Driving roads in Scotland

[JOCKER]

Last time I posted this I had a great response and based on the recommendations I had a great little drive on the way back from Edinburgh to the NW.

 

Well, Im on another adventure in a  couple of weeks in the tin top, and am looking for another series of great driving roads/recommendations

 

Leg 1  - Cheshire to Inverness (looking for some recommendation North of Glasgow)

 

Leg 2 - Inverness to Dundee (don't mind going the long way on this one)

 

Leg 3 - Dundee to Edinburgh (don't have much time for this leg)

 

Leg 4 - Edinburgh to South Ayshire 

 

Leg 5 - South Ayshire to NW (I'll be going via Dumfries and hitting the Motorway)

 

Cheers

Jocker

 

[Welly Jen]

Hello Jocker,

I used to live in Ayrshire. The Southern Uplands don't have many roads, but they are all great driving roads and largely empty of traffic once you get off the main trunk routes. You can take your pick really. The A713 was my favourite to get from Ayr to Dumfries. Twisty turns going up the valley's, then long sweeping curves over the tops. Only a few villages to go through. You can either follow this road all the way to Castle Douglas, then take the A75 to Dumfries and the motorway, or come off at Carsphairn and take B roads direct to Dumfries, or get off around New Galloway and take the A712 to cut the corner. The A75 is a trunk road and busy with lorries going to the ferry at Stranraer, so I'd avoid as much of it as I can.

 

I've used the A74 too, and it is a good road, but the 713 is better and emptier.

 

From Edinburgh, the A70 is OK, but I'd try to string together some B roads instead.

 

I don't know the region in the east around Dundee. For the Highlands all I can say is avoid the A9. A trunk road with average speed cameras. I'd go up the West side to Fort Bill, then through the Great Glen to get to Inverness.

 

Most of my experience is from the '90's, so some of the roads have been spoiled a bit with calming and speed traps since then. I went back with the Westfield last year and there is still a lot of fun driving to be had. You'll have a good time.

 

Jen

[Welly Jen]

There's more!

In Ayrshire you can take the coast road down to Girvan. This has the Croy Electric Brae, an optical illusion, where if you stop your car it will seem to roll back up hill! On a good day (They happen even in Scotland!) you have excellent views over the Firth of Clyde to Arran and Ailsa Craig. You can then take the A714 to Newton Stewart. From there to Dumfries, if you have the time, you can follow the coast through Kirkcudbright (pronounced Kircudbrigh), missing out that stretch of the A74.

 

Jen

[mi7rennie]

Inverness to Nairn, to the Lecht, to Braemar then on to Dundee.

 

I know from the Lecht onwards is great fun!

 

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=inverness&daddr=57.5803172,-3.8816184+to:Lecht+Ski+Centre,+Strathdon,+United+Kingdom+to:Braemar,+United+Kingdom+to:Dundee,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&sll=56.972413,-3.600029&sspn=1.547925,3.306885&geocode=FY0KbQMdL4m__ykr3hctW3GPSDE9xD4u0QlDYg%3BFR2bbgMdbsXE_ynjhFNg_n-PSDE9_nheM4wkCA%3BFSzRaAMdyHHO_yHl-4QA4IfatCk1rLFnQcGFSDHl-4QA4IfatA%3BFRHZZQMdcCbM_ynD0-npWOSFSDFNeoNqkRaN1w%3BFcKKXQMdn6vS_ynTnGOrREGGSDEq5Us4HjvklA&oq=dun&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=8&via=1&t=m&z=8

[Davep1]

Leg 5 :

If you can make the detour to the SW (Dumfries and Galloway) its well worth it - very very quiet roads (Except A75) and brilliant scenery.

 

Would concur with WellyJen's recommendations from Girvan and use the A712 / A713 to get to Castle Douglas.

A712 (Queens Highway) has loads of stopping places with Red deer range, Goat park, lochs etc.

 

From there, if you have time, follow the A710 coast (Via Dalbeattie) road to Dumfries. Good views across the Solway Firth to the lake district.

 

The A75 from Dumfries to the M6 is being dug up at the moment and just full of ferry trucks, so, again if you have time take a loop south on the B724 from Collin via Ruthwell to Annan and rejoin the A75 (Avoid Annan town centre!!).

 

To summarise, my route would be :

Girvan - A714 - Newton Stewart - A712 - New Galloway - A713 - Castle Douglas - A745 - Dalbeattie - A710 - Dumfries - B724 - Annan - A75 - Gretna (M6).

 

If you need any local tips or hostelry recommendations, let me know.

Cheers,

Dave.

[Doug Dastardly]

AFAIK there's no average speed camera's on the perth to inverness bit of the A9 (before January anyway), there's a couple of fixed and sometimes a mobile though. Anyway I agree about missing it out and.............

 

From Glasgow travel down the side of loch Lomond and then loch ness. I can't remember all the road numbers but that's the gist of it and you can't go too far wrong. It will be longer but is as scenic as you like.

 

Also agree about going to Dundee via the lecht.

 

If you need any help in Inverness area just ask.

[JOCKER]

Thanks for the suggestions all. Will let you know which routes I end up taking