Road Trips: Routes, Photos and Videos!

=adrian=

After this weekend failed car trip where both, my missus and my son, started moaning after only an hour in the car. I decided to go alone next weekend. Just like before my son was born, leave early and spend all day driving. I have Saturday for myself, while she gets the Sunday.

So at the moment I have two options planned. Which one I'll choose will depend on few factors:
weathertirednessmood
In both options I'll be driving straight North first, so if you look at the map, the route goes anti-clockwise.


Option A - shorter route
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               

This was my original idea, but due to disliking the A9 (one of the most boring roads I have ever driven on), I came up with Option B. However, I think this might be a bit extreme and pushing me to the limit.


Option B - HardCore!
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               

I have cropped additional 10-15 miles on the bottom of each map to conceive my starting point (ie home).

If I account additional time for stops, the option B might push me to driving limits.

At the moment I'm thinking about getting to Aviemore (marked with C on the map) and deciding there whether to go for a better but longer route B or use the most dangerous road in Scotland (because it is the most boring one too) ie A9 and cutting it short.

What do you think, is this a bit too much for one day?

booyaka

a lot of driving just to get away from it. Why not drive a few miles and just get out and go for a walk/cycle in the beautiful country side!

=adrian=

Because I love driving and have seen most stuff around many times already.

That's what we usually do every weekend, drive somewhere and spend few hours walking.

I already done few trips like that few years ago and I was thinking about trip like that for some time. First I prolonged it due to my son being very small and my missus needed all the help I could provide. Then my car started falling to bits, so I couldn't do it as well.

Why now? Why not. My missus can spend a day with my son alone (same as I can the day after), the car seems ok (apart from couple of things, but they shouldn't really affect that day), so why not. It's almost the end of summer, days are getting shorter already. This is as good time as any other.

Also I'll be taking my camera stuff with me and plan to take few photos here and there.

domtheone

Option 2 looks a bit better to me.

Not that i'd know as i've only ever been to Scotland twice.  And one of those times i wasn't driving.

The time that i did though.....

The Morning after an AVF golf day in Edinburgh.

9am.  Instead of driving home back down to Notts, i decided to have a drive around Scotland instead.  Up the A9 to Inverness.  Wasn't too bad.  Some nice scenery, took a few pics etc etc.  Once i reached Inverness, back down the A82.  Wowza.  Great roads.  Amazing scenery (especially around Glencoe/Rannoch Moor).  Stopped several times.  Chilled out.  Took some photos etc etc.

By the time i approached Glasgow, it was 9pm.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that i still had 300 odd miles to get home

Zoomed down the M6 and eventually, around 1am, 600 miles and 16 hours since i left Edinburgh.  I arrived home.

Was an awesome one day road trip.  Some of the best roads i've ever driven.

Have fun

=adrian=

Wow 600 miles!

I already know some of those roads. I've been on A82 few times already (once even spent an hour in a massive traffic jam on it when somebody crashed his motorbike into something and I think died), but the one I really really liked was the A86 from Fort William North-East. Only managed to do half of it but the road and the scenery was amazing.

It was 3 or 4 years ago and this was my route:

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                               
This was clockwise looking at the map.

I can't remember what time I got back home, but I remember I stopped for about 2 hours in Fort William and still managed back home in a reasonable time.

Epicurus

If I lived where you do, I would do option B every Saturday.  Beautiful place to drive.

davepuma

Some suggestions here

http://http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=45&t=1316735&mid=0&nmt=One Day Road Trip in Scotland

I would try and seek out the road recently used by top gear for the Ferrari and jag F type tests which was around pitlochry and maybe around Glencoe where skyfall was filmed but if you are venturing further north, the beleach na ba is amazing. I could drive that every day.....


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=adrian=

If I could get away with that, that's exactly what i'd be doing. Sadly, family commitments and fuel price are not helping.





Thanks, I'll check the recommendations in more detail tonight.

I reckon that the Old Military Road that is my main target for this trip is the place where they filmed some of their stuff as well. It looks great and I've never been on it yet.

gavinl1967

Wow, that is some drive!

It would have to be option B for me every time as the route goes past the The Green Welly - which would of course involve a cake stop

mjn

Will be doing 230 mile round the Lakes on Friday, and then next weekend is 700 miles to the Jura mountains on the French/Swiss border.

Followed by a few miles round the Swiss Alps