Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Cycle Tours => Topic started by: JWestland on July 30, 2013, 05:59:45 PM
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Hi -
So my parents have Koga's. I have a Thorn. Le Manfriend has a trailer. And my parents went: Hey why don't we go cycle the Scottish Highlands! Would love to do that!
Well. Sounds great bar...
We need to come in from Belfast. A ferry is needed + train to get up. We land on the Westcoast of England.
My parents need to come in from Netherlands, another ferry, they land on the Eastcoast of England.
Then we all need to meet somewhere and travel up to the Highlands which are...err...did I say they are up high? More travel.
Has anybody undertaking such a trip from either Netherlands or (Norn) Ireland and has some tips/caveats to share? How much hours of travel is involved? As it sounds to me it's a LOT of travel...maybe there's places in England that are fantastic too and we can kick it off there, then move to Highlands another time.
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Hey what's wrong with kerry cork clare gods own cycling country. ;)
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Jawine,
There may be some help here, either from the OP or the followup posters:
http://www.wereldfietser.nl/phpbb/search.php?keywords=scotland&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
Best,
Dan. (...who thinks it sounds a fabulous trip no matter how you approach it, but urges you to pack the Picaridin)
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Presumably you would, or could, come in to Stranraer, and your parents might come in to Newcastle? Is there still a ferry from Ijmuiden to Newcastle? We took it 3 years ago after a few days in Amsterdam . . . .
In which case why not look at Dumfries and Galloway?? Lovely cycling routes and not as far as the Highlands - OK, not as High either. But not so much onward travelling for either contingent.
Dumfries has a lot of quiet road cycling as well as some hairy off road routes. If you do go further north, an area I enjoyed very much last year was Ardnamurchan and Loch Shiel - Resipole, round to Glenfinnan, then down the tracks to the east of Lock Shiel. Beautiful and still not as far as some parts.
Good luck
lewis
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The ferry runs Ijmuiden to Newcastle, great overnight crossing, short cycle to Newcastle then the train to Edinburgh or Glasgow. You can get the ferry Larne to Cairnryan or Belfast to Troon then train to Glasgow or Edinburgh to meet up. Then take you pick of the best of the Highlands.
Bob
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I can second Dumfries and Galloway area. I lived there for 18 years. Very good for cycling and some great off road trails. Just moved to Aberdeen area and have still to find areas to compare. Guess I am nearer the high hills.
Matt
Presumably you would, or could, come in to Stranraer, and your parents might come in to Newcastle? Is there still a ferry from Ijmuiden to Newcastle? We took it 3 years ago after a few days in Amsterdam . . . .
In which case why not look at Dumfries and Galloway?? Lovely cycling routes and not as far as the Highlands - OK, not as High either. But not so much onward travelling for either contingent.
Dumfries has a lot of quiet road cycling as well as some hairy off road routes. If you do go further north, an area I enjoyed very much last year was Ardnamurchan and Loch Shiel - Resipole, round to Glenfinnan, then down the tracks to the east of Lock Shiel. Beautiful and still not as far as some parts.
Good luck
lewis
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Edinburgh is great, stayed there with Le Manfriend for a few days last year.
Thanks for the tips, will pass it on to the folk! They went cycling around the Bodensee this summer.
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Hey what's wrong with kerry cork clare gods own cycling country. ;)
That's an option too ;)
The cycling routes in Northern Ireland are beautiful BTW the scenic route is fantastic. Unfortunately it's on roads, so avoid during rush hour.
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Agree totally with Lewis. D&G is a fantastic cycling area. Ardnamurchan is also brilliant, and reasonably accessable.
Try a west-coast trail goign from glasgow via arran via oban to ardnamurchan, back to fort william and train back to glasgow ?
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We need to come in from Belfast. A ferry is needed + train to get up. We land on the Westcoast of England.
My parents need to come in from Netherlands, another ferry, they land on the Eastcoast of England.
Surely from Belfast you would land on the west coast of Scotland, either at Cairnryan or Troon?
The whole of southern Scotland is a cycling paradise with quiet scenic roads, not just Dumfries & Galloway, further east is excellent too, maybe even better.
It maybe lacks the dramatic landscapes of the northern highlands but there is plenty of interest and geeat cycling.
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Ah yeah OR westcoast of Scotland. I passed the message on to my dad, see what my parents say.
Not sure it happens this year, as the manfriend very busy in August. In September the Monsoon Season starts again...
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Well, it's looking like the trip is on! June next year is the plan.
Will post about it here. Maybe you will see some Dutch people and one Frenchman pottering about on a road near you.
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Well, it's looking like the trip is on! June next year is the plan.
Absolutely wonderful news, Jawine!Will post about it here.
Yay! Lookin' for'd to the details.Maybe you will see some Dutch people and one Frenchman pottering about on a road near you.
Hopefully!
Best,
Dan.
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looking like the trip is on! June next year is the plan
Jawine, sounds brilliant! So nice to make trip with your parents and your Significant Other.
I do recall seeing on CGOAB a few weeks back, an account by some people who rode LEJoG via the Western Highlands, due north from Ft William instead of taking the Great Glen route & then the eastern coast. Sounded demanding but quiet and beautiful.
Look forward to hearing your plans & story! I have a "sort-of plan" to ride LEJoG, but have to wait 'til I can do so from late May and into June ... so not this coming year. My hiking in the Western Highlands in June a few years back was, er, a bit wet. But worth doing nonetheless -- hasn't put me off a cycling trip to the Auld Sod.
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My dad picked June as according to the statistics that's the dryest month in Scotland.
But if the weather there is as consistent as it is in Norn Ire...
:D
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Might be good to get rualexander's advice: Scotland is brilliantly sunny on his routes -- we have super photographic evidence!
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I did LEJoG in 2006 and went from Dumfries to Arran to Oban, Fort William, then used the Caledonian canal path for quite a way en route to Inverness. Then sort of up the middle to Bonar Bridge, Crask (a must do for cyclists), Altinharra and Tongue.
It's all good. And the natives are friendly as long as you don't have an English flag on your panniers.
Cheeers,
pj
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In the Highlands we usually get the best of our summer May into June, Sunny, no/few midges, fewer tourists clogging the roads. That is usually though not always. The first half of this year (2013) it hardly rained at all here on the west coast (we had many hill fires due to drought conditions) whilst else where in the UK floods were common.
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Might be good to get rualexander's advice: Scotland is brilliantly sunny on his routes -- we have super photographic evidence!
Yes, but I take very few photos when it is wet and windy!
Agree with macspud that May and June are the best months for weather on average.
Away from the central belt and the busier trunk routes, you can't really go wrong for quality cycling in Scotland, if you get the right weather.
Proof that the sun doesn't always shine :
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Dang! Rual, great fotos as always, but now I feel I'm losing my innocent dreams at such a tender age ... J.
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wow that last photo tells a story :o
looks super tough lovely but tough.
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I did LEJoG in 2006 and went from Dumfries to Arran to Oban, Fort William, then used the Caledonian canal path for quite a way en route to Inverness. Then sort of up the middle to Bonar Bridge, Crask (a must do for cyclists), Altinharra and Tongue.
It's all good. And the natives are friendly as long as you don't have an English flag on your panniers.
Cheeers,
pj
Well living in NI taught me to stay away from flags anyway... :P
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My dad is a bit concerned about the train trip from Newcastle to Dumfries with the bikes.
Are they OK if you phone in ahead that you are bringing bikes? Or is it sometimes busy and you can get left behind?
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You need reservations. Although you can make these up to the point of departure you would be much better to make them in advance, as space is limited. The East Coast Rail site (http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-our-trains/baggage-and-pets/cycles/) is recommended for being able to book cycle spaces with your tickets - despite the name it covers the whole of the UK.
Once you have chosen your train, tick the box to choose seat reservations. The drop-down list includes bicycle options. If there isn't space available it will be flagged up so that you can choose a different train.
Actually I just tried it and couldn't get it to work for the direct train. It does if you change at Carlisle (not a difficult change). Maybe an email or phone call would help.
Edit: I see the direct train is Northern Rail which doesn't do reservations (https://www.northernrail.org/travel/cycling/bikes-on-trains) - just turn up and take your chance. Only two bikes per train and not many trains at that...... And then I can't get the NE site to do seat reservations on the Carlisle-Dumfries leg....
In other words, plan well in advance :)
No need to worry - see rualexander's and bobs' posts below. :)
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There are direct services from Newcastle - Dumfries operated by ScotRail. These trains take 6 bikes. It is better to book in advance and you can do it on the ScotRail website at no cost.
Bob
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There are direct services from Newcastle - Dumfries operated by ScotRail. These trains take 6 bikes. It is better to book in advance and you can do it on the ScotRail website at no cost.
Bob
I've just tried it on the Scotrail site and can't find any bike booking option there???? That service is operated by Northern Rail.
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The direct trains from Newcastle - Dumfries are Scotrail trains.
http://www.scotrail.co.uk/cycling
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You must have a better source of information. I'm happy to admit that I am being dumb, but your link makes no mention of that route at all, let alone that it is operated by Scotrail.
All the booking sites that I have tried, including Scotrail's, agree that that service is operated by Northern Rail, which takes two bikes per train on a first com, first serve basis.
I would love to find the Scotrail service with 6 bikes as I have a tour in mind.... could you post it?
Thanks
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You need to download the pdf timetable from Scotrail via bobs' link above, Glasgow to Newcastle service, there are three direct trains a day which pass through and stop at Dumfries. There are several other trains per day listed with the Newcastle arrival time in italics which indicates that the Scotrail portion of the journey ends in Carlisle and you have to get a connecting service to Newcastle.
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I would love to find the Scotrail service with 6 bikes as I have a tour in mind.... could you post it?
Scotrail operate direct services Glasgow - Newcastle via Carlisle. These are Scotrail units with 6 bike spaces, Scotrail crews work the services between Glasgow and Carlisle and then its Northern crews Carlisle to Newcastle. The same applies in reverse. Finding a space on the train should not be a problem. If you phone the number given they can advise you.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Glas-Newcastle13.pdf
Bob
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Many thanks guys - that's great. The OP should be reassured, too :).
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Thanks :)
So...summary short: If my parents phone ahead they really shouldn't get stranded?
As my dad found out you have to phone ahead, but I think he's still nervous they may be left on the platform. So he's considering leaving a day earlier and pedalling down.
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I doubt very much that they would not find space even if they didn't book .
Bob
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In June you won't have hit the main holiday season yet - with space for 6 bikes on the train and starting from the beginning of the run at Newcastle, it is very unlikely that there would be a problem.
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Okies! Tx will let my dad know.