places to see and go ..suggestions

[farmer]

hi all, three of us are taking a trip on july 16, we intend getting a boat to scotland possibly heading to kirriemuir for a visit to bon scott's statue, then down through england onto wales and a boat to probably roslare and tour on up to home.
any good places to travel/visit on our tour?
we don't really do a very solid itinerary and prefer a wherever the wind takes us approach, however it would be good to have a few points of interest to pick up. also do any of you know if hotel walk ins are still a thing?
we don't really fancy any big cities but towns with a bit of "life" about them are desirable for evening rest stops.

[Matt]

Ah if you're heading Fishguard way then I'd check out the routes from this year's Wrinklies. Flipping tasty roads! Though don't do the Aberaeron route if you want fast A road stuff.

Scotland wise, I think David will have good suggestions having been there recently, if I recall correctly!

Aberystwyth might be a decent stopover in mid wales if it's not term time. Otherwise it's student tastic.

[chriscanning]

In Wales i’d Put Ponderosa cafe and Crossgates cafe on the list and work your own route out, no doubt your Irish plates will start many a conversation, on the coast my/our preference is always Barmouth but that’s just us, plenty of other places.

Back over the boarder...look at Shobdon airfield even if your not into planes some great pieces of kit and plenty of outdoor seating, as for roads to ride...Jeez how longs a piece of string 

[flatfour]

If you're looking for accommodation in Mid - Wales Radnor Revivals might suit.

Just a few well equipped log cabins on farm land around five miles from Crossgates, set up for motorcyclists and classic cars. One of the local motorcycle clubs hold their monthly meet there too. Cabins have two or three bedrooms and are priced very well. The hosts also offer food on site, delivered to your cabin and made in the farm house kitchen.

We usually visit once or twice a year for the Elan Valley and the Brecons, made this years visit in May.

No connection with the business, I've just been treated very well by them over so many years!

[black-k1]

Myself and a few other Old Gits did a run around the NC500. Interesting roads and stunning scenery. I'd suggest it's really worth doing although, with Scotland, you always take a risk with the weather.

[richtea]

Myself and a few other Old Gits did a run around the NC500. Interesting roads and stunning scenery. I'd suggest it's really worth doing although, with Scotland, you always take a risk with the weather.

...and the midges.

I like Level 4: "That’s no mist, that’s midges!"

Looks mostly OK on the east side though, but then again it's drier over there.

[black-k1]

Myself and a few other Old Gits did a run around the NC500. Interesting roads and stunning scenery. I'd suggest it's really worth doing although, with Scotland, you always take a risk with the weather.

...and the midges.

I like Level 4: "That’s no mist, that’s midges!"

Looks mostly OK on the east side though, but then again it's drier over there.

We were lucky/timed it right as, while there were a few midges, there were not the ferocious, flesh eating swarms, devouring all before them, that I've seen before. The "headlight trophy collection" each day was reasonable, but not exceptional.

[Grumpy jase]

Scotland is a fab place to ride a bike, even with the rain, wind, midges.  The A939 across the Cairngorms is pretty stunning, although I've never done it on a bike, and is can be quite blustery (Like can't open the car door against the wind blustery).  Dunnottar Castle nr Stonehaven is pretty amazing.  NC500 is great, A87, A82, but a long way north.  But my general experience, is if it looks a good wiggly road on Google maps, it will be better in reality!

[Philip]

I don't know how much time you've got, but it would be a shame if you couldn't take in some of the Lake District on your way down from Scotland to Wales.
Here is one of the routes I've used in the past.
https://www.myrouteapp.com/profile/routes/29071#
( You might have to create a myrouteapp account to view it which is free )

It's based on travelling up from South so you would have to modify it to fit in with your time schedule.

I would skirt Carlisle, then Southwest to Bothel or Cockermouth, then pick up parts of the route that suite you.

It takes in several passes, at least one of which is not for the feint hearted, especially if the weather is inclement.

Hope it's of some use.

[farmer]

thanks for all the suggestions guy's, should be fit to get a route of some sort with that info. we thought of the nc500 but we reckoned that we could do a good bit of that some weekend, also i know a lot of corners round the country but once i go past perth i'm in totally unknown territory.
we would like to get a bit of craic of an evening and maybe i'm wrong but the highlands might be too sparsely populated for a "party" every evening. (we may be too old for a party every..or any.. evening but we refuse to accept that! )
any good landmarks we could take in... waterfalls,gorges, even statues...anything at all really.
thanks again chaps.

[richtea]

thanks for all the suggestions guy's, should be fit to get a route of some sort with that info. we thought of the nc500 but we reckoned that we could do a good bit of that some weekend, also i know a lot of corners round the country but once i go past perth i'm in totally unknown territory.
we would like to get a bit of craic of an evening and maybe i'm wrong but the highlands might be too sparsely populated for a "party" every evening. (we may be too old for a party every..or any.. evening but we refuse to accept that! )
any good landmarks we could take in... waterfalls,gorges, even statues...anything at all really.
thanks again chaps.

Statue:
The Commando Memorial, Speen Bridge is impressive:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Commando+Memorial/@56.897813,-4.9462727,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x86130a48a85ee49e!8m2!3d56.897813!4d-4.944084

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/speanbridge/commando/

In 1942 the Commando Basic Training Centre was established at Achnacarry Castle, some six miles north west of the site of the monument. Volunteers would arrive at Spean Bridge railway station, and would then march the seven miles to Achnacarry Castle, past the site on which the monument now stands. Training was carried out over large parts of Lochaber and was highly intensive, often using live ammunition. Anyone failing any part of the course caught the next train south, back to his unit.

In 1949 a competition was opened to Scottish sculptors to design a fitting memorial to the commandos. The winner was Scott Sutherland, and the bronze was cast by H H Martyn Ltd, of Cheltenham. The Commando Memorial was unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on 12 September 1952. It has since become a stopping off point for many visiting the highlands: partly because of what the memorial represents; partly because it is simply such a fine monument; and partly because of its magnificent setting.

[Matt]

And I'll just add that even the village pubs in Scotland can get quite... entertaining of an evening! <insert overused cliche about asking me something but append a death threat and reverse it>

[Grumpy jase]

If you want a waterfall and Gorge, then Corrieshalloch Gorge nr Ullapool is well worth a visit

[farmer]

well, headed from stranraer down to cockermouth on friday, very warm but very enjoyable. hit really well with traffic and messed about here and there before landing in cockermouth , by that stage heat was really getting up and my mates sv1000 was getting way too warm so stopped up about 6/7 ish and all into the travelodge there. it does what it say's on the tin, slept pretty well, bikes parked at the door under camera just a few yards from the police station...happy with that.
next day into the dales, absolutely beautiful scenery and decent roads... then hardknot pass and wyrborn (i think) well......why oh why. maybe it was the heat, the traffic or the crowds of people walking but this was the most unenjoyable bit of road i think i have ever been on. i've been on roads like that before but not as long, maybe that was the problem, i had thought i should have been on a trallie but decided no, if i get off this road/pad whatever it is, i'll never be on it again.
once we got off it a few seconds later the wind hit us and cooled us and bikes like a little bit of heaven...aaaahh still remember it.
lovely run on down to ambleside and a look at how the ordinary tourists do it and decide whats next.
well of course we decided to hit kirriemuir. cruised up a good bit and then hit the motorway near carlyle to make up a bit of time.someone here will know it, theres a corner up there somewhere thats bound to get the engineer the sack.....it's awsome we went round it at well over....mmm...60 and it went on and on..and on. and so did we, up into moffat where there was a party in full swing, by the time we got lodgings and sorted out the party was over...everything closed at 10...bar the local rave type hotel which stayed open to 11, at 11 we went back to the lodgings.
and on to kirriemuir .probably the busiest roads we encountered but still not too bad, over a lot of mossy ground which just reminded me of home, and booked into the airlie arms, a nice quaint hotel in a very nice quaint town. went out for food and a drink...this was depressing, the town is so quiet, we decide we made the wrong call by coming to scotland with all the restrictions in place and call it a day, home tomorrow.
headed cross country to the falkirk wheel (by chance spotting and stopping into glamis castle...what a spot lovely.) spent a while watching the wheel operate..i like that sort of engineering thing but the guys with me though it more "worth seeing but not going to see" then down between glasgow and edingburgh to avoid traffic...theres some huge towns there...watch the average speed cameras approaching the boat and let loose for the last run in....have you room on your boat?...yes we do, onto the boat and home at horrible oclock.

[richtea]

Sounds good, Farmer - and quite tiring!

There's always some rough with the smooth on any trip. It often accentuates the good bits, if you've had to suffer a few so-so bits.