Holiday Road - Planning my next trip to Scotland

 

Blogophilia Week 7.8 Topic:  Holiday Road

 Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2 pts): Quote the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins

(“The world is charged with the grandeur of God”)

(Easy, 1 pt): Incorporate morning madness

 

So, the first thing that came to mind when I saw this topic was the song from National Lampoon’s Vacation (admit it, you have that melody in your head now, too).  The second thing I thought of are the two Holiday Roads I plan to take in the Summer of 2016 when I go back to Scotland with two friends – (1) the A82 road from Glasgow to Skye and (2) the road in the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye.

 

Before we actually embark on this road trip, I will of course consult a Scottish local to ensure my route is accurate, as I’m not 100% sure of it.  But from what I’ve researched, I believe the best and most scenic route to Skye is A82 from Glasgow (our starting point) through Fort William to Inverness where A82 ends, then A87 from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh where we’ll cross the Skye Bridge over Loch Alsh into Skye.  (Alternatively, we could bypass Inverness and go to Mallaig from Fort William and take the ferry to Skye, but I really want to drive over the Skye Bridge). Then, at some point during our stay on Skye, we’ll visit the Trotternish Ridge and drive through the Quiraing. 

 

For the A82 road trip, we will have a very long day ahead of us, and I’m sure there will be a little madness scrambling early in the morning to check out of our hotel and get all our bags situated in our hire car before hitting the road.  Hopefully, the morning madness won’t extend to road conditions:

 

 

 

(Though I wouldn’t mind sharing the road with one or two of these guys along the way)

 

 

Just twenty-five miles outside of Glasgow, our route on A82 will take us along Loch Lomond (the first of ten lochs along the way). (Side note: we visited Loch Lomond on our last trip, and it was breathtaking). 

 

 

Next we will drive through Caledonian forests north of Crianlarich. 

 

(Crianlarich)

 

(Caledonian Forest)

 

Through Tyndrum:

 

 

Next we will drive through Orchy (this is a part that is a little unclear to me).  I don’t think we’ll actually cross over this bridge, but if not, it will be very close by:

 

(Bridge of Orchy) 

 

And we could stop at the beautiful Bridge of Orchy hotel for a cup of tea before moving on:

 

 

 

We will soon come upon Glencoe, but not before passing

by the peak of Buachaille Etive Mòr.   

 

(Buachaille Etive Mor from the A82) 

 

Next, we will pass through Rannich Moor on the way to Glencoe

 

(A82 heading across Rannoch Moor) 

 

(Rannoch Moor – looks deserving of a pit stop, don’t you agree?)

 

On through to Glencoe

(A82 descending into Glencoe) 

 

(A82 at the top of Glencoe) 

 

 

(Glencoe) 

 

(Another side note – while this trip will just be a pass-through, there will be a separate day trip to Glencoe where we will have time to fully embrace its beauty.  As stunning as this photo is, I can only imagine what it’s like to experience in person.  It certainly seems fitting of a quote by Gerard Manley Hopkins: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” 

 

Next, from Glencoe we’ll cross the Ballachulish Bridge over Loch Leven toward Fort William 

 

(Ballachulish Bridge)

 

 

 

On to Fort William:

 

 

 

After Fort William, the A82 dives down toward Loch Ness. 

But first we’ll go through Letterfinlay: 

 

 

 

(A82 at Letterfinlay - Letterfinlay Lodge Hotel on the banks of Loch Lochy) 

 

Perhaps we'll stop for a quick bite to eat there

 

 

Now, nearing Loch Ness:

 

 (A82 near Loch Ness)

 

 

 

 (Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness from A82) 

 

From Loch Ness we go to Inverness, and the end of A82.  Its three hours to Inverness from Glasgow, and 2 ½ hours from Inverness to Skye (all without stops, which won’t happen – lol!)  If we wanted to break up our trip, this would be a nice place to stop for the night. 

 

(Inverness) 

 

From Inverness, we’ll take A87 to Kyle of Lochalsh, but not before passing through a few more amazing points of interest, like Eilean Donan Castle:

 

 

and the Five Sisters at Kintail (at Loch Duich): 

 

 

Then it’s over the Skye Bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh to Skye, our destination.  Now that is a holiday road.  The total estimated driving time from Glasgow to Skye appears to be about five hours, but with all this incredible scenery, I anticipate the drive taking much longer. 

 

(Skye Bridge) 

 

 

Finally, the last road to conquer is this road on the Quiraing in Skye: 

 

 

 

(The Quiraing.  What I wouldn’t give to be behind the wheel of that race car) 

 

And a taste of what it's like to drive in the Quiraing:

 



 

Disclaimer:  None of these photos are mine, I found them all online while researching this trip.  However, come Summer ‘16, I will have my own set of photos J