Mrs BigJohn & I plan to spend a few days up in Scotland next week – heading up on Tuesday and coming back down to the Midlands on Friday. In the car and we will be taking mountain bikes for at least one good ride.

We’re thinking Loch Lomond is a must see (never done the tourist bit before). We might go and see where they grow the whisky, and we’d like to do some proper biking.
Also, somewhere for one good meal out, and we can’t resist a good band or comedy gig. Don’t mind staying in more than one place.

Last October we spent a few days in Edinburgh and had a cracking day on the way back at Drumlanrig. As we both like Dalwhinnie and Laphroaig, is Laggan good for an older couple? I can manage most stuff and Mrs BigJohn has an eBike.

All suggestions welcome.

Ok then how about:
Stop/stay in Glasgow’s west end for food/evening out.
Following day either up to Ben Lomond or stay in the west of the Loch and head to Arrochar. A few nice wee routes up there and some great scenery. Descent of the Cobbler is ace.
Then north as far as you want-Fort William/Torridon/Skye or just play near Kinlochleven/Blackwater dam.
Return via Aviemore/Laggan Wolftrax.

Red Raw @The Stand on the Tuesday night is often good fun. The Stand

Half term holidays next week. Lots of places will be full of kids.

I knew this was the right place to ask! Some good suggestions there, thanks.

In or very near Arrochar MTB rides:

Ardgarten Loop (starting at Ardgarten) – 3 to 5hrs – lots of climbing – only very little technical stuff – steep rocky scramble land rover track bits

Or

Glen Loin loop (starting in arrochar) – 2 – 3.5hrs – non technical landrover track mainly

Enjoy

Please do not come here and ride those ^ 2 loops! 😆 There’s so much better riding within the driving times of those.

Aye, depends on what you’re after. Scenery/bimble or a big rocky descent? Arrochar is nice as you’ve got sea/mountains, but yeah, that Ardgarten loop is dull. Cobbler all the way.

OK. Arrochar is looking like a good bet.

What we’re after – ideally – is a place about an hour-ish from Glasgow, A ride that might be described as a “red-route” – not a dull plod around fire roads, but not a massive hike-a-bike. Technical descents are welcome – as long as it’s not going to be too vertigo-inducing. Something of 2 to 3 hours duration.

Description, or a link to a website would be good. I no longer have the means of downloading a GPX sadly, but maybe if I upgraded Strava to premium…

And as we’re going to be staying nearby overnight, a distillery would be good, as would a town/village with somewhere reasonable to eat and a bit of life. We don’t want to be the only ones eating or at the bar.

And one more thing: Places to eat in Glasgow. We get a bit bored with restaurants in the UK. Last October we found a great place in Edinburgh, Gardner’s Cottage, which had a set tasting menu and was great fun, and it wasn’t up its own arse like so many “Foin Doining” (say it with a Black Country accent) restaurants.

If there’s somewhere like that, let me know.

Glasgow + Distillery = Auchentoshan

A couple of days on Isle of Arran – covers your biking, distillery and beautiful scenery needs.

A night in Glasgow at the stand comedy club.

Done.

Yes, thinking about Auchentoshan and/or Glengoyne.

EDIT – Ooh, Arran sounds interesting. Will we love it?

I’d defo try and concentrate round an area like that, with only 3 days at your disposal, I wouldn’t be looking to head too far north tbh.

Mother India ?

Mother India ? ??

Well, we’re thinking of Bangladesh in Jan/Feb but how did you know that?

😆

It’s a restaurant in Glasgow.

Hanoi Bike Shop

I really wanted to like HBS ^…..

#hipsterbawbagcentral

I preferred the Glengoyne tour to the Auchentoshan one.

Two Fat ladies for dinner in Glasgow

Stick with the West End. Drink at DRAM! Comedy at the Stand then 10 min walk to Byres road/Ashton Lane for HBS or Ubiquitous Chip.

I’m not sure how authentic the Hanoi Bike Shop is. We rode bikes all over Vietnam when we went last year, but there’s no way we would ride them in Hanoi. Have you seen how they drive there? Mental!

Byres road/Ashton Lane for HBS or Ubiquitous Chip.

Mibbe a few years ago, Finnieston ‘strip’ is the place to go for eating and drinking now since the Hydro opened up.

I’d defo try and concentrate round an area like that, with only 3 days at your disposal, I wouldn’t be looking to head too far north tbh.

^^ this. You might look at a map and think it’s not very far to, say, Oban or Fort William, but then you get on the road and find the Great Highland Timewarp where A-road means something different to what you’re used to and progress is best described as leisurely

Nobeerinthefridge – Member
Mibbe a few years ago, Finnieston ‘strip’ is the place to go for eating and drinking now since the Hydro opened up.

Crabbshak *drools*

I’m still a fan of the Bothy, always seems to have a good atmosphere and decent (if not spectacular) food

Finnieston ‘strip’ is the place to go for eating and drinking now since the Hydro opened up.

I take it they cleared out all the prostitutes then?

I take it they cleared out all the prostitutes then?

Dunno, I just go looking for food n a beer or two.

I take it they cleared out all the prostitutes then?

I was brought up in glasgow and that’s the first time I’ve heard of finnieston being an area knows for prostitutes.

Anyway it’s a good choice, loads of bars and places to eat, very lively, fairly studenty.

If you go to the stand pop into West up the road for a few beers.

For food & drinks i’d stick with Finnieston – loads of choice depending on your tastebuds / wallet, Crabshakk is great for seafood, Ox & Finch and Alchemilla are worth a look if you fancy something a bit creative, 6 By Nico and Rioja are getting great reviews too although i’ve not been to either. Hunners of pubs along there too, if you’re a fan of white russians, go to Lebowski’s & see how far you get through their menu – they also do very good burgers if you fancy something like this:

(it’s a scotch pie in the middle)

#Heartattastic

There’s no way I would eat that.

It has salad on it.

I’ve had a burger (not the one in the pic) at Lebowskis but I have to say I prefer Bread Meats Bread, they recently opened another one in the West End.

Ferry or row to inchcailleach at balmaha
Sharmanka kinetic art at Trongate 103
Three lochs way might be mrs bike friendly.

lardcore – Member

I’ve had a burger (not the one in the pic) at Lebowskis but I have to say I prefer Bread Meats Bread, they recently opened another one in the West End.

Burger Meats Bun and Meathammer will never be beaten 🙁

Some excellent suggestions. We’re going to make a definite plan tomorrow. Just so’s I know – is there an easily to follow & interesting route around a) Arrochar and b) Arran?

I’ll email you some Arran maps if you head that way BigJ.

You’re tempting me…

Having just returned from a glorious few days based in Glasgow I’d like to thank all the previous contributors to this thread.

As it turned out, the weather was too horrible last autumn when we had planned to go so we put it off to this week.  Partly because the Glasgow International Comedy Festival was on (we wanted to see Alexei Sayle, and it was the only place we could find him touring (he didn’t let us down)) so we set off up here on Monday expecting crappy weather.

As it was we had clear blue skies.  I even had to de-layer down to a base layer and no gloves on the climb out of Arrochar.

Went to a couple of the places recommended for food (slightly constrained because we had early-starting comedy gigs both evenings) had a good tour of Auchentoshan (highly recommended)

So thanks again, and so good that this is the best place I know to get reliable advice on the most random of questions.

And as an added bonus, my pension adviser (whom I fitted in a review with, and is also a keen MTBer) is only yards away from the Tunnoch Wafer factory, so we were able to stock up on teacakes, snowballs and wafers as essential sustenance.