Scooting around Scotland and most of the NC500 (with lots of photos)

[VPS]

So there have been a few of us discussing Scotland on this thread http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ation-guide/scotland-2018-planning-81305.html and now I'm here I'm going to share my trip - I'm still in Scotland and not sure how much I'll get done this week but this is a start.

There may be a few comments that I normally wouldn't put in a TR but I know there are others about to do it and things like laundrettes that are hidden are very useful to know

I'm travelling on my own and had hired a car from Hertz. I had been sick the week before I left and wasn't sure if i was going to go so hadn't booked any accommodation but made sure I booked something at least one or two days ahead. It was OK but I wouldn't recommend it at that time of the year if you're particularly fussy.

So I left Reading and drove up to Scotland - I had a thing that I actually wanted to spend the first night in Scotland so I made it as far as Gretna Green so just in Scotland and stayed at Smiths at Gretna Green 4 Star Luxury Hotel Accommodation & Weddings The rooms were fine, quite large and clean - it's a reasonably new hotel. The food was fairly ordinary but the staff were all very pleasant.

The obligatory Gretna Green photos





Playing for the American tourists



The bonny banks of Loch Lomond


Loch Lomond - self sufficient in power

 

[VPS]

This pink flower was by the side of the road a lot in Wales and Scotland - not sure what it is but its very pretty which probably means its a weed.



An old church on the edge of a loch they are trying to restore

 

[VPS]

Oban - beautiful little town with a really busy harbour - lots of ferries chugging in and out. I really liked it and wished I could have stayed longer (and a great fish restaurant for dinner as well at Oban Seafood Restaurant, Lobster, Crab, Langoustine, Mussels, Argyll Scotland - Ee-Usk)

Oh and if you need washing done while you're in Oban there's machines in the car park of a service station about 2 miles out of Oban!!

 

[Denali]

Following and looking forward to it! Thanks

 

[RB]

Some fantastic photos already. Looking forward to following. What type of car have you hired?

 

[OZDUCK]

Enjoying it so far. Not an expert but my google research says that the pink flowers are Rosebay Willowherb https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=993 , and yes a weed.

 

[VPS]

Enjoying it so far. Not an expert but my google research says that the pink flowers are Rosebay Willowherb https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=993 , and yes a weed.

Yep that looks like them - thanks

 

[VPS]

Some fantastic photos already. Looking forward to following. What type of car have you hired?

I went with Hertz for long term rental ie more than 28 days and they upgraded me to a Renault Kadjar - it's quite a solid car and easy to drive

 

[VPS]

A random ruined castle I thought but apparently Monty Python has used it



From Oban to Fort William

 

[VPS]

More from Oban to Fort William and a walk around Glencoe. Glencoe is free for National Trust members and quite a good interpretive centre and a couple of walks - I just did a 30 minute loop walk which was quite easy and very few people around.

 

[VPS]

35 years ago I caught the train from Fort William to Mallaig and it made a huge impact because it was so beautiful. It was still just as beautiful.


I really wanted to stop at the Glenfinnan viaduct but you couldn't get a park within a mile so just carried on. There are lots of places to stop on the road from Fort William to Mallaig and I pulled into one and just as I did the train came along and a couple of hours later in Mallaig it arrived.



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[VPS]

Mallaig doesn't have a lot going for it - there are a lot of day trippers that come in on the steam train. I caught the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale on the Isle of Skye because it was actually quicker than driver around to get to where I wanted to go. When you get on the ferry they do tell you to disable your car alarm and sure enough as soon as it started to get bumpy all the car alarms started go off.

I stayed the night in Kyleakin at the second worst Airbnb ever - just awful but the next night was a fantastic one with a view of Eilean Donan castle

Kyleakin






Plockton where Hamish Macbeth was filmed - it was p!ssing down when I was there but didn't seem to have much going for it

 

[VPS]

Eilean Donan castle - can get really busy so my landlady suggested you go early in the morning of late afternoon.







Heather just seems to grow anywhere







There's a pub in Dornie which is just across the road and if you go into the town you'll see a sign saying Carr Brae lookout - it's only a few minutes up the road and it's the first main turn in - there's no signs but you do get good views of the castle from up here.

There's also a laundry at the back of the Dornie hotel that the public can use after 2pm or a laundrette in Kyle of Localsh down the road. I've forgotten how depressing it is sitting in laundries and ended up being chatted to by some dude who felt he needed to share that he wasn't wearing any underpants because he didn't have any clean ones and wanted to put everything in the wash - WAYYY too much information.

 

[VPS]

Cemetry on the Isle of Skye - very windswept but had some Commonwealth graves in there





Bridge from Skye




Sunset over Eilean Donan Castle

 

[VPS]

Start of my first bit of the NC500 - it took me a lot longer than google maps says but I did stop quite a lot for photos and just to look at the view.

If someone has an inventive streak could they please design something that is a hand wave that you can push a button on the steering wheel. Everyone time you waited or someone else waited you waved and I must have waved over 100 times - oh and if you're going to invent that could you also have an option for sorry and effwit

The road here wasn't too bad but it got quite high and I don't like heights much so I just concentrated on the road but the scenery was spectacular.

These photos are from Strathcarron to Applecross.

 

[VPS]

More Strathcarron to Applecross









Just after Applecross

 

[VPS]

At Applecross they had a sign saying the were the best icecream and I had the almond and apricot and it was fantastic - hard work to get back there though for another one

Applecross Inn-Side Out - Applecross Inn

The road from Applecross to Shieldaig was some of the prettiest coastline I have ever seen - just beautiful - I'd suggest driving it clockwise so you always have the sea on your left. These photos just don't do it justice.

 

[VPS]

There are sheep everywhere and they aren't fenced it so just wander all over the road. At one stage a goat just bounced (not jumped) off the hill side onto the road in front of me, glared at me and bounced off again



Lots of ruins to do up if you like Restoration Man or Grand Designs



My first coo (lots more close ups to come)



Mates snuggling up because the whole place was really windy

 

[RooFlyer]

Great going, thanks.

 

[love_the_life]

I didn't like those single land roads in the highlands much - somehow I was the one who had to reverse up.

Great photos VPS; looking forward to reading more.