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By Car
The
three arterial routes to and from the Highlands
are:
A9
(Stirling-Perth-Aviemore-Inverness-Thurso)
A82
(Glasgow-Fort William-Inverness)
A96
(Aberdeen-Nairn-Inverness).
The A 9 is a fairly fast route, approx ten miles dual-carriageway
and ten miles normal roads alternately for a large part of the
route. Main problem here is to remember that you are not on
dual-carriageway when you are on normal road. For the uninitiated
you will find the scenery interesting from the almost pastoral
beauty of Perthshire to the grandeur of the Cairngorms and the
rolling semi-coastal route to
Thurso.
The
A82 comes up beside Loch Lomond's 'bonny banks', the somewhat remote
Crainlarich and the breathtaking Glen Coe, into the Great Glen and
Fort William, up
by Loch Ness and into Inverness.
A96.
A fairly fast road to get you from A to B!
A84.
Not regarded as one of the 'three arterial' routes but still fairly
fast and scenic (and not really that busy) is the A84. Take M9
north, on Junction 10 take the sign for A84 just past Stirling.
Enjoy a pretty drive through the Trossachs and at Lochearnhead take
the A85 through Glendochart, follow through to Crainlarich where you
join up with the A82 as above.
Some
of the 'B' roads are single track. Generally this is fine providing
you don't go too fast. Pull into the many 'passing places' when
someone comes your way or to let a faster car (probably a local)
behind you pass. A few of the passes should not be attempted with
caravans e.g. Sgurr a'Chaorachain - Bealach Na-Ba - the road to
Applecross or the pass to Glenelg from Shiel Bridge. If in doubt
stop and ask a local.
Bear in mind that petrol stations
are not plentiful in many parts of the Highlands. Don't let your
tank get too low before filling up. They also close quite early in
some parts.
Car rentals are easy to use and
make good sense in the Highlands since public transport is scarce in
some parts.
Hertz Car Rental
Travelling times: from Edinburgh
to:
|
Glasgow 1 hour |
Fort William 3 ½ |
Oban 3 ½ |
Aberdeen 2 ½ |
|
Inverness 3 ½ |
Ullapool 5 ½ |
Scrabster 7 |
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MapQuest
for maps and route planners
Not sure how to get there - try:
AA Route
Planner
Find road conditions
in your area:
AA
Traffic News
Nadics - up-to-date
information on road conditions
Taxis:
Aviemore: 01479 812322
Inverness: 01463 233333
Fort William: 01397 702545
Invergarry: 01809 501222
Lewis: 01851 830433
North Uist: 01876 500215
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