How do everyone,

I'm being nagged to get on with arranging our honeymoon (not a great sign of things to come!!)

We're getting married on a farm in the Peak district in May, then driving up to Scotland with bikes for 2 weeks honeymoon. Maybe a few days in a nice hotel in Edinburgh, then head out into the country to stay in a cottage or b&b or several of both.

That is about as far as I have got with the planning.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Biking and non-biking destinations/rides, towns to stay, good hotels and b&b's, stuff we shouldn't miss. That sort of thing?

Cheers,
Dave

Have a gander at this recent thread, as an appetite whetter… I'm biased to the North West Highlands (circa. Gairloch), but what sort of riding were you thinking of? Trail centres, paths, mountain tracks etc. Prepare for much correspondence!

Edit; May is a fantastic month to see the full grandeur; warmth, possible sun, pre-(bad)midges.

All sorts of riding would be great.

I've never done any of the fabled stanes, so will probably give some of those a go. Definitely not averse to map reading, but don't want too much faff, as we'll be too busy gazing in to each others eyes to watch where we are going <vomit>

Dave

If you want somewhere nice to stay try Innerhaven in Innerleithen. Loads of trails to do round there and the owners have a new business, Go-Where I think its called, was advertised on here recently. They'll be able to sort you out with loads of great riding if you want somebody else to take the strain. Plus the accomodation is a bit more upmarket if that's important, it's your honeymoon after all.

I'm being nagged to get on with arranging our honeymoon (not a great sign of things to come!!)

Not a great sign of things to come??? You're going on honeymoon and getting to take your bike!!!! Most of us on here would kill to marry a woman like that, you lucky sod 🙂

As for where to go, it's hard to know where to start. So many nice places. There are a couple of good books with route guides in them. Wester Ross in May is, I reckon, the nicest part of Scotland. There's great riding round about Torridon.

Yeah, I can't complain really… Did I mention I'm going to get a new bike in time for the wedding? Can't spend all that money on a wedding without splashing out on a new shiny bike 😉

Dave

We stayed here. Short drive to Glentress, excellent accomodation and fantastic food, highly recommended. My wife went to Stobo castle for a day of pampering (a Christmas present), I went to Glentress for a day of biking. My wife thought Stobo was a bit of a conveyor belt but had a good day.

I would have a look at Innerhaven in Innerleithen and maybe make use of the Go-Where service that they run too.

Hey Alfabus, sounds like the perfect honeymoon!

Whether or not you fancy making use of anything we can offer, feel free to drop me an email and pick my brains regardless. We're fairly far travelled, so should be able to fling a few nice ideas into the pot.

Cheers,

Andy

p.s thanks all for the kind mentions Steve/George, always appreciated! 🙂

http://www.calmac.co.uk/islandhoppingtickets

Edit; May is a fantastic month to see the full grandeur; warmth, possible sun
Not nessacelery. We go up every year to Ft Bill for the SSDT, 1st week in May. In 08 it was red hot, no rain & it hit 28deg at the Leanachan sections on the Thursday. Went back in July for a week, same again, red hot all week.
This year during trials week it pi$$ed down every day, nearly all day. I took the bike & never got a ride in. Went back in August, to Strontian & it rained (with a vengeance) all week.
It's great when it's great but it's bad when it's bad.
Still my favourite place on earth though!

Tir Aluinn
If you're going to the Gairloch area then I can recommend this little self-catering apartment. Perfect for a couple and also quite cheap.

Aside from more congratulations on your choice of timing (don't worry, it'll be great!)…

The good dmiller put together this trail map, so a trip north could include plenty of centres. In terms of driving, & to see some of the country, the west coast road has a lot to offer, as does the east side (i.e. either side of the A9).
The famous Kenny Wilson book has loads of routes around the highlands detailed, though it's apparently difficult to get now. Keep us posted where you're thinking of & someone'll indicate any close routes.

Glentrool area
drive Applecross/Torridon road (on a sunny, clear day) (hotel there)
Skye
Plockton
Glencoe
Garvault Hotel
if you're feeling wild – Harris & Lewis (2 routes and awesome white beaches)

Thanks so far guys, some nice stuff coming through. I've followed a few links, and I like what I see so far.

Quite fancying innerhaven… never been on any guided riding, but it could be perfect for the situation (so we don't argue about where we are going 😉 )

Lou is keen on doing some island hopping; maybe renting a cottage somewhere ridiculously remote.. Is this feasible within our timescale? I don't want spend half the time driving!

Anyone got any hotel ideas in Edinburgh?

Dave

Obviously depends on your budget. I used to stay herewhen on business and once with the wife, worked out a lot cheaper and nicer than many other typical business hotels

Another vote here for Innerhaven / Go where – you can't go wrong. I'm planning a trip with them in April.
May traditionally in Scotland is fab weather.

Firstly, May is definitely the best month to go, so you're off to a good start.

BUT absolutely do not even think for a second about spending more than a couple of days doing stuff like the Stanes, however good they are as trail centres. You will miss out on 99% of the stunning scenery and best riding, which is the natural stuff in the wild.

So, do do 3/4 days each in Edinburgh/Stanes, Aviemore area for the Cairngorms and Torridon/Gairloch for the west coast experience. These areas, travelling between them, and cycling them will give you a good taster of what Scotland is really about

OK, Christmas and New Year are done… its time to start thinking about wedding planning again.

I'm still hunting for a nice hotel in Edinburgh (which doesn't cost £250 per night!). Innerhaven will probably be next on the agenda, and then we'll head a bit further north.

Captain Mainwaring's suggestion of splitting stanes/aviemore/west coast is a damn good one.

Anyone got any more gems of knowledge to offer?

Dave

can whole heartedly recomend this place, relaxing but only 15 mins ride from Aviemore
http://www.boatofgarten.com/accom/selfcatering/chapelton/index.php