Scotland

I'm looking to have a trip (3 - 4 days), to travel to Scotland.

I've always wanted to go but never been there so am planning to spend a few days there over the Christmas period (maybe between xmas and new year, or during the first week in Jan).

I'm not interested in visiting Edinburgh, or big industrial tourist hotspots like bridges.

I want to see and experience the wild areas of Scotland, and having seen Monty Halls great escape, I'd love to drive the barreach na ba (sp??) pass.

Basically I'm planning to pack the disco full of camping stuff, food, loads of cold weather gear, and your normal tools etc. and head to Scotland. Once into Scotland, I'd like a list of 4 or 5 places to visits, and am all about visiting the small but notable things (a poignant mountainside cafe, a beautiful mountain road or a famous deer park etc.), and then coming back perhaps through one of the northern national parks.

Oh and the start and finish will be Hereford.

If anyone can advise me on the best routes to take, good spots to visit, and any tips like what to take, (besides the obvious), and the conditions I'm likely to encounter, I would very much appreciate it.

I feel as though planning a little trip like this, is just as much a part of the journey as the actual wheels turning, so any help I get to mean I'm prepared, and have an exiting and interesting destination and stops along the way would be fantastic.

At the moment the skeleton plan is as simple as... day 1 go to or a good way towards, scotland, day 2 go to first few places, day 3, go to a few more places and start heading south, day 4 travel home.
Things like feeding, and overnight arrangements, are as yet undecided, so input to all that sort of stuff is very welcome.

Thanks.

If know one can help you on here i recommend you try the wild camping forum , i would link it but not sure of the rules to other forums. They or aimed at mobile campers . Just google wild camping in Scotland.

You must be mental ReadySalted! :crazy:

I live on the West Coast of Scotland and it's not the best for camping at this time of year. Pretty damp, cold and some (would say) miserable.

This aside, I'd recommend you head for Glasgow and then west from there.

You have 2 choices. You can head for Loch Lomond and then further north (Fort William/Oban) from there, where there's plenty of "wild" Scotland to see. This route would take you via Glen Coe. Famed for the massacre there of a large part of the MacDonald clan in 1692.

Or, head further west from Glasgow towards Gourock (where I live) and then get a ferry across to Dunoon. This is the gateway to the highlands and islands and I think you'd be pretty stunned at the natural beauty around that part of the world. I'd then head north towards Fort William/Oban once again from Dunoon. Along the West Coast is pretty rugged and there's plenty opportunity to go "get lost" should you choose to do so!
If you chose to go further north than Fort William then there's plenty more to see.

That's my sales pitch for the West Coast of Scotland!

Good luck, and please feel free to PM me if you need any more hints/tips about this part of the world. If you choose another part of Scotland then good luck and have a safe journey.

bealach na ba is lovely but the snow gates will be shut now im sure.

go drive through the cairngorms , head for the lecht etc - pop in some skiing

agree ferry to dunoon and drive round to tarbert , tigh-na-bruiach pub is a nice little place for food :d

if your into urbex go see pohlphail - if its no been chapped doon yet.

aviemore will be ski hell right now so id avoid if possible.

the a82 from fort william to laggan is worth a drive - beautiful scenary.

remember the land access laws for vehicles in scotland are diferent to the england - IE going off road without the land owners permission is seriously frowned upon - and the gamie might have a gun

Just don't do it at this speed! Driving up Bealach na Ba (Pass Of The Cattle)(Applecross Road) - YouTube

top drive is right, it's not the best road to drive in winter & could be closed. I'd follow the A82 all the way from Glasgow through Glencoe to Fort William, but you still need to be aware that any of the roads around there can be treacherous in winter, and are prone to closure. At this time of year it may be a better bet to come up to my neck of the woods and get the ferry to Arran, Welcome to Arran - The Island | Visit Arran .

Hi ready salted

Gotta be glencoe. Isle of Skye and past Ben Nevis.

P.s I am from Malvern so saying howdy

The beallach gates won't be shut. It's the only route into applecross bar a long boring road. Head that direction then cross over to gairloch then Ullapool. Best roads there is. Plus i live here. Glasgow area is just traffic.

Cheers for your input fellas.

Some years ago my parents did a similar thing over a week and drove on up to loch lomond, in Dad's old RRC but they also spent a good bit of time in the city as well looking at all the bridges and boring stuff.

I'm not looking to do any offroading and working in agriculture I always try and respect farmland when greenlaning and stuff anyway. I dare say that just driving on some of the mountain passes could prove too much for the old disco, but will hope for mild (scottish) weather.

I'm exited just at the thought of it. I suppose it just depends what I can cram into the shortish time. There's a fine balance to be had between meandering aimlessly, not really feeling like you're seeing anything particularly special, and on the other hand, bombing around from place to place trying to cram stuff in, without enjoying it or taking it in properly.

Would love to see loch lomond, Ben Nevis would be ideal, and as long as there's some amazing scenery in between then I'd be chuffed, but I'll have to have sit down tomorrow night with a glass of Jura, and the road atlas or google maps, and get an idea of routes.

I looked at that polphail villiage as well, urbex isn't really my thing, but if I was nearby it would probably be worth a look. I can imagine at night it's pretty creepy.

Any more ideas I'd love to hear them. Cheers

You do realise that it has been snowing in Scotland and that the temperatures are freezing? It's a bit better now, but it could turn. That you are wanting to head off up into the wild areas over xmas in your disco is :crazy:

Sometimes I can get snowed in for a couple weeks, and that is just up a hill.. not up in the wild. I would stick to the main gritted routes or I wouldn't do it.

Why not forget all that, and just head off and spend a few days on Islay.. visiting the distilleries

Isle of Skye. Was there a month ago and it's absolutely stunning.

There's also the UK's most remote (what ever that means) pub on the main land. can't remember the name of the town it's near but google should throw it up, have to get to it by boat or 5 day hike. Good burgers.

The Old Forge at Inverie?

wattfield said:

The Old Forge at Inverie?

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Yeh I think that's it. You had to but a 'golden' boat ticket from some dude in a shed...

aye, 'tis remote that place. Shame the old track over the hills isn't open to LRs as it would be great for off-roading holidays. The land owner is a c*nt.

I think anyone who knows Scotland would agree that you need more time.
Wherever you fancy going I'd strongly suggest that you try and get past Glasgow on your first day. Living in Hereford you'll know all about being stuck behind commercials for miles, even on the best available roads, well add in some steep ups and downs and you're getting the idea.

Pollphail is definitely worth a visit before it gets knocked down and turned into a MicroBrewery, I took some friends up there in my RRC a few weeks ago for some photography and it was pretty dang creepy. Luck had it that there was a film crew in at the same time doing a post apocalyptic movie. They had laid out some props which made it even spookier.

The drive out that direction is really quite beautiful, it's 2 and a bit hours from Glasgow and takes you past Loch Lomond and up the 'rest and be thankful' (a road which certainly tests the cooling system in a tired car).

There are some epic views down the kyles of bute on that road, and if you do go that way, be sure to stop in at the gorgeous village of tighnabruaich.

The eeriness of Pollphail is juxtaposed with the luxurious facilities of Portavadie marina nestled just a minutes drive from the abandoned village. Do be sure to stop in at the marina and enjoy a meal in their fantastic restaurant (the creme brule they serve is to die for).

I've attached a couple of photos, unfortunately it was a pretty dull day when we visited.

ReadySalted said:

I'm looking to have a trip (3 - 4 days), to travel to Scotland.



Thanks.

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Nowhere near long enough trip as you'll see when you get there.

Unless that is you tire of jawdropping beautiful scenery quickly

If you do decide to go through Glencoe and before you get to Fort William you will drive right passed a left hand turn to Loch Etive, take some potatoes/apples with you and drive slowly is all can say

Here are some photos...

Scotland 2011 Photos by g7ree | Photobucket

Drive up to Glasgow but drive past it and wild camp alongside Loch Lomond. Maybe stop at the Drovers Inn ( It's north off the Loch on your right).

Next day you could drive to Fort William via Glen Coe. I have Wild Camped near the Spean Bridge memorial just outside Fort William.

If you are feeling fit and have the gear why not walk up Ben Nevis...or part of it?

You could then head back via Glen Coe (never looks the same travelling opposite direction and maybe treat yourself to a night at the Drovers Inn.

With 4 days to spend , again too tight to see all of Scotland even at mach 1 . My advise , especially if you want Scotland in miniature and the beat less trodden, then I would totally recommend Glasgow to oban via lochgilphead ( 3 hrs constant relaxed drive from Glasgow) not via crainlarich. From oban head north to fort William and then west to mallaig to catch the Skye ferry to armadale ( on Skye ) . Then after a refreshing wirlwind tour of Skye head east to over the Skye bridge past eilean donan castle heading south east back towards fort William ( Ben Nevis ) and down past Glencoe this time to tindrum ( green wellie ) and south to crainlarich and down past loch lomond and into drovers for a pint then your nearly back to Glasgow ( civilisation ) and routes south again . That is a bout as far as you could get in four days and still get all the flavours of scotland. You would not be disappointed. :0)

Excellent route Discophil.

Just remember, wild camping is now banned on the East side of Loch Lomond, which was the good side for it!

Ensure u ggo through glen coe and prefferably at night its an amzingf place we camped up there over night it really is stunning nothink in the uk like it we then stayed in fort augustas which is also am amzing place especcially when its snowing lots of wild places and lots of green lanes to take u right into the heart of the wild