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London - Scotland - Looking for Road and stop tips


MissYeh
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Hi all, am planning a trip to Scotland with a friend. Not yet started planning the route but will soon.


We only have 1 week so we are planning to get to into Scotland asap (so mostly motorway probably) and on the way back go through Lake district and then motorway (probably) back to London so we get the most out of Scotland.


I would love to hear about Must Go To places in Scotland and Lake District and places to stay (e.g. B&B) that aren't too costly.

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Hi. Don't just think Scotland is the Highlands and that is where the best roads are. If you arrive via Gretna, turn left and as A roads go the A75 is superb. OK there are lots of lorries and buses and farm tractors, but the road is wide with long straights and for a biker overtaking is easy. The scenery is superb. There are also three castles to visit for tags for the 100 Challenge which will take you no too far off the main route. The roads around and through the Galloway Forest park are also excellent.


You should do the Borders as well, arrive or leave Scotland by Carter Bar and ride the A68. The A708 Moffat to Selkirk is a great biker road. Moffat has the Buccleuch Arms, a famous biker place to stay. I have seen it used during bike magazine road tests.


The north east has the Cairgorm Loop, which is basically Perth to Pitlochry and then I prefer to come off the A9 at Kingussie and head up the B970 to Nethy Bridge. Then Tomintoul to Cockbridge over the Lecht and south to Braemar. Over Glenshee and down to Blairgowrie and back to Perth. You can do that in a day.


The far north has the North Coast 500 which is a two day trip starting and finishing in Inverness. I would recommend Durness as a place to stay over night. The website showing the route etc is here.


https://www.northcoast500.com/home.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Another gem and challenging road is Oban to Campbeltown via Lochgilphead. You could stay in Lochgilphead and ride to Campbeltown and back again via Carradale and Kilberry (or combination going in a figure of 8) in an easy day.


Recommendations to make your trip as comfortable as possible are -


- get a midge net, they work, the repellents and creams often do not. If you want to sit out of an evening you are likely to need one.

- be prepared for quick weather changes and have over water proofs unless you have top kit that is gortex with vents for when it warms up.

- make sure you have a good amount of wear on your tyres, the north with its granite chipping on the roads can be brutal for tyre wear.

- get a decent puncture repair kit with some extra CO2 cannisters. A puncture on a Sunday in the country will likely leave you completely stuck otherwise.

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