Elo /trv
I'm planning on cycling from the tip of Scotland right down to the cliffs of Dover this coming summer, with a good friend of mine.
I want to get a feel for this land that me and my ancestors have called home before I reach out and touch the world. I'll be spending two months on this journey so I have every chance to see what I want and not rush myself.
So my question to you is what little facts and tips about this land are oft forgotten? Any little villages that haven't been touched by time? Any must see's and do's?
i'd reccomend the new forest where I live, its got quite a few of those little villages you're after, see burley for example.
i can recommend you some nice pubs and stuff all along the south coast but all of the places i know are by the sea, and presumably you're gonna stop when you reach the sea.
>>1054191
I'm really excited about the new forest, one of the most recent places I've read about and it sounds fantastic
Think we're going to hit Devon then ride along the coast to Cornwall
Please do, I love a good pub
>>1054214
well if you're going to the new forest you might as well stop off in bournemouth. My favourite place there is a bar called chaplins/the cellar bar in boscombe. Good food, good beer, great atmosphere, live local bands every night, i believe it got voted the best bar in the country at one point, though i don't know if that can possibly be true.
unfortunately actually in the new forest i don't know what to tell you, everyone will basically just go to their local so off the top of my head i can't think of anywhere special, but they should all have a nice little country atmosphere that should be refreshing if you're from a city
>>1054372
http://www.chaplins-bar.co.uk/
>>1054372
Cheers la much appreciated, can't wait to go the new forest and see all the wildlife and trees an shit, being from a city can be depressing
>>1054390
>>1054186
First of all - awesome plan!
I can only give you advice on Scotland since the only place I've been to in England is London.
As for Scotland, you have a difficult choice to make. Assuming you're starting around Thurso or Wick or maybe even Kirkwall. The old world war two shipwrecks in the surf that you pass from Kirkwall to Burwick are a site to behold. The coastal route from Wick to Inverness is lovely as well. From Inverness on the mainland you can take two main routes down. Both have a lot to offer.
From Inverness you can travel west past Loch Ness to Skye. You could choose to spend a day biking around the island or you could take the route from Mallaig to Fort William to Oban to Inveraray through Loch Lomond national park. All those towns are beautiful and have a lot to offer. You can also pass the Ben Nevis and visit the distillery of the same name. As well as the Oban distillery. Loch Lomond is stunning too.
The other option is to head south-east from Inverness and go through Cairngorms National Park. The main route from Tomatin to Pitlochry is really beautiful. The Dalwhinnie distillery is en-route and very nice to visit. In Pitlochry you could also visit the Edradour distillery.
I'd say the western route has nicer stops as far as towns go. And the shoreline is dramatic and beautiful. On the eastern rout the hills and mountains are all there. As well as beautiful feels of wildflowers on the hillsides. It's a very different kind of beautiful.
From the western route you can stop in Glasgow, from the eastern one Edinburgh.
>>1054186
do you plan on going through wales at all?
>>1054416
Thank you thank you! This is incredibly helpful, I can't decide between going east or West I might just do both haha. What's the deal with wild camping in Scotland?
Sorry about slow reply, now Internet for a while.
>>1054606
Yeah mann, I might aswell, what you got in mind?
>>1055336
No clue about wild camping. I've always gone from B&B to B&B.
Edit: If you're into whisky - on the eastern route I described you can also first go to Dufftown before going into Cairngorms. It's just a small detour. Dufftown is a small town (pretty much an intersection with houses) surrounded by a lot of good distilleries. It also has the lovely Whisky Shop Dufftown owned by Mike Lord. Great shop! The Balvenie distillery is a great one to visit because it still has it's own maltings as well as a fully functional cooperege that you can include in the tour.
On the western one though, you could optionally inclue a day trip to the Isle Of Mull, Islay or Isle Of Jura. They're all great. Read up on them and take your pick. ;)
I rode from London to Dover using the Pilgrims Way, it was great. But not all of it is paved, so you might need to detour if you're on a road bike. Dover was a pretty shitty place to hang out though, visit the castle and move on.
