So what's it like on Scottish Roads in January/February?

Steve T

Well-Known Member
Fecking salty, thats what the roads up here are like in those two months :mad:

Bike looks like it's been spray painted with lumpy grey sh1te after any ride in the later winter months.

Generally, the larger roads this far norrth - Morayshire and the Highlands - are well gritted / salted, so getting about, even on two wheels, isn't really a problem . . . . . .

. . . . . . . BUT . . . . . . . . . .

Turning off of the larger roads and you find yourself confronted by the councils funding led cut backs - many minor roads that don't see either a school bus or a scheduled bus do not even get looked at when it comes to spreading the corrosive stuff :eek:. So ice is a very, very real problem once the freeze starts.

Only the weekend before last I was bimbling at my own pace on an A class road in the highlands when the bike twitched beneath me on a damp road, followed shortly afterwards by a fully sideways slide o_O (thats what it felt like, but probably no more than the rear stepping out a few inches :rolleyes:) followed by a little bit of tank slapping action :eek:. Stayed right side up and pulled over as asoon as possible to

1 - check undergarments for staining

2 - check tyres for possible puncture

3 - to walk back to slippy-slidey bit to check surface for spillage

The answers -

1 - No worries, but turned them inside out for freshness :D

2 - tyres still fully inflated to pre-ride pressures

3 - slippy-slidey area was covered in a very thin film of ice :confused:

When you thinking of trying our roads out then Nick?

Steve T

:cool:
 

nick949

Well-Known Member
Fecking salty, thats what the roads up here are like in those two months :mad:


When you thinking of trying our roads out then Nick?

Steve T

:cool:

Great response Steve :). I'm just starting to think about various hiking / riding scenarios for the winter months. I usually get over between late Feb/ early April about every other year for a break from snow-shoeing and watching the level going down on my 500 gallon oil heat tank. It sounds as though a quick zoot around the NC500 might be a trifle unwise, and that I ought to think about staying south of the Antonine Wall, but I imagine there are weather windows when the roads aren't too bad and the temps are mildish?

Nick
 

austin

Well-Known Member
The weather will most likely be very changeable Nick. It could be anything from bitterly cold with strong Northerly winds bringing cutting cold with snow/sleet/rain and everything being very miserable. Or it could be clear blue skies and dry but cold (for the UK), or (likely) fairly mild very wet Westerly winds bringing rain belt after rain belt low clouds and high winds. In 2-4 weeks you will probably get it all and that would be enough time to see all of Scotland.

Not that many roads in Scotland reach a great altitude - cairngorms have a few but otherwise most roads follow the glens and lower passes and never gain that much height (1000 feet or so) - enough for snow to close the road occasionally but wait a few hours/ a day and its clear and there's always a long alternative. Stick to the west coast and its unlikely you will get any snow/ice, just lots and lots of rain. The roads will have a liberal coating of salt though. Its foul. Much of Scotland will be closed too. Ski and mountain resorts will be up and running, and expensive, but outside of those areas you do run the risk of finding lots of closed B&Bs, hostels and hotels. Winging it can be frustrating.

We had a two week anti-clockwise tour of the coast in January 2012. By car. And we had all the above. I cant say I ever thought "this would be better by bike". The only snowy roads we encountered that would have been a problem on a bike was about 1-2inches of snow at Achnasheen for about 5 miles down the pass heading West. The snow was gone by lunchtime though. Otherwise it was consistently grey damp and on the cool to cold side. We stayed in Hostels and mostly had them to ourselves but did phone ahead. Several were closed.

You could also try the ADVScotland forum for questions. Quite a lot of the inmates on there are also occasional posters on here and the whole thing is run by Craig (Largewayround) an old pal from other forums and bike meets.

When? Royal Enfield again?
 

austin

Well-Known Member
Only the weekend before last I was bimbling at my own pace on an A class road in the highlands
Steve T

:cool:

Steve's "bimbling along at my own pace" has a completely different meaning to what anyone who hasn't followed Steve might think.
 

nick949

Well-Known Member
Steve's "bimbling along at my own pace" has a completely different meaning to what anyone who hasn't followed Steve might think.

Noted :ride:. I'm not sure of much yet. I've had some very generous offers from 'Real Classic' denizens, although they probably don't fully realize the kind of abuse I might be prepared to subject their bikes to. I recently found yet another Enfield rental place. There are lots of other rental options (including one company in Cornwall who were happy to rent me their 62 Velocette Venom - even knowing that I'm likely to put thousands of miles on it) and foronce I'm not going to be counting the pennies, but most of the modern bikes just don't interest me, even though they may make far more sense.

But as you know, common sense doesn't intrude much into my world. :drool:

Nick
 

Flyfifer

Member
Steve T and Austin , described January and February conditions spot on.

I would only add ----
it's only daylight for 6 hrs in January and it is a pretty gray light, in the rain Austin referred to.
February used to be predictably colder/more ice, with bluer skies --- but who knows these days.
 

nick949

Well-Known Member
Steve T and Austin , described January and February conditions spot on.

I would only add ----
it's only daylight for 6 hrs in January and it is a pretty gray light, in the rain Austin referred to.
February used to be predictably colder/more ice, with bluer skies --- but who knows these days.

Thanks Flyfifer - I'd forgotten about the short days. It's certainly a factor. During past hiking Feb/March trips I can remember some very long nights:(
 

Lowflyer

Well-Known Member
Nick,

Generally, up here,March I would say would be about right -- but please don't shoot the messenger :)

I have been working away from home on the west coast for more years than I care to remember
The thing is, the weather up here can change so much in the blink of an eye, seriously, I have been working on Skye where we had the four seasons in one day. It is a very big small big Island if you know what I mean :confused:
Unlike your part of the world, you have pretty much perma frost. Up here it is bloody cold in the winter, but the sun comes up, partially melts the cold stuff and you think that would be it --- but no.
Major risks to me, whether it be 4 wheels or 2 is driving/riding close to forest areas.

Sun hits the open areas, ignores the tree overhangs, black ice on a tree laden bend -- guess what - you are in the ditch. Also, the main thing that makes me keek me pants is a deer jumping out of said wooded area on black ice, not good. Trust me , I know :(
I have been there on so many occasions on 4 wheels, but then again I wouldn't necessarily go that fast on two ;)
Makes me laugh when I here weather reports from , I guess our central belt cousins --- " there will be ice on all untreated glens " FFS , we are all glens up here, the only priority gritting goes to trunk roads and bus routes, the rest, well fend for yersel Johhny :D

To conclude Nick, if you fancy a blast up North, send me a pm, I can go through where you want to go at that time of year. We have several civils contracts over the West Coast and North, I can give you a more detailed forecast based on local knowledge if you wish to proceed.

All the best

Slainte
 

nick949

Well-Known Member
Thanks Lowflyer - great summary. Sounds like I'd be daft to be even thinking about it any earlier than March. If I had any sense I should probably be heading south of the Pyrenees, but sense is not my strong suit. Lots to think about though...

BTW. I was just totting up a few figures and despite my little heart wrinkle in April I still managed to ride 14,005 miles this year. It should have been a lot more though. Next year perhaps.;)
 

Steve T

Well-Known Member
To give you an idea of what yer bike will collect in the way of road grime at this time of year up here, I very scientifically :whistle: covered a little over 100 miles this morning just so I could show you this picture . . . . .

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Home-Grantown-Tomintoul-Lecht-Home

Very refreshing ride after a weeks enforced house DIYing :confused:

Steve T

:cool:
 

nick949

Well-Known Member
And people wonder why I am interested in winter holidays in the UK.:( I shoveled a foot of fresh snow off the driveway this morning. That's three times so far this week. I guess I won't be getting out for a Christmas Day ride:eek:.

Nick
dec25th2017_2.jpg
dec25th2017.jpg
 

Steve T

Well-Known Member
Black & White coloured photo's Nick . . . . . . . Nice :thumbsup:

About 10 degree's C here - wish I could get out on the bike as well, but gotta hoard to feed :rolleyes: ;)

Steve T

:cool:
 

austin

Well-Known Member
Uk grinds to a halt with even a quarter of that much snow. But, at least you don’t get salt all over the bike.

See you in Feb sometime Nick. [emoji106]
 

Steve T

Well-Known Member
Scottish snow - not on the Canadian scale, but still snow . . . . . .

24541898457_7121ac5e96_c.jpg


Happy New Year folks - have a good one :respect13:

Steve T

:cool:
 

Lowflyer

Well-Known Member
Nice one Steve, see you got some snow at last

Happy new year to you as well :thumbsup:
Thanks for posting, first post since Friday ??

See you next year Steve, all the best :thumbsupanim:
 

austin

Well-Known Member
Steve, you are nuts out in crap like that.

I have heard from nick. He is flying to the uk at the end of January but is heading straight to Cornwall so he can walk the SW coast path for a week or two. Then he hopes to either borrow a bike from Real Classic magazine or rent something from somewhere in either Bournemouth or Chichester. His route will be zig-zagging his way up north from there, possibly reaching Scotland if weather, time and bike permit. All being well he will drop by my place for at least a night and a beer or two. It would be nice if we could give nick some good bigtrailie support and hospitality on his travels [emoji106]. He flies back to Canada at the end of February.
 

nick949

Well-Known Member
Damn - and you think I'm daft to head to the UK so I can ride? Minus **$@ing 30 this morning.
newyearsday2018.jpg
 
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