I would like to share with you my experience of a biker friendly and very welcoming camp site (don't let the threat of camping put you off, keep reading!) located in a little known village called Strontian, in Scotland. Whenever I tell people of Scottish decent I am going to Strontian, they reply "f****** where?", that's how little known it is. I have just returned from a quick 3 day jaunty up there, and stayed at the previously mentioned camp site, sunart camping and caravan park, owned and run by the wonderful Tim & Lynn, who are hosts you could not for better wish. Bike workshop facilities available, should your mosheen need some TLC, and a hosepipe and a sponge should that be your thing! Now, you can go up in a caravan if you like, but what would be the point of going to Scotland in a caravan, it is biking country after all!!. If your loaded I suppose you could strap the duke on the back of the diplomat and have a leisurely cruise up there, maybe even, if your that way out, camp! or alternatively you could take my chosen option, TADA! the cedar cabin My cabin had enough space to sleep 5, 3 is comfortable, but 5 is manageable. Cabin has underfloor heating, cooking and brew facilities, en-suite, and was warm, clean and most important of all DRY!, wouldn't be Scotland if the wasn't a teeny bit of rain ;-) If you do fancy camping there are all the facilities there to enhance that, leccy if you want it, a nice chill out room with a log burner in it, toilet, shower and wash basin facilities, and a launderette. Took a day to get there, A roads to Devils bridge from Huddersfield, Bacon butty and a brew from the famous..........ish butty van, I must say, the staff there have become a little crap these days, #justsaying. Then M6 to Weegy land (no offence), A82 up the side of Loch Lomand to the green welly stop, where we were met by the owner of the campsite, Tim who decided it would be a good idea to meet us there and have a blast back over the national park, and scene of some awesome, well...........scenery, that is Glen Coe, no relation to Seb! A quick brew and a cake, well it would of been rude not to! Over Glen Coe, briskly, to the Corran Ferry, which is only 5 minutes and a couple of quid. I really do think having a ride on a ferry when your on a bike trip just adds sooooooooo much to a biking trip. The road from the ferry to the site is worth the journey alone, it really is up there with the best, you must try it! The evening was spent in the local hotel/restaurant/bar, stuffing my face with scampi and chips, then strawberry and white chocolate cheescake, mmmmmm, fat f***! Great beers on tap, a really good selection of single malts, lots of shit spoken, laughs abound, bed. Sitting outside having a beer It's a great place to ........... shit, a massive fox just ran through my garden!...............anyway, it's a great place to base yourself to see some amazing scenery, and get about to lots of places, being able to return to Strontian every evening. John O'Groats, Inverness, Loch Ness, Isle of Skye, Applecross, Fort William, Isle of Mull, you get the picture. We chose Applecross, brilliant just brilliant roads, absolutely awesome!!!!!!!!, those Pirrelli Scorpions chew up quick! We were again, accompanied by Tim, which was good, because he knew the route, and all of the best cake shops We stopped at one about 14 miles before Applecross, sticky toffee flapjacks, that's all I'm saying! Came home today, reverse of way up basically. Anyway, back to my original point sunartcamping, google is your friend, they are biker friendly and they really do welcome you, prices are good, and if you all fancy chipping in for burgers and beer, Tim & Lynn will do you a great BBQ, check them out, but not this weekend, there's a tractor convention there this weekend, sorry, sorry, it's a Harley do, always getting them mixed up sorry. I am thinking of organizing a trip here again, but it will also include a night over in a haunted castle owned by the wonderfully eccentric Andrew and mistress Fiona. It won't be in the immediate future, but a few of us go and if anyone wants to join us they are welcome, would just be interested to gauge numbers?? If this is in the wrong place Admin I am sorry, can you move it to where it should be? Peace out (that's me trying to be down with the kids)
Nice write up Mark. There's a bunch of us going up to that neck of the woods this weekend. Ps I'm not a million miles from you, being in Holmfirth
Have a great time El Toro [emoji106] You are not far from me at all, calling up your way tomorrow to pick my cat up [emoji3] It is nadgery finm, but as you probably know it's great fun, and sheep dodging adds another dimension to the fun! Your welcome Ducbird [emoji106]
Great area, but once you are north of the central belt you really can't go wrong in Scotland. Continue out along the Ardnamurchan Peninsula to Sanna Bay and travel through an extinct volcano .
I'll be in Strontian with a group next year. I quite fancy taking either the Lochaline or Tobermory ferry to Mull to get back to Oban, rather than Corran Ferry. Are these turn up and go or bookable ferries? Likley to have problems with a group (7 bikes probably)? All advice gratefully received.
Take a look at the CalMac website or give them a call. Oban to Mull gets very busy and a booking is required / advisable, but you could do it last minute and if there is no space the Lochaline ferry is there as a first come first served backup. It all depends upon the time of year and day really.
I would definitely pre book, 6 of us turned up to do the malaig to Skye ferry and couldn't get on, so book early to avoid disappointment [emoji3]
