Critique my Scottish Tour Route

[bobb]

I fancy doing a bit of touring in Scotland next year. I would get the train to Edinburgh or Glasgow to start. Looking at a loop of around 1000 miles. If I fancy doing a bit more, I can always ride home.

First draft of route (clockwise):



Clickage for large pic

The two main bits I want to do are The Hebridean Way and NCN7 around The Cairngorms National Park. Oh and obvioulsy Bealach-Na-Ba. Be rude to go all the way up there and not do that. The bits in between are what need fine tuning.

Once around Glasgow, I could stay north of the Clyde and make my way up to Oban via Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park rather than the more circuitous route shown above. Which is nicer?

Coming back from Harris, I've gone with ferry to Skye, but I could get the ferry to Ullapool and attack the west to east part to Inverness that way. Thoughts?

Once in Inverness, it's just a case of generally heading south back to where I started.

If you could share your wisdom, it would be much appreciated.

Ta.

[Paul H]

Have you been to the Hebrides before? 
IMO the spinal Hebridean Way misses some of the best riding there.  It's hard to come up with circular routes, but it's all stunning enough to ride out and back.  Harris is also worth a full circle, the contrast between West and East coasts is stark, I did a little reading on the clearances before going, the scenery put it into context.
My advice would be to cover a smaller area and explore it more thoroughly. There's probably 400+ miles of touring just in the Hebrides.
Whatever you do will be good, I just have some regrets about missing parts of an area toured which I can't now visit unless I retrace a lot of the original tour.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Many years ago I worked out a route for the isles. Never did it though.
I would start by going to Glasgow then train to Ardrossan. Ferry to Arran. Ride around Arran to the ferry from Lochranza to Calonaig. Optional trip down the peninsula to Campbeltown. Over to Islay then start your island hopping trip.

I am going to stick my neck out here - it is over 25 years since I cycled seriously in Scotland. The A82 up Loch Lomond is not a pleasant road and there is not much alternative to avoid it.  I may be wrong.

But anyway - start with Arran then stitch a journey up the Isles from there.
And don;t miss out Raasay. What a wonderful place. I reached there once on my venerable Trek mountain bike without much food. I moseyed down to the village shop and asked for a pie. "Oh yes" they said. "We will order you one for tomorrow. Come back then".  Not much crime on Raasay - they would only wait for you at the one ferry you can use for escape.

[bobb]

My advice would be to cover a smaller area and explore it more thoroughly. There's probably 400+ miles of touring just in the Hebrides.

Yeah, I've basically just plotted the route along the official Hebridean Way, I can always make detours and explore

I am going to stick my neck out here - it is over 25 years since I cycled seriously in Scotland. The A82 up Loch Lomond is not a pleasant road and there is not much alternative to avoid it.  I may be wrong.

I suspected that might be the case. I noticed there isn't much in the way of cycle routes around there (apart from some serious offroad/MTB stuff). I'll avoid!

[ScumOfTheRoad]

I did Glasgow to Killin once. Damn near killed myself but hey ho.. There is a cycle route along Glen Ogle and if Im not wrong along the other side of Loch Lubnaig. A much slower route than the A82 but much more pleasurable.

[Deano]

Yeah, I'd go over the Trossachs, there's a lot of urban riding in there by the looks of it, though the canalpath around Falkirk is alright.

There are plenty of decent routes through to Callander and a pretty good off-road track from there over to Comrie (all Scottish routes must go to Comrie, it's a thing).

Glen Torridon is amazing, you've made a good choice there, looks like a lot of fun. But just checking, what's the bit of offroad in the middle there? It looks a bit like the track from Strath Conon to Achnasheen/Strathbran - I haven't ridden it, I rejected it after reading a few reports

[FifeingEejit]

I wouldn't bother going inland on the way to oban, just batter up the coast road.

On the return rather than coming down the A9 track from pitlochry ,id go to aberfeldy up griffin then down the sma glen, heelanman loan then kinky bridge to auchterarder, over gleneagles, dither through clackmannanshire and lowland perthshire to townhill then accept dunfermline and rosyth are dumps enroute to the bridge.

[FifeingEejit]

I did Glasgow to Killin once. Damn near killed myself but hey ho.. There is a cycle route along Glen Ogle and if Im not wrong along the other side of Loch Lubnaig. A much slower route than the A82 but much more pleasurable.

Pretty decent except for the red graded mtb section at Lochearnhead

[bobb]

But just checking, what's the bit of offroad in the middle there? It looks a bit like the track from Strath Conon to Achnasheen/Strathbran - I haven't ridden it, I rejected it after reading a few reports

I dunno! That's where RWGPS took me. Will obvioulsy make a more careful route when the time comes...

[Pingu]

...On the return rather than coming down the A9 track from pitlochry ,id go to aberfeldy up griffin then down the sma glen, heelanman loan then kinky bridge to auchterarder, over gleneagles, dither through clackmannanshire and lowland perthshire to townhill then accept dunfermline and rosyth are dumps enroute to the bridge.

Or turn south to Trinafour and Tummel Bridge to Aberfeldy. Nice & scenic 

[bobb]

On the return rather than coming down the A9 track from pitlochry ,id go to aberfeldy up griffin then down the sma glen, heelanman loan then kinky bridge to auchterarder, over gleneagles, dither through clackmannanshire and lowland perthshire to townhill then accept dunfermline and rosyth are dumps enroute to the bridge.

Ta, I hadn't thought too much about that bit

[phantasmagoriana]

I did Glasgow to Killin once. Damn near killed myself but hey ho..

Which route? I did it a couple of years ago and it was fine - I just followed NCN7, though...

[Deano]

I wouldn't bother going inland on the way to oban, just batter up the coast road.

On the return rather than coming down the A9 track from pitlochry ,id go to aberfeldy up griffin then down the sma glen, heelanman loan then kinky bridge to auchterarder, over gleneagles, dither through clackmannanshire and lowland perthshire to townhill then accept dunfermline and rosyth are dumps enroute to the bridge.

Damn, I thought it was the other way round 

Anyway, FE describes pretty-much the reverse of this route, which does at least miss Dunfermline. You still get Rosyth, but it has the bonus of not going through Cowdenbeath or Perth. I've always found Perth a right pain to get through onna bike.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30166330

[αdαmsκι]

As FifeingEejit said, heading south after Aviemore I cut westwards away from the A9 onto some beautiful little roads and head to Aberfeldy, essentially reversing my LEJoG route, see here:

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/17001526

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/16914184

But only if you fancy some extra climbing.....

On Harris ride the eastern road "Then Golden Road"  https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/harris/goldenroad/index.html

[FifeingEejit]

...On the return rather than coming down the A9 track from pitlochry ,id go to aberfeldy up griffin then down the sma glen, heelanman loan then kinky bridge to auchterarder, over gleneagles, dither through clackmannanshire and lowland perthshire to townhill then accept dunfermline and rosyth are dumps enroute to the bridge.

Or turn south to Trinafour and Tummel Bridge to Aberfeldy. Nice & scenic 

True but I think eating before Kenmore or aberfeldy might be handy, there's only the shop at Tummel Bridge caravan park, and I think the shop at the deer park caravan park after going up schiehallion.

Edit
Actually wait! Kinloch Rannoch after trinafour would sort out that problem, a shop thy still has long departed VG branding and iirc a couple of cafes.
I'd say schiehallion road is probably easier than going up the ramp from Tummel.

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

[FifeingEejit]

I wouldn't bother going inland on the way to oban, just batter up the coast road.

On the return rather than coming down the A9 track from pitlochry ,id go to aberfeldy up griffin then down the sma glen, heelanman loan then kinky bridge to auchterarder, over gleneagles, dither through clackmannanshire and lowland perthshire to townhill then accept dunfermline and rosyth are dumps enroute to the bridge.

Damn, I thought it was the other way round 

Anyway, FE describes pretty-much the reverse of this route, which does at least miss Dunfermline. You still get Rosyth, but it has the bonus of not going through Cowdenbeath or Perth. I've always found Perth a right pain to get through onna bike.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30166330

I've sent roamin in the Gloamin right through Perth, it was fine when we tested it and was necessary to get little glen shee in without flat crossing the a9 at findo gask which I'd include just for the name otherwise.




Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

[woollypigs]

Lack of riding on Mull, DEET, many pot holes on the northern bit of Skye (well back on 2019) SMIDGE, and do the Golden road (eastern) on Harris, MIDGE NET. Else you will be fine, soo many place to see and do. ANTI ITCH CREAM. Post pictures!  ANTI HISTAMIN.

[Wowbagger]

It might add a day or two to include the southern and western bits of Mull, but they are well worth riding.

[FifeingEejit]

Looking at the bit of highland fling I didn't get to.
That goes to crieff from gilmerton then the muthil road, which is occsionally uncomfortably busy and was raised by riders as a bit to adjust on Och Hills. (I have found more hills to add to sort that out)

What I was meaning is
Gilmerton - Inverpeffary - Kinkell Bridge - Auchterarder - Gleneagles village - etc.
Much quieter!

Although on the basis that the Bealach nam Ba is in there
Auchterarder - Dunning - Path of condie - Milnathort 

[Pingu]

Although on the basis that the Bealach nam Ba is in there
Auchterarder - Dunning - Path of condie - Milnathort 

+ Strathmiglo - Falkland - Leslie ( - Ballingry - Lochgelly - Cowdenbeath - Crossgates  )

[FifeingEejit]

Although on the basis that the Bealach nam Ba is in there
Auchterarder - Dunning - Path of condie - Milnathort 

+ Strathmiglo - Falkland - Leslie ( - Ballingry - Lochgelly - Cowdenbeath - Crossgates  )

Ach... throw in Milnathort - Yetts -> Duchally -> Dunning -> Yetts -> Balgeddie Toll -> Strathmiglo
in the middle too

Logie Kirkyaird is quite pleasant this time of year an aw....

[andyoxon]

Bobb, you may be interested in having a play with brouter:  https://brouter.de/brouter-web/#map=7/57.454/-3.988/standard  It has useful routing options e.g. different types of "Trekking bike", and also "Fast Bike"...   I tend to use it, before exporting and moving to Ridewgps...

Thought of going up to Lochinver?   Something along the lines of your route, in brouter:

(click to show/hide)

https://brouter.de/brouter-web/#map=8/57.149/-5.510/standard&lonlats=-3.219059,55.945848;-4.26321,55.854223;-5.42141,55.914006;-5.547066,56.225985;-5.476556,56.412079;-7.492161,56.956209;-7.369766,57.313096;-6.236115,58.492306;-6.388378,58.209206;-6.809807,57.899528;-6.374817,57.588792;-5.780182,57.267442;-5.791168,57.436081;-5.684052,57.733496;-5.19516,57.924826;-5.240479,58.150587;-4.992599,58.168168;-4.226131,57.480125;-3.218243,55.945847
 

[FifeingEejit]

brouter

Interesting quirks
at Tarbert, loch fyne - would jsut go up main road rather than that loop
at Kilmelford and kilniver- would jsut stay on main road
at glencruiten - may as well stay on main road, though the glencruitten approach is nicer in a way, council house scheme rather than industrial estate
some oddities on uists but gonig by balvaniach makes sense
never understood why these tools always dodge the Struie, it's way more interesting if hilly
and other than mt sugegstion about aberfeldy/trinafour it's pretty good

[bobb]

Bobb, you may be interested in having a play with brouter:  https://brouter.de/brouter-web/#map=7/57.454/-3.988/standard 

Cheers! I've not seen that before.

I'm certainly getting lots of options here!

[Pingu]

And there's the option of the Kylerhea ferry to get from Skye to the mainland.