UK? But actually it's Scotland I'm interested in...

So option one, is up to cape wrath, across to wick, down to inverness and back across.

Option two, is a ferry and some islands

Despite the motorhomes and oafs in Ferraris the North Coast 500 (basically the route you're decribing) is a stoating run. Good website, there's even a picture of a GS on it -mine.;)

Ferries are cheaper now - I think I paid less than a tenner for the Mallaig to Armadale trip a month or two back, and there may still be discounted 'Island Hopper' tickets to be had.
 
Some observations...

You can't get to Cape Wrath on a bike. Nearest is Durness.

The best way round the top is anti clockwise.

Wick, J of G etc are not worth visiting for 'bikibg' purposes. Better cutting the top right corner off by going up to Tongue and turning left.

A good circuit is Fort William to Mallaig, Mallaig to Armadale and quick tour of Skye....to be honest its not that interesting a place from a biking point of view...back over from Khylerhea to Glenelg via the wee ferry that will probably be running then...

http://skyeferry.co.uk/

lunch at the Glenelg Inn, back over the Mam Ratagan, top of the Garry, Spean, Fort W.
 
Despite the motorhomes and oafs in Ferraris the North Coast 500 (basically the route you're decribing) is a stoating run. Good website, there's even a picture of a GS on it -mine.;)

Ferries are cheaper now - I think I paid less than a tenner for the Mallaig to Armadale trip a month or two back, and there may still be discounted 'Island Hopper' tickets to be had.

Ah cheers for that, didn't realise I had a name! - Off for a google :)

Looked at the island hoppers, 3 islands £150 ish. Which is not bad, but seems pricey for a motorbike...
 
Some observations...

You can't get to Cape Wrath on a bike. Nearest is Durness.

I thought I'd been there, but you're right, I wasn't as close as I thought. I think I went here last time - Balnakeil Beach? Which you could see the cape (well sort of) from.

The best way round the top is anti clockwise.

Wick, J of G etc are not worth visiting for 'bikibg' purposes. Better cutting the top right corner off by going up to Tongue and turning left.

A good circuit is Fort William to Mallaig, Mallaig to Armadale and quick tour of Skye....to be honest its not that interesting a place from a biking point of view...back over from Khylerhea to Glenelg via the wee ferry that will probably be running then...

http://skyeferry.co.uk/

lunch at the Glenelg Inn, back over the Mam Ratagan, top of the Garry, Spean, Fort W.

Ah cheers, for that, I shall do some investigating.
 
You could do worse than having a look at the 'Curves' thread, adding in some additional islands if time allows or if Skye alone is not enough.

A very quick Google of 'motorbike riding Scottish islands' turned up several professional touring companies offering tailor made tours, which might save you a lot of time or effort. If this idea is way off your radar, you could look at their itineraries. With a bit of imagination, a map and a bit of websurfing you could undoubtedly recreate their tours. For example:

https://www.wildcat-adventures.co.u...otland-motorcycle-road-tour-hebridean-odyssey

As regards accommodation in Worcester, Booking.com will sort you out. Nobody will steal your bike or be particularly 'Biker unfriendly' unless you are very unlucky or very stupid. Failing that, try the regional setion or even the Beakchat pub, someone will know somewhere to suit them, which might suit you too.

PS This book is not bad:

https://m.louis-moto.co.uk/katalog/...m=Scotland&searchButton=#mobile-header-scroll

Yes, it's in 'foreign' but has enough maps and pictures to make creation of a tour fairly easy. Several of the German websites have quite good tours of Scotland. It's easy to guess why: To their punters, Scotland is a foreign country, much as Germany and the Alps are to many bods from Britain. Accordingly, they create touring suggestions that they hope will suit demand, much as RiDE magazine does here in the UK.
 
As regards accommodation in Worcester, Booking.com will sort you out.

Always check if it's cheaper to book direct. Booking dot com charge a hefty commission and some of this this is often (but not always) added on to the price.
 
I have just looked at my copy of the Schotland book. It would suit you down to the ground. It has 10 (yes, ten) suggested routes around Scotland, including suggestions around the islands, too.

Not surprisingly, many of the routes suggested match those in the Curves / Ride thread; there really are only so many ways you can skin a cat, after all. The book also carries links to the Motorrad-Reisefuhrer free to download GPS versions of the routes, which will save you some work if nothing else.

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I guess the suggested routes around the isles of Arran, Islay and Mull did not take too much imagination for the German invaders to fathom out.
 
I thought I'd been there, but you're right, I wasn't as close as I thought. I think I went here last time - Balnakeil Beach? Which you could see the cape (well sort of) from.



Ah cheers, for that, I shall do some investigating.


I know I am. Its a condition with which I am familiar.

Balnakeil beach is indeed very lovely....but not within view of The Cape. You have to get a ferry and a minibus to the cape....or walk. Really do recommend the circuit I suggest...last twice I've been on that wee ferry I watched sea eagles. Whilst in Glenelg take a quick detour to visit the brochs.
 
Besides me (a feckin' resident of London) and gerrardwatts, has nobody local got any great routes, stuff to see ideas and detail to assist the OP? Come on, it's your backdoor....

To remind everyone:


So now I've found where the bit to ask questions, I can ask them....

Ideally I'm looking for some general Advice.

I'll be leaving London on the Friday night (Easter Halfterm)

I've then got two choices, blat 8 hours up to Fortwilliam or stop off after about 4 for something interesting to see, and a bite to eat.
I'm not that bothered by fancy hotels. So ideally no bed bugs, but I don't need a spa and foot massage every evening either :)

The only 2 things I want to do in the 10 days I've got, is see the falls of Lora and weather dependent have a crack at walking up ben nevis.

Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Are the roads up the coast to cape wrath and across to wick good on a bike? Last time I did it there was a parade of german motorhomes, but I was in a car, so not really in a position to use any quick overtaking spots there might have been.

So option one, is up to cape wrath, across to wick, down to inverness and back across.

Option two, is a ferry and some islands.
 
Battering up from Lunnun to Fort Bill in a oner is a big ask. Why not leave the M6 and cut across Galloway and South Ayrshire on day 1? Stop somewhere short of the Clyde estuary. Tons of bnbs to choose from in Largs. Next day take a ferry over to Hunter's Quay? (http://www.western-ferries.co.uk ) From there, its a straight run up through Argyll on some very nice roads just made for bikes, up to Oban and Fort William. Before Fort Bill, take the Corran ferry and then via the wee road that parallels the A82, over to the Mallaig road to Glenfinnan. The Glenfinnan railway carriage is a quirky (and cheap!) Wee place to stay and you can take in the monument and the viaduct (any kids who are Harry Potter fans?) and eat very well at the nearby hotel! Next day, take the Mallaig ferry to Skye and do a loop around Uig, the Quiraing and Portree then back to the mainland via the wee ferry to Glenelg. Stop at the youth hostel at Ratagan, on the other side of the ferry.

I like ferries! The break up the trip and encourage you to relax, take in the scenery and talk to folk!

http://http://glenfinnanstationmuseum.co.uk/facilities/sleeping-car/

https://www.syha.org.uk/where-to-stay/highlands/ratagan.aspx
 
Besides me (a feckin' resident of London) and gerrardwatts, has nobody local got any great routes, stuff to see ideas and detail to assist the OP? Come on, it's your backdoor....

To remind everyone:


So now I've found where the bit to ask questions, I can ask them....

Ideally I'm looking for some general Advice.

I'll be leaving London on the Friday night (Easter Halfterm)

I've then got two choices, blat 8 hours up to Fortwilliam or stop off after about 4 for something interesting to see, and a bite to eat.
I'm not that bothered by fancy hotels. So ideally no bed bugs, but I don't need a spa and foot massage every evening either :)

The only 2 things I want to do in the 10 days I've got, is see the falls of Lora and weather dependent have a crack at walking up ben nevis.

Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Are the roads up the coast to cape wrath and across to wick good on a bike? Last time I did it there was a parade of german motorhomes, but I was in a car, so not really in a position to use any quick overtaking spots there might have been.

So option one, is up to cape wrath, across to wick, down to inverness and back across.

Option two, is a ferry and some islands.

GERARD
 
Battering up from Lunnun to Fort Bill in a oner is a big ask. Why not leave the M6 and cut across Galloway and South Ayrshire on day 1? Stop somewhere short of the Clyde estuary. Tons of bnbs to choose from in Largs. Next day take a ferry over to Hunter's Quay? (http://www.western-ferries.co.uk ) From there, its a straight run up through Argyll on some very nice roads just made for bikes, up to Oban and Fort William. Before Fort Bill, take the Corran ferry and then via the wee road that parallels the A82, over to the Mallaig road to Glenfinnan. The Glenfinnan railway carriage is a quirky (and cheap!) Wee place to stay and you can take in the monument and the viaduct (any kids who are Harry Potter fans?) and eat very well at the nearby hotel! Next day, take the Mallaig ferry to Skye and do a loop around Uig, the Quiraing and Portree then back to the mainland via the wee ferry to Glenelg. Stop at the youth hostel at Ratagan, on the other side of the ferry.

I like ferries! The break up the trip and encourage you to relax, take in the scenery and talk to folk!

http://http://glenfinnanstationmuseum.co.uk/facilities/sleeping-car/

https://www.syha.org.uk/where-to-stay/highlands/ratagan.aspx

That is a great idea, I'd never heard of it, thanks for that, it's this kind of great advice, I love this forum for.

Many thanks.
 
Guys, thanks for the many posts with help and maps and links in, I appreciate it all and hopefully will get some time this week-end to sort it out!

Ian
 
Cast your mind back as far as post #8

Nope. The one you post pictures from in post 27. Shcotland ? Book. As that appreared to have the island routes?
The one with the GPS links? Unless the links are posted else where?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Aha, I now see what you mean. It was your requoting of the two links and then asking what was the Scotland one that, maybe not unreasonably, threw me off the scent of your enquiry.

You should of course start to think about ways to help yourself. You have a picture of the front of the book and the publisher, try a Google search: schottland motorrad reiseführer highlightsverlag isbn or some such similar combinations of words and ideas. Yup, it requires a bit of effort and imagination (why expend too much of those, hey?) but it's quite easy once you get going. Anyway, until then, its ISBN number is.

978-3-933385-29-1

https://www.amazon.de/Schottland-Motorrad-Reiseführer-Andreas-Hülsmann/dp/3933385296

You can buy it via Amazon, I did and I don't speak 'foreign'. It will be with you in a very few days. Or any half decent bookshop should be able to find it via a look up.

The great thing about Google is that it's free, it's fun and they can't touch you for it... providing that is you are reasonably careful about what it is you go searching and surfing for.
 
Besides me (a feckin' resident of London) and gerrardwatts, has nobody local got any great routes, stuff to see ideas and detail to assist the OP? Come on, it's your backdoor....

To remind everyone:


.

I could supply a lot of ideas but a simple search within this forum will reveal an almost endless list of recommendations for routes in Scotland so maybe better searching and lots will appear. I'd only be repeating myself or someone else (including Gerrrard).
 
I could supply a lot of ideas but a simple search within this forum will reveal an almost endless list of recommendations for routes in Scotland so maybe better searching and lots will appear. I'd only be repeating myself or someone else (including Gerrrard).

I agree (but it's Gerard!)

Once you get in to the highlands every road is a great bike road (some have roughly surfaces and are narrower than others with passing places).

The uphill road to the Home of Rossi, at Tavullia, is a real mess and worse than you'll encounter up here! :thumb:thumb
 


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