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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Highland Tourist Route

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
198 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 55
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.

Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.

Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

Open upland riding with long sight lines and varied gradients. It also links naturally to Cairngorms National Park.

Access context

Check weather, local closures, speed enforcement and single-track etiquette. Specific flag: seasonal traffic.

Seasonal context

Apr-Oct

Scenic road chapters

Snow Roads Scenic Route

Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 20 km this is Snow Roads Scenic Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.

Chapter facts
Length
20 km
Named road
Snow Roads Scenic Route

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Aberdeen

    Aberdeen is built of granite, and on a bright day after rain the whole city glitters, because the mica in the stone catches the light. On a grey day it is simply grey, which is what the rest of Scotland likes to say about it. Nearly two hundred thousand people live here, between the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don, on a cold North Sea coast that has made its living from fish, then ships, then oil. The harbour is still busy with supply vessels, and the title of oil capital of Europe has stuck for half a century.

    Read the complete Aberdeen write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Aberdeen sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Grantown on Spey.

  2. 2. Grantown on Spey

    Grantown-on-Spey was a planned town, founded in 1765 by Sir James Grant of Grant, who wanted a tidy settlement for weavers and a base for his estate. It is the end of the Snow Roads, and it is a good one.

    Read the complete Grantown on Spey write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Grantown on Spey comes up 51 km in. Next is Aviemore.

  3. 3. Aviemore

    Planning note

    At least 113 km in you reach Aviemore. Next is Inverness.

  4. 4. Inverness

    Inverness is where the North Coast 500 starts and ends, the circuit that has turned the top of Scotland into a bucket-list road, and the sensible traveller treats the city as a place to arrive, wash, shop and sleep before heading out. It sits where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth, and for centuries it was the capital of the Highlands in practice, a market town at the junction of roads running north, west and south. The population of about forty-seven thousand makes it by far the largest settlement for a hundred miles in any direction, and that means all the fuel, tyres, spares and supermarkets you could want.

    Read the complete Inverness write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Inverness, late in the day.

Recorded source links

Source

More motorcycle rides nearby