Heading For Nc500 26th August

Probably knock of work on Friday 25th setting off from Woburn around 4pm to shoot up the M1/M6 to overnight somewhere north of the Lakes, 250-ish mainly motorway miles.

Saturday through Ayrshire ancestral homeland around Dalry and Kilbirnie and on up to Fort William through Glen Coe. Sunday over to Sky and across to Ullapool. Monday, Tues, Weds, Thurs and Friday round the North Coast.

Back south to the Border on Saturday, and home on the Sunday.

Suggestions welcome. Going to start looking for availability of bunkhouse and hostel accommodation for the benefit of drying rooms.

 

Good luck with the accommodation. You have to do the a82 up to glencoe if you haven't before. You've left yourself loads of time sounds good!

 

Stranraer Helensburgh Skye if your looking at these I have recommendations, in that order Neptunes guest house B and B. Helensburgh Holiday Lets. Saucey Marys bunk house, busy, central,shared rooms, friendly. realy grab anything on Skye cos its always busy
The guy from SMB said if he has a cancellation in the summer its booked on the web instantly.
If you get to AB44 give me a call
Good luck safe journey.

 

Yes, late getting organised so accommodation will be the limiting factor. Don't really want to be camping with my arthritis if I can help it.

I will get on to checking availability of accommodation asap and then work the route round that if necessary.

 

The Arch Inn at Ullapooll is nice with good food.

 

I stopped at the anchor in garelochead, not cheap but good, safe place to park your bike off road.

 

Dont camp on the west coast in summer

 

That's okay then, cos summer's just about done

 

Still working on the details, and accommodation availability, but in outline I'm thinking of a full-ish coast run.

Thursday 24th: Head for Stranraer, A1, A66, A6, A73 round the Solway. c350 miles

Friday. A77 Ayrshire coast to Androssan, inland to Dalry & Kilbirnie (from where my paternal gggrandparents left to come to Whitby), then Largs and the Gourock ferry across to Dunoon. Along the Holy Loch and Loch Eck on the A815 to join the A83 for Inverary. Then around the cost to Oban, or the shorter inland route if time presses. c180 miles.

Saturday. Oban to Strathcarron via Glencoe on to the NC500, leaving the Applecross for next morning. c150 miles.

Sunday. NC500, via Applecross to Lochinver. c125 miles.

Monday. Lochinver to Ullapool. c137 miles.

Tuesday. Ullapool to Durness, with time to visit Cap Wrath. c 70 miles.

Weds. Durness to Wick via John 'o Groats. c112 miles.

Thurs. Wick to Portsoy on the North Aberdeenshire coast road, via Glen Morangie, Cromarty and Inverness on the NC500. c120 miles.

Friday. Aberdeenshire coast, Banff, MacDuff, Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Bridge of Don, Stonehaven, Dunnottar, down to Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee on the A92/A90/A9 to Dunblane and Stirling. c200 miles.

Saturday. Maybe the coast Road to Berwick, Middlesboro, A19 to Thirsk and on to Bedford. c380 miles, about 10 miles shorter than using motorways. We'll see.

All depends on finding available bunkhouses/hostels near the end/start points.

 

If you go on myrouteapp.com and look at the triumph group routes, I put up my run roon Scotland I did a few years back.
Bunkhouse at Stromeferry and Durness are good. Also good one 10 miles south of Ullapool on the main road in.
Do the coast road past Inverewe Gardens, really nice.

 

Smoo cave, near Durness, is worth a look and s walk up to the headland to see the coast line is spectacular, especially if there is a sea running

 

You can pop in on me on the way up or down for a coffee. Spare room is available as well if you need some where to kip either coming or going Rich.
Still waiting on you pm regarding the research you wanted a hand with.

 

Hi.
Four of us done this trip in June my recommendation and only recommendation is take waterproofs. We had a 8 day tour planned came home after 6. The weather was horrendous probably the worst we have ever ridden in. We had planned on ⛺️ but this didn't happen what we done is we had a idea where we were going so we just got iPad out and booked accommodation anywhere in the vincinity that we were heading. I hope you get good weather and I would never deter anybody from going the scenery across the top from Thurso to Durness is truly amazing . This is the second time I've been to Scotland and both times it's pissed down. Hope you have a great trip but I shall not be venturing north again. In fact two of us are of to France next Monday for 6 days . Happy riding

 

HI Rich, what a great trip,it’s good to see you will be doing some of Scotlands best roads before you start on the NC500, I did it the same time of year as your doing it..and it was fantastic weather! the day I was in Applecross it must have been the hottest day of the year, so hopefully you will be lucky!
I put a report up in the touring section when I did the NC500, although since the new forum format it’s not easy to find as “touring" has been lumped together with others (bad idea Rob) I’ll have a hunt for it and put a link up. if you’ve never done that road from Inverary to Oban it’s great and it’s not that much longer than the inland route so it’s definitely worth doing . Your Saturday route will be brilliant!! It’s a wise choice to ride up through Glencoe rather than the short cut up the A828 where you would bypass Glencoe, it’s worth turning off at the Clachaig inn a couple of miles before Glencoe village as it’s in a beautiful setting, and the A87 from Invergarry to Eillen Donnan is a classic. The Aberdeenshire coast is good until you get to Aberdeen where it is duel carriageway all the way to Dundee,a great alternative is once you get to Aberdeen to take the A93 to Banchory,Braemar,Blairgowrie,Dundee probably be an extra 50 miles or so but it’s a great road (although doing this will mean you will miss Dunnottar Castle)

Have sent you a PM

 

Cheers mate. New robust waterproofs are on the 'to do' list. I used to visit Aberdeenshire every Xmas and summer (lol) back in the 70's and 80's and motor around the coast and mountains, so well used to needing all-seasons gear most every day.

 

Cheers for the pm mate, I'll correct my route notation. Yeah, I know the Aberdeenshire coastal road pretty well from annual holidays visiting the ex's parents in Aberdeen in the 70's and 80's. Will def be sticking to the coast south of the granite city down to Montrose.

 

Found it Rich!
https://www.thetriumphforum.com/threads/north-coast-500-part-1.7215/

 

Thanks mate

put the kettle on mate

 

If you need a bed on Thursday Im 10 miles from Portsoy.