Hey guys, we've decided that next year we are going to holiday In the Scottish Highlands in August time rather than go abroad. Is there any people on here that know anywhere in or around loch Ness where I can take my fatty off road? Nothing too heavy, some nice hills, River crossings, rock crawls etc etc.
I did take a Vauxhall frontera up Glenn affric once many years ago but was totally useless and I've heard that the Scottish government are not very happy about 4X4's tearing up their beautiful landscape since Clarkson drove that disco up there, so somewhere legal would be nice.

No green lanes like England so all is by permission only from private land owners. Gone to a good home: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue with Ivory and clear glass = "Rory"
2025MY Defender D350 90 in Silicon Silver on coils
1974 Series 3 Lightweight = "Millie"
Many, many other Landies over the years
My preferred specialist: www.glenrands.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------

I take it I'm not allowed to drive off road going up the Glenns then? Nothing to heavy, just cross country and up a few hills and down using the HDC.

As Dr Rob says, you can only drive off road in Scotland with the landowner's permission. Some estates let holiday properties that are off road and restrict the lets to people with off road capable cars, but in general you would not be allowed to drive off the estate tracks. I have stayed at one such and going off the track you'd have been stuck in soft peat pretty quickly, and the instructions for that property warn against any off piste stuff. Good advice too as in many places rescue would be difficult, and highland estates don't necessarily have tractors, Unimogs etc that would be needed to get a deep bogged RR out.

On your way north you could have a go at the LR Experience place at Butterstone (NE of Perth) but it's obviously not the same as being free to do your own thing. You can find some off road driving venues in the Inverness area by googling "off road driving Inverness" or the like, but I have no experience of any of them. Again it will be more of a "product", but maybe OK and in nice scenery. Only Range Rovers since 1988

Thanks guys, I have just done a bit of research into it (should have done that before I asked the question here). Seems Scotland is very strict on off roading due to the 'free to roam' act. Basically you can't go off road anywhere in Scotland if there is hikers, walkers, horse riders etc etc which basically means everywhere. There are a few off road clubs that do have the land owners permission but may not get permission if some random dude knocks on his door asking if you mind me taking my fatty across your land for a bit of fun. Oh well, I shall dig a bit more and see what the cost is to join a nearby club for a few days.

And also to add, locals are very staunchly against it too. Seems there are signs everywhere telling folk to report illegal off road use. Let's face it, my fatty stands out like a sore thumb and with a private reg, no chance of blagging my way out of it

Join GLASS (green lane assoc), contact local rep and go out with them.
100% keep to the law and enjoy  Gone to a good home: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue with Ivory and clear glass = "Rory"
2025MY Defender D350 90 in Silicon Silver on coils
1974 Series 3 Lightweight = "Millie"
Many, many other Landies over the years
My preferred specialist: www.glenrands.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------

There was an epic 'greenlane' in Scotland which is a road that was built in 1745 and went over the mountains between Newtonmore and Fort Augustus. It remains on the statue books as the 'Kings highway' and as such, was a public road. Worth Googling the Corrieyairack Pass just to see what might have been..... However, it was a challenging mountain route (about 20 miles) which ascended to over 2500ft via a series of tight rocky hairpins and it would not be advised if the weather was anything but decent.

Sadly, Highland Council have now managed to (permanantly) close the road and there is a bloody great metal gate across the access route. Prior to this, there were legal fights with a land-owner (a QC no less) at the Ft Augustus end of the pass who did everything he could to prevent 4x4's using it, including erecting a concrete post in the middle of the track!

I feel content to have driven the road many times in the past (in several Disco's), including once getting right the way through and out at Ft Augustus by driving across the land-owners field through a gap in a wall and arriving at his front door, to exit onto the main road via his driveway!

2006 with a brand new D3



A few years later with some of the Disco3 forum chaps.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Hey JMC I read all about that and everyone was raving about it, but sadly like you say it's now closed. From what I read From those like yourself who drove it says it was an amazing drive. Oh well, I've already got a few contacts up that way who is willing to point me in the right direction. I thought I might as well while I'm up there, it's such stunning and breathtaking scenery I just have to do it. Such a shame really as the Highlands would be such an amazing place to go off road.

JMC they looks a bit tight in your disco in picture 3, don't think you'd get a fatty through that rut without scraping the paintwork. If I remember rightly, there's a crossing stream half way up Glenn affric with a few other off-road tracks. But I haven't been there for over 15 years and the last time I was in the ex father in-laws Vauxhall frontera which struggled to make it over the smallest of pebbles, so I'm going up there again because it's such a beautiful place to explore.

It was too tight....

However, I'm kinda lucky in that I have access to numerous estate tracks on my dorstep.



 The older I get, the more I realise that people confuse wrinkles for wisdom

JMC that's exactly the picture I want with my fatty, the stars in the background. I'm so jealous, any chance I can join you while I'm up that way next August?

Sadly not! I'm really not at liberty to be guiding 4x4 tours about the land-owners ground.  The older I get, the more I realise that people confuse wrinkles for wisdom