If you do decide on Dumfries & Galloway for a tour then drop me a line, i stay in Kirkcudbright and have cycled around this area for the last 20+ years so i may be of some help if you’d like a hand to plan a route and lots of decent forest roads to explore deep into the galloway hills – I had a warmshowers guest staying a few months ago and mapped him out a 120mile day ride through the best/most desolate roads which he loved.
I’d sign up for it myself but these days i only average 12mph when out n’ about so they’d be nae point in trying to tag along – i’d be **** within a few miles trying to keep up, and i plan to be away cycling home from cyprus for april/june/july/august anyway.