Touring around UK...advice?
 

OK, I appreciate the UK may not seem as sexy as a lot of touring destinations but I realised that, for all my travelling, I've never undertaken a tour of the UK.
I'm considering a 'round the coastline' type trip to definitely include Wales and Scotland and I'll be camping and using the occasional B&B over the Summer months.
Does anyone have any experience of such a trip? Routes taken, bits not to miss, bits that were dull(!), timescales for a complete round trip, highs, lows, recommended campsites/B&B etc?

Any advise/experiences appreciated,
greencat

PS...I appreciate timescales are dependent on distance per day and what appeals to one person may not appeal to another...I'd just like to hear the thoughts of those that have done this to use as a basis for planning a trip. Then I'll decide how long to take and what sights I fancy :thumbup1:

Hi,

I must say I agree, lots of us including me have not toured our own home ground very much, it is something I would like to do too.

I reckon in terms of places to visit/ideas you could not too badly by watching "Coast" the series the OU were involved with making and Wild Gourmets. Oh snd the lonely planet video's are good too!

Just a few ideas I would do, :cool4: I would avoid crawley!

If you want an interesting and varied tour of Britain try doing the Round Britain Rally. Good fun and you visit lots of out of the way places.

Round Britain Rally

A few quick thoughts:

You don't say where you have been already, i.e. where you have seen too much of, so to speak, but you can spend many a useful hour pouring over a decent map of sections of the UK - pick out the twisty roads and you won't be far wrong so far as the riding is concerned. For me, the more mountainous the better - don't forget the IOM, there are still no speed limits outside of the built up areas.

For myself I would stay well away from, say, the south coast of England, because,
A. I have been there enough to see what I wish to see.
B. The traffic is horrendous!
Therefore, I end up in Wales and Scotland, in the main.

Some of the Scottish Islands are interesting and worth seeing but some are very flat.

Around the coastline: it is about 10,000 miles all in.

I know some people who doen the coastline in 2 weeks for charity. You will love it. However they felt they could have taken a bit longer to do it.

I joined them for the Scottish part of the Journey and i thoroughly enjoyed it.

Some tips
Id say look into using hostels as they are cheap.

For Scotland make sure you do Applecross and the A838 (Ullapool to Tongue).
These were my favourites. Theres still lots more ive to see in Scotland but these roads have been the best so far.

Thanks for two really good starting ideas.
I did see the book to accompany the 'Coast' series on TV so must go and flick through it for ideas...an excellent starting point.

I particularly like the Round Britain Rally idea, especially as I have a Ural Outfit in the stable that doesn't get enough action and my partner is an Artist and photographer!

I've also thought about introducing a theme to the trip be it visiting gallaries (for the girlie) or sites with great examples of English, Welsh and Scottish engineering...or am I getting a bit geeky? I guess the key thing is that the UK has some extraordinary sights and, before venturing back out into the Empire again I feel I should poke around at home first.
I'd also like to encourage others to come to the UK to experience what we have to offer :rolleyes: ...I'm sure there's some good stuff out there.

The road to Applecross is just like Norway. I love that area, Skye and Wester Ross. You can rent a wigwam at the Applecross campsite, they're brilliant. Applecross Campsite - Applecross Peninsula

I love the south coast too. Seaton/Beer area and Devon/Cornwall/Somerset.

If I Were You
 

Hi Greencat, I love the UK, it has so much to offer, if you were to take the clockwise route round dropping down the East side I would recommend stopping in Whitby where you'll discover Dracula county and the north York moors"look out for animals in the road, sheep, deer etc....... they roam free!....... and make a point to visit the filming location for heart beet, just the ride there is breath taking, you could spend days even weeks in and around Whitby its got every thing, having left there going South to Scarborough (loads of bikers there)" probably one of the most visited seaside resorts in the North, you'll only be one to two hours from York wonderful city and once again you could spend days there!
Two main routes to York are the A170 and the A64 the first is very twisty the second is by no means boring but you do end up on bits of dual carriageway. "Look out for mobile speed cameras).
Now heading back from York,East to Bridlington, yet another seaside resort worth the visit, good food, good everything really, to be honest people have been coming here to the East coast for over a hundred years holidaying and tend to find everything they want to do on their doorstep.
These places I've recommended are full of history,culture, pubs, restaurants ......really nice people not too expensive (good for B and B,S and campsites) what else can I say really..............enjoy your trip!
If I can help any more let me know!
all the best
Jim
PS there is so much in between these main towns, city etc that it would take months to have a really good look round.

Around UK
 

Hi All,

I planned to do this trip (infact coast of northern part only) with Lake District.
I didn't have time and money to do that yet. Hope to do that in a few years time.

Definitely a route which have to be done.

Please share your experiences with us as I know the accomodation and prices are very high.

Sami

How about using the Round Britain Rally where you can take small sips to meet the photo evidence requirements over a long period, or perhaps one big hit and base it on the Four Corners of Britain.... Lizard Point, Ardnamurchan, Dunnet Head and Lowestoft Ness?

I have planned it a few times and never done it. Should be good in the right conditions.... maybe not with petrol at over a quid a litre!


Youth hostels are good places to stay have alook at UK Youth Hostel Association (YHA), Budget Accommodation & Adventure Activities - YHA or Scotland Hostels - Youth Hostels in Scotland, Backpacking Europe

Youth hotels / backpacker are good .. cheap if you are by yourself .. can be cheaper than camping .. For two B&Bs can be cheaper again..

----- I find the smaller hostells can be in some nice places that you'd other wise not go to .. at the bigger ones you don't get as much interaction.

Durham and N.Yorks
 

I'll second that. Also take the road heading north from Whitby towards Guisborough and into County Durham. Barnard Castle and Durham City itself are very pretty and Durham Cathedral, etc is worth a visit if sightseeing is your thing. From there, head north through the tyne tunnel, into tynemouth and up the coast road towards Holy Island or take the A68 towards Kielder and into Scotland. Ridiculous number fixed and mobile camera sites on these routes though. Alternatively, head west from Durham, towards Crook, through Wolsingham, Stanhope, Alston, stopping off at the Hartside Pass Cafe and into Cumbria and the Lake District. This is a well worn route for bikers up here with good reason. I love the roads over Weardale. Not too much farm traffic and I've yet to see a cop with a speed gun.

Greencat,
To save lots of people posting lots of descriptions of routes, you can find whatever you fancy on this site:-

BestBikingRoads.com Motorcycle Travel, Motorcycle Touring, Motorcycle Routes, Motorcycle Roads

Thanks to you all...
 

Every time I look at my post it bugs me that I typed "advise" instead of "advice" :censored:

Many thanks for the pointers on places, routes, hostels and camp sites and, of course, things like the Round Britain Rally & biking routes. I've just picked up a large map of the UK on which to plan and am looking forward to exploring your suggestions further.

I'll let you all know how I get on...

can't you edit the title?

"Go Advanced''
 

It's OK. We'll take it as a verb as in:
"(I'm) Touring around (the) UK... (Can you please) advise?"
Stephan
PS I edited my title here by selecting the "Go Advanced'' editing option. Try it. :)

A suggestion as to your timing of the trip. You state summer but I would advise you to avoid July/August. This is when the schools are on holiday and many of the cities and attractions you will wish to visit will be heaving with people, prices are at their highest and accommodation availability at its worst.

Consider the spring, very often the weather is better at that time of year and you do not have to battle with the crowds.

As was stated in an earlie post, head away from the south and south east, for no other reason than if you are based in Thatcham such areas can be covered in the occasional day or weekend.

Stephano...your a genius :thumbup1:

Hayastani...unbelievably I've waited for 16 years for my daughter to finish school so I don't have to take my holidays during the School Vacations only to have my partner become a teacher :(

I've lived in the South and am keen to focus on Wales, the lake district/Yorkshire moors and up into Scotland.
I wish there were coastal ferries here in the UK. I'm happy with long days in the sadle, at speed where necessary to cover ground but my partner has a slower, shorter riding style which is going to make getting up to the good bits in the North tough. I guess I have a lifetime to do it all!

If you're doing the lakes make sure you do the wrynose and hardknot pass. An amazing road. Try to do it in good weather. I did it in torrential rain and gale force winds one year to do a Round Britain Rally landmark. With all my camping gear on, scary.

try coming on the road south out of newton in wales ..the A483 for about 25 miles...it's so so nice:thumbup1:

I agree. The A483 out of Newtown is one of the best roads in Wales. I once had it all to myself for the whole way. It was like doing my own lap of the Welsh TT.

The Llanberis pass down from Snowdon is another classic run, just slow down for Nant-Peris as North Wales police are @?"£*%^(s
Look out for the bridge halway down, I know of someone who overcooked it on the approach, left the road going sideways on the humpback and managed to ride the side of a dry stone wall for ten feet before rejoining the road. Amazingly he stayed on and rode it out. On a 1960s Triumph. Legend.

IoM is a must

Haven't read all the other posts so apologies if someone else has suggested this but I would recommend going to the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries website and having a look at their various multiple island rover tickets. The west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides are stunning and quite unlike the rest of Britain.

Matt :)

The Lake district gets pretty packed in the summer, but the further north you go the less traffic. There are some fantastic roads when you get up in to the Scottish borders. Pulled up at St Mary's Loch in the summer and there were a couple of Lothian and Borders police bikers there dishing out free leaflets showing the best bike routes in the area, along with notes on where the surface was bad, well known accident spots, etc. Nice approach from the police I thought, can't see it on thier website though.

If you're heading through Yorkshire give the Trough of Bowland a try too.

with regards to scotland
 

I live in the N east of scotland so the coastal route is done alot by bikers and tourists alike goes up from aberdeen north. If your coming up the east coast head to stonehaven nice castle ruins there and pretty little fishing port.
A must is royal deeside, banchory, aboyne over the sking centre upto aviemore and speyside. Whisky trail attractions and very pretty landscapes abound. Also wildlife park at aviemore you wont get to go through on bikes but there is a large part which is done on foot.
Roads up here are mainly country roads but sign posts usually give good warning about bends ect. They are not the best maintained roads and frequently have crap all over them gravel and stuff from farms and forrestry vehicles.
Lots of animals on the roads and therefore lots of people on wrong side of roads trying not to hit animals.
Also during summer lots of people from mainland europe with caravans, camper vans and loads of bikers travelling in packs normally on the wrong side of the road.
Use the youth hostels for cheap accomodation book well in advance there are lots of nice ones all over the place and most are biker friendly with safe parking. Last few I have been in are not really been designed for intimate relations between couples even in the family rooms so camp out if u want nookie.
Summer weather does not always happen during the summer up here with spring and autumn being better choices as no school kids. try not to go to royal deeside during fishing/shooting season prices double and lots of twats in rangerovers parked all over the place.

if you need a place to overnight in Edinburgh PM me. in addition, a mate owns a bike shop 2 mins away; so could probably get your bike secure in his shop for the night.

Doug

For anyone looking for it (not a particularly well known name), the T of B is principally in Lancashire with, perhaps, a tiny bit in Yorkshire depending on exactly where that boundary twists and turns - bit worrying really (!); all the best roads are being identified here - could lead to an increased police presence in the summer!!:rolleyes2:

My experience of Scottish roads has been very good surfacing, in much better condition on average than in the rest of the UK (can't remember seeing potholes except in the occasional major city) and very clean on the West coast i.e. generally lacking in grit, gravel, animal muck etc etc.

Yer, the government went on a mad road improvement binge in the sixties and the low volume of traffic has meant the tarmac is still in very good condition. Some mad out of the way places have exceptionally good roads. Just a shame they didn't leave a few as gravel... :)

Bring your tent and do wild camping. Not easy in England but easy in Scotland. Cook your own food bought in supermarkets. South England is very overcrowded, Birmingham is very very ugly. Sheffield too. Scotland is fantastic if it doesnt rain.

Been there...... just about everywhere
 

In 3o years of travelling for work, I have been there...probably.
lakes ok, west coast above there even better,s/west scotland nice and quiet, glen coe fantastic, anywhere north is the best in UK if the weather is OK. Cairngorms Westmoorland, N Yorks whitby (great), West Yorks dales brill. Don't forget Wales but watch out they have a mad chief constable who is a bikeomaniac who wants bikes banned 100%.
We all should do UK, but even better try the Pico's, N Spain, Portugal, all the best of the UK with sun...... sticky side down.:):funmeterno:

Bit late i know but thought i would give my 2 pennies. Doing the coast route sounds great. About 2 years ago me my dad and mum did scotland but mostly stayed around the mountain areas, and to say the least they are amazing. Not too much traffic, lovely winding roads, quiet, out in the open. Was very nice some great views in there and some very friendly locals. We travelled all over scotland that time and just took it easy no big mileages, top speed normally around 50mph if that untill we got on motorways which we tried to avoid.

Just found this thread and the various links so I thought I'd add a few comments if anyone's interested.

Re: accommodation: Youth hostels are a good option if you don't mind somebody snoring half the night. As a walker, I gave up on hostels a few years ago when I couldn't get into Lulworth Cove one night because it was full of weekending townies who'd bombed down from London in their GTi's and obviously couldn't afford a B&B after paying for the petrol to get there.

Wild camping is certainly possible, especially in the Highlands. Also, if you book a month or so in advance, Travelodge do rooms all over the UK for around £29 or less (some are £9 if you book six months in advance). There are also loads of independent hostels in Scotland (there's a map available from somewhere) which can sometimes work out cheaper than a posh campsite (esp. if you're solo).

Scotland: Have to agree with what others have said - fantastic. I went up to Scotland last April (admittedly in my beat-up old Micra) and broke the back of the journey by bombing up to Kilmarnock Travelodge, then took the CalMac ferries across to the Kintyre and Cowal penisulars and on to Mull and Skye, nicer in my view than sticking to the main Glencoe - Fort William route (loads of photos on Flickr if you're interested). CalMac are great if you phone them for advice about a combined island hopping ticket.

Nearer to home, if I need to travel from Leicester down towards Bath or Bournemouth, I avoid the M-ways and take the B4455 Fosse Way through to Circencester or the A361 to Devizes - both great, generally uncluttered, cross-country routes.

If you're coming up this way, the B6047 Market Harborough to Melton Mowbray got voted best biking road in the country a few years ago by Ride magazine, but take care as it can surprise the unwary. Personally, I preper the B664 up to the Harley dealer in Uppingham, then on to Oakham.

And down sarf, there's a great square of biking country from Salisbury - Shaftesbury - Blandford Forum - Ringwood.

Enjoy. :mchappy:

Indoors.

Other people are the downside to hostels. Last one I stayed in, I was woken at 6am by some disabled German lad having a thomas the tank in the bunk below. Not nice.

I often wondered what made hostel duvets rigid!:(

Ahhh, this post is starting to make amusing reading :rolleyes2:

Thanks for the continuing ideas, suggestions and offers. We're doing that great winter biker activity of getting all the maps and books out and scouring the internet for beautiful, unusual and exciting places to visit on our UK tour.

I'll be sure to post our planned route and a follow up with where we actually ended up, what was great and what was pants.

Here's hoping I've not booked my three weeks to coincide with our indian summer :stormy:

Keep up the great tips/ideas...and while I think of it, I know (from experience) that Scotland has a bit of a midge problem during the summer. Is this equally bad on both coasts? And the Western Isles (Isle of Lewis, etc)?

Hi greencat,
You might be interested in this topic in that case:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...od-stuff-30852

A great understatement. The west coast is the worst for the little sods, who wait until you set up camp and as the sun dips below the horizon rise from the ground to make your life hell! Hard accommodation helps to keep man and midge apart.