First long trip towing - any tips?

Hi Crofty, You are right, you have a choice of routes to join the A720 Edinburgh city bypass. There's not much to pick and choose. The A7 is slightly slower but you are passing through lovely scenery. The A68 is slightly quicker and less twisty, but there are loads of speed cameras along that route. 

Once on the A720 follow until you come to the turn off for the M8 then after a few miles at Junct 2 take the road to the Forth Crossing. Then . follow the M90 to Junct 10 and follow the signs for the A9 ( there is a motorway services just off the roundabout at the end of the motorway) Follow the A9 all the way to the A95 junction at Aviemore then you are within 15 miles from the Granton on Spey site.(There are 2 useful stops on the A9 if you have a van on the back, the first at The house of Bruar outlet near Blair Atholl and another near Newtonmore  called Ralia. ) Cafes in both places.  Also loads of laybys on the A9.

I do hope you enjoy your holiday  

Regards Kennine

Good advice Crofty, especially about the routes to Edinburgh. Also allow more time than you think you will need, it can be quite a tiring drive up to Grantown. We drove from Melrose to Pitlochry last year and then further north later. You'll see the new Forth crossing, which is quite a sight. Watch out for the average speed cameras on the A9. all the way up!

I'd love to be going up there myself, have a lovely time. 

Oh and when you're up in Grantown make sure you all do a trip to the top of Cairngorm mountain!

As with many others we use the motorway services, and often share a coffee - do we really need those huge cups?

One thing I always do is put a wheel clamp on the van - it only takes a few seconds and is a visual deterrent as well as an actual one.

I always found that the biggest problem with caravanning was finding places to stop for rests or lunch that was nice and big and not to busy. So my tip is to stop if you see somewhere that looks good even if it’s a bit early.

S0d the wheel clamp we put the kettle on.  Saves a fortune. 

Being a newbie myself, I spend a while using Google maps to check out places to stop en route. Agree with the idea that 2 to 3 hours is long enough in one stretch. Doing this, before our last trip to Dorset I found a lovely big car park in a Garden Centre just off the road. They had a shop and an on site cafe serving pretty decent breakfasts. But by checking it out beforehand, there was no stress wondering if there's space to park the 'van and car as you pull in. 

Also, I check out the route. I will happily go the longer way around to avoid congested or tight towns. Rather be comfortable than early. 

Towing on my own I try to avoid needing Service Stations but if I do want to go shopping as I did recently at the lovely Gloucester Service Farm Shop - I fit the hitch lock and leave the tail gate up so the dogs would make a huge noise if anyone got near!  It's a good idea to remember to remove the hitchlock to move on though. 

every year we tow to Cornwall 420 miles, we set off about 2 in the morning, the roads are quiet, we stop a few times at the services for a drink  and something to eat, I also have a walk and stretch my legs

the van is never left unattended, I would recommend getting a t.p.m.s. for your van, on the c.a.m.c. site you can find tyrepal, it alternates from wheel to wheel showing the p.s.i. and temp, as  you dont want a puncture to end up in a blowout

I reckon the OP has got there and back by now.👍🏻😀