Day 2 - Andy, John & Stuart (& someone else for the day who's name escapes me) join us for the run north and the real driving begins... Quite a convoy, the group settles into a comfortable order on the road, but no pressure & relaxed for everyone to find their own style and push, or cruise depending on mood.
Cars
- Andrew - Zero
- Andy - Zero
- Dan - SSC Stylus
- Ian - Zero
- John - 2B
- Keith - MK
- Peter - 2B
- Richard(me) - Zero
- Rob - SSC Stylus
- Simon - 2B
- Stuart - 2B
- ? - Yellow Car?
Schedule
- Start: Falkirk
- Finish: Dornie
- Driving Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Miles: 234
Route
- Premier Inn Falkirk Labart - Start
- Aberfoyle - stop
- Dukes Pass - waypoint
- Glencoe - waypoint
- Onich Hotel - lunch
- Glenfinan viaduct - stop
- Eilean Donan - waypoint
- Dornie Hotel - Overnight
The weather was stunning all day, shirt-sleeve driving after lunch & you could have mistaken the weather for the south of France!
Dukes Pass
In at the deep end, the first challenge was the Dukes Pass, a winding rolling road climbing up from Aberfoyle. We drove as a group to the Aberfoyle car park where Andy briefed everyone on what to expect - its a known local hill climb route with some gotchas.
On this initial run there was some frustration in parts of the group that we were taking it too easy - It felt fast enough to me - not knowing the road I had to re-learn my driving and stay in low gears/high revs. The group frustration wained as soon as more open roads were available, combined with the stunning scenery which turned the rest of the weekend into as much sightseeing as driving hard.
First stop at the top of the pass & first real chance to take in the scenery around Loch Achray:
Glencoe
The road north opened up, A84, A85 & A82 - some stunning roads with light traffic and able to fully take advantage of the safe speed limit; Shared sat nav waypoints with Keith and Andy comparing notes and adjusting the route at each stop meant we could all just enjoy the roads & views driving through each stage.
Regular fuel stops for the thirstier cars also meant regular breaks every hour or so. This is a short part of the A82 run towards Glencoe village: at 4:00 minutes in suddenly surrounded by rocky, snow covered peaks - it was an amazing drive...
Onich
The Onich Hotel for lunch, as usual we take over a corner of the car park - some minor running repairs, but mostly heading to the bar for the drink of choice - Orange juice & lemonade to cool off.
One long lunch later admiring the views of Loch Linnhe.. wow...
Glenfinan
Heading north after lunch, a short diversion west of Fort William to see the Glenfinan viaduct, famous from Harry Potter movies:
Just over the road is the 1815 Glenfinan monument to "Bonnie Prince Charlie" with Loch Sheil beyond it:
Heading east back towards Fort William Ben Nevis making a spectacular backdrop most of the way, then back onto the A82 at Fort William heading north:
Dornie
The final destination for the day is the Dornie Hotel, a long drive and the sun lower in the sky it was getting cooler. The A87 westbound had the setting sun directly ahead for some challenging/blinding driving - but the last part around Loch Duich presented the most amazing views - Eilean Donan castle appearing just before arriving at the Hotel for the night.A full day, the Dornie Hotel bar was perfect for talking it through and filling up on food before the next days drive...
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