~5-7 days in Scotland: where to go?

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I'll be arriving in Glasgow on Sept 22nd. I have 3 weeks to spend in Scotland/Ireland. Anyway, I'm figuring on spending my first 5 - 7 days in Scotland & was wondering if anyone has some suggestions on where to cycle? I have a flatbar road bike (Devinci Oslo), so I'm not interested in any off-road excursions :) Also, how's the weather been lately?

I'll be arriving in Glasgow on Sept 22nd. I have 3 weeks to spend in Scotland/Ireland. Anyway, I'm figuring on spending my first 5 - 7 days in Scotland & was wondering if anyone has some suggestions on where to cycle? I have a flatbar road bike (Devinci Oslo), so I'm not interested in any off-road excursions :) Also, how's the weather been lately?

I would suggest that you join the Hostels and arange to base youself in Glasgow hostel for the first part of your journey .You can get to Edinburgh for a day by bus and cover the city using the open top bus at top of Princes STREET.
Glasgow has much to offer ,Science Centre ,Burrel collection ,You can be at Loch lomond in under 1 hour by train.
It is 45 miles to Troon were you will get the ferry to Ireland check out www.pando.co.uk..for (http://www.pando.co.uk..for) booking it.
This ferry goes to Larne and you would go the Antrim coast road to following towns,Cushendal ,Portrush get ferry to Rathlin Island .Derry is a good city to visit and if going to Balllyshannon the take N15 passing through Letterkenny, Ballybofey ,Donegal arrivin at Ballyshannon.
The route from Ballyshannon across country to the other coast can be busy as ALL types of vechicles use it.

Hope this gives you a bit of an idea ,let me know what you think.

Arthur, thanks for the info. However, I'd prefer biking to Loch Lomon & Edinburgh. My initial plan was to spend 2 full days in Glasgow. The ride to Lomond, & then on to Edinburgh where I'd stay for 1 night (2 days). The I'd ride to Troon for the ferry to the IoM. Is that doable, or do you think I'd get more (i.e. see more stuff) by basing in Glasgow & seeing the surrounding areas via train/bus? I guess I'm figuring that I may "see" things differently from the saddle. What do you think?

Cheers,

Arthur

I'll be arriving in Glasgow on Sept 22nd. I have 3 weeks to spend in Scotland/Ireland. Anyway, I'm figuring on spending my first 5 - 7 days in Scotland & was wondering if anyone has some suggestions on where to cycle? I have a flatbar road bike (Devinci Oslo), so I'm not interested in any off-road excursions :) Also, how's the weather been lately?The Orkneys are excellent for cycling.No hills,wonderful scenery,great pubs,fascinating history,plenty of accommodation at reasonable cost (B&Bs,Hostels),friendly locals.The North Coast of Scotland is excellent,as is the West Coast and the Hebrides.The scenery will take your breath away.The roads are good with not many hills if you stick to the coast.You can carry a bike on trains and cover the highlights if pressed for time.
Inverness is also a good place to base yourself for a few days.It's a pleasant town and quite central for the Highlands and there are plenty of places to see within a day's ride.Check the British rail map for connections.

We just spent an incredible 7 days in the Fife area, just outside the town of Ellie in a castle at Kilconquhar .The coastal trail from st Andrews to the Forth, with the smaller fishing towns filled with castles and history was worth spending at least another week in this area. The fish and chip shop at Anstruther was excellent. Loads of biking opportunities in this area, you guys that live here sure are lucky.

We'll be back. All that and the weather was amazing ASWELL.