Our First Trip To Scotland

Welcome  to the  C C in  General  &  to  CT in  particular, 

Lots  of  info  for  you  young  Caravanners,  but  I  would

keep  clear  of  the  A82  alongside  Loch  Lomond.  It  is

a  great  area  but  the  road  is  very  twisty  &  carries 

some  hefty  lorries  &  coaches.    The  roads  are  much 

like  those  in  Cornwall  and  definitely  not  race  tracks.

You  can  make  steady  progress  but  north  of  the 

Clyde == Forth  Central  belt  there  are  no  motorways

so  speeds  can  be  limited  depending  on  your  driving

style.

I  reckon  after  the  Holiday  you  will  sit  back  and  reflect

on  your  time  up  there,  then  you  will  start  thinking  of

your  next  trip  Reet  oop  North 

We "natives"are friendly, so no need to worry!

Would agree with avoiding the Loch Lomond-side road if you have anything bigger than a medium sized van.  Though in June you will not bein high season.

Roads are slower up here, especially the tourist routes.

Go with an average of 40mph and you will not go far wrong.

Hope you have a great trip!

thanks you for the advice, I like the young caravanner part lol. myself and wife are both in our late 40's and been caravanning for 15years.

I'm glad you mentioned the A82 as that's the way I was planning.

think ill need to examine the alternative route you've suggested.

my car isn't the most economical in it class, how's the fuel stn situation are there plenty on route once your off the beaten track or should I fill her up sooner rather than later.

Depends.....plenty of fuel stations.......but out in the sticks the prices are significantly higher.  Best to fill up at Tesco / Morrisons/ Asda if you can, we find Asda cheapest in our area.

BTW.......late 40s is really young......we, no I, am mid  70s, OH is a bit younger!

West Midlands to Tayside around 7 hours but traffic heavy Friday afternoon going to the Lakes and Blackpool for the weekend, so may hold you back.  Allow 3 / 4 hours Tayside to Bunree .   Note if going back on a Sunday you get the same traffic heading back in the afternoon, and we always aimed to pass the Lakes before Noon.

David

Took us 7 hours from the Wirral, including stops, on a Saturday. You will probably know that on a Friday afternoon, the M6 is solid, slow moving traffic, often at a stand still at Stoke and through Cheshire. It clears north of Preston. The A1/M1 may not be any quicker as that gets jammed around Leicester and through Derbyshire [at least]. It'll take you at least 7 hours plus stops from the Midlands, assuming you can get out! We tended to drive overnight as caravanners and as motorhomers when travelling on Friday. Our first trip and first experience of towing was Kidderminster to Brora overnight. Having breakfast when the dawn arrives and looking over the hills is a joy.

The A82 along Loch Lomond is a narrow A-road with plenty of rock faces for the unwary. It is also the route taken by heavy lorries and tri-axle coaches. It was bad enough in a 6m motorhome [we are a bit wider than a caravan] so I would avoid that route even though it will add more miles.

It's worth it because Bunree is a lovely site in a great location. We were there last June, before the midge season. It is, however, only a stepping stone to even more glorious places such as Kinlochewe and Altnaharra.

Enjoy, and welcome to the CC.

Welcome to CT and have a wonderful trip to Scotland.  If you are an intrepid traveler - it is really only from Tarbet to Ardlui/Inverranan that is the bad stretch of the A82 and it is difficult with huge timber lorries and overhangs - about 8/10 miles.  They are improving it all the time but along the loch side its hard to see how they can widen any more!  I am not familiar with Tayside - so not even sure if you would have traveled that way anyway?  I think I would travel up to Stirling and then across. (With family between Ardlui and Crianlarich it is hard for me to miss that road and my caravan isn't huge even if quite wide).  Good Luck. 

I've picked a point near to Glasgow on the motorway. You've got the idea about Loch Lomond so just pick up this route to avoid it. https://goo.gl/maps/emNc4L6XBWR2

Have a great trip, and welcome to Scotland. :-)

I presume Tayside means Loch Tay/Killin area? So you are on a good route for Bunree via Crianlarich the next day. It's quite a scenic route over Rannoch Moor and the drop down through Glencoe. If we're heading to Scotland we start off as early as possible, usually 5-6am to get through the worst of the M6 traffic. As said you should do it in 7 hours, from the border it's 2 hours plus to the Stirling area and not too far to Loch Tay from there, the roads start to narrow but there are stopping places. Have a good time.