Coastride UK Tour Scotland North Coast and Orkneys

These are the original daily routes that I put together for the Coastride UK tour. They will vary slightly from the actual rides with difficult weather conditions being a major factor for re routing during the tour. Please use these routes for your own tour if they work for you.The north coast of Scotland and the Orkneys present their own unique set of challenges for a tour rider and I cannot stess too strongly the importance of being totally prepared to ride up there. Every local has a story of rescuing badly prepared cyclists who roll up thinking it's an easy ride around the Highlands who end up being taken out in an ambulance. No amount of bravado will save you from the weather and hills if you get caught out.One of the big issues is lack of accommodation. The days of rolling into town and finding a room for the night are long gone and booking weeks or months ahead is now a must. Campsites and wild camping is still an option but the north coast terrain will find you out if you're not fit enough to carry the required kit. With the midges perfectly evolved to destroy the moral of any adventurer, using a tarp or bivvy bag is not an option. Take a tent with a fine midge screen, you'll need it. Check ferry times frequently as they do change and the weather can cause cancellations although it's doesn't happen often. I took the 8.45 ferry from Scrabster to Stromness had two days in Kirkwall then rode down to Burwick and caught the passenger ferry to JOG at 17.30 which worked well as a round trip.The summer weather can be brutal and it's possible to spend your whole time in full winter riding kit. Be prepared and if you're taking small bike packing bags think seriously about what you're leaving out. When it's windy and rainy there is nowhere to shelter and there are very few trees up there. Lots of shops and cafes shut on Sunday so buy what you need on Saturday. Even the locals don't seem to know what's open and what's not!I planned for 45-65 mile (70-100km) per day based on my wish of finishing in towns with multiple options for accommodation and I decided not to camp on this tour. You can ride Durness to JOG in one day but it's a long ride if the weather is against you. There is accomadation in Tounge, Betty Hills and Thruso but not much in between.I planned these rides on Komoot and OS maps and I ride with a Hammerhead Karoo following the route and an old Samsung phone in a waterproof case running OS maps. However carefully I looked at the original route at home at some point every day I would question Komoots choice of routing and would need to make on the spot changes.