Perth to John O'Groats - A9 all the way?

[thebedfordfox]

Is the A9 the best way to JOG from Perth? Have sorted my route bar that last bit.

[keithg]

The actual A9 road is busy and fast on most stretches during the day and while some use it to ride, I would not recommend it for pleasure in the southern half of this road at least which is the portion I know best. There are some very fast dual carriageways and while it can be quite quiet (relatively) in the evening this main arterial road is pretty grim as a way to spend your hard earned holiday time. I do ride on shorter sections from Perth to Pitlochry where I live but I simply don't get why anyone would ride this road out of choice when there are so many more pleasant (and slower) ways to travel on a bike.
You can use Sustrans route N77 from Perth to near Pitlochry (Ballinluig actually) and then N7 north from there to JOG. These parallel the new A9 using the old road or dedicated bike tracks.
This is a scenic route where you are on minor roads or traffic free sections of mixed but adequate quality. There are a couple of sections where road bike (23mm) tyres struggle but are passable if bumpy. 1 at Dunkeld where you can bypass this on N83 and 1 at Drumochter where frost has damaged the surface and is only bypassable on the main road.
You do go through some pleasant little villages and towns on this route and while there are some significant hills and long drags uphill, this is a lot easier than the ski roads alternative via Braemar and Tomintoul to the east.
Incidentally there are plans for a major redesign of this very road and its associated cycle paths (for NMUs- non-motorised users) as the road is dualled...by 2025! It may become a "National Scenic Highway", an absurd notion but there is a will for this project to become a flagship for the Scottish Govt. Some very ambitious ideas based in part on ideas from Scandinavia where laybys and scenic areas feature prominently and are built into the overall design. All NMU tracks are tarmacked by default and 2m or more in width. I was at a meeting with the Civil Engineers discussing this a couple of days ago, I came away cautiously optimistic for the long term future.

[thebedfordfox]

Thanks for your reply, Keith. I would definitely be riding a road bike, so surface important. I don't mind fast roads too much but am not keen on dual carriageways because the 'slow lane' driver often gets trapped, and as a result gets too close for comfort.
I see there are a few minor roads alongside the A9.
I wonder if Mick F could offer his advice on this one?

[Mick F]

Yes, I could.
Use as much of the Old A9 as you can, but don't be afraid of the New A9, especially the long downhills where you can fly along!

From Perth, take the New A9 to Bankfoot, where you can peel off and go through Birnam into Dunkeld.

As you leave Dunkeld, take a left and carry on up the Old A9 and bits of cycle track to the east of the New A9 to Ballinluig. From there, it's possible to get to Pitlochry via minor roads, but TBH, it's easier on the New A9.

Pitlochry is on the Old A9, so go through the town and on to Killiecrankie and Blair Atholl and up to Calvine. From there, it's on bits of Old A9 and cycle track to the top of Drumochter Pass. Personally, I'd pick and choose as I go along and get on the New A9 when it suits.

From Drumochter, head for Dalwhinnie, again, this is on the Old A9 and a damned good road. Go through, and turn of right by the railway bridge and follow it to Etteridge/Crubenmore and pick your way along the cycle track and perhaps get on the New A9.

Peel off into Newtonmore on the Old A9 and go right through there and Kingussie.
(Kingussie is pronounced Kin-goose-ee. It was explained to me recently by a good friend )
Stay on the same road and pass through Aviemore and join the A95 for a short while, then take a left for Carrbridge and climb up to Slochd Summit again on the Old A9, and then through Tomatin.

You can get on the New A9 for a bit, then turn off onto the Old A9 and go though Moy and that will bring you out onto the New A9 below Daviot. Climb the hill and at the top, it’s a very very very long downhill to Inverness. Fast and furious!

When you cross the Kessock bridge, get off the main bit of the road and get behind the barriers on the western side. Just as you exit the bridge, you can get off and down hill onto the loch side through North Kessock.

Follow this road through Milton to Muir of Ord and turn north through Maryburgh to Dingwall. Use bit of the New A9 and get off through Evanton and Alness and Invergordon. Join the New A9 again and perhaps peel off through Tain, but back on again afterwards.

Follow the New A9 all the way through to Latheron, and then the A99 to JOG.

If I were to do an LEGOG again, that is the route I would follow. In fact, I did the reverse riding my JOGLE on a Raleigh Chopper.

[LollyKat]

(Kingussie is pronounced Kin-goose-ee. It was explained to me recently by a good friend )

Grrrrr - no it isn't . My family is from Grantown-on-Spey and my grandparents retired to Kingussie for many years. So, all together now:

KING-YOOSE-EE (stress on the middle syllable)

[Mick F]

Sorry about that, but I was quoting my mate Keith - originally from Dalwhinnie (I think).
Maybe he was correct, and it was my hearing that I heard a soft G instead of a soft Y.
He was correcting me as I was saying "Kin-Gussy"

Any road up, how's my memory of the route?

I first did a JOGLE in 1994 and TBH, I can't remember the New A9 much at all. Dunno when it was built.
I did LEJOG and Back in 2006, rode Edinburgh to Inverness in 2008, and a JOGLE in 2010 - all using the route I described.

[skicat]

Climb the hill and at the top, it’s a very very very long downhill to Inverness.

Mick, that's not what I want to be reading when I know I'm going to be doing that hill in September IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
I know, it all balances out, but sometimes it doesn't feel like that. For example, I went out for a 40-mile circular in the Chilterns yesterday, and I'm sure at least 35 miles were uphill

[Mick F]

Yes, that hill is a pig. It goes on and on and on.
I last rode up it in 2006 on my return south the LE. I'd left Inverness SYHA quite early and it was a Sunday morning. The A9 was quite quiet.

In 2010 on the Chopper, I came south out of Inverness on the Old A9. It's still a long hill but better really. If I were to do it again, I'd use it.
Here's a brief piccy of the route:

For more detail go to this link on BikeRouteToaster. This route is me on the Chopper - towing a heavy trailer - from Inverness to Pitlochry.
http://bikeroutetoaster.com/BRTWebUI/Course/121198

[Ron]

There will never be an ideal route for everyone, we all have to balance inconvenience/traffic noise/safety with the wish to get there within a certain timescale, but referring to your "not keen on dual carriageways" comment you might wish to consider some points.

From Perth, take the New A9 to Bankfoot, where you can peel off and go through Birnam into Dunkeld.

This is arguably the worst dual carriageway section of the A9.

As you leave Dunkeld, take a left and carry on up the Old A9 and bits of cycle track to the east of the New A9 to Ballinluig. From there, it's possible to get to Pitlochry via minor roads, but TBH, it's easier on the New A9.

I would suggest the route to the east of the A9 is impractical, there is no through route at low level, and the higher level route involves considerable climbing. Again the A9 is a dual carriageway at that point, but you could consider alternative route on west side of A9 and the River Tay.

From Drumochter, head for Dalwhinnie, again, this is on the Old A9 and a damned good road. .

Much of the alternative to the A9 in this section is on roadside track of variable quality, the rest is on the old A9 and receives minimal maintenance.[/quote]

Climb the hill and at the top, it’s a very very very long downhill to Inverness. Fast and furious!

Also fast and furious for the motor vehicles you are sharing this dual carriageway section with.[/quote]

[Mick F]

I see we disagree.

Turn off the A9 onto the Old A9 and go through Dalwhinnie.
Excellent road.
Turn off to the right by the railway bridge and follow that.
Excellent road too.
From there, you go on bit of disused roads, but still good.

Have you seen my blog from my Chopper JOGLE?
How about looking at the videos of the road.
http://jogleonachopper.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... t-not.html
http://jogleonachopper.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... gh-on.html

[matt2matt2002]

I see we disagree.

Turn off the A9 onto the Old A9 and go through Dalwhinnie.
Excellent road.
Turn off to the right by the railway bridge and follow that.
Excellent road too.
From there, you go on bit of disused roads, but still good.

Have you seen my blog from my Chopper JOGLE?
How about looking at the videos of the road.
http://jogleonachopper.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... t-not.html
http://jogleonachopper.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... gh-on.html

I went this way 2 years ago.
Very good indeed.
It was even sunny.

Matt

[The Mechanic]

I would go from Alness to Bonar Bridge - Lairg - Crask Inn - Altnahara - Bettyhill then along the north coast to JoG. Much better route than the A9

[Mick F]

Yes, and only 30miles further.

[The Mechanic]

Yes, and only 30miles further.

Nothing to a man of your caliber Mick And you get to sample the delights of the Crask Inn.

[Mick F]

To be honest, I've never actually cycled that way, but driven extensively all over Northern Scotland.

We lived in Rosyth - just over the bridge from Edinburgh - for some years in the 70's, and then in Helensburgh and Balloch on Lomondside in the 80's. We travelled extensively with the young girls and went camping over weekends summers on end.

One trip we did many times was to Red Squirrel Camp Site near Glen Coe. Happy days there.
Another was up by Lock More - way north way beyond Lairg and Loch Shin on the way to Durness and Tongue.
We spent some time in Durness and Strathy too. Wonderful beaches - freezing cold, but sunny and bright.