Hiring a car from Thursday evening till Wednesday morning, driving up from London to Edinburgh and then checking things out… the plan is to 'wow' my wife so she agrees to move up North pronto, as such I want to show her the 'best of Scotland' (or as much as I can do in 3 full days 😆 ) Not that I know anything about the place (haven't been there myself!), so that's why I'm asking you guys 🙂

Was planning on taking the bikes with us, but thinking about it, I reckon we'll only get one maybe two rides in (it's not a riding trip really, more a sightseeing one), so maybe I'd be better off hiring a bike up there (assuming we can do this easily enough at any of the trail centres etc)? Hoping to venture into the Highlands for at least one night, if we don't end up taking the bikes then we'll probably go for a walk somewhere.

All thoughts and suggestions welcomed from the STW 'op north' massive 🙂

Oh yeah, will be taking a large tent to camp in, so advice on good spots/sites would be nice as well 🙂

All a bit clichéd but Glencoe is always awesome, If you can get up to the far north west try lochinver or durness. Laggan for a bike ride perhaps. Edinburgh is worth a bit of time in itself – get down to the shore ( leith) for eating and drinking.

Glen feshie ( near Kingussie)is another fabulous place – a walk up into the glen from the end of the road is good. Glen affic even better

Enjoy

Where in Scotland do you want to live? It would make sense to base yourself around there e.g. no sense in going to Edinburgh if you plan to live in Inverness.

and glencoe etc could still be under snow so not worth riding there

Oh – btw, Scotland is larger than you probably think. It's spread over almost 80,000 sq km (England is 130,000 sq km). Add to that the roads are generally slower and more spread out and you've little hope of even beginning to get a feel for the place in 3 days.

glentress blue – max fun, Edinburgh is a great place, shouldn't need much selling compared to London.

Tenting!!
it is still proper cold up here and forecast this week is snow.
G.T is good fun

eye no tent you will die. and hit glentress for sure. hire bikes are a bit tatty but you will still have a ball. inverness is a very very long way away from edinburgh. have fun x

Its a long long way from London to Edinburgh. Easly 8 hours in the car, and then if you want to get up to the highlands, probably add on another 8 hours.

For wow factor, take the A82 from Glasgow up to Fort William. You get Loch Lomond and Glencoe.

Hmm. I can get to Lochcaron/Torridon/Gairloch from Edinburgh in 4-5 hours. Ever tried getting anywhere fast in Devon/Cornwall/Dorset/Lakes etc. At least our A roads are almost all 60mph limits rather than the 40 or 50mph limits that you get in the SW. Def make sense to spend your time somewhere you are thinking of moving to. Be a shame to spend most of your time driving round. Base yourself in Edinburgh and Glentress is less than an hour away, Laggan about two and Glencoe and Fort William about 4 hours. If you are going to the likes of Glentress on the Bank holiday weekend you would be best to book bikes in advance as it'll be mobbed and their bikes are usually pretty good actually.

Chew – Member

Its a long long way from London to Edinburgh. Easly 8 hours in the car, and then if you want to get up to the highlands, probably add on another 8 hours.

Thats just rubbish – Inverness is under 3 hrs from edinburgh ( my record is under two), glencoe about the same.

TandemJeremy – Member

Thats just rubbish – Inverness is under 3 hrs from edinburgh ( my record is under two), glencoe about the same.

That's incitement to commit an offence.

Inversneckie is – 150 odd miles from Edinburgh – perfectly legal to do it in 3 hrs. Glencoe under 120 ( but some speed limits to go thru)

AA has 3 hrs 25 to inverness and 2 hrs 35 to glencoe. I have definatley driven inverness in 3 hrs without going mad with the speeding

Edinbugh – Durness ( about as far as you can go) 272.3 miles 6 hr 43 min according to AA

TandemJeremy – Member
Inversneckie is – 150 odd miles from Edinburgh – perfectly legal to do it in 3 hrs. Glencoe under 120 ( but some speed limits to go thru)

Except that – as you're always keen to remind us – maintaining an average of 50+ mph means breaking the speed limit for significant portions of the journey….

TJ you are right but sometimes i have been on the A9 stuck behind i lost count the amount of slow movers.I just timed it right at the end of dual carrigeway to meet a tractor or truck.

Druidh – a large part of it is 70 limit most of the rest 60 and almost none 30 limit 50 mph average is not hard to do. Its a wide open road.

That's not what you've said on this here very forum in the past….

Wrong druidh – thats when people say they have been averaging 60+ on twisty A roads – not averaging 50 on motorway and dual carriageway.

On the twisty A roads you have slow corners and 30 mph limits – on the A9 you don't.

You want to convince your wife to move up to Scotland by taking her camping in winter. You must know her very well!!!!!

We are up in Dunkeld for a few days over easter – can't wait 😀

Get the train from Edinburgh/Glasgow to Fort William/Mallaig. figure out some activies up there (the walk at the end of Glen Nevis is easy but spectacular) then get the train back.

its been voted world's best train journey by some travel magazine or something, so must be good!

Stop bickering! Either way the Highlands are certainly not

and then if you want to get up to the highlands, probably add on another 8 hours

that far from Edinburgh. 2.5 to 3 hours is a perfectly moderate drive from Edinburgh to Inverness.

If you're just interested in touring psychle I would drive up the A9 from Edinburgh to Inverness then down the A82 past Loch Ness to Fort William and onward to Glasgow. It will show you a lot of good spots and you can explore off the main roads here and there to see really nice spots.

Oh – and don't camp in the Easter holidays. I think it would put your wife off Scotland for good. Its 1°C here just now and snow is forecast…

Yes – nice cosy hotels is a much better bet than camping – romantic log fires – that sort of thing. Or wait a few months.

3 days isn't long. I've known a few women who've been put off by the wildness of the Highlands. If she's a city type you might want to show her the Loch Lomond area where the Highlands is basically on the doorstep of Glasgow which is a nice city (no honestly it is!). I really like Argyll as it is very varied. The Cairngorms is totally amazing with some really epic scenery. They say the Cairngorms is Britains last wilderness but you wouldn't believe it sometimes with the number of hillwalkers out there. I really like parts of the west coast. There's some really wild parts once you get up towards Ullapool and beyond. Torridon area is nice and the Islands. I particularly like Islay. There's a lot to see.

Ok… so camping might not be the best option 😆 I think we'll take the tent and airbeds (plus feather duvet and pillows, see, we ain't roughing it 😉 ) just in case, but will plan on hotels/B&B's (we're trying to keep it cheap really, hence the camping idea…

Where in Scotland do you want to live?

I think Edinburgh would be the logical choice, my wife is in Finance/Business so I think that's where most of the jobs would be (maybe?)

you've little hope of even beginning to get a feel for the place in 3 days.

Oh, I know that, this is more to show her that Edinburgh and the surrounds are much more attractive then London 😆 Turns out we'll have 4 days now, driving up on Thursday then back on Tuesday, so that's good 🙂

For wow factor, take the A82 from Glasgow up to Fort William. You get Loch Lomond and Glencoe

Yep, that was a drive I was looking at doing, will probably spend a night in Fort William and go for a stroll part way up Ben Nevis, just to get a taste of the Highlands.

If you're just interested in touring psychle I would drive up the A9 from Edinburgh to Inverness then down the A82 past Loch Ness to Fort William and onward to Glasgow. It will show you a lot of good spots and you can explore off the main roads here and there to see really nice spots.

Sounds like a good plan, was wondering if you can drive from Fort William to Inverness.

How busy will this weekend be do you think? Will we struggle to find accommodation without pre-booking?

For Glencoe, there's plenty of snow there right? So we'll be able to have a play?

cheers all, appreciate your time as always 🙂

Don't forget the south!!!

Alot of people just head north from the central belt..Drumlanrig Castle and alot of the 7 Stanes are within a couple of picturesque hours drive of the central belt. I drive to South Queensferry regularly in 1.5 hours from Drum without going near 60mph, (big truck sooks up the deisel if I do), I just use the wee roads away from the numptie drivers who can't overtake a tractor on and A road.

Drumlanrig Castle's all open now for the season if culture AND trails are your bag. Some nice hotels in the area and campsites too.

Don't forget the south!!!

The Tweed valley is really nice as is the scenery off the A7 around places like Hawick and Langdale. As you say bangin there's also the trail centres round there.