Doug Hughes <[email hidden]> wrote in ...
Quoted message said:We're intending to cycle the length of the Western Isles from North to
South
Quoted message said:in May. So far so good, but this seems to involve leaving a car in Oban
when
Quoted message said:we catch the ferry to Castlebay on Barra, and arriving back in Ullapool
from
Quoted message said:Stornaway - thus having somehow to get from Ullapool to Oban. Does anyone have experience of doing
this route, and in particular the public
transport
Quoted message said:options for two people with bikes from Ullapool to Oban? Are there maybe other ways of arranging
the route?
AFAIK there is no public transport option from Ullapool - you'd have to ride to Inverness (or
Lairg), and then:-
a) train via Glasgow to get back to Oban,
b) train to Newtonmore, ride to Tulloch train to Ft Bill, ride Oban (or just ride Newtonmore -
Oban) (or go on Bromptons, to allow buses).
or alternatively:
c) dump the car at Mallaig, ferry to Barra, ferry back from Tarbert (Harris) to Uig on Skye,
ride across Skye to Armadale, ferry to Mallaig.
Timings?
d) The problems are likely to be that you don't arrive in Ullapool until 1400, and it's 60 miles
to Inverness, which means you miss the last train south. That's going to mean 2 days from
Stornoway to Oban.
e) As above, but 2 days riding to Oban rather than 1 day riding the train round Scotland.
f) 1 day riding Stornoway back down to Tarbert (33m), and ferry to Uig, 16m to Portree, overnight?,
32m to Armadale, ferry
I'd go for (c) - dump the car in Mallaig.
We did Tarbet (Loch Lomond),Glencoe, Armadale, Uig, 2 days at Kershader (20m S Stornoway), Ullapool,
Gairloch, Torridon, Sheil Bridge, Fort William, Crianlarich, Tarbet as a 2 week tour 3 or 4 years
back. Ullapool back down to Crianlarich was a much more enjoyable ride than going up to Stornoway,
although that may have been mainly due to the better weather.
Andrew
