Have done several trips around Scotland in the last few years. Typically we based ourselves in Fort William for a few nights and just did day long spins from there. Advantages are that you've no luggage and free to choose what roads to do each day, disadvantage is that your range is restricted as you're coming back to the same place each night. But the roads around FW are top notch in pretty much every direction.
Wrote up the following for another chap a while back, bit long but some decent info:
Accommodation:
http://www.parkhoteldunoon.co.uk/
This is where we spent our first night after getting the ferry – not 5 star in any way but it’s clean and they have food/drink onsite. It breaks the trip from Cairnryan to Fort William nicely in half. You can do the whole thing in one go if you want but over two days you get to enjoy the scenery and stop along the way without being rushed.
http://westcourt-fortwilliam.co.uk/
This is where we based ourselves for the following three nights. Was great to be able to head out on the bike without luggage etc. and just enjoy the roads. B&B is top notch and the owners (Billy and Evelyn) are great – had tea and scones ready for us when we arrived. Best place to stay in Fort William that I could find – highly recommended.
http://www.buccleucharmshotel.com/
In 2015 we took a bit of a different route to Fort William as I wanted to see the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies, both of which are located between Edinburgh and Glasgow. To this end we stayed our first night in Moffat. Good biker hotel and they even have secure lockups for the bike at the back of the hotel.
Roads:
The coast road going north (A77 and A78) from Cairnryan is great – can be busy with ferry traffic but still very enjoyable. Once you get closer to Glasgow the traffic builds up a bit and the going is a bit slower. But still, plenty to enjoy. We kept to the coast and made our way to Greenock where you can catch a ferry to Dunoon (where we stayed for the first night)
On your way north from Dunoon (on the A815) towards Fort William make sure to stop in Inverary for an ice cream – lovely spot. And take the A819 north out of the town – it’s a savage bit of road. You’ll eventually come to the A85 and you can make your way to Glencoe by going either left or right. The road in both directions is great.
If you go right you’ll come to a town called Tyndrum in which ‘The Green Welly’ is found. It’s the equivalent of Lynhams/Wicklow Heather in Laragh – always tons of bikes here. The A82 from Tyndrum to Glencoe is dangerous mostly because the scenery is so spectacular it’s hard to keep an eye on the road! Keep a good eye out for tourists and campers just dawdling along – it’s a popular tourist route. Make sure to do it at some stage though – definitely one not to be missed!
If you go left at the end of the A819 you’ll first head towards Oban on the A85 and then get onto the A828 towards Glencoe – again, cracking road – some really nice ‘roller-coaster’ bits on this one. You’ll be grinning plenty! Glencoe to Fort William can be pretty heavy traffic wise so best just to settle back and enjoy the scenery riding along the side of Loch Linnie.
From Fort William you can take the A830 to Mallaig and then grab the ferry across to Skye. It’s a nice road and the ferry is fairly quick – arrive a bit before departure time as it’s a pretty busy ferry route. I’ve not been up to Portree but the A87 back towards Invergarry from Skye is good fun too.
If you have time the road from Tornapress over to Applecross through Bealach na Ba is well worth it. Not a fast road but is has some great switchbacks as you head up into the mountains. Great bit of grub in the Applecross Inn too - so time it to be there for lunch!
Here’s some Google Map routes for some of the roads we did:
• Loop from Fort William:
https://goo.gl/maps/IC4os - One of the spins we did whilst we were based in Fort William
• Cairnryan to Moffat:
https://goo.gl/maps/rr5eG - We took this route so we could visit the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies on our way to Fort William. The A702 on this route is one of the best bit of road I’ve ever ridden. When we pulled over at the end of it we were giggling with delight (I kid you not!). Some pretty heavy traffic after Falkirk as you make your way north though.
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Some things to see whilst your there:
• Glenfinnan Viaduct -
https://goo.gl/maps/LhZoA
• Cruachan Power Station -
https://goo.gl/maps/Nzcak - did the tour here - highly recommended
• Eilean Donan Castle -
http://www.eileandonancastle.com
• The Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel are great - but they do require a bit of a detour to see them
One great tip is to book a cabin on the ferry home. I know it sounds daft for a 3.5hr journey, but it means you can just throw off your gear, chill out without screaming kids running around and there’s tea/coffee/soft drinks on tap. Also have your own toilet and shower if you want to freshen up on the way home. Think the extra cost is €45 or so which is nothing when split between ye.
