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Old 14th April 2009, 18:39   #31
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MileCruncher:

Awesome place seems like. Did you get to taste the single malts >=15 years?

I am taking the Glenlivet fotos of your and sending it to some diehard fans who would like to see where their kick comes from.

Cheers,
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Old 15th April 2009, 12:32   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MileCruncher View Post
Nope I didn't get away . I had to go to the court and pay the GBP60 fine as the police couldn't process fixed penalty on an international driving license.
That sucks. I got caught recently, doing 58 in a 50. Got 3 points and a fine :(

If you ever need company on your ventures, i would be happy to join you. Went to Wales last weekend, there roads there are lovely. But the scottish highlands are in a leauge of their own. I've been wanting to do a road trip around the north of scotland and go onto the Isle's and stuff, its finding the time to do it thats difficult.
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Old 15th April 2009, 13:33   #33
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Pardon my ignorance, but what is a Gatso?
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Old 15th April 2009, 15:01   #34
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Pardon my ignorance, but what is a Gatso?
GATSO is the manufacturer of those special type speed camera's used in the UK
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Old 15th April 2009, 21:11   #35
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Hey MileCruncher
Even I went to Isle of sky during the bank holiday week end and it was a 1200 miles return trip for me which I covered in 4 days. Loved the place.
Here are some of the pictures of my trip.
Sorry posting the pictures on your thread without your permission, but didn't felt like creating another thread.
Luckily I had my wife beside me to take the pictures of the road while we were driving.
Attached Thumbnails
Scotland Driving Trip-227.jpg  

Scotland Driving Trip-192.jpg  

Scotland Driving Trip-359.jpg  

Scotland Driving Trip-366.jpg  

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Old 29th April 2009, 23:24   #36
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Good reading. My wife & I plan to drive from London through Inverness, doing the Lake District, Wales and Isle of Mann. Same time as MileCruncher - July. Looks like its going to be a very interesting drive
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Old 14th July 2009, 22:54   #37
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@Milecruncher : Didnt want to hijack your thread,so i just created another thread with some pics of my recent trip to the highlands. Find it here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post1384378
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Old 5th August 2013, 18:40   #38
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Holiday in Scotland - Isle of Skye, Isle of Harris and Lewis - Need help in planning

Finally after a hectic work life, I am able to squeeze out a 8-9 days for a Holiday. The destination is selected, bookings are done and prayers for a good weather have started.

I need some help on driving or if possible any experience with driving in Scotland. I have driven around in UK extensively for the past one year and I am confident of driving on motorways and A roads. But I have never embarked on a long journey (more than 4 hours). Drive from my town to the ferry port is around 8 hours both ways covering roughly 500 miles each way. The first and last day will be the most exhausting.

To help you guys understand the preparations required for this trip, here is my itinerary.
Scotland Driving Trip-scotland-itinerary.jpg

And here's the map
Trip Map
The terrain in this entire journey is not challenging. The roads are all tarmac, although some roads on Isle of Harris and Lewis are single lane, not challenging for the car, but the driver.

Here's a list of things I am going to ensure are proper in the car
1. Mechanicals
Check clutch, brakes, engine cam belt, tyres including spare, jack, air con, battery health

2. Check Fluids
Engine Oil, Brake fluid, Coolant, Washer fluid
Keep at-least 2 litres of bottled water

3. Electrical
Spare fuses, spare head lamp bulbs, spare brake light and turn indicator bulbs, phone charger

4. Tools
Tow rope, car tool kit, screw driver set, swiss army knife, M seal or equivalent, jump start cable, reflective triangle, hand/head torch, digital tyre pressure monitor, Tyre sealer-inflater can, wet tissues, dry kitchen tissue roll

5. Car papers - 5 copies
6. Driving license - 5 copies
7. Car owner’s manual
8. Check roadside assistance coverage in Scotland with insurance company

Personal stuff to carry

1. Clothing
  1. Fleece zippers, Windcheater, Walking shoes, Walking sticks
  2. Head cover/hat/cap/hoody/whatever protects from midges and cold
  3. Midges repelling cream

2. Documents
Passport copy, Visa copy, DL copy, Register with NHS

3. Photography
  1. 70-300mm or 70-200mm lens - to hire
  2. Wide angle lens - to hire
  3. Circular polarising filter - to buy
  4. UV filters - to buy
  5. Lens Hoods - to buy
  6. Canon EOS 600D
  7. Kit lens 18-55
  8. Prime lens 50mm f1.8
Need some help from you photography gurus out here. I have no experience with bird or wildlife photography. These islands are a paradise as it appears from the research I have done for bird spotting and photographing whales and dolphins on boat trips. So, I was thinking of renting out a 70-200mm or 70-300mm lens for that week. These are the options I have
70-300mm Lens for hire
70-200mm Lens for hire
17-40mm Lens for hire
Any opinions on this ?

Can you guys please point out if I have missed anything or I have become paranoid and putting myself through a lot for a 1500 mile trip. This would be my first long distance road trip and I don't want to overlook something now and regret it later stuck on an island with no help in sight or reach. Also, some tips on preparing myself mentally for the trip would help, a do's and dont's list kind of thing.

Last, but not the least, if anyone has been to these islands and can share their experience of driving there, it would be fantastic!

Deepak

Mods: If this is not in the correct section, please move it to the relevant one. I figured this was the most appropriate.
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Old 16th December 2013, 19:10   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dgupta View Post
Finally after a hectic work life, I am able to squeeze out a 8-9 days for a Holiday. The destination is selected, bookings are done and prayers for a good weather have started. I need some help So, I was thinking of renting out a 70-200mm or 70-300mm lens for that week. These are the options I have 70-300mm Lens for hire 70-200mm Lens for hire 17-40mm Lens for hire Any opinions on this ? Can you guys please point out if I have missed anything or I have become paranoid and putting myself through a lot for a 1500 mile .
Dear dgupta

Wow! That is comprehensive. I think you have covered most, if not all items. I did my trip with much lesser planning but then it depends on what kind of traveller you are.

On the lenses, I think the 70-300 is the most versatile lens. You should be good with that for bird shooting and won't need to carry anything else.

Have a great trip in Britain's countryside!
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Old 16th December 2013, 22:35   #40
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Re: Scotland Driving Trip

Lovely planning, I think you have covered it all. I've seen rain on the most unexpected days, so rain gear and some buffer time for rain / fog delays would be good.

I did an end to end form John O Groats and Lands a few years back, extensively covered in and around Inverness, Skye Island end up to Portee and then back to Inverness. Did not cross the ferry, was a land based plan. Spent more time on Lake District.

My interest in birds are minimal, did see lots of birds in Lake district, you would probably see more on the islands, would need a proper zoom and a relatively fast lens to capture good shots in low light. I also found light a problem on very cloudy days up north.

--Ramky
======
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Old 18th May 2015, 14:34   #41
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Re: Scotland Driving Trip

Hi, Nice pictures of a wonderful place.
I will be travelling to UK in june and plan to self drive from london to scotland. Have already hired a VW golf estate for that.
We ll be three people. Me, my wife and my 5 year old daughter.

Our planned itinerary for this road trip is:

10th june: drive from london to lake district and stay there for one night.
11th june: drive from lake district to inverness.
11 and 12th june: stay at inverness
13th june: drive from inverness to glassgow and stay there. Visit edinburgh if possible.
14th june: drive from glassgow to coventry.

i would like to have opinions about the above itinerary regarding its feasibility, the travel times, precautions and any other advices that i may need.

thanks in advance.
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