Another Scotland Road Trip Thread

[Explosive Newt]

I'm planning on hiring from Perth in mid August.
Then I was going to press West to Fort William and Mallaig
Then head up to Uig
Then loop back inland to Inverness
Before heading up to Ullapool
Then probably a less eventful drive back to Perth

I was thinking of doing this over Monday to Friday (or Thursday).

Good roads and places to stay recommendations would be very helpful... my accomodation budget is probably £1000 for the week.

I was hoping to hire the F type again from Supercar Hire Scotland but checking it is currently SORN so whatever happened to it last year may have been terminal.

[mik]

If you are going to be in Perth anyway, then you really want to:

> take the A93 up to Glenshee
> catch your breath at the mahoosive car park (highest road point in the UK), before running on to Braemar. A lovely sweeping section.
> After Braemar, pick up the A939 towards the Lecht ski slope. Possibly my favourite UK road. (Turn left about 8 miles out of Braemar onto the B976 - narrow section for about 5 miles before you get to the A939). You'll take this all the way to Grantown On Spey.
> set your nav to Fort William. You have to do a few miles on the now deathly dull average speed cameras everywhere A9, but you will jump onto the A86 after Kingussie, heading for Spean Bridge, and then the (busier) A82 into Fort William.

[Jobbo]

We stayed in the Royal Hotel in Ullapool and would stay there again. It's bigger and not as personal but the room was really nice and it has decent car parking.

Near Inverness, my stepsister is co-owner a very nice place for breakfast or cakes called MNM's cafe in Nairn: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2SRdz5LfEF862F6D6 - some of the tastiest lorne sausage I've had.
I haven't stayed there because I stayed with my family but the Invernairne Guest House is a boutique hotel near their house and seems quite reasonably priced; I did walk through the grounds. https://invernairne.co.uk/rooms/ - worth considering if it's not too far out of your way. The hotel backs straight onto the beach if you fancy a swim.

[Ascender]

If you are going to be in Perth anyway, then you really want to:

> take the A93 up to Glenshee
> catch your breath at the mahoosive car park (highest road point in the UK), before running on to Braemar. A lovely sweeping section.
> After Braemar, pick up the A939 towards the Lecht ski slope. Possibly my favourite UK road. (Turn left about 8 miles out of Braemar onto the B976 - narrow section for about 5 miles before you get to the A939). You'll take this all the way to Grantown On Spey.
> set your nav to Fort William. You have to do a few miles on the now deathly dull average speed cameras everywhere A9, but you will jump onto the A86 after Kingussie, heading for Spean Bridge, and then the (busier) A82 into Fort William.

I missed this thread, but echo what @mik says and like @Jobbo found out, there's sections of the NC500, particularly on the east coast where you're better off heading inland, off the A9 for far more interesting twisty roads.

If there's places you really want to go, you can always pick up the A9 again and just double back if you need to, its not massive distances.

[Explosive Newt]

Thanks everyone for suggestions!

I might be being ambitious but
Day 1 arrive Perth pm, Perth to Aberfeldy
Day 2 Aberfeldy to Glencoe for lunch, push on to somewhere on Skye in the afternoon (tbc where)
Day 3 explore a bit then Skye to Ullapool
Day 4 Ullapool to Ballater then Ballater to Perth

I don't know if the push East on the final day is a bit of an over-reach, but Mik made that road sound very good.

[mik]

Strangely, I was in Aberfeldy last week. Roads around the area aren’t that busy, but many of them are pretty tight. Nice wee place though.

[Gavin]

I have driven all the roads @Mik mentions and concur with the recomendations.

The roads on Skye are lovely to go slowly with stops but are likely to be too busy to push on and are often single lan with passing places.

I know you are heading West and North, but there is a reason that the Borders roads get used by the EVO road testers and there are so many crisscrossing the Borders, should you venture this way, I can give you more details, as can others on here, I am sure.

[Explosive Newt]

Well I'm thinking about how I had south now so I could pass through the borders on the way back.

The guy from Supercar Hire Scotland never came back to me so I think I will be doing this in the Tesla. Have mapped out charging points and it seems feasible.