Scotchland....This summer?

[Zakalwe]

Righto...i have been going to Jockistan for years for a bit of a break. I normally head up to Ullapool or Oban and have a week chilling out, eating seafood and drinking beer. Only one problem...every time i go, I go in the car, and then sit there longing to be on the bike (especially up near Ullapool...fantastic roads in places.

This year, especially as i am in the final throes of divorce, I want to head up there on 2 wheels. Now this may be a total brain fart...I havent even started to thing about dates/accomodation/funds etc etc.

But assuming I did get my sh1t together (hhhhmmm dont go betting on this one)...anyone fancy a few days riding about in the far north? Up the west coast..I('m sorta thinking of this route???)

[strachg]

Hi Mate, being a scotsman from jockistan and using they roads quite a bit can i suggest you miss out the east coast section as its, well, pants. If you need a kinda of circular route can i suggest after inverness plan a route sort of down the middle.

[bikerpiker]

I agree with Strachg.

Another thing ,if i was going to the magical mystical Isle Of Skye ,i'd like to see a bit more of it ,......plus you missed out Applecross ,and the 'pass of the cattle'.

So many things i'd like to do ,i wouldnt mind doing one of these 'island hopscotch' thingys , .....foookn fantastic value http://www.calmac.co.uk/Timetables-Fare ... rover.html .

I was oot a ride-oot on Saturday ,and we ended up in Oban ,as we quite often seem to do ,never get bored with the area though

[tattie]

Hi, might as well stick my oar in.

Why not go north from ullapool heading up via Durness, Tongue (some of the most fantastic scenery in the british isles), Thurso, JOG, Wick and down the A9 then Inverness and as far east as Elgin then heading down speyside/deeside Rothes, Aberlour, Tomintoul, Braemar, Pitlochry, Aberfeldy, Crainlarich, Perth, Edinburgh, and down the A7 back to fantastic cumbria.


Cheers

A.M.

[cupasoop]

Yup, as the other's said forget the east coast. Do what Tattie said and head south from Inverness. The east cost is nice enough but all the fun is in the west. I've played about with your map with some other suggestions. I've ditched the Fort Bill to Mallaig road: It's a great road but there's an expensive ferry at the end of it and I've stuck the A87 Invergarry to Kyle of Lochalsh instead. It must be in the top 10 bike roads of the world. Sky must be done cos it's incredible. The road south of Inverness between Grantown on Spey and Blairgowrie should be done as well: you can ask Timbo all about that one.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&sourc ... 938354&z=8[/googlemap]

Also, if you're after some cheap accommodation and some folk to chat to have a browse here. http://www.hostel-scotland.co.uk/

Never used them myself but I know folk who have and they say it's a cheap way travel and usually very good.

[Zakalwe]

Great recommendations. And yes, the east coast would be sacked off......I now remember how boring it is (certainly compared to the coastal road down the west side).


Ohhh, and the road to Kylesku is awesome as well...anyone fancy a kneedown session over this?

[cupasoop]

Been over that bridge on my NC30 (and carried all the way up to Durness and across the top). NC30's don't make great touring bikes Like Tattie said, if you haven't been up that way I'd recommend it. Nowhere else in the country looks like it does up there. Just fill up with petrol when you get the chance...especially on Sundays. Petrol stations are few and far between up there.

[bikerpiker]

Great recommendations. And yes, the east coast would be sacked off......I now remember how boring it is (certainly compared to the coastal road down the west side).


Ohhh, and the road to Kylesku is awesome as well...anyone fancy a kneedown session over this?

Omg..... ive just checked out Kylesku on Google Street Maps http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl ,i stood my 'wee gold man' on the middle of the bridge and turned the image 360 degrees ,what i view ,i'm well impressed Even in the village of Kylesku it looks idylic , i even spotted an old Brit Bike in someones garden

[cupasoop]

i even spotted an old Brit Bike in someones garden

I've stayed in that house about 10 or 11 years ago, used to be a B&B. Only bike in the garden that day was mine. Window to the right of the front door was the room I was in. Not a view you would tire of waking up to in the morning. The woman who ran it was from Yorkshire and her hubby was a local who ran the ferry at the bottom of the road beside the hotel (good food by the way). He walked into the kitchen when I was stuffing breakfast down my neck, downed about 4 or 5 large brandies and said "right then, off to work. bye" Sure there's a law against sailing a ferry half cut

[Zakalwe]

Holy thread resurrection Batman

Right, this is deffo on the cards. I am going to Ireland for a couple of days at the end of June, ferry back from Holyhead on the 29th. From there I will head back to Lancaster and then head north on the 1st. I will probably follow cupasoop's route (but will detour up to Kylesku) and will aim to be back on the 8th/9th.

A new set of Pilot Power 2CT has been purchased (I can't see Racetecs lasting a trip to Ireland and Scotland! ), panniers have been bought, and I am starting to sacrifice chickens to the weather gods.

[tattie]

Hi Zac,
I will mark that date in my book and closer to the time if you pm me your mob no I will endevour to join up at some point, (work permitting) and I will try to get a few of the locals to tag along.
Thought the weather got too hot too quick last week, we have the North wind again and it is down to 7 deg again from 22 last friday with frost forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Have never seen as many tourists on bikes as I have this year.

Cheers

A.M.

[Zakalwe]

Hi Zac,
I will mark that date in my book and closer to the time if you pm me your mob no I will endevour to join up at some point, (work permitting)
Thought the weather got too hot too quick last week, we have the North wind again and it is down to 7 deg again from 22 last friday with frost forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Have never seen as many tourists on bikes as I have this year.

Cheers

A.M.

Nice one fella.....What's the chances of the weather lasting until then ("slim and none" comes to mind)

[Zakalwe]

Well...I been up in that there Scotland. 1800 miles in 6 days...


I have had a bit of a run out on the bike for a couple of reasons.....I needed to see my family in Ireland and I needed a break from work. The plan was to get the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin last Sunday, a couple of days in Ireland to see the folks, ferry back to Holyhead, make my way back home for a day then head up into the Highlands on Thursday. No great plan other than to hit Ullapool after a couple of days.

So with the usual lack of forward planning, preparation or thinking (I have the organisational skills of a bluebottle) I booked a ferry to Dublin port from Holyhead. Some panniers were hastily strapped to yon bike....."travelling light", in reality my inability to prepare meant a puncture repair kit, rain oversuit (more later), a couple of T-shirts and some clean grundies were what ended up getting stuffed into the panniers. Amazingly, none of this shite fell off, got trapped in the back wheel and I didn't get flung under a truck.


So, anyhoo, I set off last Sunday aiming for Holyhead. Beautiful weather (too hot for leathers and back protector). I detoured in Anglesey to buzz by Aberffraw and pass the Anglesey track on the way to the boat (the best track in the UK in one of the most beautiful settings). Due to my awesome sense of timing, I pulled up at the ferry terminal as the last one to board (translation: I nearly missed the fecking thing). Being last one on had the advantage of being first off (woohoo). A quick blat through Dublin (the worst road signage in the world)...shite wheelies may have been pulled down O'Connell street , just to reinforce the public's perception of bikers in general.....


I'm not going into much detail about Ireland, as the main reason for going was to do family stuff. My Mum has vascular dementia, brought on by a stroke she had about 8 years ago. She has gradually lost her short-term memory, to the point where she now has virtually zero short-term memory. She literally forgets things as the happen. Her decline in the last year has been rapid...I last saw her in November 09 and she has declined enormously, to the point where pretty much all that is left is the shell. It's like watching her die over the space of 2 years. Or watching someone that you have known for all of your life gradually turning into a ghost. Very hard for those around her.

Anyway, a couple of days over there, and I set off for Dublin again. I had a brief detour around Mullingarand Naas, as they were my old stomping grounds. Mullingar is famous for it's lakes, and it's association with the legend of the Children of Lir. There are some pretty stunning viewpoints, one overlooking Logh Owel.





There's some pretty good roads in that neck of the woods....well worth a visit.

The ferry back to Holyhead was fairly uneventful. I had planned to have a day at home on the Wednesday, and then to head off on Thursday. Wednesday was scorching hot, so I thought "Sod it" (that famous careful planning again), so at 11AM I jumped back on the bike and hit the M6. Destination: North.

I sorta aimed to get well north of Glasgow in day 1, so a fairly sweaty, uneventful blast up the M6, M74 through Glasgow and then out towards Loch Lomond had me in a happy place. my rough plan was to follow this route.....
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?oe=utf ... .13562&z=8[/googlemap]

....which took care of 250+ miles. There were loads of bikes on the A82, all flashing like crazy 'cos there was loads of Dibble kicking about (cars and bikes)...they must have been having a crackdown?

Loch Lomond was as beautiful as ever (even if it was surrounded by a million buses carrying a billion German OAPs!


I had a wee blast up the A82 to Ardlui, then turned round and headed for the A83.....

TBC....

[Zakalwe]

Anyhoo...the A83.

What
A
Superb
Road

Honestly...you Scottishers don't know you're born.....fast, smooth (being repaired in a couple of places), awesome scenery- especially where it drops down to the loch, grippy surface, lovely flowing corners.....amazing


I had a little nosey at Inverrary, but wanted to push on a bit further. Again, the road from Inverrary to Campletown was superb...I wished that I knew it better, 'cos every corner was awesome

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?oe=utf ... 11,,0,9.71[/googlemap]
I was being fairly conseevative (ie, I rode like a pussy) as I had visions of having to pull the 'blade out of a forest by myself .....this was worse further north....if I stacked it on some of the roads I went on (bear in mind I was travelling alone) me and the bike would have disappeared into a gret big boghole!!!

Anyhoo...I pulled into Lochgilphead at about 5PM. I went and filled up at the local Tesco express (watched the manager having a screaming match with a drunk in the forecourt....this is Scotland, after all)...wandered into the store to pay, and had the old biddy waving and pointing at my helmet (oeeerr missus), moaning that I would have to take it off. I shoved a £20 note under her nose, and she refused to take it until I took me lid off. Now this was red rag to a bull, so I thanked her for the gift of the pertol and started walking out. Cue another shouting match with the manager....some customer service they learn up there! I was going to stop over in Lochgilphead, but after being treated like a total Hippo, I rode out to Ardishraig and got a B+B there.


Decent wee place £35 for the night's B+B. A bit of a wander about, a couple of pints in the deserted pub and it was time for some grub. The barman recommended an Indian place that had just opened...fairly basic, but the grub was spot on. Now...a word to the wise. If you are intending to spent hours on a motorbike the next day, probably the worst thing to do the night before is have 5 or 6 pints of Guinness and a monster hot curry
Me and my (by now) swollen belly waddled back to the B+B (unfortunately, just the two of us...and the landlady wasn't putting out!) for some slumber. At about 4PM I was woken by the wind properly howling outside and the rain battering down. I had to keep getting up to make sure the bike didnt blow over (cover on it was like a damn sail).......wasnt looking forward to riding in the morning......

[benny hedges]

ah its been too long since ive done that - just book a week off & crouton off ont bark.
ive driven most of those routes but not really been up there at all on 2 wheels.
would love to do that

shame about your mum tho zak, must be very sad. my gran went the same for a spell, was talking to her for ages (very difficult) and she didnt know who i was - i got quite upset when she started talking about me saying i was always her favourite and how she hadn't seen me for ages, when i was there with her
strangely, she's fine now tho cant get around as much, have to keep her occupied but not let her have money or get buses etc, so there is hope bud, just humour her as much as you can & be patient.

more pics pls - looks lovely.