Scotland tour on a motorbike

[isseywith4vampirecats]

this year we are planning on going round Scotland on our motorbike for two weeks end of june beginning of july , we will be starting from Edinburgh and going up the east coast and back down the west coast, anyone got any reccomendations of places definitely not to miss as we are planning on free riding and booking hotels or B&Bs on an ad hoc basis when we arrive somewhere

Pennan.

Might be worth planning a few places ahead as that is right at the start of Scottish school holidays?

thank you hawkmoth will look there up musicalmistress no choice on dates as I have to work round other peoples holidays we will just be landing in places and looking at one night stays and not fussy will just be looking for a clean bed and decent breakfast in the mornings

IMO school holidays will make it more difficult to find somewhere on an ad hoc basis though.

Going down the West coast is stunning . Torridon is beautiful and further on DEFINITELY don't miss the famous drive over to Applecross from Kishorn . Seafood lunch at the pub in Applecross . Actually you can do the sea route to Applecross cross if you are coming through Shieldaig ..over the Bealach and through Kishorn n Loch Carron Takes you out near Eilan Donan Castle and off down the West coast route .

Applecross.

Good luck with the ad hoc bit. I live on the West Coast and the summer is full of people desperately searching for accomodation, astonished that there's none left...

As for places to see, there are so many. 😃Are you considering doing the North Coast 500? It would link up quite a few places.

Erm pp are right. We live in Scotland and it’s hard to get anywhere during the holidays. We went at the end of May which is w half term and thought it wouldn’t affect us that much. Everywhere was packed and we just managed to get accommodation.

But any book that covers the NC500 (north coast 500). It'll cover b&bs, interesting places to see and visit, pubs and rest. Applecroas has a lovely pub with views if the Isle if Skye.

I've done it on a motorbike and in a motorhome. It is beyond amazing. Have fun and enjoy the trip.

If you are on a bike don't be surprised if you don't do the mileage you expect to do each day. Most of it is single carriageway with lots of twists and turns, amazing to ride but slow going. Take your time and enjoy the scenery.

Buy any book I meant. Amazon has loads.

thank you everyone loads to think about we will be doing the 500 will hit WH Smiths tomorrow and get some books our bike is a cruiser so built for taking it easy not racing round at breakneck speed will have to talk to my OH as hes the rider about how far we could possibly cover a day and maybe book in advance some of the more popular places thank you

just spoken to him and we are going to plan 250 miles a day and book in advance

That’s a good plan...when we went it was English half term. Scottish schools don’t have the end of May half term as they finish up a month later.,was honestly surprised how busy the north of Scotland was.

You may find 250 miles a day a bit much if you’re planning on stopping and looking at stuff. Definitely book accom, especially on the NC 500 route.

Border and Dumfries and Galloway landscapes are beautiful, not as dramatic as the north west but less crowded - there’s a lovely bike route from Langholm over Eskdalemuir. East Lothian coast, North Berwick, Bass Rock.

East Neuk of Fife - beautiful fishing villages, harbours. Would recommend Crail, and Falkland inland. St Andrews, maybe the Angus Glens and Kirriemuir. You could visit the Cairngorms and Royal Deeside on the way up. The ride over the Lecht is great. Lots of castles along the Moray coast, and villages like Pennan

North of Inverness, the Black Isle is worth a visit - you could take the Nigg Ferry which is a fun experience!

Fish and chips at Helmsdale, and the glens inland from Brora and Helmsdale are beautiful and often deserted. We’ve seen more deer in this area than anywhere else in Scotland.

Along the North Coast Smoo cave and the beaches around Durness. West coast is beautiful all the way down, Lochinver, Skye (have lunch at the Oyster Shed) Poolewe Gardens.

Further south, the Rhins of Galloway (on a clear day you can see Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Lake District mountains.

wow thank you so many places my dad came from Glasgow but died when I was young so we only ever went near to Glasgow we will plan this one for hopefully half of what there is to see

and we are going to plan 250 miles a day

That's a bit optimistic. Have you ever been to Scotland before? Some of the A roads are single lane, twisty, turny roads with passing places.

I agree with Defenestratethecat that all you will see is the back of the driver and nothing of Scotland with your current plans.

Scotland has so many beautiful landscapes that I think you need to lower your daily mileage so you can actually see any of it.

I’d cut your planned mileage by about half, if you really want to see our gorgeous country.

just looked at some of the routes and yes cut down the mileage as 250 a day we will be back home too soon gone down to maybe 175 a day but thank you all so many lovely places have been googling images

and we will be staying two nights in some places so we wont be on the bike every day

250 miles a day will be hard going as you average about 40 miles an hour in most spots, especially when you get north of Aberdeen.

To be honest, once north of Aberdeen, just pick a road and go, it's all zing up there

Last year, in January, we planned to go to Fort William and Skye in July. We struggled to get accommodation in Skye, and that was 6 months ahead.

A few weeks later we decided to look for somewhere to go at Easter. We fancied Gatehouse-of-Fleet (in Galloway) - no problem at all.

The NC500 route is very busy - the marketing has obviously worked! Please heed what others are saying about distance. It can take a long time to go not very far, when the roads are full of hired motorhomes driven by inexperienced drivers unfamiliar with either their vehicle or the route.

Apart from that, I hope you get the right weather, and enjoy your trip!

thank you we were thinking of skye but maybe not now we did a trip to Austria on the bike three years ago and that was like planning a military operation was hoping not to need to do that this trip but cest la vie looks like hard hat on and plan thank you all