Route Ideas
We are passionate about Motorhome holidays and about Scotland. We are happy to help you with advice and suggestions for your trip and we have included some of our own favourite Motorhome trips which you can view by clicking on the links below. Your touring options are endless but these suggested routes will certainly give you some ideas to get out and enjoy the freedom of Scotland.
Action, Activity and Adventure
Southern Scotland – Cycling & Mountain Biking - The Highlights.
As well as having incredibly scenic cycling routes for all levels and ages, Scotland has some of the best mountain biking terrain in the world. A fact acknowledged by the International Mountain Biking Association which has named Scotland as a “Global Superstar” for the last 2 consecutive years.
The Southern areas from the border stretching up to Edinburgh on the East and Glasgow on the West has some of the best cycling and mountain biking terrain around, as well as a number of lovely picturesque towns and villages where you can eat, drink, relax and explore after a day in the saddle.
The 7 Stanes are 7 mountain bike centres in the South which have been created to give riders of all levels the chance to experience some of the very best in downhill and technical mountain biking. Trails are graded according to ability and experience so everyone can experience the thrills of this popular and growing sport.
From Glasgow take your motorhome down the West coast through Ayrshire, home to Scotland’s bard Robert Burns. You can take time to explore the seaside town of Ayr and the beaches of Turnberry and Maidens to the south.
From here you can head inland to both Glentrool and Kirroughtree which are part of the 7 Stanes network. These parks have forest trails suitable for the family and also moderate blue trails and exhilarating singletrack riding for the mountain bikers.
Round here Kircudbright, Gatehouse of Fleet and Castle Douglas are lovely little places to spend some time exploring when not on the bike. These are popular tourist spots and there are many attractions to visit, and beaches to spend time on. From this area you are well positioned to access 3 of the other 7 Stanes parks, Dalbeattie Forest, Mabie Forest and Forest of Ae, all of which offer limitless cycling opportunities for all levels.
If you are in the mood for more cycling adventures then head East and slightly North through Dumfries, and the lovely old 19th Century spa town of Moffat. Your destination is Peebles and the 7 Stanes parks of Glentress and Innerleithen. Glentress is recognised as the best biking centre in Britain with trails for all grades of rider.
The lovely market town of Peebles is worth spending some time in, as is Melrose with its Gothic abbey. This whole area is situated in the Tweed Valley and the rich, forested scenery, inspired a lot of Sir Walter Scott’s writing. Dryburgh Abbey and Smailholm tower are excellent attractions to visit and you may also wish to take the short trip to Edinburgh if you feel like some lively nightlife after all that exercise.
West Coast Islands – Surfing & Wind Surfing - The Highlights.
For watersports look no further than Scotland for one of the best ranges of activities in Europe. There are great surfing beaches and numerous other activities such as kayaking, canyoning, white water rafting, scuba diving and many more. This route will take you to some of the beautiful islands off the West Coast where you can enjoy, watersports, wildlife, great hospitality and wonderful seafood. An island Hopscotch pass with Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries is a great way to see the islands of Scotland.
Follow the M8 road from Open Road Motorhomes onto the A8 and down past the coastal towns of Gourock and Largs until you reach Ardrossan where you catch the ferry to the Isle of Arran which is known as ‘Scotland in Miniature’. Arran is worth spending some time in and has beautiful scenery as well as opportunities for adventure sports such as canyoning and paragliding.
From Lochranza at the North of the Island take the ferry to Claonaig at the top of the Kintyre peninsula. From here you can make your way down to Campbelltown and then onto Macrihanish Bay where there is fine surfing to be had against the backdrop of long sandy beaches and sand dunes. Macrihanish is an ideal spot for learner surfers also as it has no rocks or reefs to wipe out on.
From here you can head North up the spectacular coastal road to the town of Oban from where you can have your pick of Islands to visit including Mull, Islay, Colonsay and Oronsay.
If it’s surfing or wind surfing you are after though, then you will most definitely want to get out to Coll and Tiree. Tiree is an amzing location for both surfing and wind surfing and the O'Neill Highland Open for surfing is 24th April - 1st May this year. It’s also the outermost island of the Inner Hebrides and is a very tranquil and beautiful place to visit at any time of the year. The island also has important archaeological remains, such as the drystone broch Dun Mor which dates back to the 1st century BC. The cliffs round Ben Hynish are also home to thousands of seabirds.
These routes are only a couple of options for you to consider. There are a massive number of Action and Activity options and routes in Scotland and it would be an impossible job to try and list them all. If you have any specific ideas or would like any help or guidance with planning your routes then we are happy to help. Please feel free to contact us.