..and all I saw were two zeds:
1) a week past Friday, in the car park of the St Duthus Hotel in Tain, north of Inverness. Looked as if it might be long-term parked; and
2) a week past Saturday leaving Glasgow on the M74 at lunchtime ** ** TZZ
Then this morning, unconnected to the Scottish trip, a mile from home, a nice Estoril M Roadster with the reg suffice SUE outside the Passage House Hotel, Kingsteignton.
1600 miles round the north of N Scotland and back to Devon
Re: 1600 miles round the north of N Scotland and back to Dev
I've got a similar trip planned for a fortnight's time 
.
Is there anything (long term roadworks, etc.) that I should be aware of?
http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=42743
.Is there anything (long term roadworks, etc.) that I should be aware of?
http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =1&t=42743
Pingu
Re: 1600 miles round the north of N Scotland and back to Dev
Hi
For what it's worth, a few assorted comments:
M5/M6 up to Carlisle - nothing much of note, except a panicky moment at Bristol when I saw a sign to the effect that the road management system had ceased and speed limits no longer applied, around the M4 junction. I didn't even notice that there had been a 'management system'. Hopefully it only gets activated at busy times.
After Carlisle, as we weren't in a hurry, we took the B7076/B7078 from Gretna, which is apparently quite a well known but little used B road (Google it). It runs parallel to the M74 and quite a bit of it was one lane of the old A74. We only came across about 3 or 4 other cars in the 80-odd miles we drove it. Good road, long straights and only a couple of junctions to slow us down. We stayed on it until Happenden services.
After Glasgow, not much else until the second half of Loch Lomond where the traffic light controlled bit after Tarbet is now no more. (If you’ve driven it before you’ll know the bit I mean).
Crianlarich is now by-passed, but it was never a big hold up.
Up to Fort William, no bother at all. After Spean Bridge a couple of miles past the Commando Monument there will be a delay as they’re now fixing a bit where half of the road fell away. We were there at half term week but it was only 10/15 minutes wait.
We made a detour off towards Skye, so I don’t know about the rest of the road to Inverness and beyond. We re-joined just before Ullapool.
After Ullapool, mostly narrow roads with passing places and the main ‘problem’ is cyclists – an astonishing number of them, so you just have to be cautious going round blind corners. We stopped off just past Durness, where there was a good camp-site with a pub next door. Good wi-fi, good food and a nice beach down below. We then detoured off to Tongue and beyond, meeting up with the John O’ Groats road not far from Tain. As mentioned above the St Duthus Hotel beckoned us in for refreshments – the haddock was probably the best bit of fish I’ve tasted in a long time.
Then down to Inverness and on to the A9. I think your trip goes off east, so I can’t help you there but I was amazed to find that the A9 is controlled by speed-averaging cameras all the way to Perth and maybe beyond. It wasn’t as bad as you would think, as everybody is in the same boat and it is a fairly steady journey, with dual carriageways in places to let you past the coaches and trucks.
And although it was a Saturday the journey back to Devon wasn’t as bad as I had expected – I set out planning to break the journey half-way but in the end drove from Inverness back down in one hit, all 600-odd miles.
All good fun and some amazing scenery.
For what it's worth, a few assorted comments:
M5/M6 up to Carlisle - nothing much of note, except a panicky moment at Bristol when I saw a sign to the effect that the road management system had ceased and speed limits no longer applied, around the M4 junction. I didn't even notice that there had been a 'management system'. Hopefully it only gets activated at busy times.
After Carlisle, as we weren't in a hurry, we took the B7076/B7078 from Gretna, which is apparently quite a well known but little used B road (Google it). It runs parallel to the M74 and quite a bit of it was one lane of the old A74. We only came across about 3 or 4 other cars in the 80-odd miles we drove it. Good road, long straights and only a couple of junctions to slow us down. We stayed on it until Happenden services.
After Glasgow, not much else until the second half of Loch Lomond where the traffic light controlled bit after Tarbet is now no more. (If you’ve driven it before you’ll know the bit I mean).
Crianlarich is now by-passed, but it was never a big hold up.
Up to Fort William, no bother at all. After Spean Bridge a couple of miles past the Commando Monument there will be a delay as they’re now fixing a bit where half of the road fell away. We were there at half term week but it was only 10/15 minutes wait.
We made a detour off towards Skye, so I don’t know about the rest of the road to Inverness and beyond. We re-joined just before Ullapool.
After Ullapool, mostly narrow roads with passing places and the main ‘problem’ is cyclists – an astonishing number of them, so you just have to be cautious going round blind corners. We stopped off just past Durness, where there was a good camp-site with a pub next door. Good wi-fi, good food and a nice beach down below. We then detoured off to Tongue and beyond, meeting up with the John O’ Groats road not far from Tain. As mentioned above the St Duthus Hotel beckoned us in for refreshments – the haddock was probably the best bit of fish I’ve tasted in a long time.
Then down to Inverness and on to the A9. I think your trip goes off east, so I can’t help you there but I was amazed to find that the A9 is controlled by speed-averaging cameras all the way to Perth and maybe beyond. It wasn’t as bad as you would think, as everybody is in the same boat and it is a fairly steady journey, with dual carriageways in places to let you past the coaches and trucks.
And although it was a Saturday the journey back to Devon wasn’t as bad as I had expected – I set out planning to break the journey half-way but in the end drove from Inverness back down in one hit, all 600-odd miles.
All good fun and some amazing scenery.
Re: 1600 miles round the north of N Scotland and back to Dev
Thanks for that. Some good info there. I'm planning to try the seafood in Ullapool if we have time.
Pingu
Re: 1600 miles round the north of N Scotland and back to Dev
We went that way last October, fantastic roof down driving. Strangely enough we didn't see any other Z3's as well, but we did get a nice wave from an MX driver on the Forth bridge.
Plenty of B&B's this time of year, before the schools break up anyway. If you get chance try and get to Plocton too, everywhere is rather nice though
If you're in Ullpool and fancy seafood try the Morefield Motel, just on the outskirts on the road north, mussels and seafood bisque mmmmmm...
Plenty of B&B's this time of year, before the schools break up anyway. If you get chance try and get to Plocton too, everywhere is rather nice though
If you're in Ullpool and fancy seafood try the Morefield Motel, just on the outskirts on the road north, mussels and seafood bisque mmmmmm...
Re: 1600 miles round the north of N Scotland and back to Dev
After Glasgow, not much else until the second half of Loch Lomond where the traffic light controlled bit after Tarbet is now no more. (If you’ve driven it before you’ll know the bit I mean).
These temporary traffic lights have only been there 30 odd years
These temporary traffic lights have only been there 30 odd years
