Not really a rideout, me and the wife had a cottage there for a week, along with our two sons, their partners and the two choccy Labs. However, given the popularity of Scotland among the biking fraternity, I thought a bit of a review might be in order.
The island is quite small, similar to the Isle of Man. Often referred to as Scotland in miniature, and rightly so. The variety of scenery in such a small space is pretty impressive. Steep, tough mountains in the north, pleasant little towns and bays along the east and south, and more lonely shoreline along the west. If you’re a wildlife enthusiast like me, there are otters, seals, red squirrels, golden eagles, hen harriers, red deer, etc etc. And that was just in our garden! If that’s your bag, definitely give it a whirl. Some really nice restaurants, delis, cafes. Local fresh seafood is the star attraction. It only really has one road-the A841 which forms a coastal loop around the island, and a pleasant loop it is too. One of the lads hired a bike and did it in the day, around 55 miles.
So, is it worth biking to? Yes and no, for me. Not enough roads to merit a visit of more than a night, maybe two. Visit a distillery, good dinner and you’ve sort of done it.
However, it holds a bit of an ace. the usual crossing is from Ardrossan in Ayrshire, not so far from Glasgow. But in summer, a second ferry goes from Lochranza at the north end to Claonaig on the top of the Kintyre peninsula. Takes about half an hour. From there you are less than two hours from Oban or Tyndrum, for example. That is a nice gateway to the north of Scotland and misses out all that crap around the Glasgow pinchpoint. It’s a route I’d definitely consider. Thought some of you Jockistan regulars might find it interesting. 
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