Impressions of Scotland
Scotland seriously exceeded our expectations as a cycle touring destination.
All along, while planning, I had some reservations about Britain as a cycling destination, due to a combination of factors, the biggest ones being: (1) reported lack of cycling infrastructure; (2) unfriendly drivers; (3) likelihood of rainy weather; (4) less appetizing cuisine scene; (5) a more expensive destination.
Of these five issues, only number (5) turned out to be true. Scotland is a more expensive destination compared to other places on the European continent (except Scandinavia). It’s hard to judge even that, because the slide of dollar has added about 10 percent onto our anticipated expenditures, and that would be true anywhere.
But that was the only downside, and we found much to like about riding here.
(1) Cycling Infrastructure:
We covered a pretty wide area of the country and especially on roads identified as a cycling route, the route was almost always very good, on grade-separated cycleways (often reconstituted towpaths or rails to trails) or low-traffic country roads. In the month we were here we can only remember a total of 40 km where we were on a very busy roads with no shoulder and lots of traffic (exclusive of cities). That contrasts with Ireland where we had a lot of that every day.
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Both Glasgow and Edinburgh had some dedicated cycle trails in town but they were somewhat messy and shoe-horned onto roadways most of the time. Riding down Great Western Road in the West End of Glasgow would not be for the faint-hearted - but it was possible! There was a serious effort to address cyclists’ needs in all the cities - much better than in the US, but not as good as Europe.
(2) Riding Conditions:
Drivers were mellow, and typically did not pass aggressively or closely. Several locals pointed out a 2022 UK Highway Code update that required drivers to give cyclists at least 1.5 meters distance when passing and also giving the right of way to cyclists in other circumstances. Many times vehicles waited behind us for some distance - and we tried to pull over and let them pass if we could.
On the negative end of the riding condition spectrum, shoulders on roads were pretty much nonexistent. But in contrast to Ireland, where almost uniformly there was a high hedge directly adjacent to any country road, Scottish roads didn’t have those and this allowed for better site distance and a bit more room to stay as far over as was possible.
There are more gates to open here which can be annoying but not so many that we got frustrated.
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Komoot also did a good job. Every once in a while we got a blooper (the recent goat path on the way to Kielder Water being a good example) but those were few and far between. Komoot did a better job here than in Ireland at finding acceptable riding routes.
(3) Weather:
The weather wasn’t frequently sunny but it was okay. We got many blustery, windy days with dark clouds and the need to dress warmly, but the actual rain wasn’t too bad. When it did rain, it was usually for part of the day only, so we tried to anticipate and adjust our riding the best we could. Sometimes that worked - sometimes not. The weather wasn’t a constant frustration although we only got a couple of days where it was truly warm and sunny and we could wear shorts and short sleeves on top. Our fair weather clothes have hardly been worn.
(4) Food:
This also turned out to be fun.
Breakfast
You have already heard a lot about breakfast- the full Irish, then the full Scottish, and we will presumably now experience the full English and then the full Welsh - good grief. I told Dave I am already pretty sick of it - which I am.
That being said, standards in food prep and creativity have increased a lot since my last visit, so breakfast, even if it’s the traditional full Scottish, is presented with more finesse. Other frequent breakfast choices: avocado toast, full vegan Scottish (tasteless vegan sausages included), smoked haddock with a poached egg (very good), smoked kippers (very good and a lot better than I remember as a kid), and the usual porridge, which is runnier than oatmeal in the US, and which Dave really likes. We also got very good marmalade and other jams. Croissants were common along with toast.
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The best part for me was the tea service; Scots know how to serve tea, so it was always hot, always steeped well and always served in a pot. I loved it, and if we had time in the morning after breakfast I would sit and work on the iPad and just drink tea. Related to that, rooms always have tea kettles and real china (no paper cups) for a morning cup. My poor portable tea kettle has been sitting in the bottom of my pannier for weeks, feeling pretty unloved. Another in-room custom is that included with the tea and kettle is a packet of biscuits. We think this is supposed to be for the evening, but Dave would give me a biscuit in the morning with my morning cup. (Just what I need - morning sugar…)
Lunch:
Tea shops are a thing of beauty to the cycle tourer in Scotland. We could find them in every town, and even in villages with no restaurants, pubs, or hotels, there would often be a tea shop. They were open until 4:00 and would serve simple lunches (soup, or sandwiches) quickly, but always with table service. Rarely did they want you to stand at a counter to give an order. In addition, real china was always used, not disposable dishes or cups.
As mentioned, sandwiches aren't as good here as they are on the continent, and their love for mayo is trying for me. This results in a lot of choices that are a non starter for me: tuna mayo, egg mayo, ham and cheese mayo. Sandwiches were usually served with slaw (with tons of mayo) and a small, no-dressing green salad. In addition, crisps (potato chips for you Yanks) aren’t as good, as already alluded to in earlier posts. We found them to suffer from mostly bland texture. On the other hand, hot food is always served hot, and we never were served cold chips (French fries). As Dave said, Scot’s know their way around a deep fryer.
Dinner:
Dinner choices were always more creative than we had expected, even in rural areas and pubs. Our fallback when there is a lack of choice at supper is a burger or pizza, and we have hardly had those two items in the last month. Service is friendly and unpretentious but formal enough. Cutlery and dishes alway get taken away between courses. They bring your check after you ask and usually you take it up to the counter to play.
The usual dinner hour, 7 pm for us, is much easier to manage than in Spain, or even France, where restaurants typically opening at 8 pm. We have the usual issue of restaurants not being open on Monday and Tuesday and we have learned to pay extra attention to those evenings. We are in the habit of booking ahead although it is not quite as much of a requirement as in France or Spain, but it appears to be appreciated; it’s one less thing to worry about late in the day when we are tired. Unlike in the US, restaurants in modest hotels are often very good.
For the last month Dave has gloried in the ability to get a wee dram of whisky every night. Being able to try a whisky he can’t get at home is wonderful, plus they cost about a third of what he would pay at home. Rick Steves always says that the best way to save on alcohol while traveling is to “drink local” and that is certainly true for whisky.
In that same vein, Scotland is not particularly a wine drinking nation and that shows in the more limited selection of wines along with the relatively higher cost when purchasing a decent but not particularly interesting wine. It also shows in their wine service. There is not the same care shown in presentation and pouring that we get in Europe, the wine isn’t always poured at the optimal temperature, rarely are we offered an opportunity to sample the wine before it was poured, and there was no opportunity to have a conversation with a sommelier mainly because places outside the bigger cities hardly ever have a sommelier!
(5) Expense:
Our biggest fixed expense is accommodation. My usual working budget for a night’s stay is $US 200 (with breakfast). If it’s less than that, I don’t worry too much. In the countryside the issue kind of looks after itself as we have fewer choices but rural accommodations almost always cost less. For $US 170 we can usually get a nice, decent, 3* hotel, but it may be a little shabby, and old, with no lift (and no a/c). The bigger issue is staying in cities. Things are just more expensive. And when we are with friends or family we pretty much don’t/can't worry about it. The inflation of the last few years and the slide of the dollar doesn’t help, but neither does my desire for a tub since that narrows our options and drives the cost up.
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(6) Other cool stuff about Scotland:
The people are great. Nobody has busted our chops over being American and they have been uniformly friendly and helpful. They are curious and disbelieving we are doing what we are doing. Scots have a reputation for being dour and mean, and our month here has NOT born that out at all. There are not nearly as many cycle tourers here as on the continent. The most we ever saw was on the stretch between Grantown-on-Spey and Perth (on the Eurovelo 1) but in general, this country has far fewer people out on bikes, both in the country and cities.
Finally, the history here is just fascinating. Travel by bike is a great way to let history sink in and between the time in the Highlands (with all the Bonnie Prince Charlie lore), in the Borders (a region we knew zero about a week ago) and then the cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, we have learned so much about Scotland.
Finally it's beautiful here.
Why we tour….. to commune with coos.
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