Tomorrow I’m planning to take a road trip from Dornoch to Gairloch then on to Inverness and would appreciate any recommendations for the most scenic route with minimal single track.
Was thinking A832/A835 clockwise loop: Garve / Achnasheen / Kinlochewe / Gairloch / Poolewe / Dundonnell and back to the A835.
Any thoughts?
Scenic Route Suggestions Please
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Re: Scenic Route Suggestions Please
From Garve, take the A832 to Gairloch. It's all S2, mostly very quiet but it's a great driving road with a mix of improved wide straight and gentle curves and less engineered older twisty bits. It's the first place I properly drove my Audi A5 and I loved it.
There is a great viewpoint of Loch Maree as you decent towards it. A great opportunity to stop for a couple of photos. In Gairloch, there is also a nice community cafe overlooking the coast just before you get to the centre. They do nice coffee and cake. The road A832 then carries on in a circular route and it is brilliantly scenic all the way back to the A835. You could also visit Ullapool on the way back. I thought Gairloch was much nicer.
There is a great viewpoint of Loch Maree as you decent towards it. A great opportunity to stop for a couple of photos. In Gairloch, there is also a nice community cafe overlooking the coast just before you get to the centre. They do nice coffee and cake. The road A832 then carries on in a circular route and it is brilliantly scenic all the way back to the A835. You could also visit Ullapool on the way back. I thought Gairloch was much nicer.
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Re: Scenic Route Suggestions Please
If you want Scenic, head for Applecross from Achnasheen, using the Bealach-na-Ba, and then on round the new lower road via Fearnmore and through Glen Torridon to Kinlochewe - longer with more single track but more scenic than a simple loop.
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Re: Scenic Route Suggestions Please
I'd be tempted by A949 to Bonar Bridge, then A837 to Ledmore, A835 through the stunning Assynt / Coigach area past Ullapool, then the whole of the A832 loop anti-clockwise via Gairloch and back to Inverness via Kinlochewe / Achnasheen / Garve / A835 / A9. Much of the A837 is single track but in my experience it's no problem at all, as the A837 gets very little traffic, especially now we're outside peak season. Failing that the route you describe is the obvious choice and one of the most beautiful routes in Scotland and a great drive.clc wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2019 00:14 Tomorrow I’m planning to take a road trip from Dornoch to Gairloch then on to Inverness and would appreciate any recommendations for the most scenic route with minimal single track.
Was thinking A832/A835 clockwise loop: Garve / Achnasheen / Kinlochewe / Gairloch / Poolewe / Dundonnell and back to the A835.
Any thoughts?
Owen