Hitchhiking Glasgow to Skye?

[McWalking]

In September,some friends and I plan to hitchhike from Glasgow to Northern Skye.
We are all students with a tiny budget, so the bus isn't really possible.
Does anyone have any advice or experience about getting lifts from the city?
Would you be likely to stop or pass hitchers by?
I'd appreciate your help!

[Caberfeidh]

In September,some friends and I plan to hitchhike from Glasgow to Northern Skye.
We are all students with a tiny budget, so the bus isn't really possible.
Does anyone have any advice or experience about getting lifts from the city?
Would you be likely to stop or pass hitchers by?
I'd appreciate your help!

I like to stop and pick up hitch-hikers, but bus lanes all along Great Western Road don't allow for it. It is a long hike out past Dumbarton until you get to hitchable roads. A bus or train to Crianlarich would start you off to get you into the highlands where there is a chance of a lift.
When hitching you should be visible from a good distance, stand at a place where cars can pull in and stop like a bus stop or lay by, take off your rucksack (please don't sit it in a puddle- nobody wants muddy marks in their car), face the traffic, smile nicely and stick out your arm, thumb raised to get the message across.
You've got a few weeks yet to scrape cash together; can't you sell a kidney or deal drugs or something to raise some cash?

Raise some cash somehow....

Rail Road Hoboes

[MountainHare22]

In September,some friends and I plan to hitchhike from Glasgow to Northern Skye.
We are all students with a tiny budget, so the bus isn't really possible.
Does anyone have any advice or experience about getting lifts from the city?
Would you be likely to stop or pass hitchers by?
I'd appreciate your help!

Can't help with likelihood of getting lifts from the city - but I would imagine you would have more luck a little bit further north as people have already suggested. If you can be slightly flexible with dates or timings it helps when booking transport. A few years back I got from Edinburgh to Kyle for £11 on an advanced single on the train, I travelled this year for a similar cost but going by bus and splitting the journey when buying tickets (so I payed megabus for Edinburgh-Inverness and city link for the rest of the way). City link give you a small discount for youth hostel membership, youngscot cards etc I think too - though still expensive.

[orion]

Quickest way is to get the train to Balloch and then walk up to the big roundabout on the A82.Head north a little to the first big layby as cars can see you in advance and pull in.
Obviously you should be aware of the perils of taking a lift if Caberfeidh stops and offers one

[Kevin29035]

Quickest way is to get the train to Balloch and then walk up to the big roundabout on the A82.Head north a little to the first big layby as cars can see you in advance and pull in.
Obviously you should be aware of the perils of taking a lift if Caberfeidh stops and offers one

This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Often see folk hitching from there, unfortunately I can never stop as my cars rammed with kit

[malky_c]

How many of you are there? Split up into pairs - if there are (say) 6 of you you'll be extremely lucky to get a lift all standing together.

[Caberfeidh]

Obviously you should be aware of the perils of taking a lift if Caberfeidh stops and offers one

How very dare you! I recently picked up a couple of Dutch guys who were shivering by the side of the road in Glen Coe, clutching a cardboard sign for Glasgow. They had spent the night in a tent in a rainstorm by Loch Leven, having a cold, wet and unpleasant time of it. I stopped at various waterfalls on the way home for photo oppurtunities, (they said they found waterfalls particularly magical, I guess in billiard-table flat Holland there are no waterfalls). I even diverted down Glen Etive so they could see more waterfalls and scenery, stopped in at the Kingshouse where they had hot chocolate with whisky, and fed the deer. We visited the Drovers Inn at Inverarnan where they had Scotch Broth and listened to folk music, then got them to the Yoof Hostel in Glasgow. I met up with them for a pint in Glasgow a couple of days later. Turns out they are rock stars in the Nether Regions, they did a turn in the Arlington, and were better than the band who had been playing...

[McWalking]

thanks so much for your tips

You've got a few weeks yet to scrape cash together; can't you sell a kidney or deal drugs or something to raise some cash?

this made me laugh, I'll save these options for a really big holiday some time!

[orion]

Obviously you should be aware of the perils of taking a lift if Caberfeidh stops and offers one

How very dare you! I recently picked up a couple of Dutch guys who were shivering by the side of the road in Glen Coe, clutching a cardboard sign for Glasgow. They had spent the night in a tent in a rainstorm by Loch Leven, having a cold, wet and unpleasant time of it. I stopped at various waterfalls on the way home for photo oppurtunities, (they said they found waterfalls particularly magical, I guess in billiard-table flat Holland there are no waterfalls). I even diverted down Glen Etive so they could see more waterfalls and scenery, stopped in at the Kingshouse where they had hot chocolate with whisky, and fed the deer. We visited the Drovers Inn at Inverarnan where they had Scotch Broth and listened to folk music, then got them to the Yoof Hostel in Glasgow. I met up with them for a pint in Glasgow a couple of days later. Turns out they are rock stars in the Nether Regions, they did a turn in the Arlington, and were better than the band who had been playing...

Apologies Caberfeidh.I forgot to put one of those smiley things at the end of the post to indicate that it was in jest. I was referring of course to your penchant for snacking on the odd human limb or two
I`ll pm you as you actually know me in the real world

Seems I can`t PM you as it is disabled

[Caberfeidh]

I forgot to put one of those smiley things at the end of the post to indicate that it was in jest.

I knew ye were jesting! I also forgot to put : "...and their corpses were never found..." about the Dutch guys.

Seems I can`t PM you as it is disabled

Too many weirdos taking it all too seriously!

[jmoran12]

you could try megabus glasgow to inverness then hitch from there can sometimes get a single ticket for around 7 quid .

[Caberfeidh]

you could try megabus glasgow to inverness then hitch from there can sometimes get a single ticket for around 7 quid .

Good idea. From Inverness you can get further for much cheapness apparently; https://www.stagecoachbus.com/highlands-plusbus.aspx
If you do hitch from Inverness, the A82 along Loch Ness is terrible for hitching; it is too winding, and few good places to pull in, everyone is in a hurry and wont stop. You are better going the northern way, there is a lay-by before the Kessock Bridge which is good for hitching from. Turn off west just past Garve, from the A835 onto the A832, then again at Achnasheen onto the A890 which takes you over hills and down dales until you find yourself in Kyle of Lochalsh. Or possibly Plockton if you've taken a wrong turn, but it's nice anyway...

[IanEzzi]

Maybe try and make it as obvious as possible that you are good clean (ish...) wholesome hikers, and not dirty freeloading hippies. Make the hiking poles obvious, show off your brightly coloured hiking gear, hide any bongos etc. etc.

Not that I have anything against hippies you understand, but last time I was driving back from the hills I was having a hard time distinguishing from the hitchhiking hillwalkers and the overspill from T-in-the-Park, wasn't really in the mood for listening to a bunch of 16 year olds having a post festival come-down in the back of my hire car (yeah, I turned 31 last year, bang goes the last of my tolerance for freespirited party people... )