Going to Scotland... bit of advice?

[Kim]

I went to Scotland once.  It rained.  And I got eaten by midges.  And everyone talked funny.

You'll love it 

[fuaran]

What about Aviemore? You can get there on the sleeper.
Plenty of nice cycling and walking, on or off road. Nice easy pootles around the forest tracks. You could pop in to Ryvoan Bothy and read I Leave Tonight From Euston.

Plenty of accommodation to choose from - hotels, hostels etc. And it shouldn't be too busy at that time of year.
Though it may be cold. Aviemore is at about 200m elevation, and snow in April is possible...

[CrinklyLion]

Looking at tickets for a few weeks before I want to go, whe pricing is available, Fort William is a bit pricier.... I think I might need to come up with a couple of options and book according to what I can get tickets for!

I actually have a bit of a hankering to go to Aberdeen.  For no reason other than I remember staying in a B&B there for a night when travelling up to Golspie with my grandparents and one of my sisters (the other two went in the car with my parents and the dogs and the cat and the luggage and my dad's guns) for a family holiday.  It was the first time I'd travelled on an intercity, the first time I'd ever stayed in a hotel or B&B, and the first time (of a total of two - the second was a couple of months back) that I travelled on the Newcastle metro which we took from Whitley Bay (grandparents lived in Blyth) to Newcastle when we started the train based bit of the journey, having driven from near Hull the previous day.  It's a holiday that I have lots of very clear memories of - including the different trains (memory tells me that it took four or five) on the way getting smaller and smaller and rattlier and rattlier.  And tinned fruit set in jelly in tupperware cups for picnic lunch on the train.  I have no idea, however, how old I was at the time.  Maybe 7 or 8? It was an awfully big adventure.  We took three days just to get there!  Ah.... nostalgia.

[mcshroom]

I'll vote for Fort William. Lovely area and youth hostels and B&Bs are quite numerous compared to some places.

I think the Caledonian canal and Loch Ness would make a very nice trip over a couple days to Inverness, with overnight accomodation somewhere like Fort Augustus. There's only one 'big' hill going up Glen Doe to get to the military road, but the views and decent that follow the climb are brilliant

For the views, I think the ride south from FW to Oban is even better (passenger ferry accross the loch from FW, then ride down the north of Loch to the Corran Ferry, and then along the new lochside cyclepath towards Oban). There's no sleeper from Oban though, and the storage is dangly bike spaces.

[shameless photo plug]If you want any ideas of the views then I took these back in October [/shameless photo plug]

[Rig of Jarkness]

What about Aviemore? You can get there on the sleeper.
Plenty of nice cycling and walking, on or off road. Nice easy pootles around the forest tracks. You could pop in to Ryvoan Bothy and read I Leave Tonight From Euston.

Plenty of accommodation to choose from - hotels, hostels etc. And it shouldn't be too busy at that time of year.
Though it may be cold. Aviemore is at about 200m elevation, and snow in April is possible...

An excellent suggestion.  If the weather's foul there's a brewery and millions of distilleries to visit, plenty of outdoor shops to peruse, the most excellent cake shop just a short bike ride away at Inshriach, the steam railway, the Highland Wildlife Park, and loads of wildlife to look out for - a good time of year for capercaillie and black grouse.

[MercuryKev]

I actually have a bit of a hankering to go to Aberdeen. 

Aberdeen is the gateway to some of the best cycling country in Scotland.  You can head up the Dee valley, through Royal Deeside and then climb over some lovely hills and return via Strathdon and the Don valley.  Deeside also provides the option to head north in to Moray and Whisky country and along the north east coast, which has nice wee fishing villages.  On top of this the area has plenty of small villages so shops and food etc aren't much of a problem and the weather tends to be much drier than the west coast.

[Mrs Pingu]

Nobody ever comes to Aberdeen, cos it's not The West Coast. Which is true, but Aberdeenshire has it's own charms, as MK said.

[jogler]

I've been to the Granite City several times & always have "safe & secure" feeling

[Jaded]

I've been to Aberdeen and done the funny handshake to get beer.

[Rig of Jarkness]

I actually have a bit of a hankering to go to Aberdeen. 

Aberdeen is the gateway to some of the best cycling country in Scotland.  You can head up the Dee valley, through Royal Deeside and then climb over some lovely hills and return via Strathdon and the Don valley.  Deeside also provides the option to head north in to Moray and Whisky country and along the north east coast, which has nice wee fishing villages.  On top of this the area has plenty of small villages so shops and food etc aren't much of a problem and the weather tends to be much drier than the west coast.

The West Coast sleeper is an odd way of getting to Aberdeen 

[mcshroom]

I really liked the Dee valley into Braemar, and the Don Valley looked pretty nice .

I didn't get over to Aberdeen as my route turned south down the A93 to go through the Cairngorms.

Thinking about Aberdeen, what's the Coast and Castles route coming down the coast like (I think it follows NCN1)?

[MercuryKev]

The West Coast sleeper is an odd way of getting to Aberdeen 

Possibly so but she said that she was quite interested in going to Aberdeen and you can get a sleeper to Aberdeen.  Anyway the west coast is so last year.  2012 is all about the NE of Scotland with the hills, rolling farm land, coastal routes and knife fights in Fraserburgh at closing time.

[Feanor]

I really liked the Dee valley into Braemar, and the Don Valley looked pretty nice .

If you're going to go from Aberdeen out Deeside, then don't follow the A39 on the North of the River Dee, it's too busy.
Even the South Deeside is a bit busy close to town.
There are back-roads slightly to the south of the South Deeside road, which will take you through Durris, then past Knockburn Loch to Strachan, then pick up the South Deeside road through Finzean, Ballogie, etc to Balmoral.   Grab a cup of tea from Queenie if she's there, and then you must go back on the the A93.

There are several options for crossing over to Donside on the North, they get hillier the further out from Aberdeen you go.

[rower40]

The Highland Sleeper picks up in Crewe as well.  If that's any use for you.  As it kinda requires the lifts there to be working, and they have previous for being recalcitrant.

If (and it's a big IF) you sleep through the shunting and splitting at Edinburgh, don't be alarmed when you wake up travelling the other way.  The sleeper usually arrives there eastbound, then the three separate portions depart westbound.  A "day coach" (including guard's van) is attached to the Fort William portion.  The other two portions (Aberdeen and Inverness) each have their own luggage van all the way from That London, so a HUGE label on the bike stating "Fort William" in large friendly letters would seem to be de rigeur.

I've biked Fort William to Mallaig many moons ago, then train back.  It's all rather nice out that way.  Keep moving, lest the midges home in on you.

[Kim]

The Highland Sleeper picks up in Crewe as well.  If that's any use for you.  As it kinda requires the lifts there to be working, and they have previous for being recalcitrant.

*twitches*

[Feline]

Why go to all the hassle of expense of getting multiple trains when you have a bike? Surely that's the perfect way to get to Scotland! Destination JoG of course!

[Kim]

Why go to all the hassle of expense of getting multiple trains when you have a bike? Surely that's the perfect way to get to Scotland! Destination JoG of course!

That was my argument, but then CrinklyLion recruited me for cake couriering purposes.  The trains aren't that bad, really.

[Wowbagger]

We've not made a decision concerning our spring break yet. The Aberdeen area is quite tempting.

[jane]

As it's your first sleeper journey, my advice would be not to take it to a city destination.  Part of the romance of it for me has always been boarding and bedding down surrounded by the noise, bright lights and buzz of the city and waking up to a view of mountains, waterfalls and wild moors.  I used to love getting off in Rannoch in the early morning and riding from there, or on walking trips, Corrour.  From Rannoch, the road heads east along the loch and once you get to a little bit of civilisation at Kinloch Rannoch the road splits and gives you a choice of riding opportunities.  I'm not too sure about accommodation opportunities as I have only ever camped round here.     However, if Rannoch is a little bit too isolated to start your journey, I'd second the Aviemore suggestion.  Or the Glasgow Ardrossan Arran option.  The hostel in Lochranza is indeed lovely now since its refurbishment and a point in both Aviemore and Arran's favour is that, if the weather is bad (Easter  2010 the train ahead of my sleeper train had to be dug out of the snow and my daughter and I  woke up two days later  in a snowdrift) there are at least places to hide from the elements.    But I have also spent some glorious Easters up there. 

[Pingu]

Keep moving, lest the midges home in on you.

None of them in April 

[eck]

If you're thinking of the east coast, this might be of interest.
It features the ascent of the Cairn o'Mount, inna Morris Minor, and bridies! 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Scotrail have a useful thing for cyclists http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/cycle-rescue.html

[Feanor]

The Cairn in an old Morris Minor?
Probably got the same Power-to-Weight ratio as a cyclist!
Wonder how quick it can get up to the top?

[Andrew Br]

Having just done something similar (sleeper from London to Fort William), I can't recommend it enough CL.
Although it's more travelling, getting on the Sleeper at Euston, is, IMO, the only way to do it. That way you can get the full experience; the excitement of walking along the (very long) train to find your carriage is huge.
As for destination, I agree with Jane; get off somewhere quiet(ish). The trip on the FW train as it crosses Rannoch Moor is amazing but FW can be a bit dispiriting if the weather is bad. We spent Sunday wandering around in the rain and wind before checking out a couple of bars. Neither of them were great. I should add that we had neither bikes nor walking gear although, even if we had, either activity would have been grim. Cycling FW to Inverness is on my list of things to do before I die. I've just ticked off the sleeper 
I'm fonder of Aviemore as a poor weather destination although it can also be bleak.
If it helps with the decision, the Scotrail info was adamant that bikes wouldn't be transferred by staff to the FW train. You could try asking the steward to do it for you; the guy on our trip was very helpful. Maybe bung him a fiver ? 

[Canardly]

CL have a look at the Scottish YHA as well and see what offers are around.