Off on a Scotland Road Trip Having Just Passed my LicencePlanning a 1,500 mile Scotland Road Trip two weeks after passing my motorbike licence on a bike I've hardly ridden. What can do wrong?
Way back, while sitting in a pub drinking scrumpy, my brother-in-law Rob and I came up with a hair-brained plan to do a motorbike tour around Scotland. We decided in early October to avoid the midges, caravans and tourists, and with two weeks to go, we set about getting the actual plan in motion.
Friday - Heading off on our Scotland Road Trip
Bright and early on Friday 14th October we left a sunny Bristol heading North on the M5 to the Buccleugh Arms Hotel in Moffat, just North of the border. With a safe fuel tank capacity of just 100 miles, we frequently stopped for fuel, coffee and rests. Stopping in the Lake District for a bite to eat, my bike suffered the first casualty - the speedometer broke, leaving me with no speed indicator and, more importantly, no trip meter! (The VN800 has no fuel gauge, so the trip meter is important)
After a leg stretch around Lake Windermere, we returned to the Motorway and pressed towards Moffat. We eventually arrived in Moffat in the early evening and were warmly greeted by the proprietors. Having been shown to the room, we settled in the lounge, ate great food, drank whisky, and wandered around Moffat.
Miles for Friday: 325 (approx)
Saturday - Off to Skye
Early Saturday, after breakfast, we checked the bikes before starting the long journey to Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye. As we approached Glasgow, the weather turned against us and became wetter and wetter the further North we rode. When we reached Fort William for a McDonald's lunch, it was raining cats and dogs! We almost decided to stay in Fort William and let the weather pass, but after studying the weather maps, we decided to press on. Somewhere around Loch Duich, I had to stop for a bit to rest, and cold and tiredness were beginning to set in, but shortly after, the rain eased off, and we made one final push to Portree. As we rode over the crest of a hill, we could see Skye basking in sunlight, which spurred us on. Over the bridge and onto the Isle, we were greeted with sunshine and dry roads.
On arrival in Portree, we checked into the Portree Hotel, and I must have emptied a pint of rain from each boot! So much for Gore-Tex! My jeans soaked through despite the "waterproof" overs, and even my wallet was drenched (money was drying out, pic right). Opting not to eat at the hotel restaurant as Rob wanted Fish and Chips, we headed out to explore Portree only to find the Fish and Chip shop closed. Wandering around to find another, we eventually settled on Co-Op sandwiches and McEwan's 80/- from the hotel bar.
Miles for Saturday: 275 (approx)
Sunday - Exploring Skye
Having done a fair few miles the past few days, Sunday would be our lazy day staying on Skye. The plan was to tour around the East and North, go fishing off Neist Point and camp out for the night. Unfortunately, the weather was far too windy for sea fishing, not to mention setting up a tent, so we headed back to Dunvegan and got a room in the Dunvegan Hotel
After a decent meal and a few drinks, we headed to bed for an early night but ended up watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Good job. We didn't camp out as the island was battered by gale-force winds and torrential rain that night. So much so that we thought the bikes would be blown over! Alas, they were all safe, and after breakfast, we hit the road and headed back to Scotland and the North.
Miles for Sunday: 82 (approx)
Monday - Applecross and Wild Camping
After breakfast, early Monday morning, we headed out of Skye towards Kishorn and our lunchtime stop at the Kishorn Seafood Bar before crossing the Applecross pass and heading North to set up camp next to a Loch under clear skies. Stopping on the shore of Loch Shieldaig, we looked around for a suitable sheltered clearing to set up the tents. Having assembled the tents and campfire, we headed out to the shores of the Loch to catch our supper. Unfortunately, we had no such luck, and a tin of soup would be our meal for the night.
It was a shame that neither of us had watched the videos of Ray Mears lighting a fire in the rain, as the best we could manage was a bundle of mildly blackened wood once we had run out of fire-lighters and petrol. At least we had a gas stove to cook the soup on!
Despite the lack of supper, at least we camped out under clear dark skies, the first time I had truly seen them! So many stars I could hardly get my bearings. Eventually, I could make out Cassiopeia, and once I had that, Andromeda was an easy find. Once my eyes were dark-adapted, I could even make out the faint fuzzy of the Andromeda galaxy with my eyes through averted vision. It was a shame that my camera had become waterlogged on the trip to Portree.
As well as seeing ten times the number of stars I have been accustomed to, I also saw several UFOs. Tiny points of light the size and colour of a star, but not twinkling. Some moved in straight lines, while others stopped for a second and changed direction. There were no aeroplanes or helicopters - no flashing lights. Not satellites, as they were too bright and moving too slowly, and satellites didn't stop and change direction. Whatever they were, they remain, to me at least, unidentified.
After a short spell of stargazing, the weather started to turn, and a few flashes of lightning in the distance heralded the onset of bad weather, so we climbed into our tents and sleeping bags.
Miles for Monday: 100 (guess)
Tuesday - Onward to Ullapool
After what felt like a somewhat longer-than-average night with thunder, lightning, wind, rain and a possible earthquake, we awoke fully refreshed and hungry for a cooked breakfast. All we had available was a tin of baked beans! Not even any coffee. We quickly ate "breakfast", packed up camp and hit the road for Ullapool, our next stop. The ride to Ullapool was in torrential rain, strong winds and even hail stones. Not nice. Pulling into Ullapool, we stopped at the first B&B we saw to shower and dry out. Once warm and dry again, the rain had eased off, so we headed out to explore Ullapool on foot. We had fresh fish and chips by the docks and found a bar where we drank (too much) scrumpy and whisky.
Miles for Tuesday: 90 (guess)
Wednesday - To Inverness
Due to the increasingly poor weather and the fact we had not made the progress we wanted to, we decided not to head further North, but instead that Wednesday was going to be a relaxing day and had a ride down to Inverness so that Rob's bike can be checked over at BMW. Only 60 miles away, about an hour's ride. Unfortunately, as we rode through the mountain pass, it started snowing. Heavy. We pulled over to stop when we couldn't see a thing through the visors, glasses steamed up, and ice was hanging off the helmets. It was cold. Laughing about the situation, we waited for the snowstorm to pass, as the sunshine and clear skies followed it, and continued to Inverness. The ride back to Ullapool was much less eventful, and I'd picked up some more waterproofs and a warm fleece face mask to keep the cold out.
Arriving at the Argyll Hotel for a fantastic meal followed by ale and more whisky. Ended up being another quite late night, chatting with the owner, who also happened to be Bristolian.
Miles for Wednesday: 120 (approx)
Thursday - Heading South to Moffat
With heavy heads, we woke on Thursday, knowing it was time to start heading home. After a short stop in Inverness to get new brakes fitted to Rob's bike, we hit the road heading for Moffat, hoping to stay at the Buccleugh Arms Hotel again. On the road back, we took in Loch Ness, a little disappointing, and the Commando Memorial at Lochaber. We stopped at Fort William for lunch at McDonald's (again) and pressed on to Glasgow. Somewhere over the mountain roads (probably when I hit a bump and took off!),the bracket holding the lower exhaust pipe on decided to break off, leaving me with a small hole in the exhaust and a slight rattle.
Outside Glasgow, my bike suffered a third hiccup - not starting in the petrol station! Luckily, all that was needed was a tweak to the HT leads, and she fired up again. The vibrations of the V-twin and the weather caused a loose connection. Onwards to Moffat in torrential rain and strong winds on the Motorway!
Arriving early in the evening and a day early, we were warmly greeted by the owners, who could put us up for the night despite not having a reservation. On our last night in Scotland, I stuffed myself with food, had a starter and main, and washed down with a pint of ale. Early night for an early start.
Miles for Thursday: 270 (approx)
Friday - Heading Home after our amazing Scotland Road Trip
Friday morning, Rob patched up my exhaust with a baked bean tin lid and jubilee clips, and we set off for Carlisle so Rob could get new tyres on his bike. After that, the rest of the trip was uneventful back home. We just headed South on the Motorway, stopping only for fuel.
Miles for Friday: 315 (approx)
Total miles: 1,577 in 7 days, all rubber side down.
Since passing my CBT and getting my first bike, I'd only driven 2,124 miles in 18 months! And I'd only done 100 odd miles since passing my bike test two weeks before leaving! I'm a much better rider for the trip and possibly a bike fit for once!
Back in Bristol and daylight, I could see how dirty my bike was. Filthy! It took nearly 6 hours of elbow grease to get her all shiny again!
View my Scottish Highlands Adventure Holidays photo gallery!
