[Closed] Help me plan a Scottish jaunt (please)

East kilbride.

marking this as i have similar idea. don't even know if i can get back to it now with this site now.

West Kilbride

From your post re Munros, you should drive along/stay in Torridon - Ben Eight and Liathach are well on show.

Head north of Inverness and climb Stac Pollaidh - it feels like a much bigger hill on top.

On Skye, walk into Loch Coruisk (or get the boat from Elgol.

A wander up Glen Nevis is well worth it - easy couple of hours walk

Boat from Mallaig to Knoydart - Minch Adventures? Stay in the van near Silver Sands, Arisaig.

Applecross - Bealach na Ba

Cairngorms - so much there too.

Take waterproofs, sun cream and midge repellent.

Don't try to do too much or you will end up spending your holiday driving - a van around the wee road in the highlands is a lot slower than a car on A roads down south.  I'd say two or three locations is enough

We saw otters from the campsite at Achiltibuie.  Thats a great place with some lovely beaches and walking / pootle type cycling and the pub sells some of the best seafood you will ever have. I also love Durness.  the Brochs at glenelg are special

What tj says. The pace is slower up here.

Morvich campsite is really nice, right next to beinn fhada, so walking/ cycling opportunities. The falls of glomach are also a short walk away.

Loch affric area is cracking, many routes there, and a few waterfalls. Cycle around loch affric and the loch beside it with the long name is rather fine.

Not sure how skye will be at that time of year, but it suffers from the high number of tourists in summer, moreso than anywhere else I've been in scotland.

Aviemore -  so many possibilities

Not often I say this, but TJ is bang on, pick 2 or 3 locations or you'll get pissed off with the driving.

I'd pick an island (which wouldn't be skye), then head to torridon, cairngorms as well. Definitely a cheeky few nights in the tweed valley on the way home, the riding, vibe and general feel of the place floats this boat.

The boat trip from Mallaig to Inverie, Knoydart is a great idea ..you don't need Minch Adventures unless you need someone to hold your hand / can't map read ..just jump on one of the ferry crossings  ..most of the riding is best done as an out and back although there is a very chilled coastal circular route ..we spent 3 nights there back in 2012..and hired a small boat to take us back on the last day ..over the water to Tarbet ..cycling back along the shoreline of Loch Morar..The Old Forge is / was renowned for its food but we thought that it was 80 % hype ..and much preferred the little cafe just along from it ..good craic though ( we met a hen party who invited us back to Skye on their water taxi ..which being good boys..and past it .. we naturally declined )

We also had this place to ourselves ( another couple apart ) ..and would recommend .

http://www.knoydartlodge.co.uk/

We also got permission from the Morar Hotel to park our vehicles on their car park and cycled into Mallaig from there for the ferry ..which also meant an easy exit on our return ..( didn't charge us either ) ..

One of the nicest mtb trips this lad has undertaken !

Edit : there was also a small way-marked red route built by a local ..just out of Inverie ..which was fun but not sure if it still exists ?

Thanks for the tips peeps...any more out there?

Mull worth a visit? Heard it's 'Scotland in miniature' - £60 for a return for 2 in a van...

Never heard of Mull referred to as SIM, that's Arrans tag line.

Might be worth a look....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09txf5g

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08skmyc

And it's in Gaelic too 😀

Ballbags! Nobeer - that’s the one I meant! Anyway...worth a look? If there’s to be an island visit it has to be Skye - never been and always wanted to go, even if it’s full of tourists just like me!

Arran is great so is Mull both worth a visit over Skye but I'm not sure which I'd choose if I had to pick 1...

Stop over at Badrallach and ride out to Scoraig..?  Rather nice singletrack out to this wee community inaccessible by road.

If you think the midges are bad, what about meeting one of these?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43307984

pick 2 or 3 locations or you’ll get pissed off with the driving.

Just to offer another perspective, you could do shit loads in 2 weeks. 2-3 locations is a long weekend in my book. Did the cuillin ridge, achnashellach and annat descents, cairngorm and Ben macdui in a 4 day trip door to door jaunt from Manchester last year.  Was a bit hectic TBH but an excellent trip.

I don't subscribe to the anti Skye vibe TBH, it's awesome and speaking to all the other touroids is part of the fun.

We are most definitely going to go to Skye - I would never forgive spending 2 weeks in Scotland and not going there!

Where are the must-go-to towns and villages - and more importantly recommended campsites?

I think we could easily do 3-5 days there. A munro, a good bike ride, nice beach and some chill time. If you were there for the same time frame how would you fill your time? Like the idea of staying in a secluded place where we can stop overnight in the van without breaking law or pissing someone off. In fact if we could do that for half the time we are up in Scotland that would be fantastic...alternating between camp site and natural.

So: without getting crazy on the Cuillin ridge where is a munro for mortals, and where can I find a good engaging off road ride around 20-odd miles? Cheers

Another one agreeing with TJ. Pick 3 places for 2 weeks -

Skye if you must (although I reckon its overrated). I think all the easier Munros are just out and back and are OK

Assynt or Torridon for spectacular scenery. Ben Alligin in Torridon is a relatively easy Munro (although a little scrambling if you do the whole loop) with stunning views

Cairngorms - Aviemore or Braemar/Ballater. Tons of biking and loads of easy Munros

Lots to do in all of these but you won't spend hours driving frustrating narrow roads. You don't say what kind of riding you like, but there are a couple of classics in Torridon, and more than you can shake a track pump at around the Cairngorms

For whatever reason Skye seems to attract the tourists in droves (free bridge crossing?) and apart from the Cuillin, I'd say the rest is probably best avoided. Last summer they were encouraging people not to go if they didn't have accommodation booked. We spent nearly 4 weeks doing a tour of the islands and the northwest last May - started in Arran, Mull of Kintyre, Oban, Mull, Ardnamurchan, Arisaig, Mallaig, Skye, Harris, Lewis, Harris, Skye and then most of the NC500 from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness.  If there was one island to choose, head to Mull - you have some glorious beaches at the very south, Ben More which has great views, boat trip to Staffa (Fingal's Cave) followed by lunch at Ulva Ferry Boathouse, plus lots more.  Certainly head up to Applecross over the Bealach na Ba, Applecross Inn is OK but breakfast at the Walled Garden even better. Best road to drive is Inverpolly, take a hike out to the Old Man of Stoer and gorge yourself on local produce at the Drumbeg Stores. If you're feeling flush, fresh lobster at the Shorehouse on Loch Tarbet - I wouldn't head any further north though, Durness is a bit grim and JO'G is seriously shit. If you enjoy wildlife, the dolphins at Chanonry Point, near Rosemarkie are worth a visit.

You could cover a few contrasts in a fortnight - weekend in Argyll, for forests and shorelines, up to Oban and Mull for a few days of coastal/islands stuff (Ben More), then Torridon for some big hills noted above.  Across to black isle, look at the dolphins, then down (via Dunkeld?) to Fife for wee villages in the East Neuk, then across to Edinburgh on you way back.

If you're going to Skye stay at Sligachan, camp site and bunkhouse or hotel with classic Skye views. You can walk straight from the hotel to some hills. If you do I'd not dilly-dally and get the boat to Harris and really enjoy an island. Then you could get the ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool which will take you to Torridon(ish).

Glenrothes

I'd go to Harris over Skye every time, stunning place.

Camping- try Shieldaig on Loch Torridon.  The village maintains a little field overlooking the loch, just high enough to have a breeze to keep midgies down a bit and within easy walking distance of the pub, the shop & the café all along the waterfront.  Some years, sea eagles nest on the island out front and there's endless stuff to do on trails nearby.  A better walk than many of the munros nearby is the Corbett Ben Damph.  Plan to do that on a sunset evening and you will get a properly memorable experience; then head down to the Torridon Inn at the foot of the trail for a celebratory ale.  Has the advantage that you start at sea level and head up to over 800m; once up top, you  have not much nearby to interrupt the view of all the other dramatic hills and sunset over the outer isles.

The little free camping field in Torridon village alongside the youth hostel has a locked gate and does not allow vans of any size.  It does have showers alongside though.

If you must visit Skye, go there by crossing the Mam Ratagan pass from Loch Duich to Glenelg, visit the brochs there and Sandaig, then take the wee boat across west to Skye.  Much more fun than a concrete bridge.  After Skye (yes, walk in to Coruisk from the Elgol roadside via Camasunary; much quieter than the better known walks and stunning) head south to Armadale and take the boat to Mallaig, do some of the above suggestions around Knoydart & Loch Nevis, Morar, Arisaig etc.

Personally, I'd not bother with Mull.  It's chock full of incomers and is like a milder, softer 'Lake District' version of a Scottish island.

Solo trail riding- Kenmore to Applecross to have lunch with significant other/driver at the Walled Garden; return.

Circuit of Ben Damph by bike- go anti-clockwise from a start at the Inn, start by goingwest along the old track near the loch shore before cutting up to Loch Damph, etc.

I’d go to Harris over Skye every time, stunning place

Shirley knot... Harris is the southerly one right? I thought it was grim as grim can be. Endless barbed wire fences festooned with plastic bags.

We actually planned a day around visiting some stepping stones marked on the map. It was just as thrilling as you might imagine.  Bought the 1:25,000 maps and instantly regretted it. There was **** all on the map apart from contours, bogs and the aforementioned stepping stones.

Lewis was nice though. (Assuming I've got the outer he brides the right way round)

Harris is the beautiful, mountaineous one, with the stunning beaches, I've never ever heard anyone say it's grim! 😂

Lewis could be seen as being grim in poor weather. Harris has the white beaches and crystal clear water.

Glenelg is a good call, stay there then get the ferry over to Skye, drive through and admire the view as you head for Harris. Glenelg Inn looked good, never managed to eat in it though as we had to catch the ferry.

Right, thank gawd for that.  NaeBeer is indeed completely correct and I am a Tumschie.  Harris is awesome.  So is Lewis.  The grim one to the south is in fact called South Uist.

Don't go to South Uist, even the stepping stones are dull as ****.

Harris on the other hand is beautiful.

soz
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