps don’t need road names.

If you are following the GPS. Unless you are the one who plotted it, you won’t necessary know which roads it traverses.  Nor will you need to care.  Navigation by road number works well in France , not so well here.

You can also navigate village to village if that’s your way needing neither map , GPS or compass.

It's knowing where I'm going (even when I make up my mind at each junction) that stops me learning how to follow a trace on the garmin (even though I like looking at the pretty line on the unit afterwards it serves no real purpose). But I don't know a single road number round me in France, other than the nationales where I don't ride!

[Feanor]

Following the purple line on a gamin is not a thoughtless process if the line is one you have created yourself.

The hours spent looking at maps on the PC designing the route are hours saved on the road.

You are just moving a bunch of route planning ahead of the ride, rather than on it.

[nuttycyclist]

The hours spent looking at maps are invaluable when the planned route turns out to be a sustrans NCN unmade gravel track, it makes it so much easier to divert and plan a new route on the fly.

[salar55]

Sitting at the computer or spending hours studying maps, why? It's heading out and wondering what the day brings appeals to me.
We have changed plans often, road works , weather etc even had a few film crews with the police enforcing closed roads for new car adverts in the mountains.

[nuttycyclist]

It's getting the awareness of the area ahead of time, so that when the weather changes/roads are closed/etc you are comfortable in changing route on the fly without need to resort to a detailed map and try to plan anything.  Just being aware of the towns/etc that will appear on the roadsigns is enough to give you the ability to go explore in the rough general direction you need to go.

As an example, locally, we got stuck in a massive queue due to staycationers trying to get home.  We were on a time limit to get somewhere which should have been a 20 minute drive.   I didn't have to look at the map, nor program the satnav, I just told Mrs Nutty which turning to take and back roads to follow.  Very nasty route, and added 10 minutes to the journey (checking online later), but based on the stationary traffic (still there when we went home 4 hours later) was significantly quicker than sitting in the jam.

[FifeingEejit]

Sitting at the computer or spending hours studying maps, why? It's heading out and wondering what the day brings appeals to me.
We have changed plans often, road works , weather etc even had a few film crews with the police enforcing closed roads for new car adverts in the mountains.

I think it's fair to say you know a fair whack of Scotland rather well.
I'm reasonably confident of my route knowledge in the Highlands and Midlands, central belt quite a bit less! D&G and borders a wee bit better.

Don't think the guys you came across had any real idea of their route or where they were though.


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[salar55]

It's getting the awareness of the area ahead of time, so that when the weather changes/roads are closed/etc you are comfortable in changing route on the fly without need to resort to a detailed map and try to plan anything.  Just being aware of the towns/etc that will appear on the roadsigns is enough to give you the ability to go explore in the rough general direction you need to go.

As an example, locally, we got stuck in a massive queue due to staycationers trying to get home.  We were on a time limit to get somewhere which should have been a 20 minute drive.   I didn't have to look at the map, nor program the satnav, I just told Mrs Nutty which turning to take and back roads to follow.  Very nasty route, and added 10 minutes to the journey (checking online later), but based on the stationary traffic (still there when we went home 4 hours later) was significantly quicker than sitting in the jam.

Nutty the satnav will have everyone trying to do the same today, it's a standard feature now😭 Haven't the lanes become busy because the satnav gives some drivers confidence to leave the main roads and (explore) now.

[mzjo]

The hours spent looking at maps are invaluable when the planned route turns out to be a sustrans NCN unmade gravel track, it makes it so much easier to divert and plan a new route on the fly.

The hours spent over maps, paper or screen, are hours wasted if you are planning a route for a club event and it all depends on a road shown on the map but that doesn't exist. Nothing beats time in the field (or preferably on a road).DAHIKT

[Kim]

Sitting at the computer or spending hours studying maps, why?

Because maps are fun.  Doubly so when you're stuck indoors.

(Also, what Feanor said.)

[mzjo]

Sitting at the computer or spending hours studying maps, why?

Because maps are fun.  Doubly so when you're stuck indoors.

(Also, what Feanor said.)

Yeah, maps are fun; I collect them, I study them, I get distracted by them, I have fantasies about the places that they show (particularly the roads)! I sometimes think though that there is a missing link between my cycling (locally) and my map "reading" (as in studying but not as seriously). They are not necessarily mutually inclusive!

[Lightning Phil]

Maps of alpine glaciers and climbing guidebooks should always be taken with a pinch of salt.  Asking the guardian of the hut you are at the night before is usually best. You’ll get something like, up right side of glacier till 2,900m, then you can cross through the seracs and crevasses, up left side till 3,300m, then into middle till 3,700m to join the rock buttress etc.

Recommended routes up through glaciers change year to year and even month to month or week to week etc.

Altimeter watches essential aids for the nav.