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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264   
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Am I mad to think I can do this with a caravan in tow?
http://www.northcoast500.com/itinerary/active-adventurer.aspx? |
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16th Jul 2016 2:57pm |
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2664  
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you would certainly find some roads challenging with a caravan - all doable though I would say...
I have done most of them in a Defender (not towing), on a motorbike, and some in a motorhome I was near Applecross a couple of weeks ago and some guys were cycling it (quite a common cycling challenge) The Bealach na Ba will be fun with a caravan: http://www.kishornonline.co.uk/bealach-na-ba.html I think GREENI did a lot of it with a caravan... http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic15011....land[/img] Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
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16th Jul 2016 3:03pm |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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Ah.
Thanks MK.....your link starts with.. PLEASE NOTE: Caravans and articulated vehicles are not permitted on the pass. |
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16th Jul 2016 3:38pm |
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2664
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Don't worry - people do do it... depends how confident you feel
 Altho a 110 with a large turning-circle is a handful on the Bealach...
Do it when the road is quiet. It's only "not advised" on the signage. Lots do. You can aloways miss that bit - there's a less demanding route Lochcarron to Shieldaig  Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's)Last edited by MartinK on 16th Jul 2016 4:33pm. Edited 2 times in total |
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16th Jul 2016 3:55pm |
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2664
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I did a lot of the route in 3 days last month...Drove to Durness in one go, then spent 2 days driving the coast road South to Applecross...
Durness Campsite, 10th June 2016:  Click image to enlarge It was so close to midsummers night that it never went dark at night so far North
And this last year http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic31177....efendering I would be happy to help you plan... Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) Last edited by MartinK on 16th Jul 2016 4:58pm. Edited 3 times in total |
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16th Jul 2016 4:04pm |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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Thank you. I'll do a bit more research tonight on the pc rather than the mobile.
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16th Jul 2016 4:52pm |
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don't think we will ever be as lucky again.| bpman Member Since: 21 May 2008 Location: Oslo Posts: 8069 
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I'm planning on doing it in October - better air for photography, should be fun. I was thinking of taking the M3 but was advised that its better suited to a Land Rover. Might be the last trip in the defender.
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17th Jul 2016 6:51am |
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| markalpha Member Since: 23 Apr 2008 Location: Downham Market Posts: 690 
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Definitely a trip for next year for us. We did parts of the route 20 years ago so will be interesting to see how things have changed. The scenery was absolutely stunning.
Not sure I'd take a caravan though. We were thinking of hiring a VW camper
Are you leaving the fold bpman? |
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17th Jul 2016 9:11am |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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I was thinking more the whole trip and not so much just Applecross. Having looked at the switch backs I knowing I'm not the most confident person on the road when it comes to towing I think I'll be avoiding Applecross. Hopefully the rest of the route is more than do-able? Looking at the photos it does like fantastic but I wonder if we might be disappointed after seeing so many photos and we might wish we'd just pitched up at Oban for the week and done a couple of day trips instead? /\ BPMAN - are you off? |
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17th Jul 2016 9:31am |
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2664
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There is some nice coastal parts near Oban... Craobh Haven, Appin, Ardfern etc and some of the Islands.
IMHO the scenery get better above the Skye bridge... Plockton, and all the way North to Durness is just amazing I head up there as much as I reasonably can Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
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17th Jul 2016 9:34am |
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| Birdy Member Since: 07 Oct 2011 Location: Côte d'Azur Posts: 850 
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Did similar route two years ago, don't do camping though so stopovers in Kendal (Eagle & Child LA8 9LP), Fort William (Moorings Hotel PH33 7LY), Fort William to Kishorn, Shieldaig, Fearnmore, Applecross, Kishorn, Shieldaig (Kishorn and Shieldaig twice as better to go anticlockwise for better views!), then Torridon (The Torridon Inn IV22 2EY), Elphin, Clashnessie, Drumbeg, Laxford Bridge, Durness to Melvich (Melvich Hotel KW14 7YJ), then Dunnet Head, John O’Groats, Dornoch, Nairn, Glenlivet, Tomintoul (Glentorets B & B AB37 9HU), then Glen Cova, to Melrose (Burts Hotel TD6 9PN) as a base for some local touring (including Holy Island, fabulous).
Then Whitby (White Horse & Griffin Y022 4BH). Down to Dover, ferry to Dunkirk, then over the Alps to our gaff in the South of France (via Laon, Reims, Troyes, Voué, Chambery, Saint-Étienne-de-Cuines, Valloire, Guillestre, Le Lauzet-Ubaye, Le Lauzet-Ubaye, Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée, Nice; didn't note the hotels we overnighted, but invariably Logis de France). All in a classic Morgan, so certainly doable in a Defender. But PLEASE let everybody know when you're gonna attempt the Bealach na Bà with a caravan… so we can all avoid you! Peter |
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17th Jul 2016 9:56am |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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I suspect this would be difficult enough in a 110 .....with a trailer
https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/search/...tion=click |
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17th Jul 2016 10:32am |
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| Teario Member Since: 04 Aug 2015 Location: Merseyside Posts: 149 
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Last year we drove a lot of the 500 route. We intended to follow it all, but once we were out there ended up veering off course a few times to see other things or just pick a different route that looked like it might be nice.
The image you posted Caterham, if my memory is correct, is the lower bend here:
You can see that there's actually a passing place which might give you enough of a swing to get a 110 around. In the 90 I was hugging the left on this bit so ended up having to 3-point it, but that was my own fault. I've never towed anything so it's hard to judge, but I think it'd be quite difficult. As we were setting off from Applecross we met an Aussie couple in a motorhome who said, to quote, "Crikey, there's some hairy bends around there mate". They'd had to reverse to get around most of the switchbacks. I'd guess a 110 would be in a similar situation, or worse with a caravan on the back. Still, he wasn't particularly put out by it all. Supposedly going away from Applecross is easier than going toward. That's the way that we ended up tking it. The motorhome we met was coming from the other way. This was our whole route, if it's any use for you in your planning: https://drive.google.com/open?id=18PHaweZy...sp=sharing. Some of the lines are straight - that's where the tracker couldn't get a signal. Unfortunately that seems to be the case for all of the Bealach na Ba. |
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17th Jul 2016 12:01pm |
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2664
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I drove the Bealach na Ba in the 110 a couple of weeks ago.
Managed all the hairpins without 3-pointing, but it was quiet so I could use all the road... Done it a few times in the 110.... Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
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18th Jul 2016 12:06pm |
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