Road Trips: Routes, Photos and Videos!

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After this weekend failed car trip where both, my missus and my son, started moaning after only an hour in the car. I decided to go alone next weekend. Just like before my son was born, leave early and spend all day driving. I have Saturday for myself, while she gets the Sunday.

So at the moment I have two options planned. Which one I'll choose will depend on few factors:
  • weather
  • tiredness
  • mood

In both options I'll be driving straight North first, so if you look at the map, the route goes anti-clockwise.


Option A - shorter route
8zyv.jpg

zc4q.jpg


This was my original idea, but due to disliking the A9 (one of the most boring roads I have ever driven on), I came up with Option B. However, I think this might be a bit extreme and pushing me to the limit.


Option B - HardCore!
4hsp.jpg

mg7v.jpg


I have cropped additional 10-15 miles on the bottom of each map to conceive my starting point (ie home).

If I account additional time for stops, the option B might push me to driving limits.

At the moment I'm thinking about getting to Aviemore (marked with C on the map) and deciding there whether to go for a better but longer route B or use the most dangerous road in Scotland (because it is the most boring one too) ie A9 and cutting it short.

What do you think, is this a bit too much for one day?
 
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a lot of driving just to get away from it. Why not drive a few miles and just get out and go for a walk/cycle in the beautiful country side!
 
a lot of driving just to get away from it. Why not drive a few miles and just get out and go for a walk/cycle in the beautiful country side!

Because I love driving and have seen most stuff around many times already.

That's what we usually do every weekend, drive somewhere and spend few hours walking.

I already done few trips like that few years ago and I was thinking about trip like that for some time. First I prolonged it due to my son being very small and my missus needed all the help I could provide. Then my car started falling to bits, so I couldn't do it as well.

Why now? Why not. My missus can spend a day with my son alone (same as I can the day after), the car seems ok (apart from couple of things, but they shouldn't really affect that day), so why not. It's almost the end of summer, days are getting shorter already. This is as good time as any other.

Also I'll be taking my camera stuff with me and plan to take few photos here and there.
 
Option 2 looks a bit better to me.

Not that i'd know as i've only ever been to Scotland twice.:eek: And one of those times i wasn't driving.:laugh:

The time that i did though.....

The Morning after an AVF golf day in Edinburgh.

9am. Instead of driving home back down to Notts, i decided to have a drive around Scotland instead. Up the A9 to Inverness. Wasn't too bad. Some nice scenery, took a few pics etc etc. Once i reached Inverness, back down the A82. Wowza. Great roads. Amazing scenery (especially around Glencoe/Rannoch Moor). Stopped several times. Chilled out. Took some photos etc etc.

By the time i approached Glasgow, it was 9pm. Then it suddenly dawned on me that i still had 300 odd miles to get home:laugh:

Zoomed down the M6 and eventually, around 1am, 600 miles and 16 hours since i left Edinburgh. I arrived home.

Was an awesome one day road trip. Some of the best roads i've ever driven.:thumbsup:

Have fun:smashin:
 
Wow 600 miles!

I already know some of those roads. I've been on A82 few times already (once even spent an hour in a massive traffic jam on it when somebody crashed his motorbike into something and I think died), but the one I really really liked was the A86 from Fort William North-East. Only managed to do half of it but the road and the scenery was amazing.

It was 3 or 4 years ago and this was my route:

ofoc.jpg


r82z.jpg

This was clockwise looking at the map.

I can't remember what time I got back home, but I remember I stopped for about 2 hours in Fort William and still managed back home in a reasonable time.
 
Some suggestions here

http://http://www.pistonheads.com/g...16735&mid=0&nmt=One+Day+Road+Trip+in+Scotland

I would try and seek out the road recently used by top gear for the Ferrari and jag F type tests which was around pitlochry and maybe around Glencoe where skyfall was filmed but if you are venturing further north, the beleach na ba is amazing. I could drive that every day.....


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If I lived where you do, I would do option B every Saturday. Beautiful place to drive.

If I could get away with that, that's exactly what i'd be doing. Sadly, family commitments and fuel price are not helping.





Some suggestions here

http://http://www.pistonheads.com/g...16735&mid=0&nmt=One+Day+Road+Trip+in+Scotland

I would try and seek out the road recently used by top gear for the Ferrari and jag F type tests which was around pitlochry and maybe around Glencoe where skyfall was filmed but if you are venturing further north, the beleach na ba is amazing. I could drive that every day.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I'll check the recommendations in more detail tonight.

I reckon that the Old Military Road that is my main target for this trip is the place where they filmed some of their stuff as well. It looks great and I've never been on it yet.
 
Wow, that is some drive!

It would have to be option B for me every time as the route goes past the The Green Welly - which would of course involve a cake stop :)
 
Will be doing 230 mile round the Lakes on Friday, and then next weekend is 700 miles to the Jura mountains on the French/Swiss border.

Followed by a few miles round the Swiss Alps :D
 
If I could get away with that, that's exactly what i'd be doing. Sadly, family commitments and fuel price are not helping.

Ok maybe not EVERY Saturday :D You've inspired me though, I might go for a long drive this weekend if the weather is good!
 
Man up and do the longer route....I would hope you can cover at least x3 the distance in a car over in the same time period as what I managed on a pedal bike :laugh:

9502429826_ac4254bda5_c.jpg
 
Wow, that is some drive!

It would have to be option B for me every time as the route goes past the The Green Welly - which would of course involve a cake stop :)

That needs some googling to be done later on ;)
I never heard that name before.




Will be doing 230 mile round the Lakes on Friday, and then next weekend is 700 miles to the Jura mountains on the French/Swiss border.

Followed by a few miles round the Swiss Alps :D

Lucky you. I never been to Alps yet.

Always wanted to do a driving holiday accross Europe but I don't think my missus would be a good companion to do that.




Ok maybe not EVERY Saturday :D You've inspired me though, I might go for a long drive this weekend if the weather is good!

Good! Enjoy ;)
 
Man up and do the longer route....I would hope you can cover at least x3 the distance in a car over in the same time period as what I managed on a pedal bike :laugh:

image

Yes I know where you're coming from, but the idea behind it is not to cover as many miles as possible. Also those rosds are really not motorways (that'd be boring).

And yes, most likely it would be the option B unless something happens.

There is also the fuel price as well. I don't really earn a fortune to be able to afford something like this as often as I'd like to. So the idea is to go and enjoy it :)
 
Lucky you. I never been to Alps yet.

Always wanted to do a driving holiday accross Europe but I don't think my missus would be a good companion to do that.

Did some of the French Alps (Route des Grande Alpes) last year, and already booked the EuroTunnel next year, to do the full route, finishing on the French Coast :smashin:

GF and 6 year old daughter are fine on road trips, especially the daughter who loved the fact it was snowing on our "summer holiday" and being higher than the clouds.

Some photos:





And a vid:

 
Did some of the French Alps (Route des Grande Alpes) last year, and already booked the EuroTunnel next year, to do the full route, finishing on the French Coast :smashin:

GF and 6 year old daughter are fine on road trips, especially the daughter who loved the fact it was snowing on our "summer holiday" and being higher than the clouds.

Some photos:

[URL=http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g333/mjn9/Holiday%202012/B423224E-9ACB-48C8-B15F-494ABAD1938A-28825-00002307FF91DAF9.jpg]image
[/URL]

[URL=http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g333/mjn9/Holiday%202012/23070EC9-0BBE-48DB-85BF-D30311A12C7A-28825-0000230754C550A5.jpg]image
[/URL]

And a vid:

Driving the Route Des Grande Alpes Part 1 - YouTube

My missus knows very well that this is something I always wanted to do. There is something every year that stops us from doing it however. Also I think my son is still too young (he's only 2 yo) to be able to spend that much time in a car.

Lovely road and scenery! One day I'll go there myself! (I hope) ;)
 
Yes, 2 is very young. We didn't do any road trips until our daughter was 3, but to be honest, she just slept most of the way :laugh:
 
In our experience, taking a 2YO on a trip involving windy roads is a recipe for the smell of vomit in your car for months afterwards.
 
In our experience, taking a 2YO on a trip involving windy roads is a recipe for the smell of vomit in your car for months afterwards.

Possibly, although my son loves being in the car and looking through the window while 2 of us go somewhere. It was really first time this weekend when he showed any impatience while being in the car and I suspect it was mostly because my missus was there and she was already moaning. If it is just 2 of us, there is never any problem.

Obviously, I have never taken him on such a long trip yet. I think the longest he has been in a single continuous drive was around 1.5 - 2 hours and he enjoyed it.

He's never been sick in the car yet and we go somewhere pretty much every weekend since he was very wee.

Anyway, I'm not taking him with me this Saturday. I'll be going with option B :smashin:
 
Thanks to Davepuma and his link there is also now Option C :D

Additional 50 miles which will mean refuelling somewhere as my car can do around 350-370 miles on one tank. This one is around 390 and according to Google it takes 9.5 hours to complete.

pdgz.jpg


That option would take me to Loch Ness which I've never seen before with my own eyes, but would mean not using the great A86.
 
Do it!

I'm doing Hardknott Pass on Friday :)
 
Busted :D
 
If anybody is looking for inspiration to go out and drive, I find this video quite good.

[ame=http://vimeo.com/55093995]'Well that was 2012' on Vimeo[/ame]


Sadly not where I'm going and not what I'm going in, but who cares :smashin:
 

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