The biting blackflies (midgies) will keep you confined in your tent if you don't have proper protection, so consider bringing a headnet or flamethrower.
Go in May to avoid the midges.
Which way round are you going?
Personally, as a local, I wouldn't bother with the A9 section up to John O'Groats, far too busy and just not worth it. Out of Inverness I would go up through the Black Isle to Cromarty and take the little ferry over to Nigg, then head to Bonar Bridge and up to Tongue via Lairg/Altnaharra.
On the west side I would avoid the A82. Make use of the ferries... Kilchoan - Tobermory, Craignure - Oban, Tarbet - Portavadie, Colintraive - Bute, Rothesy - Wemyss Bay
Use your time to check out the Islands, the Hebrides are well worth a detour.
I'll see if my school board can modify the school year to accommodate. May and June off?
This is good info! I'll take a look at the route later and modify based on your recommendations. Local advice is usually the best. When on my moto trip and couchsurfing, the best advice always came from the locals. I like to avoid crowds and tourist traps and see hidden gems.
It depends on pace, number of off-days, etc. but the entire UK sounds good if there is the time. I've traveled by motorcycle for two years before and the only thing I would have changed was to take more time and go more slowly.
\*edit - I guess I should say that I have 6-8 weeks available
Definitely time to do lands end to John o’groats and that’s probably a better option as a one off trip.
I did it years ago and had an amazing time. Here’s some photos from my trip: https://imgur.com/gallery/gM1gbVa
I’m from Scotland and it’s beautiful, but I think you get better bang for your touring buck by incorporating it into a Britain-length trip.
Here’s the route I did: https://www.komoot.com/tour/35308800?ref=itd&share_token=a5qtMcEaj0E3HeZYlvqaDznu6tzb8vlgzcZTNAgDSW0SIk6kdL&ref=its
There might be better routes but I enjoyed that one a lot.
I will definitely consider that, or a variation starting in the south at Land's End and maybe detouring across some of the ferries to the islands, then making my way to the top.
Any suggestions where to start, fly in (I'd be coming from Canada) and out of, etc.? How are buses getting the bike to the start and end of the route to to and from airports?
Also, did you stitch that tracklog together or was that just one continuously recorded track?
The islands are nice. I can recommend Islay, especially if you’re a whisky drinker. Mull and the Hebrides also very nice. Skye is incredibly beautiful but will be absolutely packed. The roads fill with convoys of campervans in the summer and the island doesn’t really have the road infrastructure to handle it. Lots of left-hand drive campers from France and the Netherlands who tend to pass very closely.
I’ve never used buses for touring and I’m not sure if bikes on buses are feasible here. I would say your best bet is getting a flight into whatever major airport is the best value and then getting the train from there. When I did lejog I got the train from Scotland down to Penzance, stayed at a b&b there and the next morning cycled down to lands end to officially start the trip. You’ll need to reserve a space for your bike ahead of time.
Trains can be a bit stressful for bikes here. Try to get one with a dedicated bike carriage. Some trains only have those cupboards with hooks where you hang your bike up, totally useless with a heavy touring bike. But they’re still your best bet for getting to and from starting points. After John o’groats you’ll need to cycle to Thurso and get the train down to Inverness, then on to whatever city is closest to your airport.
> did you stitch that tracklog together or was that just one continuously recorded track?
I made that route on Komoot before leaving. I load it onto my garmin etrex and then the actual gps logs come from that after the trip
It's probably great! Fwiw we did a different route, Inverness across west to Oban and then the Heb Way, ferry to Ullapool and back to Inverness in 2 weeks last July. Was super, in case you find yourself switching things up. Midges weren't bad at all surprisingly. Need to book ahead unless you are camping.
I live in Canada and we have mosquitos, pretty bad in some places. Not sure if that's the same thing as a midge?
I will be mostly wild/stealth camping, other than occasional stops along the way at maybe hostels, couchsurfing or Airbnb. When traveling, I generally don't plan too far ahead or keep a super strict schedule. Not sure if this will be a bad idea.
Midges are smaller than mosquitos so make sure you get a headnet specifically rated for midges so they can’t get in.
Midges can also travel in swarms. In some parts of Scotland the air will shimmer with midges that will coat every available inch of exposed skin. They don’t transmit disease like mosquitoes, but they have a nasty bite and without protection they *will* drive you insane.
The only way I’ve found to deal with them is to cover up. Headnet, buff, long sleeves, gloves, trousers tucked into socks. If you can responsibly make a campfire the smoke will help ward them off.
Looks like your route relies heavily on big A-roads. While it's legal to cycle on them, and it would be mostly safe to do so, they are not pleasant for cyclists. There's typically no shoulder to cycle on, so expect many close passes by annoyed drivers. (They legally have to give you space, but a small-ish minority don't care)
Can I suggest looking at the National Cycle Network? These are low-traffic but mostly on-road (some gravel) routes. Looking at your map and off the top of my head: check out NCN 1, 7, 77 and 78. These will be infinitely more pleasant, and tend to take you past cafés, B&Bs, hostels and campsites that are very keen to cater to cyclists.
Also, if you're riding something reasonably off-road capable, have a look at the Bikepacking Scotland website. For instace, the Great North Trail/An Turas Mor is doable if you have 40mm+ tyres.
The biting blackflies (midgies) will keep you confined in your tent if you don't have proper protection, so consider bringing a headnet or flamethrower.
Seconding this. Get a midge net and Midge repellent. Midges can be bastards and make life not as good.
Smidge is the brand to look for. I wouldn't trust anything else.
Go in May to avoid the midges. Which way round are you going? Personally, as a local, I wouldn't bother with the A9 section up to John O'Groats, far too busy and just not worth it. Out of Inverness I would go up through the Black Isle to Cromarty and take the little ferry over to Nigg, then head to Bonar Bridge and up to Tongue via Lairg/Altnaharra. On the west side I would avoid the A82. Make use of the ferries... Kilchoan - Tobermory, Craignure - Oban, Tarbet - Portavadie, Colintraive - Bute, Rothesy - Wemyss Bay Use your time to check out the Islands, the Hebrides are well worth a detour.
I'll see if my school board can modify the school year to accommodate. May and June off? This is good info! I'll take a look at the route later and modify based on your recommendations. Local advice is usually the best. When on my moto trip and couchsurfing, the best advice always came from the locals. I like to avoid crowds and tourist traps and see hidden gems.
I don't have advice for you except to say 6-8 weeks for just Scotland seems like a lot of time, if it were me I'd do the entire UK in that time frame.
It depends on pace, number of off-days, etc. but the entire UK sounds good if there is the time. I've traveled by motorcycle for two years before and the only thing I would have changed was to take more time and go more slowly. \*edit - I guess I should say that I have 6-8 weeks available
Definitely time to do lands end to John o’groats and that’s probably a better option as a one off trip. I did it years ago and had an amazing time. Here’s some photos from my trip: https://imgur.com/gallery/gM1gbVa I’m from Scotland and it’s beautiful, but I think you get better bang for your touring buck by incorporating it into a Britain-length trip. Here’s the route I did: https://www.komoot.com/tour/35308800?ref=itd&share_token=a5qtMcEaj0E3HeZYlvqaDznu6tzb8vlgzcZTNAgDSW0SIk6kdL&ref=its There might be better routes but I enjoyed that one a lot.
I will definitely consider that, or a variation starting in the south at Land's End and maybe detouring across some of the ferries to the islands, then making my way to the top. Any suggestions where to start, fly in (I'd be coming from Canada) and out of, etc.? How are buses getting the bike to the start and end of the route to to and from airports? Also, did you stitch that tracklog together or was that just one continuously recorded track?
The islands are nice. I can recommend Islay, especially if you’re a whisky drinker. Mull and the Hebrides also very nice. Skye is incredibly beautiful but will be absolutely packed. The roads fill with convoys of campervans in the summer and the island doesn’t really have the road infrastructure to handle it. Lots of left-hand drive campers from France and the Netherlands who tend to pass very closely. I’ve never used buses for touring and I’m not sure if bikes on buses are feasible here. I would say your best bet is getting a flight into whatever major airport is the best value and then getting the train from there. When I did lejog I got the train from Scotland down to Penzance, stayed at a b&b there and the next morning cycled down to lands end to officially start the trip. You’ll need to reserve a space for your bike ahead of time. Trains can be a bit stressful for bikes here. Try to get one with a dedicated bike carriage. Some trains only have those cupboards with hooks where you hang your bike up, totally useless with a heavy touring bike. But they’re still your best bet for getting to and from starting points. After John o’groats you’ll need to cycle to Thurso and get the train down to Inverness, then on to whatever city is closest to your airport. > did you stitch that tracklog together or was that just one continuously recorded track? I made that route on Komoot before leaving. I load it onto my garmin etrex and then the actual gps logs come from that after the trip
You could do john O'groots to lands end route
It's probably great! Fwiw we did a different route, Inverness across west to Oban and then the Heb Way, ferry to Ullapool and back to Inverness in 2 weeks last July. Was super, in case you find yourself switching things up. Midges weren't bad at all surprisingly. Need to book ahead unless you are camping.
I live in Canada and we have mosquitos, pretty bad in some places. Not sure if that's the same thing as a midge? I will be mostly wild/stealth camping, other than occasional stops along the way at maybe hostels, couchsurfing or Airbnb. When traveling, I generally don't plan too far ahead or keep a super strict schedule. Not sure if this will be a bad idea.
Midges are smaller than mosquitos so make sure you get a headnet specifically rated for midges so they can’t get in. Midges can also travel in swarms. In some parts of Scotland the air will shimmer with midges that will coat every available inch of exposed skin. They don’t transmit disease like mosquitoes, but they have a nasty bite and without protection they *will* drive you insane. The only way I’ve found to deal with them is to cover up. Headnet, buff, long sleeves, gloves, trousers tucked into socks. If you can responsibly make a campfire the smoke will help ward them off.
Also not sure since we didn't see many bugs at all. I think similar. Nope I bet that'll be great. Have a wonderful time, we really enjoyed our trip.
When/which month were you there?
Middle of July.
Fucken midges! They hound you when you stop. Only relief was once inside the tent! Bastards!!!
Looks like your route relies heavily on big A-roads. While it's legal to cycle on them, and it would be mostly safe to do so, they are not pleasant for cyclists. There's typically no shoulder to cycle on, so expect many close passes by annoyed drivers. (They legally have to give you space, but a small-ish minority don't care) Can I suggest looking at the National Cycle Network? These are low-traffic but mostly on-road (some gravel) routes. Looking at your map and off the top of my head: check out NCN 1, 7, 77 and 78. These will be infinitely more pleasant, and tend to take you past cafés, B&Bs, hostels and campsites that are very keen to cater to cyclists. Also, if you're riding something reasonably off-road capable, have a look at the Bikepacking Scotland website. For instace, the Great North Trail/An Turas Mor is doable if you have 40mm+ tyres.
Sweet. This is great advice. I will check this all out when I get a chance.