Touring ideas

[dpoynton]

My wife and I want to tour Scotland in August / September this year and are looking for inspiration for routes to drive, places to stay at and any general ideas you may have.

Our 10 day holiday will start on the morning of Tuesday 30th August in Derby and we want to return to Derby by the evening of Thursday 8th September 2011. We would quite like to visit John O'Groats and maybe take in an Island if time permits.

We will use our Cayman and want to be assured that any hotels recommended have suitable secure parking.

Otherwise we are flexible in our needs.

I look forward to receiving your ideas.

David

 

[Cameron 1960]

Hi David,

We went up north a few years ago and the advice I was given at the time was to fill up with petrol at or before Inverness as the price goes up the further north you go. We also visited John 0 Groats then travelled along to Tongue. Quite a decent road which allows for a good pace because you can see through all bends quite easily. I followed a Range Rover along that stretch and he seemed to be heading for a Land Rover experience centre which I think was based at Tongue. It was from there that Top Gear filmed Clarkson taking a Land Rover Discovery up Mount Tongue. We stayed at the Benloyal Hotel in Tongue and there was a Boxster and Golf R32 in the large car park. Don`t think security is a problem because of the isolated location. Scenery is excellent though. We just headed back from there but I`m told that the roads around Ullapool are excellent.

Cameron.

 

[kitchens]

David
First thing is to apply for a visitors passport as in a few years that will be essential for any trip into Scotland []
I think it all depend in what you interests are is it the tartan and shortbread trail looking round castles Nessie spotting .Haggis shooting ( Sept is good month for it ) and museums woolen mils or the wild grandeur that Scotland has to offer
A trip around the west coast is the most dramatic than the east coast imo
JOG is just a tourist trap and a bit like LE not much there just visit it to say you have been there .A stopping off point if you want to go on a day visit to Kirkwall very interesting island and loads to see leave the car at JOG and go as a foot passenger on the boat , bus at the other end to take you on a tour of the island.
I am sure there will be loads of suggestions posted it is impossible to see all is the time scale .A visit to Skye is a favorite with many and well worth it any where around the west coast is spectacular .Cape Wrath Durness .Betty hill along that part of the coast is breathtaking
I would contact www.visitscotland.com web site and look at places 0845 22 55 121 for brochures and ideas .
As to parking I guess it is just common sense personally I would stay in BB as opposed to hotels .Hope this wee snippet helps

Brian .

As said in the last post Ulapool is a great place if you go there I would consider a trip across to Stornoway and do Lewis .Harris North /South Uist. Benbecula. Barra I think a hopper ticket for car and 2 is around £200 but allow 3/4 days

 

[GreigM]

John O' Groats is a shithole.....I wouldn't waste any significant time getting to it as it will be a big disappointment (although some of the roads nearby are great).

The usual advice is "West is best", athough you have a decent amount of time, so imagine you could take in as much as possible.

Here's the usual "west coast loop":
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Luss,+Alexandria,+Argyll+and+Bute+G83,+UK&daddr=Tyndrum+to:Ballachulish,+UK+toornie,+Kyle,+United+Kingdom+to:Strathcarron,+United+Kingdom+to:Applecross,+Strathcarron,+UK+to:Fearnmore+to:Kinlochewe,+Achnasheen,+United+Kingdom+torumchork,+United+Kingdom+to:ullapool+to:Inverness,+United+Kingdom+to:fort+augustus&hl=en&geocode=FW8IWAMdATi5_ykJbMGVu6qJSDGGxGnWEjgOeg%3BFSEgXQMddSW4_ymlLnMfth-JSDHQzN93HGgMCg%3BFU3CYAMdD6-x_ykTWC0nqyiJSDHkSafKJGERuQ%3BFdkCagMdYtur_ylTyBXLBJGOSDF29IgLb3LHKg%3BFYY4bAMd0Cut_ykP7Mv4mmKOSDHNpX3nGZBTog%3BFUJabAMd_0Wn_ylNPyyoC4GOSDHtYmEBs3YSng%3BFVORbgMdUlmn_ympYV_8vX6OSDHAdt93HGgMCg%3BFav5bgMdqhOv_ymn2o9LuV6OSDGnXvmXOk3Sag%3BFcd_cgMdpNyq_yn3K47EfmuOSDHw9-z_V9Qd3w%3BFVJ6cwMdu0yx_ylhs6e3-zCOSDENyMkBc5PEWQ%3BFVcGbQMd4m6__ynh4a9rHsKOSDHgFuch3CDaLQ%3BFUvvZwMdMou4_ynrOxv0DSGPSDHQPK8hlw8XEg&mra=ls&sll=57.000395,-5.039305&sspn=1.893752,6.696167&ie=UTF8&ll=57.049694,-4.487915&spn=1.891316,6.696167&z=8

It has a lot of good places to see and a great drive:
Starting on Loch Lomond side take the A82 all the way through Glencoe - absolutely brilliant drive.....stunning scenery, mostly a decent paced section (i.e. not stuck behind caravans for most of it).
Follow the A82 towards Invergarry, then take the A87 to Dornie and Eilean Donan Castle - again, great great roads and scenery and again decent roads for overtaking/pace.
From here head up towards Strathcarron, make sure you have a full tank of fuel as this is where it gets a bit "wildernessy". At strathcarron you begin the famous Applecross run round the coast - lots of single track, but very quiet and scenery you won't believe (most people don't realise Scotland is quite this beautiful).
Follow round to Kinlochewe, at which point if you're fed up you can head straight to ullapool, or go for round 2 on the single track for more epic scenery.
Either route brings you to Ullapool - decent spot to stop and recharge for a day or so.
Heading back down through Inverness, down the side of Loch Ness, a stop in Fort Augustus (beautiful town) for lunch.

I'll try get some photos and more details of the route later.

From this route if you want to extend it there are some obvious detours:
From the start at loch lomond you could opt to go through Inveraray and on to Oban, but doing so would mean you miss Glencoe, I'd favour Glencoe, but if you had the time to loop back its all great roads.
At Eilean Donan castle you could skip over to Skye - never been myself, but people say its great.
Once at Ullapool there are some fantastic roads to the north, and you could make your way over towards John O'Groats via Loch Assynt - on the way is a tiny place called Kylescu and the Kylescu Hotel which serves great seafood (so I'm told, don't touch the stuff myself, but its certainly fresh as you see the guy get on his wetsuit and go fetch it from the loch).
From there you could follow the very northern road through Durness and "over the top" to the east.....no a place I've been, so can't comment.

Will come back later with some more suggestions...

 

[John H]

Don't go to John o Groats, it's dismal. In fact avoid anywhere that is touted as a tourist attraction (like Loch Ness and the stupid monster).

Basicly the best part of Scotland is the north west. All of it, from Oban north to Ullapool and beyond is superb, although August is slap bang in the middle of caravan and tour bus season. Little need to fret about secure parking, as most places are quiet anyway. I stayed at the Kylescu hotel last year and it was excellent. The islands are just the same as the mainland mostly, only surrounded by a tad more water, and expensive to get to. Mull is easy to get to and quite quiet. Skye is dramatic, but overly touristy in my book.

I have some pics on my Facebook page of a tour I did last summer in the far NW, which has a pic of the Kylescu hotel

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.489138512925.273388.605867925&l=f8166db311

 

[Pastry]

+1 for the west coast, up through glencoe. went to ullapool a couple of years ago and the bealach na ba pass is a pretty drive;

inverewe botanic gardens are worth a visit, but think theyve been badly affected by the hard winter this year;
http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/36/

a few places i've stayed and would recommend;

south of ullapool - http://www.braemoresquare.com
the south (quiet) shores of loch ness - http://www.evergreenlochness.co.uk
west coast near the kyle of lochalsh - http://www.tinglecreek-hotel.co.uk

always been lucky with the weather, on a fine day there's nowhere i'd rather be than Scotland

 

[dpoynton]

Many thanks to all posters to date, this is very much appreciated. With no prior knowledge it was a needle in a haystack job otherwise.

Any more advice welcomed.

David

 

[John H]

David,
How much do you want to spend on hotels? ... top class, very expensive ... or cheaper but quirky ... or middle of the road?
This would give us a better idea of what to suggest.
John H

 

[dpoynton]

Open minded.

Would be nice to go somewhere special towards the end of the holiday (Park and ride day trip into Edinburgh panned for penultimate day in Scotland).

Otherwise, homely, clean, well catered B&B / small hotel is fine. Good value preferred to cheap / expensive.

Not sure if this helps much.

D

 

[John H]

Here are a few suggestions you probably won't get elswhere

The Poolewe Hotel http://www.poolewehotel.co.uk/index.asp This is a lovely wee hotel in a fabulous place, where I have stayed a few times. My only caveat is that their website suggests the business is in admin, but seems to be still trading. Not sure of the current situation, but worth finding out. Two miles from Poolewe Gardens.

The Anderson http://www.theanderson.co.uk/ This is seriously quirky, and is definitely of the "love it or hate it" category, but the food is fantastic, the beer is great and the best selction of malts in Scotland. Jim Anderson is a real character. Fortrose in on The Black Isle, one of the nicer littlle spots on the east coast. Best spot in the UK for dolphin watching.

The Kylesku http://www.kyleskuhotel.co.uk/www.kyleskuhotel.co.uk/Welcome.html This sort of mid market, lovely spot, excellent food. Stayed there last year.

Forth View Hotel Aberdour Fife http://www.roomwithaviewrestaurant.co.uk/index.html have eaten here, never stayed, so don't know what the rooms are like. Homely, amazing location and a quick train ride into Edinburgh across the Forth Bridge. Food is fantastic and not overly expensive for the quality.

The Ceilidh Place Ullapool, http://www.theceilidhplace.com/ eaten and drunk here, never stayed, but probably the best hotel in Ullapool

The Holly Tree Kentallan http://www.hollytreehotel.co.uk/ Glorious location, near Glen Coe, has been used as a stop by the Porsche club sometimes, has perhaps gone a bit upmarket since I was there last.

Kishorn Seafood bar http://www.kishornseafoodbar.co.uk/ Not a hotel, just an eatery, but the best seafood lunch in Scotland, in a fab part of the country.

As you will see, these are scattered around the country to give you some options. Hope they are useful.

 

[dpoynton]

John

Many thanks for taking the trouble to post so comprehensively.

This will make the planning a lot easier.

Much appreciated.


David

 

[colin944]

I would recomend going to stay in Plockton if you are visting Eilean Donan Castle. The Plockton Inn is very good but is more homely than smart, Food is good and usually a folky type band or jam session on. Also Plockton is a very beautiful village withy a nice harbour and palm trees .I thought Skye was ok but not as nice as saying on the west coast.I would also go up to morar just south of malaig.

 

[John H]

Happy to help, in fact I'm heading up to the Lochalsh area myself tomorrow with some fellow Porsche drivers.

Here are a few more ...

Kintail Lodge Hotel http://www.kintaillodgehotel.co.uk/ Never stayed here, but the bar meals are hearty and cheap (I'll be stuffing my face in there this week!) Great location, good beer and food, so who cares what the rooms are like []

Carron Restuarant http://www.carronrestaurant.com/ This too is just an eatery, but run by a Porsche mad family, the Teago's. I'll be there this week too. Show up in the Porsche and you will get a good welcome.

Applecross Inn http://www.applecross.uk.com/inn/ never stayed here, and probably quite busy now, but an epic location.

The Albannach Lochinver http://www.thealbannach.co.uk/index.html I know nothing about this place, but it was mooted by a fellow Porschista as a possible. Lochinver itself is no big deal, but it is the best bit of Scotland.

Mackays, Durness. http://www.visitmackays.com/hotel.htm Ditto, never been here, but on the list for a visit. Durness is SERIOUSLY remote.

Alnwick Lodge Northumberland http://www.alnwicklodge.com/ Not Scotland admittedly, but bang on the A1 just south of Alnwick makes it a useful overnight stop if travelling. Very quirky, not a hotel, just a sort of B&B, but charming if you are on their wavelength (I stay there on business)

If I think of any more, I'll add them as I go.

 

[John H]

Yup, Plockton is cool too.

And how could I forget the Badachro Inn http://www.badachroinn.com/

 

[kitchens]

Stayed at McKay's in Durness nice small hotel will need to book in advance one of my favorite places on that coast .
If there do NOT miss a visit to Smoo Cave in the village .
John and Yoko Lennon visited Durness and John spent holidays there as a teenager .

 

[kitchens]

Just had a friend return from a few days break and had booked the Poolwee Hotel it is indeed under receivership and the service and food was pathetic not worth the £100 a night a very run down place in his mind ,so you may well look to staying at some other place

 

[John H]

ORIGINAL: kitchens

Just had a friend return from a few days break and had booked the Poolwee  Hotel it is indeed under receivership and the service and food was pathetic not worth the £100 a night a very run down place in his mind ,so you may well look to staying at some other  place 

Thanks for the update. Great shame, used to be such a nice wee place too. [>:]

 

[dpoynton]

Many thanks for your post.

D

 

[colin944]

Out working today and drove home down the A701 from Selkirk down to Moffat. I used to drive this road atleast twice a month I totaly forgot just how good a road it is. It's got everything straights, long flowing bends and tight twisty bits. Got all four wheels off the ground atleast 6 times even in the company car it is still areally great drive.