Help to plan my trip (Scotland)

Don't know even where to start.

Going with my wife to Scotland, we want to get that Scotland experience. She suggested me to buy a book before I even attempt to drive all the way there. On my list: – I must ride Kirroughtree, and maybe something else. Going to Scotland for 5+ days and don't even know what places to visit and where to stay.
Don't have money to stay in 5* hotels but some decent inexpensive B&B bike friendly would do the trick.

Those in the know, please put me on a right path.

innerliethen and glentress. 🙂

What do you want to see? Tweed Valley ( Glentress / Innerleithan) for trail centres, Avimoree for natural riding – get maps from Bothy Bikes.

North west coast for remoteness and scenery

kailzie bunkhouse nr glentress. £20/pppn & you can easily ride the 1mile to the glentress or a bit further to Inners.

Deffo do Dalbeattie & Mabie, There are loads of B&Bs in Dalbeattie.
Ae is OK, but wasn't my favourite (too similar to my usual fair of forest single tracks and bike parks).
Kirroughtree & McMoab was lovely.
There is a lovely looking lass who was working in the trailshop when i was there in Nov. Hmmmm yummmy.

visit the Castle at Edinboro. they built it conveniently near the train station.
no need the sleep in town. get the train in & out from somewhere that is cheaper to sleep & park.

Drive through the great glen – it's pretty.

Loch ness is pretty too near drumnadrocket (sp?)
but if you can get there walk up Glen Affric from Cannich – an area of oustanding natural beauty, one of my fav spots in the North.

Stay at Kippford ,good B & B or Kippford holiday park, great pub for beer and food. Dalbeatie is only a short cycle ride up the road. Kirroughtree (the best trail in scotland) is about 50 mins up the coast road. You could also do Mabie and Ae.

do consider driving just a few more hours and getting into the highlands.

the 7stanes/borders are very nice, but by no means all that scotland has to offer.

you know those 'visit scotland' adverts on telly? – it really does look like that, those mountains and forests and rivers and beaches aren't film sets…

try laggan – the view from the top is stunning (and it's a bloody good trail).

ahwiles.. I agree but that could be his second trip once he is hooked on scotlands fantastic trails. i.e borders first then further up as you suggest.

Further north for Glencoe, Fort William and Laggan if you have time, very much worth the extra miles IMO.

This could be a very long thread 🙂 You need to decide trail centre or natural stuff or a bit of both. 5 days will soon get eaten up

What TJ said.

Aviemore would be a good base. Could tick off some trail centres en-route. GT or Drumlanrig in the borders, Laggan further north. Then you got plenty of great lower level (altitude not ability!) riding around Aviemore if the weather aint great, but still have the option of doing something a bit more wild and remote if you like.

Also gives you the option of stopping off at other good spots along the A9 if you got the time (e.g. Dunkeld & Pitlochry)

http://www.visitscotland.com/
the Scottish tourist board website

popstar – Member
Don't know even where to start.

Going with my wife to Scotland, we want to get that Scotland experience

In that case forget about the trail centres like Glentress etc. They are very good but not that different to good trail centres anywhere.

As a couple of other suggested, an Aviemore base would be perfect. More natural trail biking from the door than you could manage in 5 days. Real Scottish mountain scenery/environment. Easy to do Fort William/west coast for a day. Laggan 30 mins away if you want a trail centre. Huge choice of accomodation

>She suggested me to buy a book before I even attempt to drive all the way there.<

Wise advice – Scotland the Best and Rough Guide to Scotland would be my immediate advice.

You really aren't going to get the 'Scotland experience' doing the 7Stanes

Drive up the west coast via Loch Lomond and Glen Coe. Is your wife riding bikes with you? On the way up take the time to ride the West highland way and have your wife drive on. Either ride Rannoch Moor or the Devils stairs case and descent into Kinlochleven. from there stop in Oban or up to Fort William for a night. Continue on to Mallaig and the western Isles to experience some idyllic beaches. This could easily take up you 5 days but if you have some spare then head across country via the great glen and down the A9 stopping at Aviemore and Cairngorms.

In short Scotland could be broken up into Southern scotland, West coast(inc Western Isles), Central scotland (Perth-Inverness), Northern scotland and finally eastern coast.
Each of these areas would take at least a week to see only a fraction of what's on offer.

If you can decide a basic route/area that you are interested in the STW massiv' can really start to help you with specifics.

You could add the books, Bike Scotland trails guide if your after trail centres or Scotland Mountain Biking The wild Trails if you want natural stuff.

Wow, thanks for massive replies. My head started to spin around from all that info. Would love to get B&B at £20pppn so could extend my stay to 7 days instead. My wife is pregnant so can't ride a bike for now, so that would leave me to maximum 3 days (5hour) of riding and some other days to spend some time with her. Most probably I would squeeze few extra early mornings (3hour) rides then drive off somewhere to try to experience Scotland.
From all advice given, it looks as if I should stay near Inner's / Glentress, but myself I must ride Kirroughtree to experience never ending flow of the trail. Hope it is wild enough but even then, don't mind trail center experience for the ease of navigating around (will ride it alone). I am sure somehow people will suggest the bestest trails that I must ride, but then thats a debate. I don't struggle on Red trails at all but thats Wales, Scotland commands some different respect as I know. Anything over 4 foot drops most probably will stop me, but other than that I will be OK, thanks to Jedi christening the other day.

Please point me to the right direction of what I must see (sightseeing wise) to get wonderfull pix? Castles obviously a high priority, my wife surely will be stunned by them. I am sure there is more to Scotland than Castles but don't even know where to look for that matter.

Once again, thank you for all your advice and greatly appreciate the wisdom of STW.

popstar, suggest you reread the above. Me and most of the other suggested that if you want to get the real Scottish experience
a) you need to get into the highlands, not the borders
b) you need to do natural rides, not trail centres

Entirely up to you. The trail centres will be great, but it's not really experiencing Scotland

It looks as if I may need to stay for 2-3days around Newton Stewart for Kirroughtree (Black Craig epics), then move off to Edinburgh for other 2-3 days for sightseeing. My wife mentioned Highland Explorer Tours* doing tours around highlands from Edinburgh. It seems they do decent 2 day tours around there (according to Trip Advisor).
If anyone had any experience of staying in bike friendly accomodation near those places, could you highlight them?
I know from the info above that in a week's time not too many things should be planned, therefore I would go easy this time. Hopefully sooner or later will organise some proper group ride for bike experience only in those mentioned places.

Have you considered Wrexham?

+1 to Scotland The Best by Pete Irvine. I'd spend some time at Gairloch and Applecross, amazing scenery and great places to eat. If you go to Edinburgh for a few days then Glentress and Inners are less than an hour away. Nothing wrong with doing trail centres if time is limited, let your other half eat cake for two in the Hub and have a blast round the best bits of Glentress. Kirroughtree isn't far from the motorway if you are coming up the M74 and also has a good cafe. Same for Laggan, about hour and a half from Edinburgh, nice cafe etc. Save the 'real' stuff for another trip.

Highlands…

Laggan, Aviemore, Ben Alder, Golspie, Balblair, Learnie, Torridon, Skye……..

Lot's of great driving with a few castles thrown in… Dunrobin near Golspie and Carbisdale Castle youth hostel is next to Balblair… well worth a visit and a stay in this very haunted castle!!

You could even spend a night in a bothy!

Good Luck!

If your wife can drive she may enjoy Wigtown which is one of Scotland's book towns. There is also kirkcudbright with all its art galleries and things too if she needed somewhere to go for a few hours while you ride Kirroughtree. If you like XC then Kirroughtree is fantastic.

D1 – Drive to Kirroughtree. Ride it after you get there. Job done.
D2 – Drive up to Aviemore / Newtonmore area. Newtonmore is nearer Laggan, Aviemore nearer Rthiemurcus forest. I'd go for the latter. Relax, chill, whatever. Or go for a local ride.
D3 – Laggan Wolftrax for half a day. Ruthven Barracks for sightseeing. Walk up 'The Glen' for handy walk with wife. Loads to do.
D4 – Half day either up into the Cairngorms to one of the lochs – an out and back the same way route of the mountain variety which I can look out later, or a few hours round Rothiemurcus – easy stuff in Rothiemurcus forest but great fun and in the shadow ofthe Cairngorms. Nice. As someone said Bothy Bikes can provide local routes too/maps.
D5 – repeat some of above, do anything not done already.
D6 – If you like harder stuff – the Red at Fort William if it's still open, or just go do half a day on "Ten Under the Ben" at Fort William which isn't as hard but is definitely Red and is definitely fn having done a few laps of it at the event this year. Shops and cafes available in town while you ride half a day. Drive back to Newtonmore
D7 – drive home (if your really keen drive home via a Borders trail centre. Bear in mind allowing 2hrs from newtonmore to Edinburgh, 30/40 minutes to Peebles, then you've still got to get to Mx I guess.

http://www.thebreakpad.com/
http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/caer/caer.html
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyabout/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=pl_288&PropName=Threave%20Castle
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/castledouglas/threavegardens/index.html
http://www.drumlanrig.com/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/portpatrick/portpatrick/index.html
http://www.lochkenholidaypark.co.uk/
http://www.7stanes.com/
http://www.moffattoffeeshop.com/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/wanlockhead/wanlockhead/index.html
http://www.dgaccommodation.co.uk/
http://www.dumfries-and-galloway.co.uk/accommodation/bb.htm
http://www.barendholidayvillage.co.uk/
http://www.gillespie-leisure.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=184
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dalbeattie/kippford/index.html

Absolutely no need to go further North than the Borders or Dumfries and Galloway imo 😆

Absolutely no need to go further North than the Borders or Dumfries and Galloway imo
Which is of course, a load of b0llix.
Scotland doesn't even start till Callander. CaptainMainwaring is spot on.

Scotland doesn't even start till Callander.

But that neatly ignores the fact that Dumfries is home to Robert Burns! Not Scottish enough for you??? 😀

Ride Kirroughtree like the wind my friend (OP), and then ride Drumlanrig where your wife can visit the castle at the same time. Oh, and this was where the bicycle was invented, but I can't see how that can be of any interest to anyone here 😀

I think if you want to see Scotland then see it beyond trail centres and keep other folk happy going to places where there's tons to do other than MTBing.

Therefore, couple of days in Stirling – awesome natural riding, tons of history and lots to do. Cheap B&Bs.

Couple of days in Aviemore – up to Loch Morlich, Lairig Ghru etc. etc.

On way home, Laggan trail centre or another trail centre?

That's still a lot of travelling so leave Aviemore till next time – do 2/3 7Stanes and do Stirling, Callendar, Aberfoyle or Dunkeld?

But that neatly ignores the fact that Dumfries is home to Robert Burns! Not Scottish enough for you???
Robert Burns was actually from the small village of Cockmahootle in County Spangledraft. He moved to Dumfries when he was 3'10" so he get on the rides with his nanny who taught him all his poetry. 😆
Jockaneseland STILL doesn't start till Callander. (the 1st picnic place on Loch Lubnaig actually)

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/dumfries/history49.htm

Just get as far north and west as you can, theres some kind of decent riding wherever you get to, and just being there is good for the soul.

If you're driving up treat the drive as part of the experience, and dont miss Glencoe.

Just get as far north and west as you can, theres some kind of decent riding wherever you get to, and just being there is good for the soul.

If you're driving up treat the drive as part of the experience, and dont miss Glencoe.

Never a truer word said.

Scotland is rubbish. All the ok bits are so far apart you'll spend your whole time driving and no time enjoying. And it's all singletrack roads where you have to keep pulling over to allow muppets in caravans to pass. And there is a great storm predicted. And the locals are rude when they are sober enough to notice you. I would go to Wrexham instead. It rocks.

Hey, im the muppet in that caravan 🙂

>Scotland doesn't even start till Callander<

Each to his own – I dont breath a sigh of relief until I've passed the Green Welly. 😉

Sad also to say that most Scots don't even know their own native heath…

Scotland isn't like some city you just 'do' Pick out some places that really appeal and start exploring – then come back again and again. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.

Finally have decided on location with my wife. First 3days would have to stay in Highlands (near Laggan Wolftrax). 
Other 2-3days in Edinbourgh and at squeeze drive to kirroughtree. 

Big question, could you recommend bike friendly B&B where we could stay in Highlands for first 3days and somewhere close to Kirroughtree for other? Prefferably inexpensive with home made* food aka £30pp.

For Kirry try;
http://www.thebreakpad.com/

Try here for nearest town to Kirry;
http://www.newtonstewart.org/bed-and-breakfast.asp

Dumfries is only 1hr from Kirry if you fancied stopping there on the way from Edin which is approx 1.1/2hr depending on where in Edin you are travelling from and traffic.
You could take the scenic route via Peebles/Glentress for lunch via the A701

There is agood bunkhouse – potteries bunkhouse near laggan

Just had a look at your profile.If you are in Middlesex you’re probably better off flying into Inverness, and then renting a car to do some exploring of the highlands.
Head south to Aviemore – rent a bike at Bothy Bikes, head over to Laggan and Fort William/Glen Coe (again rent a bike) then head north to places like Skye, Torridon, Assynt etc before looping back to Inverness.
Ride some days, explore with the missus on others. You’ll only scratch the surface but will see enough to know where to go to next time…

Thanks for advice, still looking for more options in accomodation around Laggan. Looks as if Aviemore is more suitable to mix sightseeing with MTB, TJ did you stay in Potteries Bunkhouse and what about food round those places? Don’t want to miss out on Scottish feast, is there certain things I should be looking for -food wise- ?
Replies of eating dead dog don’t count.