Driving to Scotland :)

Beta Ray Bill

Hey Guys

I'm driving to Scotland on Saturday morning

leaving the house in Dublin @ 03:00
arrive in Larne @ 06:15
get on the Ferry @ 07:15
arrive in Troon @ 09:05
arrive in Dunfermline @ 10.45

Now here's the question after I get a couple of hours sleep I wanna go driving on one of those Scottish highland roads. I only have a day.

Does anyone know the names of good driving roads up there?

Clarkson often tests cars on Top Gear in Scotland. He's been quoted a couple of times saying that Scotland is the best driving place in the world.

Sean Quagmire

Sounds like a good trip! Ever consider going to the isle of man for a spin? You'd need a nippy enough car to get the most out of it I suppose.
what do you drive?

Saab Ed

Just stay away from Glasgow...What a kip along with the drive ( which I had to endure ) to it.

Alun

Try here ...

http://www.funroads.co.uk/category/scotland/

tc20

cool :cool:

i've driven from Glasgow airport up to Inverness a couple of times (family up there) and drove on the A9. Its d/c for a good bit of the trip but becomes a 2+1 road after a while (after Perth iirc). Great scenery when you start to get into the highlands (though i always think scenery is wasted on the driver) but the road is good - smooth surface, nice big sweeping curves... took me about two and a half to three hours, then take the A82 back down by Loch Ness to Fort William, all the way down to Loch Lomond. This leads you back towards Glasgow, from there across to Dunfermline. The A82 is, sorry was the last time i drove it, all single lane. Again the surface is excellent, scenery is stunning, and its more of a 'drivers' road than the A9
Reckon on about 6 hours round trip - which is a lot of driving if you're heading back home as well
What car are you driving btw?

Beta Ray Bill

tc20 wrote: »

cool :cool:

i've driven from Glasgow airport up to Inverness a couple of times (family up there) and drove on the A9. Its d/c for a good bit of the trip but becomes a 2+1 road after a while (after Perth iirc). Great scenery when you start to get into the highlands (though i always think scenery is wasted on the driver) but the road is good - smooth surface, nice big sweeping curves... took me about two and a half to three hours, then take the A82 back down by Loch Ness to Fort William, all the way down to Loch Lomond. This leads you back towards Glasgow, from there across to Dunfermline. The A82 is, sorry was the last time i drove it, all single lane. Again the surface is excellent, scenery is stunning, and its more of a 'drivers' road than the A9
Reckon on about 6 hours round trip - which is a lot of driving if you're heading back home as well
What car are you driving btw?

Driving a 370bhp Evo V

Couple of my Friends are coming too
the Have a V, a VI and an IX

Should be fun!

tc20

grahambo wrote: »

Driving a 370bhp Evo V

Couple of my Friends are coming too
the Have a V, a VI and an IX

Should be fun!

excellent!! make it 4 and a half hour round trip so

edit - tip: watch your fuel before you get into the highlands - stations are few and far between, and those Evo's are thirsty buggers

Beta Ray Bill

tc20 wrote: »

excellent!! make it 4 and a half hour round trip so

edit - tip: watch your fuel before you get into the highlands - stations are few and far between, and those Evo's are thirsty buggers

Hehe

Should be fun alright!

I'll bring a few Jerry Cans with me hehe!

stealthyspeeder

Unless your 370 bhp Evo is getting towed by a tractor to larne at 3am on Saturday morning, it will not take 3 hours!!

I reckon you could could be in with a chance of breaking the Dublin to Belfast Land speed record currently held by myself! (PM me if you want the target time!)

The road from Stranrear to Ayr is a classic by the way (camera's in some part but you Irish reg should help with that!)

tc20

Good man - let us know how you get on :cool:

furtzy

Did a driving holiday a couple of years back in Scotland. Went everywhere and did over 1000miles in a week.

The A82 to Oban is a great road. Perfect surface, sweeping bends and stunning scenery.

The drive over the 5 sisters of Kintail mountains to the Isle of Syke is also stunning. The views are amazing. Drove over it in a complete whiteout with nearly a foot of snow on the road....brown trouser time!

irisheddie85

Scotland is an amazing country, drove across it once in a fiesta. Four of us with the boot full of stuff, the suspension didnt like it and couldnt push it even if we tried, I think we hit 90 going down a hill. I just drove from the ferry to edinburough beautiful roadif you stay off the motorway. Amazing scenery everywhere. I'd love to do what you are doing in a proper car

Omcd

Once you've Glasgow behind you, driving up past Loch Lomond, through Glencoe / Fort William to Skye is indeed truely stunning. Very narrow road along Loch Lomond though, had to wait a while to let trucks find ways around each other, but it was still well worth it, more time to take in the scenery. Watch out for flying Scotsmen coming sideways around the bends in clapped out Xantias and the like. That was 10 years ago , the quality of road may have improved since. The road from Skye to Inverness past Loch Ness wasn't quite so inspiring, but there's quite a lot of good scenery coming back the other side from Inverness towards Dundee. Don't plan on stopping by the roadside too much though, I remember a sign coming out of Inverness saying 'No stopping for 110 miles' :eek:

schoolbag2

stealthyspeeder wrote: »

I reckon you could could be in with a chance of breaking the Dublin to Belfast Land speed record currently held by myself! (PM me if you want the target time!)

Ya reckon:rolleyes:, i guarantee you my time is faster and that was done when there was flip all motorway

afatbollix

heading over in november for a rally... should be ceeper to drive over than a flight / hire a car..

what ferry goes to Troon?

never got a ferry before.. is it like flights where its cheeper ages before hand or is it the same price a week before hand? any one with discount codes for the ferrys?

schoolbag2

afatbollix wrote: »

heading over in november for a rally... should be ceeper to drive over than a flight / hire a car..

what ferry goes to Troon?

never got a ferry before.. is it like flights where its cheeper ages before hand or is it the same price a week before hand? any one with discount codes for the ferrys?

where are u coming from? if dublin keep an eye out on norkfolkline.com, they have good offers on their overnight ferry to liverpool, leaves dublin at 10pm docks at 5am(cabin included), wake up fresh a 4or5 hr drive to the rally

ferry from belfast-scotland is about 3hrs and the boats are pieces of crap(unless u get stena HSS)

stealthyspeeder

schoolbag2 wrote: »

Ya reckon:rolleyes:, i guarantee you my time is faster and that was done when there was flip all motorway

No. No its not.:D

You need the motorway, and you need the motorway to be empty to put my time in!

Anan1

stealthyspeeder wrote: »

No. No its not.:D

You need the motorway, and you need the motorway to be empty to put my time in!

And there was me thinking you'd be mature enough not to rise to that.;)

schoolbag2

Anan1 wrote: »

And there was me thinking you'd be mature enough not to rise to that.;)

how did you make out he was mature in the first place considering that he was boasting about speeding.

anyway back on topic,

if you are booking stena line use the discount code V780, it gives about 15% off and book your ferry via .co.uk as it is a bit cheaper

Graham_B18C

Is it just me or does something not add up here?!

schoolbag2 wrote: »

Ya reckon:rolleyes:, i guarantee you my time is faster and that was done when there was flip all motorway

schoolbag2 wrote: »

how did you make out he was mature in the first place considering that he was boasting about speeding.

stealthyspeeder

Anan1 wrote: »

And there was me thinking you'd be mature enough not to rise to that.;)

how naive of you!!:P

schoolbag2 wrote: »

how did you make out he was mature in the first place considering that he was boasting about speeding.

Im normally try and keep the posts as mature as I can, but you found my weak spot!!

For driving in scotland, the roads around the east coast of Loch Lomand (prob spelt wrong but the big one a good bit north of glassgow!) are very scenic, bit bumpy and twisty with long sweeping corners, definately Evo Territory!

Anan1

schoolbag2 wrote: »

how did you make out he was mature in the first place considering that he was boasting about speeding.

I know you're only new here, and you're very welcome. Go a little easier on the attitude though, will you?

schoolbag2

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Is it just me or does something not add up here?!

What does not add up for you my child? I never claimed to be mature, the mature coment was directed at notsostealthyspeeder by Anan1.

lynchie

afatbollix wrote: »

heading over in november for a rally... should be ceeper to drive over than a flight / hire a car..

what ferry goes to Troon?

never got a ferry before.. is it like flights where its cheeper ages before hand or is it the same price a week before hand? any one with discount codes for the ferrys?

P&O Larne - Troon. Doesnt run during the winter months. As for pricing, its a little more than the regular ferry to Cairnryan / Stranraer.

Anan1

schoolbag2 wrote: »

What does not add up for you my child? I never claimed to be mature, the mature coment was directed at notsostealthyspeeder by Anan1.

* sighs * Hopefully when you come back next week you'll be in nicer form.

tc20

(Mods, dont kill this as a resurrected thread just yet)

Grahambo - i see you're online, just wondering how the trip went?

Beta Ray Bill

trip went great mate

I posted a load of pics over on the MLR (cant really remember if I posted em here or not)

I'll have a look and edit this post.

Beta Ray Bill

grahambo wrote: »

trip went great mate

I posted a load of pics over on the MLR (cant really remember if I posted em here or not)

I'll have a look and edit this post.

didnt post the pics

I'll have em up in a short while

Regards
G.

Beta Ray Bill

Ill post more later

tc20

great stuff!

what track is that? In Scotland?

Beta Ray Bill

tc20 wrote: »

great stuff!

what track is that? In Scotland?

Knockhill

Smashing Circuit!

tc20

just had a google at their website, looks pretty good! I'd never heard of Knockhill before. Di d you take your cars on track too, or were you there as spectators?


http://www.knockhill.com/index.php

Seniorpeazel

Knockhills such a fun track... and they have the rally track there too!!

Went on a day out with some mates on the rally track in the Sierra 4x4's they have there... Great Day!

Beta Ray Bill

Beta Ray Bill

tc20

Looks like an Evo fan boy meet
How did you find the drive there? Did you go anywhere beyond Knockhill for a spin?

Beta Ray Bill

well there were ALOT of evos

but there were others there too, i'll get em up later

Short back road drive we took <= this was good fun

Beta Ray Bill

Beta Ray Bill

Beta Ray Bill

Graham_B18C

Read about that Buddy Club DC5 in Jap Performance a few months back, some yoke!

Is the silver Evo your's Grahambo or the white one?

Beta Ray Bill

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Read about that Buddy Club DC5 in Jap Performance a few months back, some yoke!

Is the silver Evo your's Grahambo or the white one?

white 1 belongs to me

Graham_B18C

grahambo wrote: »

white 1 belongs to me

Nice one! God....I'd love an Evo...!

Beta Ray Bill

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Nice one! God....I'd love an Evo...!

Just buy one dude

you wont regret it (so long as you don't buy a banger!)

Graham_B18C

grahambo wrote: »

Just buy one dude

you wont regret it (so long as you don't buy a banger!)

Only 22, not worth the insurance! Been saving for a very long time and I finally have enough for my Teg Type R and I plan on looking for a nice one after my hols, twill be my first performance car so it'll feel like a bullit to me!

Next fast car will be an Evo...when i've aged a bit!

Beta Ray Bill

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Only 22, not worth the insurance! Been saving for a very long time and I finally have enough for my Teg Type R and I plan on looking for a nice one after my hols, twill be my first performance car so it'll feel like a bullit to me!

Next fast car will be an Evo...when i've aged a bit!

are ya going to be going for a DC2 or DC5?

I've been in the DC5 and DC2

DC2 is better in my opinion, problem is finding one in good condition. alot of them are abused.

Graham_B18C

DC2, cant afford the DC5! Yeah I know about alot of em are abused, sure its the same with any high power jap mobile!

Beta Ray Bill

Grahamo999 wrote: »

DC2, cant afford the DC5! Yeah I know about alot of em are abused, sure its the same with any high power jap mobile!

that's true

my advice to you is buy one off a jap importer or of someone you know has looked after their Car.

get on to the Integra forums too and start talking to people and you'll get an idea of what to expect/look out for.

Also if a car you go to look at has a roll cage in it, it's more than likely been on a track regularly... so stay away.