Bigfoot
Tour Rookie
Spot on!!
1st Post: rate my Sept Trip to Scotland
- Thread starter KitaScot
- Start date
Spot on!!
The beach is nice, But Smoo cave is a bit of a hole!
IanG
Tour Rookie
Rlburnside
Challenge Tour Pro
Played Gairloch a few years ago when me and the Mrs had a trip up the West Coast, have to agree a good 9 holer.
KitaScot
Medal Winner
Smoo Cave is now on the itinerary...thanks!
My plan is to drive from Golspie to Durness early AM....play a round and head south down the coast for lunch at Kylesku hotel before heading south along the peninsula (B869...I like taking back roads with no particular aim), and then back to Golspie.
My plan is to drive from Golspie to Durness early AM....play a round and head south down the coast for lunch at Kylesku hotel before heading south along the peninsula (B869...I like taking back roads with no particular aim), and then back to Golspie.
D
Deleted member 16999
Guest
Have a fantastic time, it's the best part of the UK, some incredible beauty and scenery
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
I've not played any of the courses you mention, but it sounds like a great trip and it's nice to see someone doing it your way rather than just compiling a tick list.
Please stick around, and let us know how it went and show off your pics when you return home.
Please stick around, and let us know how it went and show off your pics when you return home.
KitaScot
Medal Winner
Paul....Golf is the dessert of this trip, Scotland itself is the main course....the trip combines the views and inspirations of both John Muir (who like me went to the University of Wisconsin and spent time in Florida) and Donald Ross....
Muir left Scotland as a child and returned to visit Dunbar as an adult, but I don't think he ever got to the northern Highlands...too bad. Had he, he might have never gone back to America
Muir left Scotland as a child and returned to visit Dunbar as an adult, but I don't think he ever got to the northern Highlands...too bad. Had he, he might have never gone back to America
KitaScot
Medal Winner
Schools are off the 19th
PM'd you.
I have taught every grade....from kindergarten to university....public schools, alternative school programs, corporate and government language classes in the US, Japan and Korea, and never miss a chance to visit classrooms in any country I travel in.
The last one was last year in India when shooting stills for a video on tiger and cultural preservation....I'm also a professional photographer.
As a spectator beyond the ropes I was shooting a movie being made there and got invited to be IN the film and made the cut! A different kind of cut we golfers are familiar with. When I told friends I was staying in Doune where "Outlander" had been filmed, they joked I might find myself in yet another film.
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Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
2blue
Journeyman Pro
Great itinerary for a golfer & photographer..... what ever Sept in Scotland hits you with it's a "win, win" situation!! Don't expect too much from Smoo..... I'd be hoping for a storm-force westerly's for that portion, as we experienced last year..... impressive but no golf. :thup:
Sept should be midge-free (like sand-flies, but worse) but would still ensure the tent has 'fine' fly screens & pack Avons 'Skin so Soft'
Please report back with pictures...... have a great time
PS. Keep an eye open for Loch Fyne's 'Yarl' as it is one of the finest West Coast Ales:thup:
Sept should be midge-free (like sand-flies, but worse) but would still ensure the tent has 'fine' fly screens & pack Avons 'Skin so Soft'
Please report back with pictures...... have a great time
PS. Keep an eye open for Loch Fyne's 'Yarl' as it is one of the finest West Coast Ales:thup:
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KitaScot
Medal Winner
I have what I think is good protection for heavy rain for on and off the course, including a poncho and even a little rain-proof camera. I'm not planning on camping out.
The one thing I wonder, and must always wonder, will I have brought enough balls?!? I can't imagine my score (ugh), if I do need more than I bring for 10-12 rounds. Oh well.
The one thing I wonder, and must always wonder, will I have brought enough balls?!? I can't imagine my score (ugh), if I do need more than I bring for 10-12 rounds. Oh well.
Andy
Tour Winner
I'm just home from a long weekend golfing at Boat of Garten. Awesome course in great condition, as is Grantown on Spey, my favourite course of the weekend. Kinguisse was also looking great with fantastic greens.
Avoid Tennents and goto the West brewery, far better and fab lager to get snottored on.
If your playing Prestwick St Nicholas, travel north up the A78 to Largs and play Largs Kelburn, you won't be disappointed.
Avoid Tennents and goto the West brewery, far better and fab lager to get snottored on.
If your playing Prestwick St Nicholas, travel north up the A78 to Largs and play Largs Kelburn, you won't be disappointed.
KitaScot
Medal Winner
HighlandAddict
Hacker
Hi !.
Fellow new member here, also first post, and probably an ideal start as my forum name indicates !
If I were going to go on Mastermind "Golf, walks, drives and ales in the Highlands" would be my specialist subject. And my profile photo is coincidentally on the first tee at Durness.
Great route, and one could turn it into a few months, but a few things, and I know it’s near your trip time to be changing...=)
You’ll just have to return, there’s no way once is enough. Take these as suggestions for your second trip if you can’t fit it all in, and you can’t !
I would maybe go up the West Coast and come back down through the Cairngorms, cuts out a bit of backtracking and maximises the scenery.
A definite diversion, but taking the Gourock to Dunoon ferry then up from there is just amazing so close to a major city, nice alternative to the Loch Lomond traffic procession.
The Hidden Valley walk in Glen Coe is a fantastic short-ish walk with a touch of adventure and lots of clan history that gets you into some lovely scenery without needing to be prepared for walking. Ballachulish hotel is a beautiful, handy and reasonable place to stay recently taken over by a lovely young couple in a bit of a wilderness for good value, nice places to stay and eat…don’t stay in Fort William.
Turn left at Fort William, take the superlative “Road to the Isles†taking in the Harry Potter railway bridge, fantastic Traigh 9 holer, then ferry for a taste of Skye, have a poke around in the empty SW corner maybe spotting an otter in a ring of bright water, then could do a Cuilin if feeling adventurous or just head back over the bridge.
Gairloch has been mentioned, great little nine holer, Shieldaig is a beautiful village on the way with a great pub, and you could get a climb in on Torridon, more beautiful than the Cairngorms or Trossachs IMHO and a pint at the Applecross Inn (another diversion).
Durness is out of this world, possibly the best kept secret in British golf, just marvellous and fantastic to support the community. The drive down to Dornoch via Tongue then Ben Hope is probably our pick of the routes back.
And speaking of Dornoch…Royal Dornoch is my favourite golf course in my favourite town, plus the true Donald Ross pilgrimage with some Andrew Carnegie thrown in. Yes it’s pricey, but would be my “must play†advice for anyone in Scotland. Proper Championship course, but playable no matter what your ability, and a wonderful experience.
In order for me in your Highlands swing would be Royal Dornoch, Durness, Brora (also superb !), Gospie (very good), Tain (bit ho hum).
Boat of Garten is a great choice in a lovely village, Spey Valley very good value, quality course, Old Bridge Inn Aviemore has great real ales and live music !
Oh and finally, since you are slightly late season check TeeOffTimes.co.uk for your bookings, can get some amazing deals.
I’ll stop here, but you can’t go wrong, have a blast !
Fellow new member here, also first post, and probably an ideal start as my forum name indicates !
If I were going to go on Mastermind "Golf, walks, drives and ales in the Highlands" would be my specialist subject. And my profile photo is coincidentally on the first tee at Durness.
Great route, and one could turn it into a few months, but a few things, and I know it’s near your trip time to be changing...=)
You’ll just have to return, there’s no way once is enough. Take these as suggestions for your second trip if you can’t fit it all in, and you can’t !
I would maybe go up the West Coast and come back down through the Cairngorms, cuts out a bit of backtracking and maximises the scenery.
A definite diversion, but taking the Gourock to Dunoon ferry then up from there is just amazing so close to a major city, nice alternative to the Loch Lomond traffic procession.
The Hidden Valley walk in Glen Coe is a fantastic short-ish walk with a touch of adventure and lots of clan history that gets you into some lovely scenery without needing to be prepared for walking. Ballachulish hotel is a beautiful, handy and reasonable place to stay recently taken over by a lovely young couple in a bit of a wilderness for good value, nice places to stay and eat…don’t stay in Fort William.
Turn left at Fort William, take the superlative “Road to the Isles†taking in the Harry Potter railway bridge, fantastic Traigh 9 holer, then ferry for a taste of Skye, have a poke around in the empty SW corner maybe spotting an otter in a ring of bright water, then could do a Cuilin if feeling adventurous or just head back over the bridge.
Gairloch has been mentioned, great little nine holer, Shieldaig is a beautiful village on the way with a great pub, and you could get a climb in on Torridon, more beautiful than the Cairngorms or Trossachs IMHO and a pint at the Applecross Inn (another diversion).
Durness is out of this world, possibly the best kept secret in British golf, just marvellous and fantastic to support the community. The drive down to Dornoch via Tongue then Ben Hope is probably our pick of the routes back.
And speaking of Dornoch…Royal Dornoch is my favourite golf course in my favourite town, plus the true Donald Ross pilgrimage with some Andrew Carnegie thrown in. Yes it’s pricey, but would be my “must play†advice for anyone in Scotland. Proper Championship course, but playable no matter what your ability, and a wonderful experience.
In order for me in your Highlands swing would be Royal Dornoch, Durness, Brora (also superb !), Gospie (very good), Tain (bit ho hum).
Boat of Garten is a great choice in a lovely village, Spey Valley very good value, quality course, Old Bridge Inn Aviemore has great real ales and live music !
Oh and finally, since you are slightly late season check TeeOffTimes.co.uk for your bookings, can get some amazing deals.
I’ll stop here, but you can’t go wrong, have a blast !
KitaScot
Medal Winner
Thanks H.A.
Golspie to Tongue to Ben Hope it is!
Fort William to Mallaig has been on my planned route from Glasgow, before heading north to Kyle of Lochalsh via Skye and back east to Aviemore...leaving @ 7am arriving @ 7pm...That's about 8 hours of driving and 4 hours of stops....a nice relaxing drive...something I love to do, and do a lot here in the US....I've lived in the Rocky Mountains and traveled up and round the forests and valleys and rivers.
Guide books write about seeing Scotland in a 5 to 7 day tour!?!?! And I agree with you that my 3-week trip will not be enough. I mean I'm not even taking in the islands....how wrong is THAT! And I know people go to Scotland and only go to golf courses....oh well....To that end I understand your encouragement to play Royal Dornoch, (you're not alone!), but I'm more a photographer and a curiosity seeker than I am a golfer.
Playing "people's courses" fulfills my (pre)conceived notion of Scotland's invention, and its relation to golf as a "purposeful walk" through nature with "tools" devised by an industrious people (e.g. Carnegie) preoccupied with industry. I like to balance that view of useful nature with Muir's "aimless" appreciation. Whew. What a trip!
Golspie to Tongue to Ben Hope it is!
Fort William to Mallaig has been on my planned route from Glasgow, before heading north to Kyle of Lochalsh via Skye and back east to Aviemore...leaving @ 7am arriving @ 7pm...That's about 8 hours of driving and 4 hours of stops....a nice relaxing drive...something I love to do, and do a lot here in the US....I've lived in the Rocky Mountains and traveled up and round the forests and valleys and rivers.
Guide books write about seeing Scotland in a 5 to 7 day tour!?!?! And I agree with you that my 3-week trip will not be enough. I mean I'm not even taking in the islands....how wrong is THAT! And I know people go to Scotland and only go to golf courses....oh well....To that end I understand your encouragement to play Royal Dornoch, (you're not alone!), but I'm more a photographer and a curiosity seeker than I am a golfer.
Playing "people's courses" fulfills my (pre)conceived notion of Scotland's invention, and its relation to golf as a "purposeful walk" through nature with "tools" devised by an industrious people (e.g. Carnegie) preoccupied with industry. I like to balance that view of useful nature with Muir's "aimless" appreciation. Whew. What a trip!
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HighlandAddict
Hacker
Happy to help =)
That's great news !
In order,
If you really like a good drive, the day trip is head from Golspie across to Ledmore, then turn right for the amazing Assynt scenery of Suilven and Canisp and don't stop til you get your clubs out at Durness.
Then drive East through Eriboll and either take the single track past Ben Hope or cross Kyle of Tongue and then down. Either way you are in God's country !
Secondly, do make sure you play Traigh en route to Mallaig, it's a proper community honesty box course with superlative views. Fantastic white sand beaches in Arisaig/Back of Keppoch nearby with views over Eigg, Rhum, Muck and Skye; location of "Local Hero".
Thirdly - play Royal Dornoch ! Not only is it a great golf course (the bible top100golfcourses.co.uk has it as #8 in the World) it's playable and the friendly members and staff are genuinely pleased you have made the effort to play it.
Ask Tom Watson !
KitaScot
Medal Winner
Japanese used to say about me that I'd be a great taxi driver there....the highest compliment (I only got lost twice in 3 years there traveling "blind" when it came to reading signs)...
Your recommendation about Golspie to Ledmore is the exact route I'm taking....only backwards...I'll be heading that way after mid-afternoon lunch at Kylesku Hotel after the round at Durness, and a detour on B869....I'll be heading to Durness via Tongue from Golspie on 836/839. Another day I'll be taking the coastal road to Jack O'Groats with a stop at Pulteney Distillery.
[It's been my lucky life to have lived in so many of the places that have been been praised as "god's country"]
Traigh looks WONDERFUL....It IS on the way, so maybe I'll leave a bit earlier and not stop at Ft. William for long...catching it and its area on a day trip around Loch Ness later that weekend from Aviemore....I can DO that! Thanks.
I'll definitely visit Royal Dornoch and see if I can play it...it'll be tough. Monday is Brora, Tues is Tain, Wednesday is Durness, and Thursday, Golspie....maybe I can play instead of ..... as I said, a tough decision there.
My cousin who plays golf maybe 4x a year, (he was a country club catering manager), and who's played a Donald Ross track with me, said, after seeing pix of these courses, that after Scotland, US courses will be like "chopped liver."
Love most of Bill Forsyth's movies, including Local Hero of course.
Your recommendation about Golspie to Ledmore is the exact route I'm taking....only backwards...I'll be heading that way after mid-afternoon lunch at Kylesku Hotel after the round at Durness, and a detour on B869....I'll be heading to Durness via Tongue from Golspie on 836/839. Another day I'll be taking the coastal road to Jack O'Groats with a stop at Pulteney Distillery.
[It's been my lucky life to have lived in so many of the places that have been been praised as "god's country"]
Traigh looks WONDERFUL....It IS on the way, so maybe I'll leave a bit earlier and not stop at Ft. William for long...catching it and its area on a day trip around Loch Ness later that weekend from Aviemore....I can DO that! Thanks.
I'll definitely visit Royal Dornoch and see if I can play it...it'll be tough. Monday is Brora, Tues is Tain, Wednesday is Durness, and Thursday, Golspie....maybe I can play instead of ..... as I said, a tough decision there.
My cousin who plays golf maybe 4x a year, (he was a country club catering manager), and who's played a Donald Ross track with me, said, after seeing pix of these courses, that after Scotland, US courses will be like "chopped liver."
Love most of Bill Forsyth's movies, including Local Hero of course.
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KitaScot
Medal Winner
I just booked Royal Dornoch....thank you one and all for convincing me.
I'll play it Friday before heading south through Perthshire to Doune.
I'll be able to play all the courses in the Golspie area....wow....
I'll play it Friday before heading south through Perthshire to Doune.
I'll be able to play all the courses in the Golspie area....wow....
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HighlandAddict
Hacker
Fantastic, well done !
Inevitably with it being a first trip you will have end up with too much travelling and not enough "being", but think of it as a first visit to the buffet to sample everything, then you can savour some individual dishes in the future.
One last thing...travel times are longer in the UK than the US, so it's worth getting a slightly bigger car than an a Piccanto. A Fiesta or similar will help you get your foot down a bit and be more comfortable.
Very envious !
Inevitably with it being a first trip you will have end up with too much travelling and not enough "being", but think of it as a first visit to the buffet to sample everything, then you can savour some individual dishes in the future.
One last thing...travel times are longer in the UK than the US, so it's worth getting a slightly bigger car than an a Piccanto. A Fiesta or similar will help you get your foot down a bit and be more comfortable.
Very envious !
