GORDON 50:
I have to agree with all the above comments about the scenery, never done the north west of Scotland in a truck but had many happy motorbiking holidays up there. Hardly any traffic, great people and even better roads, which seemed a bit narrow in places and I remember thinking to myself that I’m glad I’m not in my truck.
Once in a while had to pull out of Kinlochbervie instead of Ullapool, iirc it’s a good 2+ hours north of Ullapool, just south of Cape Wrath. The drive up there was incredible, couldn’t believe I was still in the UK, certainly the remotest spot I’ve been to on these isles, anyone else been there?
Lucky enough to live and work up here and have done for years…
Not saying that you get used to the scenery but the road up to KLB, is a bit meh.
Having said that - it can be ZB bleak in the flipping winter… winter 2009 Aviemore got down to -25 and stayed there for a week… and you should try doing deliveries/driving through Achiltibuie when it’s -40 or cooler!
On the other hand winter does have advantages … traffic… wassat?
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Well that was a pleasnt trip with absolutely stunning scenery. I set off on Sunday morning at 06:00 and got up to Newtonmore Grill just off the A9 for about 16:00 and that was me for the night after having a nice Thai green chicken curry and a couple of pints in there(lovely grub by the way)
I started the following morning and run across the A86 to Spean Bridge then up the A82 to Invergarry then onto the A87 towards the Isle Of Skye. I pulled up at Loch Loyne to take some pics of the stunning view on a bit of land that looks as though it has been turned into some sort of unofficial remembrance spot where people have left stones piled on top of each other and flowers and crosses with people’s names on.
I then set off and had my break by the side of Loch Cluanie another stunning spot where i went down onto a little tiny bit of sand and took some panoramic pictures of the view in front of me. It was then on my way towards the Kyle Of Lochalsh and the run from Shiel Bridge past Eilean Donan Castle towards Kyle Of Lochalsh I can only describe as one of the most picturesque I’ve ever driven in the UK.
It was then over the bridge which joins the Isle Of Skye to the mainland and admiring the views to my right of the Cullin Hills in the distance. I then drove down the Sleat peninsula towards Armadale where I boarded my first ferry a 30min crossing over to Mallaig. I got to Mallaig and had a bit of a wait for the ferry over to Loch Boisdale so I parked the truck in Fergusons yard at the side of the harbour and just stretched my legs, it’s a lovely little place Mallaig.
Onto the ferry at 17:30 and a 3 hour 30 minutes crossing over to Loch Boisdale in South Uist. We docked at South Uist at 21:00 and had a stunning sunset to admire going down over the Outer Hebrides as we was on our final stretch of the journey into the small harbour. I came off the ferry and parked up in the small harbour for the night.
Hope you enjoyed your trip but (and I hate to be picky here), why on earth did you go that way? By my reckoning you’ve done about 30 odd miles too many and spent £■■■ on ferries unneccesarily!
From Spean Bridge take the A82 into Fort William. At the roundabout (10 miles) turn right. Mallaig is 45 miles away.
Total distance = 55 miles.
Time - 90 minutes max
Spean Bridge to Kyle = 65 miles.
Kyle to Armadale = 22 miles.
Total distance = 87 miles.
Time - 3 to 4 hours +?
Don’t tell me you were following prat nav - were you?
Probably something to do with the 13’6 bridge on the Mallaig road from Fort William.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Well that was a pleasnt trip with absolutely stunning scenery. I set off on Sunday morning at 06:00 and got up to Newtonmore Grill just off the A9 for about 16:00 and that was me for the night after having a nice Thai green chicken curry and a couple of pints in there(lovely grub by the way)
I started the following morning and run across the A86 to Spean Bridge then up the A82 to Invergarry then onto the A87 towards the Isle Of Skye. I pulled up at Loch Loyne to take some pics of the stunning view on a bit of land that looks as though it has been turned into some sort of unofficial remembrance spot where people have left stones piled on top of each other and flowers and crosses with people’s names on.
I then set off and had my break by the side of Loch Cluanie another stunning spot where i went down onto a little tiny bit of sand and took some panoramic pictures of the view in front of me. It was then on my way towards the Kyle Of Lochalsh and the run from Shiel Bridge past Eilean Donan Castle towards Kyle Of Lochalsh I can only describe as one of the most picturesque I’ve ever driven in the UK.
It was then over the bridge which joins the Isle Of Skye to the mainland and admiring the views to my right of the Cullin Hills in the distance. I then drove down the Sleat peninsula towards Armadale where I boarded my first ferry a 30min crossing over to Mallaig. I got to Mallaig and had a bit of a wait for the ferry over to Loch Boisdale so I parked the truck in Fergusons yard at the side of the harbour and just stretched my legs, it’s a lovely little place Mallaig.
Onto the ferry at 17:30 and a 3 hour 30 minutes crossing over to Loch Boisdale in South Uist. We docked at South Uist at 21:00 and had a stunning sunset to admire going down over the Outer Hebrides as we was on our final stretch of the journey into the small harbour. I came off the ferry and parked up in the small harbour for the night.
Hope you enjoyed your trip but (and I hate to be picky here), why on earth did you go that way? By my reckoning you’ve done about 30 odd miles too many and spent £■■■ on ferries unneccesarily!
From Spean Bridge take the A82 into Fort William. At the roundabout (10 miles) turn right. Mallaig is 45 miles away.
Total distance = 55 miles.
Time - 90 minutes max
Spean Bridge to Kyle = 65 miles.
Kyle to Armadale = 22 miles.
Total distance = 87 miles.
Time - 3 to 4 hours +?
Don’t tell me you were following prat nav - were you?
Probably something to do with the 13’6 bridge on the Mallaig road from Fort William.
[/quote]
sure he said he had a 14’ 9 trailer on
[/quote]
Nope. just re-read it and he doesn’t say that anywhere.
Of course, if he did have that size trailer on then it would certainly explain the long winded route (but if it was a prat nav route, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest!)
sure he said he had a 14’ 9 trailer on
[/quote]
Nope. just re-read it and he doesn’t say that anywhere.
Of course, if he did have that size trailer on then it would certainly explain the long winded route (but if it was a prat nav route, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest!)
[/quote]
Hi. Steve had a thread prior to this one, when he was planning his trip. He explained in that thread about his 14 foot 11 inch trailer.
Regards. John.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Well that was a pleasnt trip with absolutely stunning scenery. I set off on Sunday morning at 06:00 and got up to Newtonmore Grill just off the A9 for about 16:00 and that was me for the night after having a nice Thai green chicken curry and a couple of pints in there(lovely grub by the way)
I started the following morning and run across the A86 to Spean Bridge then up the A82 to Invergarry then onto the A87 towards the Isle Of Skye. I pulled up at Loch Loyne to take some pics of the stunning view on a bit of land that looks as though it has been turned into some sort of unofficial remembrance spot where people have left stones piled on top of each other and flowers and crosses with people’s names on.
I then set off and had my break by the side of Loch Cluanie another stunning spot where i went down onto a little tiny bit of sand and took some panoramic pictures of the view in front of me. It was then on my way towards the Kyle Of Lochalsh and the run from Shiel Bridge past Eilean Donan Castle towards Kyle Of Lochalsh I can only describe as one of the most picturesque I’ve ever driven in the UK.
It was then over the bridge which joins the Isle Of Skye to the mainland and admiring the views to my right of the Cullin Hills in the distance. I then drove down the Sleat peninsula towards Armadale where I boarded my first ferry a 30min crossing over to Mallaig. I got to Mallaig and had a bit of a wait for the ferry over to Loch Boisdale so I parked the truck in Fergusons yard at the side of the harbour and just stretched my legs, it’s a lovely little place Mallaig.
Onto the ferry at 17:30 and a 3 hour 30 minutes crossing over to Loch Boisdale in South Uist. We docked at South Uist at 21:00 and had a stunning sunset to admire going down over the Outer Hebrides as we was on our final stretch of the journey into the small harbour. I came off the ferry and parked up in the small harbour for the night.
Hope you enjoyed your trip but (and I hate to be picky here), why on earth did you go that way? By my reckoning you’ve done about 30 odd miles too many and spent £■■■ on ferries unneccesarily!
From Spean Bridge take the A82 into Fort William. At the roundabout (10 miles) turn right. Mallaig is 45 miles away.
Total distance = 55 miles.
Time - 90 minutes max
Spean Bridge to Kyle = 65 miles.
Kyle to Armadale = 22 miles.
Total distance = 87 miles.
Time - 3 to 4 hours +?
Don’t tell me you were following prat nav - were you?
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Well that was a pleasnt trip with absolutely stunning scenery. I set off on Sunday morning at 06:00 and got up to Newtonmore Grill just off the A9 for about 16:00 and that was me for the night after having a nice Thai green chicken curry and a couple of pints in there(lovely grub by the way)
I started the following morning and run across the A86 to Spean Bridge then up the A82 to Invergarry then onto the A87 towards the Isle Of Skye. I pulled up at Loch Loyne to take some pics of the stunning view on a bit of land that looks as though it has been turned into some sort of unofficial remembrance spot where people have left stones piled on top of each other and flowers and crosses with people’s names on.
I then set off and had my break by the side of Loch Cluanie another stunning spot where i went down onto a little tiny bit of sand and took some panoramic pictures of the view in front of me. It was then on my way towards the Kyle Of Lochalsh and the run from Shiel Bridge past Eilean Donan Castle towards Kyle Of Lochalsh I can only describe as one of the most picturesque I’ve ever driven in the UK.
It was then over the bridge which joins the Isle Of Skye to the mainland and admiring the views to my right of the Cullin Hills in the distance. I then drove down the Sleat peninsula towards Armadale where I boarded my first ferry a 30min crossing over to Mallaig. I got to Mallaig and had a bit of a wait for the ferry over to Loch Boisdale so I parked the truck in Fergusons yard at the side of the harbour and just stretched my legs, it’s a lovely little place Mallaig.
Onto the ferry at 17:30 and a 3 hour 30 minutes crossing over to Loch Boisdale in South Uist. We docked at South Uist at 21:00 and had a stunning sunset to admire going down over the Outer Hebrides as we was on our final stretch of the journey into the small harbour. I came off the ferry and parked up in the small harbour for the night.
Hope you enjoyed your trip but (and I hate to be picky here), why on earth did you go that way? By my reckoning you’ve done about 30 odd miles too many and spent £■■■ on ferries unneccesarily!
From Spean Bridge take the A82 into Fort William. At the roundabout (10 miles) turn right. Mallaig is 45 miles away.
Total distance = 55 miles.
Time - 90 minutes max
Spean Bridge to Kyle = 65 miles.
Kyle to Armadale = 22 miles.
Total distance = 87 miles.
Time - 3 to 4 hours +?
Don’t tell me you were following prat nav - were you?
simple answer mate is I wouldn’t like to try fitting a 14 foot 11 inch trailer under those 13 foot 6 inch bridges between Fort William and Mallaig
sure he said he had a 14’ 9 trailer on
[/quote]
Nope. just re-read it and he doesn’t say that anywhere.
Of course, if he did have that size trailer on then it would certainly explain the long winded route (but if it was a prat nav route, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest!)
[/quote]
i was referring to steve’s original post where he was asking advice on the route but you may have missed it if your not a regular on the boards
sure he said he had a 14’ 9 trailer on
[/quote]
Nope. just re-read it and he doesn’t say that anywhere.
Of course, if he did have that size trailer on then it would certainly explain the long winded route (but if it was a prat nav route, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest!)
[/quote]
i was referring to steve’s original post where he was asking advice on the route but you may have missed it if your not a regular on the boards
raymundo:
I’ve trundled around this area for the past 6 or 7 years and wouldn’t dream of going elsewhere now. My claim to fame was knocking the navigational mark on the end of Nth Uist pier arse over ■■■ … with a ships bow …
Glad I aint a limper (wooden leg or Lidl carrier bag) type because then I would have only earned about 7 days pay so far this month but full time everyday and Sunday to Saturday on full pay so laughing all the way to the wife’s ■■■■■ …
edit … it wasn’t exactly my fault that the light pole got clobbered, if the mate of the ship had done as asked then the ship wouldn’t have run ahead as much as it did but he said he couldn’t take the slack rope in tight enough when I was swinging her stern off the quay, Russian by nationality but certainly not by nature, lazy ■■■■ !!
Hi SteveBarnsleytrucker, a great description of your trip. The Outer Hebrides are an annual must for us, done them from north tip of Isle of Lewis down to Isle of Vatersay, friendly and accommodating people and in the Uists, Benbecula and Eriskay a friendly wave is common. All down the Atlantic coast of these islands the beaches are something else, we never cease to marvel, no matter the weather the place is magical Couple of photos for you of Lochboisdale from the road to the new harbour. I have a pile of scenery snaps but afraid they take second place to that of lorries and therefore are scattered everywhere in an already chaotic filing system.
Oily
indeed:
Wanting to move up there in the next year or two, worried about work though. Currently based in Bristol with an abundance of work.
Whats about up there?
Dunno about vacancies indeed but to name a few firms for further investigation Ferguson, Spean Bridge, general, log timber and tankers, D&R Macleod, Stornoway, fridges and general, J&D Cowper, Evanton, fridges and some c/siders, Pat Munro, Alness, construction, tippers, mixers, recyclying, Seafield Park (Barclays) Nairn log timber and tankers, Steven of Wick, general and fridges. Quite a few other firms doing log timber, might have more to add when they come to mind.
Oily
Edit I’d best add that these firms are Inverness and north of.
indeed:
Wanting to move up there in the next year or two, worried about work though. Currently based in Bristol with an abundance of work.
Whats about up there?
Dunno about vacancies indeed but to name a few firms for further investigation Ferguson, Spean Bridge, general, log timber and tankers, D&R Macleod, Stornoway, fridges and general, J&D Cowper, Evanton, fridges and some c/siders, Pat Munro, Alness, construction, tippers, mixers, recyclying, Seafield Park (Barclays) Nairn log timber and tankers, Steven of Wick, general and fridges. Quite a few other firms doing log timber, might have more to add when they come to mind.
Oily
Edit I’d best add that these firms are Inverness and north of.
Plenty of small to medium sized companies on the west coast doing round timber and going by the amount of timber the forestry commission have said that has to be harvested it will be going on for a long long time … and the scenery is permanently super !
Thinking of the people of these islands who have received such terrible news about poor Eilidh Macleod and also her friend Laura Macintyre, but particularly of the girls’ families and friends.
Have done a traverse of the Cuillin Ridge, and it was the toughest thing I have ever done. They are mean mountains. In retrospect the journey there was the boring bit. The view from the ridge down onto the other islands and the little boats plying their trade is something I have never forgotten. There is something magical about that area of the UK.
Well done yourself Janos, mention of he Cuillins and this is a must watch for all of you, scenery and a daredevil bike ride on part of the Cuillins Ridge… Danny MacAskill, a Skye boy.
Oily youtube.com/watch?v=xQ_IQS3VKjA
