Four days in Scottyland

[iainw]

I've just read Fatal's trip and though I'd post some pics of my own trip. Wifey, my two girls and the mother in law were off to New York for a few days so rather than being out numbered on every decision and picked on I opted not to go. So I dropped them off at Manchester Airport at 7am got back home and pushed the bike out the garage and off I went.... To Hein Gericke, needed some inner gloves, I'd lost a pair during the week.

A couple of miles down the road I noticed the dash display wasn't changing, the trip, total miles and clock, digits were frozen, but the engine was running and I'm on my way . Got the gloves tunrned on the ignition, lights flash, needles sweep, the time is correct, it's added the mileage on, looks good and off we go . Onto the M6 and I notice the display hasn't changed since switch on at HG. Pulled off at Forton services, tried a bit of the switch off switch on watch the clocks, after a couple of attempts I got the red triangle and it wouldn't start, hmy: sadness, the trip is over and I've only gone 25 miles. Took my helmet off and ear plugs out, the alarm is screaming, I'd not switched it off during one of the on / off procedures, muppet! Reset everything, noticed the : on the clock was flashing, watched the minutes tick over, we're back to normal and I was on my way.

First day was 400 miles to Skye, this was the only night where I'd made a booking so I needed to press on, it was motorway to Glasgow and over the Erskine bridge.

 

[iainw]

It had been quite cold, 2c on the way up but as luch time approached it was warming up, 5c north of Glasgow and onto Loch Lomond.

The sky cleared and it brightend up after lunch, getting on for 8c now, loving it.

 

[iainw]

From Loch Lomond its over Glen Coe to Fort William.

 

[iainw]

The Caledonian Canal runs from Inverness to Fort William taking in Loch Ness. There's a series of locks at Fort William known as Neptune's Staircase.



More Lochs, more hills and more empty roads.

They've got the builders in at the Eilean Donan Castle.

 

[iainw]

Over the bridge and onto Skye.

Stayed the night in a B&B in Portree.
Portree harbour the next morning, it's going to be a beautiful day.



On the road again, leaving Skye.


Kyle of Lochalsh.

 

[iainw]

Loch Carron

Next place to visit is the Bealach Na Ba.


...and when you get to the top.

Need to crack on and get to Ullapool, the next roads are magnificent and a high speed run is on for 15 minutes. Very high speed!

 

[jiltedjohn]

good pics, went round Skye year before last with two mates, last year we went up to John o' Groats and along the north coast, both trips were over a long weekend each, in May to avoid the midges. Scotland has some superb biking roads. This year we'll be going again , fancy doing Pass of the Cattle.

 

[fatal]

Great pictures, you take abetter photo than me

It certainly is great biking country

 

[iainw]

jiltedjohn... More pics to come tomorrow, including John O'Groats.
fatal... The camera is a point and shoot Panasonic Lumix, £100 nothing special. Point it at anything in Scotland on a nice day and it looks great.

 

[iainw]

The Loch Glascarnoch dam

.. needs a top up.

Ullapool

On the road to Lairg, miles from anywhere, there's a small hotel, the Altnacealgach Motel, with this on the front.

Five miles further on I punctured the rear. I couldn't find anything in the tyre or the hole that was leaking so was unable to bung repair it. I had six CO2 bottles so put 2 in and limped along, I had to get to Lairg in the hope that there was a garage there. It was a slowy and could get another 2-3 miles before it became flat, using one canister at a time I got to Lairg. There was a petrol station and it was open, and they had some tyre sealant but no airline, I had one CO2 canister left. With the sealant in and the instructions to run it for 5-10 miles before fully inflating of I went. A few miles down the road the hole had sealed and in went the last gas bottle. The tyre was ok but only had about 30 psi in it, carefully does it.

I had planned to stay at Thurso or Castletown but with the delay I would look for somewhere in Tongue.
Arriving in Tongue, the village is below and just out of view. Spot the ruined castle.
Found a garage in the village, it was shut. I booked in at the Ben Loyal Hotel with a fantastic view from my room.

It was Friday evening and the garage is shut all weekend, so I'll need to find some air later in the morning on the way to John O'Groats, if anywhere is open!

 

[iainw]

Saturday morning was typical of Scotland, it had rained in the night and the wetness was hanging, it was 2c. The tyre hadn't appeared to have lost any pressure during the night so we're good to go... Off to John O'Groats and in search of an airline. Five miles up the road and it starts snowing, hey ho.
I found a garage, a very nice chap fixing a Landrover let me blow my tyre up, but it's still snowing.
Dounreay.

On the road out of Thurso there's this, it looks like a gate house to something larger. I could live there .

John O'Groats, the Last House.

On the pier.

Down the coast on the A99 and A9 through Wick to Inverness.
Oh look, a castle, and it's stopped snowing!

and another, this is the Dunrobin Castle

 

[iainw]

Inverness and the locks at the other end of the Caledonian Canal.


Loch Ness, there were a few tourist buses on the A82 coast road Nessy spotting. :roll:
Urquhart Castle.

I followed the road to the end of Loch Lochy then on to Pitlochry where I found a B&B for the last night.
Dalwhinnie distillery.

Sunday morning, the last day of my ride and it's 2c again, with rain, sleet and snow. The tyre seems to be holding out OK but I'm ready for home.
Blair Atholl Distillery.

The final place I wanted to visit was Killin, so I went along side the river Tay and Loch Tay.
Killin, these falls are quite spectacular when they've had quite a bit of rain.


...and that was me done, except for the back tyre, which was starting to lose a bit of presure. Time was of the essence, and I didn't have a lot of essence... or air. I needed to stop at each services on the motorway from Glasgow to Preston to keep the pressure up, it was a tedious ride home, but the weather had brightened up and it was a lot warmer. I caught a chap on a V7 Guzzi on the M74 in Glasgow and rode a few miles with him for company.

 

[jiltedjohn]

You'll remember the trip for a long time, looks like you were fairly lucky with the weather. Myself and two mates are going up on the 10th of May.

 

[iainw]

You'll remember the trip for a long time, looks like you were fairly lucky with the weather. Myself and two mates are going up on the 10th of May.

The weather was good and bad, as it is when you go to Scotland. I hope it's favourable for your trip, post some pics and tell us where you've been.

 

[jiltedjohn]

Thanks, i hope the weather gods look favourably upon us , usually we try and find a campsite with a pub quite close, and use that as a base for a couple of nights, so we can leave some of the gear. last year we met a bloke from Liverpool who had been"Monroe bagging" which is , if you don't know, climbing mountains above a certain height, he'd been doing this for about 15 years and only had a few left to do. What he planned to do after this accomplishment is anyone's guess. Don't think it was riding Guzzis though.

 

[iainw]

I know a chap in Preston who goes Monroe Bagging, it's because they're there and it needs doing. . It gives a sense of purpose to climbing up a hill.