We would
recommend treating yourself to a reliable and up to date road map, with
a scale not less than 1:250000 (1cm to 2.5k - 1inch to 4miles), so you
can be sure that all roads will be shown - including the single track
ones you will find yourself on while touring around! You can normally
pick one up quite cheaply from roadside filling stations. Filling stations
are not exactly round every corner, but you shouldn’t have to
worry about running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere - here are
some of the stations we use when we do the journey up from England via
Edinburgh:
Dreghorn
Services on A720 Edinburgh By-Pass (Little Chef/Burger
King/Filling Station with shop)
The
Green Welly Stop on A82 at Tyndrum (Restaurant/Large
Gift Shop/Filling Station with shop)
Fort
William - 3 filling stations on A82 heading out of the town
centre (Shell, Esso and BP)
At
Fort William make sure you have enough fuel to get to Kyle which is
approximately 70 miles away
Kyle
of Lochalsh on A87 - (Shell Garage with small shop)
Drive
with care: Always be aware
that there may be deer, sheep and even Highland Cattle on long stretches
of the road - take even more care when it is dusk or dark. It is a legal
requirement to report hitting any of these animals.
From
Edinburgh
(approximately 4.5 hours driving time excluding breaks)
Option1:
Cross the Forth Road Bridge (Car Toll 80p Northbound only. Jan ‘04),
follow the M90 becoming the A9 heading towards Perth. Past the Bridge
of Earn take the A85 through Crieff, follow all the way to Crianlarich
(***Glasgow route joins here)
and on to Tyndrum (Green Welly Stop). (*Option
2 joins here) Take the A82 to Fort William and, once there,
if you want to take the CalMac Ferry, follow signs to Mallaig. To use
the Skye Ferry or the Skye Bridge then keep on the A82 up to Invergarry
(**Option 3 joins here) where
you will take the A87 (Road to the Isles) all the way to Shiel
Bridge. Then you have 2 options:
a.
If you are going to come over on the Skye Ferry then take the road to
Glenelg at this point, follow signs to the Ferry. Once on Skye follow
the road from Kylerhea to the A87, then turn right and follow signs
to Kyleakin - at roundabout leading to the Bridge take the 2nd turning
down to Kyleakin (do not cross the Bridge!)
and drive to the end of the pier and there we are on your left, harbour
on your right - you can’t miss us!
b.
If you want to do the Bridge then stay on the A87 and just keep on driving!
When you cross the Bridge you immediately come to the only roundabout
on Skye - turn left down in to Kyleakin and drive to the end of the
pier and there we are on your left, harbour on your right - you can’t
miss us!
Option
2: Do not cross the Forth Road Bridge going north, instead
take the M9 towards Stirling, until you reach Junction 10 at which point
take the A84 through Callander to Lochearnhead, where you join the A85
to Crianlarich/Tyndrum where you then join Option
1* above.
Option
3: Over the Forth Road Bridge (Car Toll 80p Northbound
only. Jan. ‘05), follow M90 which becomes the A9, stay on
this until you reach Dalwhinnie, then take A889 until its junction with
the A86 - turn left and follow this road to Spean Bridge (road is
narrow at times with passing places). At Spean Bridge if you want
the CalMac Ferry then take A82 to Fort William and from there follow
sign posts to Mallaig Ferry. For the Skye Ferry or Skye Bridge take
the A82 signposted Inverness, as far as Invergarry and then follow the
same route as Option 1** above.
From
Glasgow
(approximately 4 hours driving time excluding breaks)
Getting
through Glasgow does take concentration, so don’t forget to keep
an eye on road signs - make sure you stay on the M8 until Junction 30
(at Junction 6 the M8 becomes the A8 for a short stretch - do not
panic, it goes back to the M8 very quickly!). At Junction 30 you
join the M898 to cross the Erskine Bridge (Car Toll 60p Jan. ‘05).
Follow signs to Loch Lomond and Crianlarich - you are now past the hard
part! Simply follow the A82 to Crianlarich and join Edinburgh Option
1*** above, by turning left on to A85.
From
John O’ Groats/Thurso/Wick
(take a day to do it!)
You
have 2 real options, the first being the scenic route, the second should
be the faster route:
1.
Across the top of Scotland using the A836 until Tongue, then change
on to the A838. Follow this to Laxford Bridge then change on to the
A894 until the Ledmore Junction, when you join the A835 through Ullapool
all the way down to Gorstan, when you connect with the A832. Change
to the A890 at Achnasheen and follow all the way to A87 junction where
you will turn right and stay on the A87 all the way to the Skye Bridge.
Once over the Skye Bridge turn left at the roundabout, driving down
in to Kyleakin follow the road to the end of the pier where you will
find us on your left - you can’t miss us!
2.
From Thurso it is straight down the A9. From John O’
Groats follow the A99 through Wick until you join the A9 at Latheron
and then follow A9 down the country. At Findon Mains roundabout take
the A862 to Dingwall, where you change to the A834. When you reach the
A835 follow signs for Ullapool/Kyle of Lochalsh/Skye. When you reach
a divide in the road at Gorstan take the A832 to Achnasheen where you
will change on to the A890 and follow all the way to the A87 junction
where you will turn right and stay on the A87 all the way to the Skye
Bridge. Once over the Skye Bridge turn left at the roundabout, driving
down in to Kyleakin follow the road to the end of the pier where you
will find us on your left - you can’t miss us!
