Highlands - Best scenic roads?

[AWG]

Hi all,

Going to do a Highland tour on my own in September thought i'd start by asking you if you had any nice experiences there. I will be camping for around 5 days starting Ben Nevis maybe ending in Wick so an idea of the must see places and roads to drive on would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Andy

[alfa pint]

There are more experts / locals than me to comment about the stuff further up, but I can certainly tell you about the stuff further south.

If the weather is good, then the A82 across Rannoch Moor into Glencoe is just epically beautiful. Unfortunately, it's also the main road up to Fort Bill, so it's chockers with caravans and gogglers.

If you've got time on the way up, if you come up the A82 from Dumbarton and drive up to Tarbet, alongside Loch Lomond (another busy busy road, with a limited but reasonable view of the loch), bear left at Tarbet and head for Arrochar then Inveraray/Campbeltown. That road will take you over the Rest and Be Thankful, which is another beautiful spot looking back down. You should also get a cracking view of the Cobbler mountain and the rest of the Arrochar Alps. When you get to Inveraray, turn right for Oban (worth stopping either at the Loch Fyne Oyster bar or the George Hotel in Inveraray for lunch first) and enjoy yourself up that road to Oban and then back towards Fort Bill from there.

[davepoth]

The full length of the A9/A99 up from Inverness is well worth it - I was lucky enough to drive it in glorious sunshine and IMO on that day it would rival the Pacific Coast Highway in California.

[ChrisBMW]

The A939 old military road is a much better route to Inverness, takes you right through the Cairngorms and on the day I drove up it was quite enough.

The road over to applecross is another epic drive

[AWG]

Thanks a lot guys, I have read a few good adventures of the A82 towards Glencoe so I think the above recommendations will be taken on board a great deal, i'm taking a camera to hopefully get some decent mountain and loch photos. Do you have any experience of Orkney? i.e. is it worth it?

[GetCarter]

I SERIOUSLY recommend you take the west coast route from Fort William. If you are 'doing' the Highlands, you'll want to see the best bits.

http://www.stevecarter.com/bestuk.htm

http://www.stevecarter.com/picaday/roads.htm

http://www.stevecarter.com/highlandpics/highlandpi...

http://www.stevecarter.com/latest/latesttorridon.h...

pm me if you want more specific info.

[AWG]

My god...Great views! Cheers Steve, the site is very comprehensive. Many impressive photos, we appear to have many things in common there.

I'll take a more detailed look at this when I get back home and add to the map I have of the tour.

Regards,
Andy

[ChrisBMW]

The Highlands are truely epic, one of my favorite places in the world.

[Mr Roper]

Fort William to Mallaig is a good road, then ferry to Skye. Cross at Kyle of Lochalsh and brave the Applecross for the views.

Also....

Kinlochleven. Scotland's answer to the Nurburgring.

Edited by Mr Roper on Wednesday 18th July 13:48

[Riff Raff]

Mr Roper said:

Fort William to Mallaig is a good road, then ferry to Skye. Cross at Kyle of Lochalsh and brave the Applecross for the views.

When you say Applecross, you mean the Beal na Ba? Well worth doing, depending on where the cloud base is............

[Mr Roper]

Riff Raff said:

When you say Applecross, you mean the Beal na Ba? Well worth doing, depending on where the cloud base is............

That's the one..

[wazzow]

I am ashamed to say I have lived in Inverness all of my life and have not yet driven on any of the roads mentioned so far!

[Mr Roper]

wazzow said:

I am ashamed to say I have lived in Inverness all of my life and have not yet driven on any of the roads mentioned so far!

Be ashamed...be very ashamed!

Toured the highlands twice now, typically covering 1700 over 5 days and on the right day it is without question the most beautiful, breathtaking country on our doorstep.

[ChrisBMW]

wazzow said:

I am ashamed to say I have lived in Inverness all of my life and have not yet driven on any of the roads mentioned so far!

Hang your head in shame, I recently spent 5 days based in North Kessock and drove over 1300 miles and could have easily spent another week doing similar mileage.

[GetCarter]

wazzow said:

I am ashamed to say I have lived in Inverness all of my life and have not yet driven on any of the roads mentioned so far!

What? I live on the Appecross road and come to Inverness every two weeks! (OK Tesco might have something to do with it).

[-Ad-]

Durness - Thurso =

Not tight, twisty, unsighted. Just a great road surface with great visibility and hardly any cars coming the other way.

[AWG]

Mr Roper said:

That's the one..

That looks awesome! Did you take any snaps of the views?

[CardShark]

Have a read through this thread for more ideas than you can shake a wheel wrench at

I'll be up there in a couple of weeks. Pencilled in driving up from Essex to Glasgow on day 1, day 2 will be the low to mid west coast, day 3 up to the north and then back down to Alness where I'll be staying for a few days before driving back home in a single hit. Should be able to get up to Orkney as well, fingers crossed. It'll be a good few miles but I'm hoping that it'll be a fitting end to Lotus ownership, I'll be selling up soon after the trip

Other than the selling part, I can't bleedin' wait

[AWG]

Stu, sounds like we have a similar route in mind as I too am heading up from Essex, I will probably be going end of September as I have see a lot of things I would liek to do such as the steam railway on the west coast. Let me know how your trip to Orkney goes as I am interested to know if its worth the £90 ferry trip.

[GetCarter]

Glen Docherty this morning