Ideally a route that allows for beach stops and swims; that combines gentle off road and small roads; that is about 60miles a day; and that is based on wild camping and bothying.

Very many thanks!

You wouldn’t go wrong using the Hebridean way as the bones of the trip. Then depending on how you sre going to start the trip add in Skye, Mull or some of the NC500 route.

Search ”’Wild About Argyle’ . Did half in about 5 days and is exactly what you describe. I had perfect weather at the end of May. You may do less mileage per day as you soak up the views etc.

wait until September and I will join you.

Wow people, thank you. Can anyone tell me what the deal is with the golf stream? does it mean the sea is ‘warm’ — I know it is subjective — but say compared to other atlantic coasts like Galicia/Norther Portugal, Ireland, Wales?

This is worth a look https://www.anturasmor.co.uk/race

Not done it (but have done bits) and I reckon it’ll be a great ride or a part of it could be part of your plan

Best tour I have done is hebridies.  Oban, Barra, ride up the islands to harris, ferry to skye, ferry to mallaig, ride back via ardnamurchan and mull.  Easy to do in two weeks, fantastic scenery.  300 ish miles

I am just back from a tour to NW highlands.  Starting from Inverness.  road to Garve, offroad to Ullapool, road round inverpolly to Kylsku, offroad loop over to Achfary, road for a bit then another offroad loop to Allnabad.  Return was intended to be using aother offroad loop but we were knackerd so minor roads down to the black isle

260 miles but an outrageous 20 000 ft of climbing

I have other shorter but more offroad loops as well if interested

I’ve never heard of Gulf Stream tourism before! : )

Can’t imagine it’s much different from the west coast of Ireland, couldn’t comment on further south. When we would go swimming off the coast near Oban as kids the water would be noticeably less cold late August/early September. The trick was waiting for warm weather as well…

Have been tinkering with a ten day route but think your best bet is lots of out-and-backs to bothies and wild camping spots, sadly a lot of the good tracks end halfway up a bealach (pass between two hills) requiring a steep push up and over to pick up the next track.

The best I’ve come up with so far is

Dunblane to Braco (minor roads)

Braco to Findhu Glen (minor road)

Findhu Glen to Glen Artney (track through Glen)

Glen Artney to Callendar (track then minor road)

Callendar to Killin (cycle path/Rob Roy Way)

Killin to Loch Lyon (hilly minor road)

Loch Lyon to Auch Glen (track)

Auch Glen to Gorton Bothy (West Highland Way then road then track)

Gorton Bothy to Victoria Bridge (track alongside Loch Tulla)

V.B. to Glen Coe ski centre (WHW across Rannoch Moor)

Glen Coe Ski Centre to Loch Etive (minor road)

Kinlochetive to Cadderlie Bothy (lochside track, bit loose and steep in places)

Cadderlie Bothy to Corran Ferry via Glen Sallach (easy lochside landrover track, minor hill road, cycle path from Barcaldine to Corran Ferry)

Corran Ferry to Lochaline via Kingairloch (hilly roads, minor roads at first)

Lochaline to Leacraithnaich Bothy (landrover track according to map)

Leacraithnaich to Bunavullin (minor road)

Bunavullin to Doirlinne (track, think it’s marked as a cycle)

Doirlinne to Glen Cripesdale (mostly track but a couple of km might be path or trail, not sure)

Glen Cripesdale to Strontian (track then road)

Strontian to Resourie Bothy (very hilly road, then track, I’ve never stayed at this bothy, looks like it could be midgey as hell, maybe better wild camping at Polloch or on shores of Loch Shiel)

Resourie/Polloch to Corryhully Bothy (lochside track, road, estate road underGlenfinnan Viaduct)

Corryhully to Arisaig (major road, v.scenic but no escaping traffic, go early AM!)

Arisaig to Mallaig (minor coastal road then final stretch on main road again)

From Mallaig the world is your oyster, perhaps go explore Elgol on Skye (at theend of a long beautiful dead end road) or take the minor road to Kylerhea and cross back to the mainland on the tiny little Glen Elg ferry.

If you cycled back across the Skye Bridge you could then head for Killilan and up Glen Elchaig. You can follow mostly good tracks all the way to Maol Bhuidhe which is one of the most remote bothies you’ll find.

You need to sit down with a bottle of wine, geograph.org.uk and a mapping programme, at a minimum the walkhighlands.co.uk GPS planner is a good resource.

Enjoy!

Jeepers I as going to post another route but that is a cracker.

Anyway

Crianlarich start for a circuit.  all easy riding bar a few bits.  almost all offroad on estate roads

WHW to top of devils staircase, across the dam and pipeline ( is this possible?) or drop down to kinlochleven and back up  to Loch Eilde Mor and down the abhain Rath ( a wlk for some!) to pick up the track up to Corrour  along Loch ossian and north thru strathossian.  East to Lochan na Herba then back south to Loch Pattack then Dalwhinnie, A9 cycleway to Dalnaspeil lodge down to Kinlochranoch, over the hill to Bridge of Balgie then minor road to Killin minor road to near crianlarich its not 60 miles per day thats for sure but if yo want to take it easy?

Crianlarich (or Tyndrum) as a starting point.

WHW as far as the Kingshouse then take the track past Black Corries Lodge across Rannoch Moor to Rannoch Station (there’s about 2km that depending on dryness might be a push). From Rannoch go along the road for a couple of km then turn north to pick up the old road to the isles. Take this as far as Corrour then along Loch Ossian and through Strath Ossian. Before you get to the A86 turn left and follow forestry tracks to Fersit and then down to Spean Bridge.

Cut across the Great Glen to Gairlochy and follow the Great Glen Way as far as you want really, the two turning points are Fort Augustus and Inverness. If you go to Inverness return on the other side of Loch Ness to FA. Over Corrieyairick Pass to Laggan, up the Pattack to Loch Pattach and down to Ben Alder Lodge. Estate track alongside the loch to Dalwhinnie. A9 cycleway to Dalnaspidal Lodge, ride past Loch Garry. There’s a couple of km that are a bit rougher to reach a new hydro scheme and a bothy at Duinish. Down to Loch Rannoch.

Go along the loch to Bridge of Gaur and do the HT550 route in reverse through Rannoch Forest over the Lairig Ghallbhaich to Bridge of Balgie. Up Glen Lyon and alongside the loch to drop down to Auch on the WHW which is about 5km north of Tyndrum.

Can’t comment on the route (Whitestone and 13thfloormonk look good), but the sea is alright once your in even if the air temp is down a bit. The worst thing is the wind when you’re getting out.

Thanks again, everyone. Can I ask, in August will it be busy?

Only in the touristy bits, and the gluepot roads.

13thfloormonk, I just want to say thank you again. it is difficult to appreciate a route laid out in that way when you don’t know the area but I have integrated a large chunk of it now into a plan and can now see better what a treasure it is, thank you.

We hope to stay with friends in skye and ardtornish. So the plan at the moment is to go to Oban in car, find somewhere to park (???); ferry to hebrides, ride north up the lower islands and cross to skye before the toppermost island. ride down through skye (i don’t actually know where this friend’s family lives so no exact route yet) but, afterwards pick up 13thfloor’s route from mallaig, possibly using the train to avoid the a-road, then trickle down on that route as far as morven/ardtornish.

haven’t got to the next bit yet.

Oban in car, find somewhere to park (???);

I’ve always driven past the ferry terminal and along the road by the coast and found somewhere there http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=184957&Y=729617&A=Y&Z=120. There may be other or better places.

Oban in car, find somewhere to park (???); ferry to hebrides, ride north up the lower islands and cross to skye before the toppermost island. ride down through skye (i don’t actually know where this friend’s family lives so no exact route yet) but, afterwards pick up 13thfloor’s route from mallaig, possibly using the train to avoid the a-road, then trickle down on that route as far as morven/ardtornish.

I’d recommend including Harris (on the topmost island). You get the wonderful ferry crossing to Leverburgh and a choice of great roads to Tarbert.

The road out of Mallaig is fine for cycling. The coastal road to Arisaig is much quieter these days since the new, direct, road was built. There is then a section of cycle path too.

I have some words about that …

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2012/07/coasting-around-west-day-1.html

(there are follow-up posts for days 2-4)

No problem Tom, I love messing about with routes and am laied up with a broken collarbone right now so was a bit of fun for me. Might try and plot it out on a map just for fun and post up later.

Train to avoid A-Road is an excellent idea, you can take it as far as Glenfinnan (although unfortunately you would have to disembark BEFORE the famous viaduct) and pick up Loch Shiel from there.