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Recommend a hairpin bend
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:59 pm
by MacK
Anyone know of any good roads with a hairpin bend or two in them? I'm thinking of doing a run on roads in Scotland with hairpin bends, so if you know of any post it up and I'll see if we can get a decent route for some time later in the year.
I know about Apllecross (from Mexi-Towers last year) and a few others but I'm looking for some more.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:04 pm
by kenny
Dukes Pass has dozens of hairpins.
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:07 pm
by kenny
Some really good ones over the Lecht and if you make it onto Mull some fantastic tight hairpins over the hill into Tobermory.
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:08 pm
by Novice Racer
Mountain road to Applecross, Wester Ross

.
Great on the way there - even better on the way back
NR
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:15 pm
by MacK
kenny wrote:Some really good ones over the Lecht and if you make it onto Mull some fantastic tight hairpins over the hill into Tobermory.
A939 over the Lecht isn't it?
Dukes pass I've been over too

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:30 pm
by Skyenet
The B743 Strathaven to Muirkirk (Kames) is a good stretch of road with a good selection of bends. Did some of my Walshy road training along it
The A814 from Garelochhead to Arrochar also has some good bends. Its quite a narrow road at times and I found it was good at night when you could use all the road while no oncomming traffic visible by their headlights. Because of the width of the road and stone walls, trees, loch etc the road feels very fast even at moderate speeds and very easy to get a car airborne on it. Just remember that you can't steer around corners if your wheels are not touching the road

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:33 pm
by jj
Skyenet wrote:The A814 from Garelochhead to Arrochar also has some good bends. Just remember that you can't steer around corners if your wheels are not touching the road

I spied this on youtube last week, and thought it looked familiar... some of it is the MOD road we went over on the last chips run, and the A814 comes in at 1:12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF-d9qYafus
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:36 pm
by MacK
Skyenet wrote:The A814 from Garelochhead to Arrochar also has some good bends.
That road also has a terrible surface and you're as likely to loose your fillings as you are to meet a fuel truck halfway along it.
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:57 pm
by gorrie
The High Road from Bathgate to Linlithgow is OK for a short blast... also, when the A71 is quiet (not often), I like the short sequence from Dalmahoy-Wilkieston ...
A70, leave Edinburgh, get past Balerno and it's good down to Carnwarth
thats my 2cents worth

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:01 pm
by Skyenet
MacK wrote:
That road also has a terrible surface and you're as likely to loose your fillings as you are to meet a fuel truck halfway along it.
Used to be a great road and surface when I was at Faslane, but that was 30 years ago. Used to go up and down it many times a night on two and four wheels, and in some places no wheels at all.
Went over it on the motorbike about 2 years ago and it wasn't too bad, though not as good as it used to be. Also did it in an Elise run and was great seeing all the cars winding up the road ahead and in my rear view mirror. Only problem was I was stuck behind somebody who's ability didn't match their confidence, or maybe it was the rattling noise comming from the back of his car that was the problem. Turned out the noise was just his roof bouncing around in his boot
Never, ever met a fuel truck on it though. Caravans or lorries on it can be overtaken by a motorbike in some places but virtually imposible on four wheels.
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:02 pm
by MacK
Thanks for the suggestions so far, but it was more actual hairpin bends I was after than good bendy bits of road
Gorrie, the roads between Bathgate/Broxburn and Linlithgow are great, and since they were re-sufaced a couple of years ago they are even better

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:03 pm
by Skyenet
gorrie wrote:The High Road from Bathgate to Linlithgow is OK for a short blast...
Quite agree

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:07 pm
by MacK
Skyenet wrote:
Used to be a great road and surface when I was at Faslane, but that was 30 years ago.
Never, ever met a fuel truck on it though. Caravans or lorries on it can be overtaken by a motorbike in some places but virtually imposible on four wheels.
My memories of it are from driving it in a Transit van when working at Coulport, and we often met BP trucks at the terminal on the lochside.
I'm sure there's a couple of hairpins up Glen Douglas from the lochside though

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:11 pm
by tenkfeet
The road from Glenshee to Blairgowrie is superb . I had to stop and be sick at Blairgowrie.
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:37 pm
by simon
tenkfeet wrote:The road from Glenshee to Blairgowrie is superb .
But there are no hairpins on it which is what he's after!