st4
Banned
Yesterday I got my self out of bed nice and early to embark on one of my tours of Scotland. Given there is not so much day light until later on I hit the road about 8am.
Leaving Helensburgh it was somewhat murky and I wafted up Loch Lomond, (A82) then took the route known as “the rest and be thankful” and continued to Inverarry. The weather was somewhat typical of the area but it was slowly clearing.
A wee stop at Inverarry
Taking the route as I call it going over the top to Dalmally and then connecting with the A85 to Tyndrum. Scumbag will tell you this is one of the best driving routes around. Lots of sweeping bends, elevation changes, views to die for. The car was magnificent on this section of road keeping tight body control and the torque to power out of bends was at times overwhelming the back tyres (it was damp and rather fun). Who ever tells you the manual override paddles/buttons are a gimmick as this gives you an element of control and adds to the fun. From Tydnrum the weather was lifting and I decided to reign in the fun and cruise up the A82 through Glencoe.
You can clearly see the weather has improved.
Can you guess where I am?
After getting to Ballahulish I decided the best way to go is to take a turn for Loch Leven. This is a serious driving road, tight turns after turn. The normal E class AG was good here, but the sport a lot more controlled and fun.
After taking this detour I decided what I really wanted to do was continue on the A82 route to Inverness and take in Loch Lochy and Loch Ness as its been a couple of years since I drove this route.
I made a good choice. Traffic was light, the 60mph limit easily attainable and I had the roads to myself much of the way until I closed in on Inverness.
The views are pretty nice. Here are some of Loch Locky
The road is a cracker and a nice Loch side view
On to Loch Ness.
Here is castle Urquart
Yeah, the views are rubbish
I hit Inverness and then realized I wanted to go back by Loch Lagan. I had 40 miles of boring A9 today (road wise, not view wise) and settled to a nice on the speed limit cruise. For an area that is guaranteed bad winters, their roads have a lot less potholes than our own. Whether they use better materials, but lessons need learned for the way Highland council maintain their roads. BTW, they have an unmarked Grey Mondeo as I saw it pull someone in.
I stopped for a wee snack near Dalwhinnie and took that route to the A86 back to Lagan
There is a desolate feeling to part of the Cairngorms
I prefer Lagan and the west
Then back to Ft William and onto the A82
Total trip
Every mile a joy, every minute a priviledge and it makes my recent less than pleasant experiences with dealers, mechanical issues seem worth all the grief. To get out and really drive this car makes you realize just what a fantastic part of the world I live in, and what a car I have got.
Leaving Helensburgh it was somewhat murky and I wafted up Loch Lomond, (A82) then took the route known as “the rest and be thankful” and continued to Inverarry. The weather was somewhat typical of the area but it was slowly clearing.
A wee stop at Inverarry
Taking the route as I call it going over the top to Dalmally and then connecting with the A85 to Tyndrum. Scumbag will tell you this is one of the best driving routes around. Lots of sweeping bends, elevation changes, views to die for. The car was magnificent on this section of road keeping tight body control and the torque to power out of bends was at times overwhelming the back tyres (it was damp and rather fun). Who ever tells you the manual override paddles/buttons are a gimmick as this gives you an element of control and adds to the fun. From Tydnrum the weather was lifting and I decided to reign in the fun and cruise up the A82 through Glencoe.
You can clearly see the weather has improved.
Can you guess where I am?
After getting to Ballahulish I decided the best way to go is to take a turn for Loch Leven. This is a serious driving road, tight turns after turn. The normal E class AG was good here, but the sport a lot more controlled and fun.
After taking this detour I decided what I really wanted to do was continue on the A82 route to Inverness and take in Loch Lochy and Loch Ness as its been a couple of years since I drove this route.
I made a good choice. Traffic was light, the 60mph limit easily attainable and I had the roads to myself much of the way until I closed in on Inverness.
The views are pretty nice. Here are some of Loch Locky
The road is a cracker and a nice Loch side view
On to Loch Ness.
Here is castle Urquart
Yeah, the views are rubbish
I hit Inverness and then realized I wanted to go back by Loch Lagan. I had 40 miles of boring A9 today (road wise, not view wise) and settled to a nice on the speed limit cruise. For an area that is guaranteed bad winters, their roads have a lot less potholes than our own. Whether they use better materials, but lessons need learned for the way Highland council maintain their roads. BTW, they have an unmarked Grey Mondeo as I saw it pull someone in.
I stopped for a wee snack near Dalwhinnie and took that route to the A86 back to Lagan
There is a desolate feeling to part of the Cairngorms
I prefer Lagan and the west
Then back to Ft William and onto the A82
Total trip
Every mile a joy, every minute a priviledge and it makes my recent less than pleasant experiences with dealers, mechanical issues seem worth all the grief. To get out and really drive this car makes you realize just what a fantastic part of the world I live in, and what a car I have got.
Isn't the ski lift on that side too, maybe the next hill?
