Did this trip very early last Sunday morning and even though I grew up round there, this was still easily in my top 5 all time greatest rides:
‘Borrow’ old man’s Varadero in Fort William and sneak out at 7amMake sure you’re fuelled up, because you’re not going to see a petrol station (or a speed camera or any other vehicles) for quite some timeFrom Fort William take the A82 north to Spean Bridge then hang a right on the A86 towards NewtnmoreTry not to be distracted by the multiple jaw-dropping mountain-and-loch panoramas (repeat this step over and over again for the next 100 miles)Mind your speedJoin the old A9 (not the new one) at Newtonmore and blast up to AviemoreHang a right on the A95 which turns into the ‘Whisky Trail’ and takes you towards AberlourInhale deeply many times to fully enjoy the smell of malted barley from the numerous Speyside distilleries you’re passingJust past Aberlour I took the A941 north to Elgin because I was meeting someone there but I know from experience that it’s more fun to head south and explore the Grampian MountainsAfter my meeting in Elgin, just to make it a circular route, I boosted along the A96 to Inverness (not a lot of fun) then followed the A82 back down the Great Glen, passing Loch Ness, all the way to Fort William (quite a lot of fun)Wash and return motorcycle to old man’s lock-up. The perfect crime!Final stage. On the train on the way back to London, reflect on what the rest of the country must have been like before speed cameras and mass car ownership. Consider moving homeRepeat ad-nauseum…
That’s a pretty awesome route. If the weather holds it’ll be wicked. Only modification I would suggest is between D+E.
If rugged coastal stuff is your bag then head west down the A830, the ‘Road to the Isles’, from Fort William which takes you to a little fishing village called Mallaig.
Have fish and chips in Mallaig then take the ferry over to Skye (about 50 minutes). You can pop back onto the mainland via the bridge a little further north and pick up the rest of your route, which is a great one. Used to do it with my old man regularly. Epic stuff and if you’re used to London, practically no traffic and definitely no speed cameras (although the cops up there are fond of handheld radars).
Fish n Chips in Mallaig is tempting and Skye did figure in an earlier plan …
Oddly enough I’ve pencilled in the BP garage at Lochybridge Junction as refuelling point, might be a long refuel while I ponder A82 or A830. Nothing is set in stone apart from the duration, it’ll be a 4 day trip panning out something like
Day 1 - London to Carlisle
Day 2 - Carlisle to Applecross
Day 3 - Applecross to High Stoop
Day 4 - High Stoop to London
1,400 miles (with less than 50 miles of Motorway) averaging around 350 miles per day
i havent been (yet) it was on my list this year but didnt happen,however im off to Beuatiful west coast of Ireland, and shall try and look at Scotland next year if a few people want to go.
Well Westie, I’ll join you for a trip to Scotland whenever you like I’m heading up this weekend actually, the original intention was for me and my bro to take a wee trip up to Skye and camp for a few days next week. But his bike is still off the road and the weather is gonna be crap (not sure why this has come as a surprise to me). The 8.5 hour run up the motorway with Bonnie is seeming less and less appealing. Would be different if I was doing it over a few days with some pals but having done that run a few times, I know it’s really boring!
Art that looks like a great trip, I’m from Ayrshire so the A75, A77 and A82 stretch is very familiar to me. Never been to Applecross but it’s on the list of things to do! And I’ve done the stretch from Inverness down a few times too. Which way do you go from London to Carlisle?
Great route! Would also suggest going via Mallaig. Also, just after Glencoe, instead of going over the bridge at Ballachulish, take the B863 round the loch to Kinlochleven…an utterly epic piece of road.
