2025 Around Scotland - 1
East to West
From what we can see, most of the route is on paved road with some gravel in the 2nd part of the trip on the NSCR. We decide to do this trip again with our Santos adventure bikes, (same as our last years trip on the Caminos) but we change the tires to a touring type with more puncture resistance.
(Linda: Continental Pure Contact / Dirk: Schwalbe Marathon Almotion)
Instead of our Big Agnes standalone tent, we take our Hilleberg Nallo GT3 as this one has an extended vestibule giving us more space.
The only other difference is our cooking set which we have finally replaced by a Trangia Duossal stove with gas burner (already a long time on Linda's wishlist).
Every time we're back from a trip, the first thing we're asked is always: "What's next ?".
Most of the time, we do not really know, but there are always a few options in our mind, one of them completing the 6600 km long North Sea cycle route.
We started with the NSCR in 2017, doing the part in Belgium and the Netherlands. Few years lated, we covered the part along the German and Danish coast.
When I saw an article in the "Europafietsers" cycling magazine of a trip around Scotland, this seemed to be a nice option to reach the NSCR starting point at John O'Groats.
The article referred to the website of Hans van der Veeke , from where I downloaded their GPS track.
For the first half, our trip would be more or less the same as theirs. As from John O'Groats, Hans went to the Orkneys where they took a ferry to Aberdeen. We decided to cycle all the way back to Newcastle via the NSCR.
Part 1 covers the first 2 weeks of our trip, from leaving home up to Oban where we took the ferry to the Outer Hebrides.
If you would like to receive the zip file of the GPX track of our complete trip, please send a request to: dilistuffmail@gmail.com
Video on DILISTUFF
YouTube channel
The daily "Morning" shoot.
Every morning, before we jump on the bike or go out for a walk, Linda takes a "Morning photo.
At the bottom of this page (menu item: Where, when and how), you'll find for each of these photo's where we stayed that night, where we cycled to, how much km's, in which location we had something to eat or snack and where we did our grocery shopping.
Where: Brussels Midi Train Station Today: 28 km - Brussels to Schiphol by train / to Robbert & Linda by bicycle
Where: Home of Linda & Robbert. Today: 45 km - NSCR the Netherlands to IJmuiden ferry terminal Lunch : Zandvoort
Where: Ferry terminal in North Shields, England Today: 57 km - Northshields to Hexham - Hadrians Cycleway / NC72 Lunch : Newcastle Groceries : Tesco, Hexham
Where: Home of Jill and Peter in Hexham. Today: 84km - Hexham to Gretna - NC72/10/7 Lunch: Haltwhistle Groceries: Gretna
Where: The Gables hotel, Gretna, Scotland Today: 58 km - Gretna to Dumfries - NC 7 Lunch: picnic Groceries: Tesco, Annan
Where: Hollybank rooms, Dumfries Today: 71km - Dumfries to Gatehouse of Fleet - NC7 Snack: Castle Douglas Lunch: Picnic Kirkcudbright Groceries: Tesco Castle Douglas and Tesco Kirkcudbright
Where: Anwoth Caravan site, Gatehouse of Fleet Today: 32km - Gatehouse of Fleet to Newton Stewart - NC 7 Lunch: picnic Groceries: Aldi / Sainsbury's Newton Stewart
Where: Cree Bridge House Hotel, Newton Steward Today: 59 km - Newton Steward to Maybole - NC 7 Lunch: picnic Groceries: Newton Steward, Maybole
Where: The Ranch Holiday park, Maybole Today: 39 + 7 km - Maybole to Lamlash - NC 7 / Ferry Groceries: Maybole / Troon / Lamlash
Where: Middleton's Camping park, Lamlash Today: 63 km - Lamlash to Lochranza Lunch: Forest of the Falls cafe, Kildonan Groceries: Lamlash
Where: Lochranza Caravan and Camping site Today: 43 km - Lochranza to Kilberry - Ferry / clockwise on coastal road Lunch: picnic Groceries: Tarbert
Where: Port Ban holiday park Today: 49 km - Kilberry to Kilmartin - Around Arran / Caledonia cycleway Lunch : Picnic Groceries: Lochgilphead
Where: Kilmartin hotel, Kilmartin Today: 68 km - Kilmartin to Oban - Caledonia cycle way/NC 78 Lunch: Dalavich Groceries: Oban
Where: MGM Muthu Oban Regent hotel 0 km
To the U.K.
The easiest way to get to Newcastle from Belgium is by train and ferry. From Brussels, there is a EuroCity fast train to Amsterdam, just leaving 27 km of cycling to the ferry in IJmuiden. Last check in for this voyage is now 4.30 PM, time enough to get to the ferry.
As our friends, Robbert and Linda, also live at a similar distance from the ferry terminal, we opted to visit them the day before, a nice start of the vacation.
They are living in one of the most famous flower towns in the Netherlands. The fields are well known for their colourful displays of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, creating a stunning landscape from late march to early may.
Leaving the flower fields behind us, we followed part of the North Sea Cycle route path which is going through the dunes up to Zandvoort to continue via the South Kennemerland national park to the ferry terminal in IJmuiden
When we arrive at the ferry terminal, it's very clear that the touristic season has not started yet. It's mainly trucks and it also seems that we are the only 2 on a bicycle.
The voyage with DFDS between IJmuiden and Newcastle is an overnight trip with mandatory cabin booking. We booked with a discount of 15% a few months before sailing date.
We also pre-booked the buffet dinner and buffet breakfast in the explorers kitchen. If you like a table near a window, you just need to be lucky or book a table as early as possible. We were lucky for the brealfast.
The Hadrian Cycleway
Leaving the ferry terminal, you're immediately on National cycle way 72, Hadrians Cycleway.
IThe NC 72 is 278 km long and goes from Tynemouth (where we are) to Ravenglass at the Irish sea. We're cycling on the NC 72 for about 110 km where we, just before Brampton, take a turn to the right, direction Scotland.
After a quick stop in Newcastle for buying some midge repellent and our first coffee with cake, the "Around Scotland" adventure really starts.
The Hadrian cycleway
It's 2 pm by the time we are leaving Newcastle. The sun is shining, it feels good and we decide that we may want to camp tonight. There is a caravanpark in Hexham, some 40 km further. Let's find out if these caravan parks also accept cyclists with a tent.
Building of The Hadrian wall started in 122 AD and most of the stones were later on used for local farmhouses and churches. The original wall lies entirely within England and along the way, you can still see some of the footings and a few reconstructions.
When we arrive in Hexham, we learn our first lesson about the many, many, many caravan parks in the U.K.
Most of the time, there is no office or reception area. There are no facilities for people travelling with a tent.
To remember: if it's not specifically mentioned that tents are welcome, it means it's not possible.
When we leave the caravan park and are checking booking.com for a hotel in the village, a man walks towards us and asks if he can help. When we tell him we do not find a camping place and will book a hotel, he offers his garden as our camping space for the night. Oh yes, thank you very much. Peter and Jill are walking their dog and will be home in about an hour. Meanwhile, we go for a nice Kombucha at Four Beaumont opposite the Hexham Abbey.
When we arrive at Jill & Peter's house, we're in for another surprise.
It's still very cold at night and their garden is sloping a little, why don't we just sleep in a room in the house.
Of course, why not. Our first night of this trip could not be easier.
When we ask a recommendation for dinner, they immediately book for all of us and we're spending an amazing evening together. What a treat.
The goal for day 2 is simple, cross the border in to Scotland. That is going to be around 80 km but the wind is blowing from behind, the sun is shining, the climbs are gentle, so this should be easy.
We knew beforehand that most of the first half of our trip would be mainly on paved roads but we did not expect to be the only ones on these roads. The NC72 goes via roads where you see a lot more sheep then human beings. Nice.
On the way, we see a lamb which must have jumped out of the womb a few seconds ago. It's struggling a bit to get up and the umbilical cord is still connected.
A few km further, we're saving another young one by tilting it over the fence where his/her mother was in a clear state of panic.
Around Haltwhistle, the geographical centre of Britain, the cycleway goes just next to the remains of the Hadrian wall.
Just in time as we are leaving the NC72 shortly after, direction Gretna.
Dumfries and Galloway
Just before Gretna, we're crossing the border between England and Scotland.
In Gretna, no campsite, a caravan park only. We already know from yesterday that this will not work so we happily book a night in the Gables hotel. Their website says : Traditional warn Scottish welcome. Let's give it a try.
Leaving Gretna, we're soon in an area where we decide to take out the drone. When we're packing our stuff for a bicycle trip, it's always difficult to decide if we will take the drone or not.
It easily takes 20 to 30 minutes to take a few shots or make a short video. Our DJI mini pro drone has a fixed aperture so you need to work with different grey filters to get the correct amount of light. That continuously changes when rotating the drone or tilting the camera.
The quality of photo's is also never the same as those from our other camera.
Last point of consideration, drone, batteries, etc weigh an additional 1.5 kg.
Around lunchtime, we're passing the Caerlaverock castle with some inviting picnic tables.
They even have a souvenir shop where you can get a coffee.
We're now cycling next to the Solway Firth , an inlet of the Irish Sea forming a natural border between England and Scotland.
Just before Dumfries, at the banks of the river Nith, we're meeting Hazel.
She tells us the story of the local fishermen who stood in the river with big nets to catch fish.
With high tide, the incoming water made fish swim upstream and when the low tide was setting in, her late husband and other local villagers were going to the shallower parts of the river to catch the fish being pushed back by the returning water.
Todays destination is Dumfries and we found our cheapest hotel of the entire trip on the other side of the river. Campsites seem to charge minimum 25 pounds for a night, this hotel charges 44. A no brainer considering temperatures at night are still around 0 celcius.
When we leave Dumfries, we notice a car with an advertisement "The rolling hills of Galloway" and thats exactly what we are experiencing.
Traversing Castle Douglas, we just stop for some coffee and pastries and decide we'll wait till we are in Kirkcudbright for a decision where we will stop today.
When we arrive in Kirkcudbright around 2.30 PM, we realise we did not have lunch yet. The town square has a picnic table and what we later discover, also a Tesco store where you can buy some bandage tape.
Last year, when we were cycling on the Camino del Norte in Spain, I lost my late dad's Buck knife. It was one of the first folding Hunter knives, dating back to the early 60's.
When I realised where I left it, somewhere on a bench next to a busy sidewalk along the beach, we were already at least 20 km further and there was no point in returning with some hope to find it back.
Surfing the internet for a new knife, I discovered that Buck still makes exactly the same knife, just a little sharper.
We're now day 4 and while we are carrying a lot of camping stuff, we did not use any of it yet. During the day, we are having temperatures well above 20 so it's just very appealing to start camping.
Just after Gatehouse of Fleet, there is a Caravan site which accepts tents. Let's go.
Oops, tonight, temperatures dropped below zero. Our sleeping bags are OK for comfort temperature of 6 degrees. During the night, we were putting on our socks and a down jacket.
But, in the morning, the sun is out again and we have a healthy apple cinnamon oatmeal breakfast.
As from Gretna, where we crossed the Scottish border, we have been cycling on the NC 07. The Sustrans cycle route 7 is 540 miles long and goes from Sunderland up to Inverness. The part we're doing is from Gretna to Troon where we will take the ferry to Arran island.
Today, we have planned a rather short ride of 32 km. The reason for it was very simple, after Newton Stewart, we're entering a rather remote area for the next 60 km with no campsites or other types of lodging. In Scotland, you can also do wildcamping but this is not really our cup of tea.
Our preferred lunch is a simple picnic. Always nice and most of the time also the most affordable lunch. Only requirement is a place to sit down.
Arriving in the early afternoon in Newton Stewart, there's still enough time to stroll around the village and to do our grocery shopping for tomorrows lunch.
While we're having dinner, we get a message from Linda's niece about bush fires in the Glentrool area. Seems the fire has been raging over the hills for a couple of days. When we try to find where Glentrool is, it seems that this is about 20 km from where we are now and ... tomorrow, we're passing Glentrool.
Later on, we find out that the fires stopped a few days ago, pffff .... let's hope it's all again back to normal.
Glentrool is today the only village we're passing. Just a few houses and a community centre, the Glentrool Hive.
When we ride towards the community centre, a resident asks us if we're searching for a place to have some coffee?
The residents have their bimonthly "get together". The community center was just released by the firefighters after it was their command center for the last 2 weeks.
Somewhere in between Glentrool and Maybole, we're leaving the Dumfries and Galloway council area.
Ayrshire and Arran
Temperatures at night have recently been around 4 celcius. Maybole has a campsite, time for trying a night in the tent again. We will be better prepared now as we'll start already with the socks, bodywarmer, hood, etc.. on.
Linda is also very very happy with her Trangia stove and plates. Dinner: pasta with tomato sauce and some veggies, breakfast: toasted bread with scrambled eggs.
From Maybole to Troon is around 40 km. In this low season, there are not many ferries per day to Brodick on Arran island and we aim to catch the 3.30pm ferry. If we do not reach Troon in time, we still have one later ferry.
We can see on the map that the first half of todays ride is still going to be with rolling hills, the second part is alongside the beach and will be mostly flat.
Yesterday, our belts started screeching a little, so hereby something about bike maintenance.
Our Santos Adventure bikes have a Pinion gearbox with a gates belt. This means that they are nearly complete maintenance free during a trip. Riding in mud, sand, dirty or salty water, gravel, whatever ... does not require any attention. You just hose the bike with normal pressure if it really starts looking like a nightmare. The only thing what can happen is that the belt starts screeching a little when it's very dry. In that case, we first clean the belt with some cloth or paper towel and apply a type of wax. We use the Hanseline Belt-Wax-Stick.
The only other maintenance during a longer trip is changing the brake pads. We are using organic brake pads (better breaking, less noise when wet) which unfortunately have a shorter lifespan than the sintered brake pads.
When we reach Ayr Bay in the Firth of Clyde, the road becomes flat and we are also not alone on the road anymore. This is clearly a tourist place, also with the benefit of some nice places for lunch. One of our standards is first some homemade soup, followed by coffee and pastries.
Most of the ferries can be booked on line via the website of the Ferry operator "Caledonian MacBrayne".
Be aware that ferries also leave before scheduled departure if all pre-booked passengers are on board. The journey between Troon and Brodick is around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
It's simple, when travelling by bicycle, be there at least 30 to 45 minutes before departure and you're OK.
Arran is just 32 km long and 16 km wide. and has less than 5000 inhabitants.
We're not taking the NC 73 from Brodick directly to Lochranza but are cycling a 3/4 circle around the island.
It's just around 7 km to Lamlash where there are a few hotels and a campsite.
When we walk in to a hotel to check the price, we're told that they are fully booked and that it's going to be very tough anyhow to find anything in Lamlash below 300 euro for 1 night. Makes it an easy decision to choose where we will stay.
It was again a rather cold night and when we get up in the morning, the grass is still a little frosty.
From Lamlash, it's just another 63 km and in Lochranza there is a campsite and a youth hostel.
Looking at the weather forecast, it will be perfect for camping.
Just before reaching Lochranza at the Kilbrannan sound, we see the first seals sunbathing on the rocks.
The campsite is just 2 km after the village and ferry terminal. A few people along the way have recommended to go to "The Sandwich station" opposite the ferry terminal as they seem to make the best sandwiches ever. There's no grocery shop in Lochranza so we hope it's still open when we arrive. Bad luck, already closed so tonight, we'll go to the only restaurant in town. Also not bad.
Tomorrow, the Sandwich station is open before the ferry leaves, so we know what we will do for breakfast.
We can only be impressed how beautiful it is here. So strange there are so few people.
The next morning, we're awake 30 minutes before the alarm goes and we decide to just get up. When we arrive early at the ferry terminal, we're seeing that arriving passengers of the earlier crossing are still disembarking. Quickly to the Sandwich shop and we're still on time to catch this one.
Argyll and Bute
It takes about half an hour by ferry between Lochranza and Claonaig. Claonaig has just a ferry terminal and a public toilet. For groceries or something to drink or eat, it's 17 km cycling to Tarbert.
As from now, we'll be on the NC 78 upto Oban where we will take the ferry to the Outer Hebrides.
The NC 78, also known as the Caledonia cycleway, goes all the way to Inverness via the Caledonian Canal, passing Loch Ness.
On the ferry, we met Norman who is well in his seventies and cycles a few times a year between his home in Dumfries to the Isle of Skye to visit his nephews.
Norman is very health conscious, exercises a lot and only eats healthy food to keep his body and mind as fit as possible. What an example. We hope that we can keep it up as well as he does.
We said goodbye in Tarbert as he continued via the A83 and we followed the scenic route via the NC 78.
We're again alone on the road. It seems that everyone else is taking another route and the tourists have not discovered this one yet. Todays target destination is the Port Ban Holiday park, a leisurely day of 43 km only. When we were preparing for this trip, we've seen photos of the campsite with an amazing sunset. Something we do not want to miss.
Cycling now in Argyll, it means that we have entered the "Midge area".
Midges are most common from May to October. We're still April and the temperatures are still very low during the night, we do not have to worry much but we are prepared.
We bought net face covering and also have a good repellent.
Let's hope we do not need any of it.
It does not happen a lot, but today, we did not find a bench or picnic table for having our lunch. With no passing traffic, no issue, we can sit anywhere and a wall to lean on is always a great idea.
The campsite is as expected. When we arrive around 4 pm, the cafe is still open and we enjoy some fresh juices on the terras in the sun. It's a big campsite but the touring pitch site is not busy. We're lucky to have a pitch with an unobstructed view.
On the menu:
Main : Pasta with a cream sauce, spinach, mushrooms and baby tomatoes.
Dessert : Yogurt with homemade granola and fresh blueberries.
Freshly ground coffee with a Lotus Biscoff speculoos.
After healthy breakfast on the beach, we're on our way direction Kilmartin. We've seen on the map that around Kilmartin, there are a few heritage sites alongside the route so it's the ideal place to stop for the day.
When we're going inland after Loch Caolisport and are waving goodbye to the seals, we're suddenly in an area where we still smell the scent of bushfires. A little later, we can see the devastation which took place.
When we were last year cycling home from Lisbon, we passed many areas where the bushfires had been raging but we did not expect the same in Scotland, known for their colder and humid weather. Suppose the climate change is also having it's impact here.
It's already 2 pm and we're really getting hungry. It seems that since we left the campsite this morning around 11 am, we have not been passing any spot "made for a picnic". Of course, you can have your picnic everywhere but I (dirk) like to sit on something which is slightly higher than the floor. Suppose it has something to do with age. Just before Ardrishaig, we're seeing a picnic table on the grounds of a church. Shall we? Of course.
Between Ardrishaig and Bellanoch, we will be cycling alongside the 14 km long Crinan canal.
It has 15 locks and those we passed on our 11 km along the canal were still all operated manually.
Tough job but also Linda managed to get it done. Sorry, no photo's of her pushing the heavy lock, it's only on the video.
The bicycle path is on the previous left towpath on which horses assisted unpowered crafts until 1959.
Approaching Kilmartin, the NC78 takes a turn towards the Temple Wood Stone Circles park.
The Temple Wood Circle was used for some 2.000 years for burial rites.
The earliest remains go back to 3.500 BC when a timber circle was build.
Later on, the timber was replaced by standing stones.
In 2.000 BC, 2 small cairns were build outside the stone circle. Cairns are human-made stacks or piles of stones.
They were followed by more cist burials covered by a mount of stones.
Just nearby is the Nether Largie South Cairn, also build some 5.000 years ago.
The original chamber at it's center was divided in 4 compartments and probably held numerous burials.
We like camping but must admit after 4 days of campsites, a night in a hotel also has it's benefits. It's not sleeping in a bed which is the biggest difference as we really like our sleeping mats and sleeping bags. You just have more room to spread out and sort all your stuff, recharge all batteries, etc...
The Caledonian cycleway is going a little offtrack here and passes the Carnasserie castle before we reach Loch Awe.
We've been warned that today is going to be a lot of climbing. That's OK as tomorrow will be our first rest day of this trip.
When we met Norman a couple of days ago, he mentioned that on this stretch of the NC 78, there was only one place where we could stop for lunch, Dalavich.
Arriving here at 12 sharp and with dark clouds in the sky appearing, we decided to skip picnic and have something in the "Wild Roman Cafe".
Just behind our table was their Wishing Wall where people put coins between the stones and make a wish.
I wished for good weather during this trip and can only say that it really worked.
With a few exceptions, of course.
After Taynuilt, we're crossing again another cattle grid but this time, we're really eye to eye with the Highland cattle. We've seen them already a few times on this trip, but this time we are at the same side of the fence. Suddenly, their horns seem a lot sharper and bigger than before. They're on the same path as us and they all have their calves with them. A little scary we think and we're happy that we can leave them behind us.
Oban is known as the "Gateway to the isles" and that's exactly why we are here. From here, we will take the ferry to the Outer Hebrides.
On top of Battery Hill, overlooking the city, is McCaig's Tower. John McCaig was a philanthropic banker who wanted to build a lasting monument for his family and provide work for the local stonemasons during the winter months. He was an admirer of Roman and Greek architecture and planned an elaborate structure based on the Colosseum in Rome.
While his intention was to also build inside the construction a museum and art gallery with statues of himself and his family, that all stopped when he died in 1902. Today, the empty shell of the tower is now a public garden with fantastic views of the city and islands.
Before
What to do on a rest day?
After
When, where and how.
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
April 1
Brussels Midi train station
Train to Schiphol - 28 km to friends home
x
x
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
April 2
Friends home
45 km - NSCR the Netherlands to IJmuiden ferry terminal
Zandvoort
x
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
April 3
Ferry terminal, North Shields, England
57 km - North Shields to Hexham - Hadrians cycleway / NC72
Newcastle, Hexham
Hexham
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
April 4
Home of Jill & Peter
84 km - Hexham to Gretna - Hadrians cycleway / NC72 - NC 10 & 7
Hexham, Haltwhistle, Gretna
Hexham, Gretna
Where:
Date:
Today:
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April 5
Gables hotel
58 km - Gretna to Dumfries - NC 7
Gretna, Dumfries
Gretna, Annan, Dumfries
Where:
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Today:
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April 6
Hollybank rooms
71 km - Dumfries to Gatehouse of Fleet - NC 7
Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Gatehouse of Fleet
Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Gatehouse of Fleet
Where:
Date:
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April 7
Anwoth Caravan site
32 km - Gatehouse of Fleet to Newton Stewart - NC 7
Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart
Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart
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April 11
Lochranza Caravan and Camping
43 km - Lochranza to Kilberry - ferry - coastal road
Tarbert, Port Ban Holiday park (closes early)
Tarbert
Where:
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April 12
Port Ban Holiday park
49 km - Kilberry to Kilmartin - coastal way / Caledonia cycleway
Ardrishaig, Kilmartin
Lochgilphead
Where:
Date:
Today:
Eat or drink:
Groceries:
April 13
Kilmartin hotel
68 km - Kilmartin to Oban - Caledonia cycleway / NC78
Kilmartin, Dalavich, Oban
Oban
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April 14
MGM Muthu Oban Regent hotel
0 km
Oban
Oban
Around Scotland 1 - Favorite Outtakes
On a trip, many photo's are taken but only a small selection makes it in to the main story above.
This is mainly to avoid overlap, keep it visually appealing, provide valuable content, not too short and not too long, etc...
Hereunder some of our favorites who did not make it, the Favorite Outtakes
This Around Scotland page is part 1 out of 4. Click here below on the respective map to go to another page of this trip.
