Route advice lease - Kendal to Ullapool

paulevans · May 18, 2015

We're off to the Isles of Lewis and Harris this weekend for a weeks holiday. Bit of a drive to be had first though to get to Ullapool for the Saturday morning ferry. Any advice on what's the best route to take to Ullapool? I'm thinking either round Glasgow and then onto Fort William and along Loch Ness and then cutting North to join the A835. Or do you avoid Fort William and instead head via Aviemore and then along the A9 to Inverness to join the A835? The second option seems to be about an hour shorter, but will we miss some great views (and Nessy!).

Decisions, decisions!

One last question from the Boss - we're travelling with our 2 girls (7 and 10) and we're wondering about taking cycles wth us. Any views on this? Are camp sites generally cycle friendly for kids? We've been to many campsites where the kids can just safely bike around.

Thanks.

motacyclist · May 18, 2015

You're spoilt for choice on the routes Paul, both are excellent in their differing ways. I always try to get in as much of the west coast as I can, so would normally go through Fort William myself (and try to fit the trip to Mallaig in somewhere along the way, love this road; it's a dead end though unless you take the ferry across to Skye - no hardship).

Why not go one way on the outward trip and the other on the way back?

Re cycling for kids, I would say yes campsites are normally safe, but I wouldn't think they would be bored without the bikes!

paulevans · May 18, 2015

Thanks Motacyclist. Yes, I'd thought of covering off both route options - one outbound, the other on the return. We're hoping to leave Kendal at lunchtime on Friday and I expect the drive to Ullapool to take between 7-8 hours with loo stops etc. Even so, we should be able to do most of the trip with some remenants to daylight.

I think I'm decided - Fort Bill and along Loch Ness.

Thanks for the advice on the bikes too.

barry · May 19, 2015

I'd go north via Stirling/Perth/Aviemore/Inverness and south via Inverness,Fort William/Glasgow.
(Glasgow motorways and through roads get very busy on Friday afternoons and the roadworks at Pulpit Rock halfway up Loch Lomond where they are widening the road are a bit of a pain.)

But both routes are beautiful and living in Glasgow we drive them regularly. I think the route up the west is the more beautiful but the one up the east is the more comfy drive but still pretty (the newly-introduced average speed cameras keep you to 50 on single carriages and 70 on duals except where there are additional signs - but it's all very ambiguous and confusing, even to the satnav).

So from Kendal you'll have a splendid drive with Shap, the Borders and either of these other two routes.

You'll be doing the Callenish Stones, the Black Houses etc, of course, when you get to the Outers but here's two things you shouldn't miss on Lewis. First, a deli, 40-North Foods - a successful restauranteur (Aberdeen?) returned to her father's croft in which she was born, took it over, raised all her own stock, baked all her own stuff and built up this totally amazing deli on the A858 out in the wilds
http://www.40northfoods.co.uk/index.html

and, second, Rare Birds Tweeds - a few miles further along the A858 - where a married Yorkshire couple's designs have become world famous (Sunday Times Colour Mag) he, an ex HG lorry driver is the cutter and she does the designing. She spent a couple of hours showing my wife the proper way to wear a Harris Tweed shawl while he told me jokes.
http://www.rarebirdhandbags.com

Oh, and if you have time there's a really good old fashioned bookshop on the front at Ullapool with an excellent kids section (my wife reckons it's the best one she's been in: ex-primary school head) and an excellent Italian coffee and cake cafe.

Oh dear, I want to go back: maybe Septemberish.
Have a good trip and as one guy said up above "leave the bikes"

Skylark2.0 · May 19, 2015

Years ago (1994!) we camped at Uig sands on the west coast of Lewis. What an amazing place. Miles of pristeen sand. We waited hours for the tide to come in. We then walked to find it for a couple of miles! Thank goodness the tide only came up that far in spring tides, it's so flat it must rush in. We flew a kite while we walked and it was really magical.
You used to leave the money in a pot outside a house a couple of miles away. Another world