Take an SV from London to Scotland by Train

Originally Posted by northwind

I just came back from Reading and it turns out there's not even space for a rucksack and a tent on a modern train, never mind a bike

...And I've just come back from Leeds. We should have swapped tickets and gone to the festivals nearer to us mate.

I went by bike though. Plenty of space for all manner of camping paraphenalia on that, provided you're prepared to get inventive with your luggage.

Won't it go in the guard's van any more then?

Originally Posted by lynw

pah!!! call yourselves bikers? Half the enjoyment is taking the time to see places.
I'm about to take the SV up to Scotland next month. The trick is to ride at your own pace [and not necessarily use the M6 either] and take plenty of breaks.
I'll be heading up the A1 then turning off to head up the A68 rather than follow the A1 round the coast.

Hey hold on lass, the only reason that I was thinking of taking the train was that mainly I wanted to tour Scotland for now and since I'm booking a bike for only a week taking a day to get there (I'm going to the lakes first but that doesn't count) is a waste.

Good luck to you Lynw! Be sure to take a digital camera and take plenty of pictures. Take a note of your route and then let me know ok. Be my little scout
So you think going up the A1 is better than the M6? I was advised not to take the A1! I'm open to suggestions, plenty of time to change ideas as to where to go yet.

I know the A68 is a great roller coaster ride 'cause I read an article on 'BIKE' about them taking it and one of the riders almost shat in his pants as some turns come to you quick after a crest and catch you unawares! So be careful. I'm dying to take that road, not literary of course, so I was thinking of coming back down from Scotland through it or maybe the A7 which is nice as well as they say.

Be sure to take the A82. I've read that it's the best road in Britain.

Originally Posted by zunkus

Hey hold on lass, the only reason that I was thinking of taking the train was that mainly I wanted to tour Scotland for now and since I'm booking a bike for only a week taking a day to get there (I'm going to the lakes first but that doesn't count) is a waste.

Its ok I was just kidding on that first bit...

Seriously I think your best bet would be to fly to Scotland and hire from there and detour down to the lakes. That avoids the day trip to/back if you hire in London.

Good luck to you Lynw! Be sure to take a digital camera and take plenty of pictures. Take a note of your route and then let me know ok. Be my little scout
So you think going up the A1 is better than the M6? I was advised not to take the A1! I'm open to suggestions, plenty of time to change ideas as to where to go yet.

I know the A68 is a great roller coaster ride 'cause I read an article on 'BIKE' about them taking it and one of the riders almost sh4t in his pants as some turns come to you quick after a crest and catch you unawares! So be careful. I'm dying to take that road, not literary of course, so I was thinking of coming back down from Scotland through it or maybe the A7 which is nice as well as they say.

Be sure to take the A82. I've read that it's the best road in Britain.

Easter was the Visordown tour at the lakes. This involved taking the SV up to the lakes and staying at Penrith. Unfortunately I lost top gear so spent Sunday as pillion - but the back road into Scotland via Kielda water is excellent [Sundays ride was to Hawick via Kielda water and back via St Marys loch. Roads I recommend provided youre sensible and pre-empt the suicidal sheep].

I rode the A7 to Edinburgh on the Monday ok but didnt venture too far for the rest of the week due to not being too sure on the gearbox. Again a good road to do.

However it survived the A68 and A1 down to Kent. If you do the A68 stop at Carter Bar - provided it isnt misty or rainy [as it was the day we came back] its a fab view.

But I will post route and pics when I get back. Provided I can find the damn cable for the camera.

You're right guys. Seems like they don't do motorcycle transport on rail anymore. So I'm now thinking of renting a bike from Scotland and start off from there. I've sent out a couple of emails to some Scot rental companies but none got back to me yet. Do you have any links to Scot bike rental Northwind? I'd like to rent an SV650s if possible. I found guys who rent Guzzi's and BMW's but not my cup of tea. Is it that hard to rent an SV up there?

[northwind]

Haven't a clue, but I think someone mentioned Cupar Motorcycles?

http://www.cupar.co.uk/bikehire.htm

Funnily enough :P No sv's though but could be worth a phone call to make sure.

Thanks Northwind, totally forgot about that one. Just sent an email now so lets see their reply. They mention they've got SV's and Fazers. If we get Sv's it'll be great. I'm really looking forward to this trip. Might extend the duration to 10 days as the more I read about your country the more I wanna see. Its addictive stuff this touring thing. If you wanna suggest some cool place or B&B let me know ok. One question, what do they mean when they say that this B&B is biker friendly? Does it imply that some of them just won't except biker travellers? I hope I don't get to a place where I can't find a roof for the night! Can't afford to carry a tent as I'm trying to keep us light.

[northwind]

Could mean anything really... B&Bs in scotland are quite often run by demented old ladies with more cats than teeth, so pretty much anything can happen If you take a wee look at the route that the essex boys laid out for last weekend (in SV Ecosse), that's a good flying highlights route... Nutty's wibbly wobblies, Glencoe, the duke's pass, and loads of good a-roads inbetween.

Originally Posted by zunkus

Thanks Northwind, totally forgot about that one. Just sent an email now so lets see their reply. They mention they've got SV's and Fazers. If we get Sv's it'll be great. I'm really looking forward to this trip. Might extend the duration to 10 days as the more I read about your country the more I wanna see. Its addictive stuff this touring thing. If you wanna suggest some cool place or B&B let me know ok. One question, what do they mean when they say that this B&B is biker friendly? Does it imply that some of them just won't except biker travellers? I hope I don't get to a place where I can't find a roof for the night! Can't afford to carry a tent as I'm trying to keep us light.

Ill do a proper write up with pics elsewhere but I cant recommend hiring a bike in Scotland enough if its a possibility.

Kent to Rosyth took me just short of 10 hours with 4 stops and I wasnt really hanging about either. Needless to say I ached by the end of it - I did spot a blue curvy SV going past in Jedburgh but I was laying on the floor at that point unable to face the hour and a bit more I had to go.

I cant recommend going up to the Highlands enough either - though you need to be very aware of fuel ranges and fuel stops [some highland garages stay closed on sundays] and the fact the "main" roads up there are single track roads where you can have interesting encounters with sheep, goats and cattle.

I can honestly say Scotlands scenery and roads are as good as I have encountered in the Alps, Black Forest and Ardennes.