Loadsa places to stop data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
You might have to park and walk to some of them, but plenty of places.
Few pics from our road trip in 2010, we did Loch Lomond, A82 to Fort William, Loch Ness and Inverness then the A9 back towards England and M6/M62/M1 back home to Sheffield.
On Loch Ness, the boat is owned by George Edwards who is a well known skipper on the Loch. I don't believe in Nessie but the lake does seem pretty eerie, probably enhanced by the mist and lack of people around.
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-075.jpg&hash=4c08bc01893b81fccd7b3fe15998e0e4
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-071.jpg&hash=b8a0520425b517c7ac3db6d4d748d4a1
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-Scotland015.jpg&hash=bfd3ce24b061962f0f29c606268157d1
On the A830 to Mallaig, the weather was horrendous!
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-Scotland024.jpg&hash=dec1812442e2b0d1ec3c780888811ea5
But, that led to having the road to ourselves virtually.
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-Scotland042.jpg&hash=aa1f3eb62e521201ed3c4680feec3b95
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-Scotland049.jpg&hash=e7760ca9045907563adcc7a1dfb6a499
/proxy.php?image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/norvernrob/mini-Scotland053.jpg&hash=dcd0ced3d2b694a7dcd722e696f3e085
We're looking at going again next year as our son will be nearly 3. We've just been to the Lake District and he did the 3 hours in the car no problem, so hopefully he'll be ok with longer journeys in another years time. Plus I've now got another Renaultsport so will enjoy the drive a whole lot more than I would have in the diesel X Type estate I just got rid of!
Looks like for my next trip, I won't be limited by time (I could spend few days there if I wanted), but the limiting factor for me will be the money. I need to keep the cost down as much as possible. I am considering just sleeping in the car for one or two nights, somewhere on an obscure parking in the middle of nowhere. However, it will be end of September/beginning of October, so I imagine the nights up North will be quite cold and long.
Still plenty of time to plan the details, but I already know that the money will be tight data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Jura National Park
Drivin over Mount Jura, tops out at about 1300 metres data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
/proxy.php?image=http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g333/mjn9/Car/null_zps349e52f2.jpg&hash=9bb3b38da868c62fdb8a88d9acbc4ca5
/proxy.php?image=http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g333/mjn9/Car/null_zpsba1898f3.jpg&hash=ca9b0786f9d364ea591613fa0eaa853c
Will add videos when i have wifi connection.
Some amazing pics! Best road trip for me was the 2 weeks we spent driving around NewZealand a few years ago...some amazing roads, planning a driving holiday to the Alps next year which hopefully be just as fun.
/proxy.php?image=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/6916965906_25d8fa960b_c.jpg&hash=be830b7500a019901827b6625fb79b7d
Didn't take many photos on the road because the scenery was just too pretty...Simply an amazing place, cannot wait to go back data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7.
/proxy.php?image=http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5036/7064149269_4769fd7eda_c.jpg&hash=1d4cd70bb39a96f85c9dce629d57d4fe
/proxy.php?image=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/6917940450_5a591f06e6_c.jpg&hash=50114f2fabaca23470e0ffb33675a640
/proxy.php?image=http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5119/6917604550_309a276d70_c.jpg&hash=01161bb2f3375a9d838c63335d119d46
/proxy.php?image=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6917290106_ba8b3f42b8_c.jpg&hash=99eb9d2d693dfbba1f6d3cfa9dd2c2bb
/proxy.php?image=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/6892596868_63dd16a23f_c.jpg&hash=8c225f99f2761efb198c1dfcfb191e18
New Zealand is The place I want to definitely visit before I die. That and Iceland are the two top spots I want to take my camera to one day. Great photos!
Went to Iceland earlier this year...was hoping to see the Northern lights but we got caught in a massive blizzard/snow dump even the massive 4x4s weren't taking tourists anywhere, still quite an experience, have never been so COLD data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
/proxy.php?image=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8105/8558377434_ff00a410c2_c.jpg&hash=77d15bebe5f5ba096e0275dbe8f33eb1
/proxy.php?image=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8557310603_1bbfb583ee_c.jpg&hash=ce85b34517f46fa098b23fc0cc28e616
/proxy.php?image=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8557375093_f2779a1ea1_c.jpg&hash=d2c98125d2496995e6f7240deecac828
/proxy.php?image=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8367/8558576106_b1b246902f_c.jpg&hash=88875e0d0da2ff518e87ba3395ea6818
Lovely!
To get my mind off some other problems and the fact that I'm still unsure whether I'll be able to afford this, I begun plans for my next trip up north.
This is just a very rough idea of what I plan to do. There are few major factors still to consider
what would be my budget for this trip (main problem)what do I want to see, which also mean, what route I want to takewhat will be the schedule and time frame (1, 2 or 3 days)
At the moment, I am thinking about 2 days (so 1 night up north), 2 tanks of fuel ( 1 when back home). The main goal are the roads in the west Highlands area, north of Skye. That's Option B.
However, if the budget will be very tight, I will either cut the trip short to one day (still 2 full tanks of petrol) and leave very early in the morning, come back late at night (Option C), or just cancel it altogether if I see that there is no point going (and get very drunk at home).
If a miracle happens and I will get some extra cash, I might do 3 days (2 nights up north) and 3 or 4 tanks of petrol (Option A). This option is very unlikely. So for now I'll stick to the middle (still a bit optimistic option B).
Everything still might change so this is just a rough schedule.
At the moment the plan looks like this:
Day 1 - 368 miles, almost 8 hours of driving
/proxy.php?image=http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8532/twwh.jpg&hash=6d84721b7577e38fcbb8414b555d4be7
Day 2 - 400 miles, 10of driving
/proxy.php?image=http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/2690/6t31.jpg&hash=26be31698f8393c6b57556c7b2fb679d
So at the moment I'm looking at spending a night in Durness. Whether this will be in a hotel, B&B, camping or in the car - I don't know. Ideally I'd like to spend the night in a hotel, take a shower and leave very early, but it all depends on the budget.
There is also the fact that the second day of driving is much longer, with very demanding roads (high mountain passes, single lane B roads with passing places), but I don't think doing it other way around is a good idea. I don't want to be under pressure to get to the hotel/B&B on time and rushing things.
Thats a long drag up the coast via Wick. Have you considered going inland after Dornoch? There is a fantastic road via Altnaharra (familiar from chilly winter weather forecasts, rivals Braemar for that. Its a one horse town but its got a hotel). Its single track upto the north coast and is usually a lonely, empty road even in peak season. That should save a few miles.