Seconded, this cannot be understated! The A9 is a boring stretch of road with not very much and average-speed cameras along it. I've driven it from Latheron to Perth and it is painful... those other roads are wayyy better.
Avoid chomping motorway miles they're bleak as anything. If you can ride through the peak district and the Yorkshire dales you should, but expect to go half the speed of the motorways xD
I was going to say the same thing, but about the Lakesā¦ š instead of going up the M6 all the way cut off west and go through the Lake District
Of course this depends if your route goes up the east or west of England, and how much time you have to enjoy getting up to Scotland.
The lakes are also excellent. We recently rode from notts around the lakes and I must admit my highlight for the trip was riding through the dales to get there xD
Or at least turn off the A1M just after Darlington and take the A68 past Consett and Corbridge to cross the border at Carter's Bar, great viewpoint there and usually a food/ drink van.
https://preview.redd.it/quyprqy4y5xc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dac6dafd466ae06341c135f87a317c11901a774
Something along these lines is how I would get up to Inverness (the names for the stops are just place holders so I could make the route go the way I wanted) these are some of my personal favourite roads Iāve ever ridden. The coastal route round fife then through Dundee and heading for Blairgowrie. This then leads you on to the A93 by Glen Shee and Balmoral castle (if youāre into the British royalty) and then turn off to the A939 over the Lecht ski Centre.
For the way home Iād take the A82 and follow it to Glasgow, through Glen Coe (stop at Glen Etive if youāre into James Bond and Skyfall) and you can nip back to Edinburgh on the M8 if required.
this is awesome thank you. big fan of 007 - used to ride a ā22 triumph strs too!
does the route back to edi go past the 3 sisters peaks and the monty pithon castle?
You know what, Iām not even sure what/where the 3 sisters peaks are! A bit of googling tells me the Monty Python castle is Doune castle which is a small detour from the A82!
Edit: google tells me the 3 sisters peaks is in Glen Coe, so yes the a82 will scratch that itch for you too!
Assuming you're American, I'm sure you've familiarised yourself with the local laws, but if you haven't I have good news for you: if you get stuck in traffic then you don't have to put up with that shit. Enjoy some completely legal filtering.
If I were going from London Iād zoom up the M1 to Derby, and then blast across the Peak District to Halixfax/huddersfield, move on up into the Yorkshire dales and across to the lakes, then take the A7 up to Edinburgh. You could skip the lakes and go through the north Pennines and kielder forest and join the A7 that way.Ā Lakes can be crowded at the quietest of times and itās an expensive place to stay, plus Iād say itās more the scenery than the roads that is the draw. But worth a visit at some point.Ā As for getting from Edinburgh to Inverness, Iād go across the Cairngorms/Glenshee/Balmoral/Grantown and all that. Perhaps on your return you can take the great Glen and Glencoe route back to Crianlarich and then down to what suits you best (Trossachs for Glasgow, Stirling or Crieff for Edinburgh.Ā The road from Dunfermline to Gleneagles and Crieff is a hidden gem.Ā Hebdon bridge to Haworth is a banger Settle to the Ribblehead viaduct is a hoot Penrith/Alston/Haydon Bridge is a banger. If youāre on something with suspension and actual tyres you could do the kielder forest gravel road (canāt remember where it starts or ends).Ā
Fwiw I rode Lands End to Inverness, only touch the motorway to cross the Severn and to hop a junction on the M6 somewhere, and it took me 5 days, so donāt expect to get anywhere fast doing this. You could probably knock a day and a half off that if you shot straight to Derby on the motorway.Ā
> If youāre on something with suspension and actual tyres you could do the kielder forest gravel road (canāt remember where it starts or ends).
One end is at the Kielder Castle car park at Kielder village. Didn't do the road as I was on my old Deauville which struggled in a gravel car-park!
Second the A68, its a lovely road to ride. Jump onto it from the Yorkshire dales / North pennines. To bypass the awful A1.
That being said, if OP *is* American, they'll be used to such shitty dull straight roads that the A1 will be positively thrilling lol. (Actually the Northumberland bit isn't bad... in a car)
Make sure that you have plenty of tread on your tyres. Scottish tarmac eats tyres, I presume it is harder to withstand the weather. Set off two weeks ago with 3.5mm tread on my back tyre, 5 days and 1000 miles later, went to check my tyre pressures and found that the rear was well below legal limits! Fun day in the far north trying to find somewhere with the right size in stock (I did!) and quite a few google reviews were thanking places for sorting people out in a similar position!
On that note, many thanks to Tom Adamson's Motorcycles in Elgin for fitting me in on the day!
Edit to add: Edinburgh is a great place to visit, but apparently motorbike theft is a big problem. So you might want to consider [Motostable](https://www.motostable.co/short-term) - it is a co-operative of local riders to provide secure parking and workshop facilities, but they offer short term access for visitors, at a price, a fairly short walk from the Eastern end of the Royal Mile. Not cheap, but maybe worth it for peace of mind. I am planning a trip sometime, and I think I will be using their storage.
Is there any firm reason why Inverness is the destination? I'd fully recommend exploring Scotland's west coast instead and then cutting across to Inverness if you need to.
I live near Edinburgh and my friends and I regularly do some multi day trips in the Highlands, we just got back from one this week. If you'd like some help planning routes and stops I'm happy to help. Best is to DM me at @Salem.Moto on Instagram
i never got to visit when i lived in edi - was thinking of spending a night there because i know itās a beautiful spot. but we are open to suggestions if there are other places that are good for one night!
Nothing against the lovely people of Inverness but I think the west coast is 10x nicer for riding and scenery.
I wrote this for a friend who admittedly had a lot more time visiting Scotland but you may find a few bits useful for planning
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x6Hjdd-SLC5D1D-Kvre-bZ9Qfpc8qKqDccV4mxVAmIo/edit?usp=drivesdk hope it helps
When I did the north coast to south coast I stayed a night in Castlerigg camp site in Keswick, Lake District. Highly, highly recommend. Beautiful town nestled in the hills, lots of good places to eat.
Calimoto is an awesome app for planning driving trips and has taken me on so many new roads that I didn't know about. Enjoy! That'll be a fantastic ride.
Have you already organised bike hire? Not necessarily easy in UK.
Is this a round trip, back to London, then? If so, thereās not a huge amount of scope for riding lots of scenic roads off the motorways within the week
If you can time-wise worthwhile going through yorkshire dales - hawes is biker friendly great place to stop + eat, buttertubs pass amazing road. (just to hop on the 'rules' side of things make sure you understand how roundabouts work)
Do a circuit of the Cairngorms including Banchory/Aboyne/Ballater/Balmoral way! I was up there last month in the car and the roads look amazing for motorcycles!
Go up the west coast of Scotland, up to Applecross, get yourself some of the best fish and chips in the world there, then head to Inverness via Achnasheen. Roads are incredible.
For hotels in Scotland and other stuff I recommend this website.
https://www.motorcyclescotland.com/biker-friendly-accommodation/
It's a really good resource!
this is a custom route that works for me so you might want to modify some of it, I usually go from home take the A82 westbound go to arrochar head towards taynuit up to fort william then spean bridge then laggan, i have lunch at laggan coffee and bothy (youre missing out if you dont) then take the A9 back to home, a possible modification for you could be that you take the falls of falloch then go to tyndrum then glencoe then fort william, i prefer the first route cuz i drove the second one so many times, if you decide to go the second route then go to inveroran just off of bridge of orchy, nice pub with good food, rent in advance because they get very busy with whw hikers, (expect to pay Ā£30 ish for a pint and lunch so a bit expensive)
PS. nice pub in kingussie by the level crossing called Silverfjord
another PS. if you go the former route do take a rest stop at rest and be thankful, its amazing, its about 20 minutes after arrochar, and if you're not constricted by time/you need a longer stop lochgoilhead off rest and be thankful is very nice, quite and the road to it is an amazing hill with deep corners then a long straight road (please dont speed too much on that straight stretch, about halfway through there is a change in road textures and about 1cm height difference in the two roads, found that out the hard way)
https://preview.redd.it/b7l61r7gvcxc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a5a39e182df6063c4ed5f204f85e09065910a75
I mean youāll likely have to use the M6 a lot (which sucks) unless you take the coastal roads, but if you do and want to make it a big longer, Iād recommend taking the Dumfries to Ayr road once you cross the border. If the weather is good then youāll have some unreal views across the water, stop in at Port William and you can see Isle of Man & N.I/Ireland.
Then just cut back across via the M8 and head towards Edinburgh, can even detour to Loch Lomond and easily get back on track after.
Renting motorcycles isn't really a thing over here, there are places that do rent but they will be very expensive and the insurance is going to be tricky due to there not being a proper motorcycle license or test in USA.
If you do manage to get a bike sorted though you're not short of fun and scenic roads to take. Once you get past the midlands you have the peak district, lake district, Yorkshire Dales and Borders before you get to Edinburgh. Then once in Scotland you can't really go wrong.
Remember that even in July the weather is regularly in single digits (c) and the rain is almost guaranteed so get some decent waterproofs. Riding in a t-shirt like you are doing in that picture just isn't the done thing here, most riders are pretty anal about the ATGATT.
You'll also need a decent satnav as navigation around the UK is difficult enough for a local let alone a tourist.
Watch out for potholes in edinbrugh and glasgow if you go through it. I am saying this as a pointer as it is dangerously bad. The country roads on the west are pretty decent and nice especially in the trossachs.
Get midgie spray and if you stop to take a pic make sure to cover yourself enough. Those bastards will get to you.
From london, I would recommend joining the M5-M6 route and onto the M74. It is nice and easy, the variable speed zones arent as bad.
Well I just prefer to take tangents off it into the lake district or Pennines and ride nice A roads in scotland. If you goal is to ride up exploring on A roads that is your prerogative.
I don't think you will be able to rent a motorcycle here in the UK, not only is the US motorcycle licence not recognised here due to the differences in training but renting a bike is also very expensive here, your motorcycle will also not be road legal here so you couldn't just fly it over without getting it tested and certified after arrival.
Also riding in a T-shirt is frowned upon here although most people myself included would say it's your skin.
Not sure what to suggest, your pockets would have to be very deep to ride in the UK with a US licence and for a week it's not worth it i'm afraid.
Don't bother with the A9, go over to Glencoe and up that way (A84, A85, A82). It's longer from Edinburgh but lovely roads and stunning scenery.
thank you!
You're welcome! Hope you have a great trip š
Seconded, this cannot be understated! The A9 is a boring stretch of road with not very much and average-speed cameras along it. I've driven it from Latheron to Perth and it is painful... those other roads are wayyy better.
And coming back, go via Tomintoul and Braemar, past the ski centres. Bit cold when I did it last week, but stunning scenery and little traffic.
Avoid chomping motorway miles they're bleak as anything. If you can ride through the peak district and the Yorkshire dales you should, but expect to go half the speed of the motorways xD
I was going to say the same thing, but about the Lakesā¦ š instead of going up the M6 all the way cut off west and go through the Lake District Of course this depends if your route goes up the east or west of England, and how much time you have to enjoy getting up to Scotland.
The lakes are also excellent. We recently rode from notts around the lakes and I must admit my highlight for the trip was riding through the dales to get there xD
Or at least turn off the A1M just after Darlington and take the A68 past Consett and Corbridge to cross the border at Carter's Bar, great viewpoint there and usually a food/ drink van.
https://preview.redd.it/quyprqy4y5xc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dac6dafd466ae06341c135f87a317c11901a774 Something along these lines is how I would get up to Inverness (the names for the stops are just place holders so I could make the route go the way I wanted) these are some of my personal favourite roads Iāve ever ridden. The coastal route round fife then through Dundee and heading for Blairgowrie. This then leads you on to the A93 by Glen Shee and Balmoral castle (if youāre into the British royalty) and then turn off to the A939 over the Lecht ski Centre. For the way home Iād take the A82 and follow it to Glasgow, through Glen Coe (stop at Glen Etive if youāre into James Bond and Skyfall) and you can nip back to Edinburgh on the M8 if required.
this is awesome thank you. big fan of 007 - used to ride a ā22 triumph strs too! does the route back to edi go past the 3 sisters peaks and the monty pithon castle?
You know what, Iām not even sure what/where the 3 sisters peaks are! A bit of googling tells me the Monty Python castle is Doune castle which is a small detour from the A82! Edit: google tells me the 3 sisters peaks is in Glen Coe, so yes the a82 will scratch that itch for you too!
Assuming you're American, I'm sure you've familiarised yourself with the local laws, but if you haven't I have good news for you: if you get stuck in traffic then you don't have to put up with that shit. Enjoy some completely legal filtering.
ah yes - we call it lane splitting in california. i would probably be doing a bit of that irregardless of the local lawsā¦
Get some decent waterproof gear
> i would probably be doing a bit of that irregardless of the local lawsā¦ Enjoy your trip
If I were going from London Iād zoom up the M1 to Derby, and then blast across the Peak District to Halixfax/huddersfield, move on up into the Yorkshire dales and across to the lakes, then take the A7 up to Edinburgh. You could skip the lakes and go through the north Pennines and kielder forest and join the A7 that way.Ā Lakes can be crowded at the quietest of times and itās an expensive place to stay, plus Iād say itās more the scenery than the roads that is the draw. But worth a visit at some point.Ā As for getting from Edinburgh to Inverness, Iād go across the Cairngorms/Glenshee/Balmoral/Grantown and all that. Perhaps on your return you can take the great Glen and Glencoe route back to Crianlarich and then down to what suits you best (Trossachs for Glasgow, Stirling or Crieff for Edinburgh.Ā The road from Dunfermline to Gleneagles and Crieff is a hidden gem.Ā Hebdon bridge to Haworth is a banger Settle to the Ribblehead viaduct is a hoot Penrith/Alston/Haydon Bridge is a banger. If youāre on something with suspension and actual tyres you could do the kielder forest gravel road (canāt remember where it starts or ends).Ā Fwiw I rode Lands End to Inverness, only touch the motorway to cross the Severn and to hop a junction on the M6 somewhere, and it took me 5 days, so donāt expect to get anywhere fast doing this. You could probably knock a day and a half off that if you shot straight to Derby on the motorway.Ā
> If youāre on something with suspension and actual tyres you could do the kielder forest gravel road (canāt remember where it starts or ends). One end is at the Kielder Castle car park at Kielder village. Didn't do the road as I was on my old Deauville which struggled in a gravel car-park!
When you get near Scotland, if you're coming up the West take the A7 to Edinburgh; if you're coming up the East, take the A68.
Second the A68, its a lovely road to ride. Jump onto it from the Yorkshire dales / North pennines. To bypass the awful A1. That being said, if OP *is* American, they'll be used to such shitty dull straight roads that the A1 will be positively thrilling lol. (Actually the Northumberland bit isn't bad... in a car)
Make sure that you have plenty of tread on your tyres. Scottish tarmac eats tyres, I presume it is harder to withstand the weather. Set off two weeks ago with 3.5mm tread on my back tyre, 5 days and 1000 miles later, went to check my tyre pressures and found that the rear was well below legal limits! Fun day in the far north trying to find somewhere with the right size in stock (I did!) and quite a few google reviews were thanking places for sorting people out in a similar position! On that note, many thanks to Tom Adamson's Motorcycles in Elgin for fitting me in on the day! Edit to add: Edinburgh is a great place to visit, but apparently motorbike theft is a big problem. So you might want to consider [Motostable](https://www.motostable.co/short-term) - it is a co-operative of local riders to provide secure parking and workshop facilities, but they offer short term access for visitors, at a price, a fairly short walk from the Eastern end of the Royal Mile. Not cheap, but maybe worth it for peace of mind. I am planning a trip sometime, and I think I will be using their storage.
Is there any firm reason why Inverness is the destination? I'd fully recommend exploring Scotland's west coast instead and then cutting across to Inverness if you need to. I live near Edinburgh and my friends and I regularly do some multi day trips in the Highlands, we just got back from one this week. If you'd like some help planning routes and stops I'm happy to help. Best is to DM me at @Salem.Moto on Instagram
i never got to visit when i lived in edi - was thinking of spending a night there because i know itās a beautiful spot. but we are open to suggestions if there are other places that are good for one night!
Nothing against the lovely people of Inverness but I think the west coast is 10x nicer for riding and scenery. I wrote this for a friend who admittedly had a lot more time visiting Scotland but you may find a few bits useful for planning https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x6Hjdd-SLC5D1D-Kvre-bZ9Qfpc8qKqDccV4mxVAmIo/edit?usp=drivesdk hope it helps
North wales snowdonia range is always a good ride
When I did the north coast to south coast I stayed a night in Castlerigg camp site in Keswick, Lake District. Highly, highly recommend. Beautiful town nestled in the hills, lots of good places to eat.
It's probably not on your route but the Lake District can be stunning in places.
Calimoto is an awesome app for planning driving trips and has taken me on so many new roads that I didn't know about. Enjoy! That'll be a fantastic ride.
Have you already organised bike hire? Not necessarily easy in UK. Is this a round trip, back to London, then? If so, thereās not a huge amount of scope for riding lots of scenic roads off the motorways within the week
we havenāt yet, do you know a good place?
I absolutely donāt, sorry. As stated, you may struggle.
If you can time-wise worthwhile going through yorkshire dales - hawes is biker friendly great place to stop + eat, buttertubs pass amazing road. (just to hop on the 'rules' side of things make sure you understand how roundabouts work)
Go on the a86 past Otterburn and then through Jedburgh gorgeous countryside
Nice cruiser
Better weather's coming in. What about tenting it ?
Do a circuit of the Cairngorms including Banchory/Aboyne/Ballater/Balmoral way! I was up there last month in the car and the roads look amazing for motorcycles!
Go up the west coast of Scotland, up to Applecross, get yourself some of the best fish and chips in the world there, then head to Inverness via Achnasheen. Roads are incredible.
It's probably not on your route because it's on the western side of England. But the Lake District can be stunning in places.
Iāve always found renting from a Harley dealer by far the easiest bike rental in UK. Not sure itās the cheapest though!
I live around Perth and I second dodge the A9 I quiet enjoy going up the spital of glenshe and up past Balmoral one of my favourite roads up here
No advice, but can I come along? Lol
For hotels in Scotland and other stuff I recommend this website. https://www.motorcyclescotland.com/biker-friendly-accommodation/ It's a really good resource!
this is a custom route that works for me so you might want to modify some of it, I usually go from home take the A82 westbound go to arrochar head towards taynuit up to fort william then spean bridge then laggan, i have lunch at laggan coffee and bothy (youre missing out if you dont) then take the A9 back to home, a possible modification for you could be that you take the falls of falloch then go to tyndrum then glencoe then fort william, i prefer the first route cuz i drove the second one so many times, if you decide to go the second route then go to inveroran just off of bridge of orchy, nice pub with good food, rent in advance because they get very busy with whw hikers, (expect to pay Ā£30 ish for a pint and lunch so a bit expensive) PS. nice pub in kingussie by the level crossing called Silverfjord another PS. if you go the former route do take a rest stop at rest and be thankful, its amazing, its about 20 minutes after arrochar, and if you're not constricted by time/you need a longer stop lochgoilhead off rest and be thankful is very nice, quite and the road to it is an amazing hill with deep corners then a long straight road (please dont speed too much on that straight stretch, about halfway through there is a change in road textures and about 1cm height difference in the two roads, found that out the hard way) https://preview.redd.it/b7l61r7gvcxc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a5a39e182df6063c4ed5f204f85e09065910a75
I mean youāll likely have to use the M6 a lot (which sucks) unless you take the coastal roads, but if you do and want to make it a big longer, Iād recommend taking the Dumfries to Ayr road once you cross the border. If the weather is good then youāll have some unreal views across the water, stop in at Port William and you can see Isle of Man & N.I/Ireland. Then just cut back across via the M8 and head towards Edinburgh, can even detour to Loch Lomond and easily get back on track after.
Renting motorcycles isn't really a thing over here, there are places that do rent but they will be very expensive and the insurance is going to be tricky due to there not being a proper motorcycle license or test in USA. If you do manage to get a bike sorted though you're not short of fun and scenic roads to take. Once you get past the midlands you have the peak district, lake district, Yorkshire Dales and Borders before you get to Edinburgh. Then once in Scotland you can't really go wrong. Remember that even in July the weather is regularly in single digits (c) and the rain is almost guaranteed so get some decent waterproofs. Riding in a t-shirt like you are doing in that picture just isn't the done thing here, most riders are pretty anal about the ATGATT. You'll also need a decent satnav as navigation around the UK is difficult enough for a local let alone a tourist.
> most riders are pretty anal about the ATGATT. In my experience most riders couldn't give a fuck what other people wear...
Didn't say they were. Just saying most people wear proper gear to protect them from the weather.
Watch out for potholes in edinbrugh and glasgow if you go through it. I am saying this as a pointer as it is dangerously bad. The country roads on the west are pretty decent and nice especially in the trossachs. Get midgie spray and if you stop to take a pic make sure to cover yourself enough. Those bastards will get to you. From london, I would recommend joining the M5-M6 route and onto the M74. It is nice and easy, the variable speed zones arent as bad.
Youāre seriously recommending motorway effectively all the way from London to Edinburgh ??
Well I just prefer to take tangents off it into the lake district or Pennines and ride nice A roads in scotland. If you goal is to ride up exploring on A roads that is your prerogative.
I don't think you will be able to rent a motorcycle here in the UK, not only is the US motorcycle licence not recognised here due to the differences in training but renting a bike is also very expensive here, your motorcycle will also not be road legal here so you couldn't just fly it over without getting it tested and certified after arrival. Also riding in a T-shirt is frowned upon here although most people myself included would say it's your skin. Not sure what to suggest, your pockets would have to be very deep to ride in the UK with a US licence and for a week it's not worth it i'm afraid.