After a spectacular week lazing around baking, eating and drinking in the Mediterranean sun, I was fully expecting to be greeted by a miserable Scottish autumn on my return. Not so! The blue sky, if not the high temperatures had followed the plane back home!
The missus and I still had another week off work so the plan was to try and get away for a night or two, I never thought we would get away on the bike this late in the year.
With the weather forecast looking great for a couple of days the wife decided that she wanted to go on the bike for her first night away, just one night though to see if she liked it. So we started looking on the interweb for accommodation for a night. The boss said Glen Coe had to be on the route, so I looked up the hotel at Kentallen pier. I have dived from the pier a few times and eaten in the hotel pub and it looked good. So we booked a loch view room for a Wednesday night at The Holly Tree Hotel and looked forward to a night on the shores of a sea loch.
Wednesday dawned with blue skies with not a cloud in sight. Bike packed and of we went. A quick burst along the M9 to Stirling and on to Callander for a first stop and let Audrey off the bike to stretch her legs. Well so far so good, the traffic was light and the roads were great in the autumn sunshine. Audrey was fine and she was enjoying the trip so far. We got back on the bike and headed north along Loch Lubnaig heading for Tynedrum and the Green Welly.
After getting robbed for a couple of coffees and scones we headed north again planning to stop in Glen Coe for another stop and to soak up the scenery. The miles flew by way to fast and the scenery was spectacular.
Although someone was not having as good a day on the Aonach Eagach Ridge, or they were still looking for the reported missing walker...
It was hard to pull ourselves away from the stunning scenery of Glen Coe, but we wanted to get to hotel while there was still a couple of hours of sun left. Well they do have a deck overlooking the loch that would be agreeable for a few drinks before dinner! The ride up through Ballachulish was once again stunning, the loch reflecting the hills beyond.
The hotel lived up to all our expectations. The room was huge with everything you could need and the view was simply stunning, the food was excellent and staff friendly and helpful. I can highly recommend the Holly Tree if you are looking for few nights away.
Cheers!
Here as a wee video of some of the trip up, the Drift battery is playing up so it is only half of the journey...
I had a rare day to myself today, so I decided to have a run upto Kenmore on Loch Tay. It was a favourite campsite for my friends and I ever since we first went camping there in the mid 80's on 50cc bikes! Oh how I remember 30mph trips up there on a loaded up Suzuki TS50X! We kept going back over the years as the bikes got better, bigger and faster. The Kenmore to Aberfeldy raft race used to be an annual event, with BBQ on the beach at the head of the Loch. It all came to an end a few years back when the campsite became all posh and tried to keep up with the country club over the road and camping there was finished.
This was the route that I followed today...
When I left Linlithgow the sky was overcast and it was looking like rain. I headed out towards Callander along the M9 to Stirling and past Blairdrummond safari park. There was roadworks at Doune that caused a bit of a snarl up that continued all the way to Callander as it had the effect of bunching up all the 40mph drivers into one long group. Callander was heaving, so that didn't help either!
I pulled into the second laybay on Loch Lubnaig where I had arranged to meet up with one of my old camping mates. That place has changed in the last few years. Before all the new buildings were built and the car park tidied up, we used to dive in there for fresh water practice. There is an Austin 7 sitting in about 5 meters of water if anyone fancies a bit of salvage!
After hanging around for 10 minutes, Stevie sent me a text saying he wouldn't make it. I got on the bike and headed of. The road up the side of Loch Lubnaig was traffic free and the roads remained quite all the way to Killin. I was going to take some snaps of the falls, but the rain had started so I just kept moving on.
Turning of the A827 and climbing up the single track road to Bridge if Balgie the rain had went off, but the road ahead didn't seem very pretty.
Continuing uphill away from Loch Tay I passed the Ben Lawers car park, the furthest I have ever been up this road, and that was about 20 years ago when I was hill walking. I wanted to get to the Lawers Dam though, having seen pictures of it on advscotland.com. When I got there it did not disapoint.
After a few snaps I set out for Bridge of Balgie and some lunch. The road from the dam to Bridge of Balgie is a bit of a hooligan! Single track roads, suicidal feral sheep and corners strewn with gravel from the heavy rain run off. Still a great wee half hour on the bike though and the scenery is stunning. Soon I was sitting outside the Bridge of Balgie tea shop the sky was blue and the wildlife was taking an interest in my ham and mustard sandwich.
Fueled up and back on the bike I meandered along Glen Lyon following the river before turning back down to Fearnan and Loch Tay and on to Kenmore.
Kenmore like I said at the start is a changed place, on the campsite side of the river it is all static carvans and bistros now along with the country club. On the Loch side of the bridge the transformation is in hand as well. I can't see them being very happy about beach parties now!
I didn't hang around to long and soon I was winding down the side of the river toward Aberfeldy. This is a great wee bit of road and the kind of road where the RT and me get on best - fast sweeping bends where we can motor on a bit and be smooth and flowing. At Aberfeldy I turned right for Crieff taking me through Amulree and the Sma' Glen. This road was ruined as it has just been freshly chipped. This is a real shame as this is again another road full of high speed sweeping bends. After slithering round several mounds of road chipping I made it to the Sma' Glen, where I stopped for a quick leg stretch and another snap.
Having made my way through Crieff I headed for Glen Eagles and then down the cracking road to Glendevon. Soon it was back to reality and the road down to Kincardine, over the new bridge and back onto the M9 and home.
All in all a great wee day out and thanks to a bit of inspiration from advscotland.com I managed to get round some old haunts while weaving in some new roads, sights & a great wee tea stop as well.
It had been a long
time coming, but eventually RT and me finally managed to get away for a week on our own.
Leaving on
Friday the plan was to get to Orkney by the Saturday spend a couple of days
exploring Orkney and then meander home down the west coast over two or three
days.
I was planning to
get on the road early on Friday and get up to Inverness, but by 10 o’clock on
Friday the bike was still not packed.In
a bit of a controlled panic the bike was loaded in record time and I was heading north on the
new Forth Crossing, in the rain, at 11:30.By the time I got to Kinross and joined the motorway heading for Perth
the rain had cleared and there was a glimmer of blue between the clouds.I got off the motorway after crossing the Tay
and picked up the A93 for Braemar, this would see me passing Glenshee where I
planned to stop for a quick break and a bite to eat.The miles flew by and I was making good
progress along the sweeping turns, until the rain came back on, slowly gaving way
to mist that eventually reduced the visibility to 30mph.I crawled into the Glenshee ski center café
wet and cold!
After getting fueled
up with soup and coffee things looked a bit brighter, even the rain had gone
off.The rain stayed off for the rest of
the day but as soon as I got back on the road the mist came back in on the wind, again reducing speed to 30mph!The
mist started to clear as the road started to drop back towards sea level and
soon enough good progress was being made once again.In good weather this will be a stunning road.
Pressing on to
Bridge of Gairn through the spectacular scenery I took a left onto the
A939 and pick up the road for Tomintoul.Why have I never been here before, what a cracking road.The few miles before and after the Lecht ski
center are just amazing.It is like
someone just drew a grey line through the hills and the sweeping twisty road
looks like it shouldn’t be there at all...amazing.
Tomintoul came and
went so I decided to head for Nairn through Granton on Spay and Dava.The lowland Spayside scenery here was amazing.The road meanders along rivers, beside small
lochs and through beautifully lush areas of woodland.Slow progress was being made as I was just enjoying the beauty of what I was riding through.After Dava things got rugged again with the
highlands taking over once again.Too
soon I was in Nairn.I had a quick
comfort break and then back on the bike for the final trudge along the A96 and
Inverness for the night.
This is the first
time I have travelled this road, I have been up and down the A9 going top
Orkney over 100 times.I never though to
explore different options, I always just wanted to get to Orkney ASAP.I can see another night in Inverness, just to
ride the road again in better weather!
Inverness dawned
bright and it was still dry!First stop
of the day was to be the Skiach services at Eventon for a full cooked
breakfast.The one and only on this
trip.Skiach was always a milestone
stopping off point when heading north, so why break the habit? The breakfast is still great.
With fuel in me
and the bike it was time to continue north on the less boring bit of the
A9.Well some of it is OK.The section of road leading to the mound has
some great sweeping bends and is always good fun to just be smooth and fast on.The sea views looking out from Golspie,
Brora, Helmsdale and Berriedale are amazing when the sun is shining on the
North Sea.There are some nice sweeping
sections of road and of course the Berriedale Braes.Not so good on a loaded RT when you are following
a truck that is going slower than you can go in first gear, don’t drop it now (I
didn’t by the way).From the Berriedale
Braes to Wick the road is good quality and there is hardly a bend that can't be
taken at less than the legal speed limit.Passing busses, trucks and groups of LeJoG cyclists was a pleasure with
the sun beating down on me and the North Sea to my right. I pulled into Wick
and had a quick pit stop.I got off the
bike and had a quick drink and a wander around.Not much to report as I only stopped for 10 minutes for a quick drink
and a wee walk around to get the feeling back in my butt.Leaving Wick, I picked up the A99 and headed
for John O Groats.Why I don’t know but
I did.I went once and vowed never to go
back, it’s a national embarrassment.Anyway I pulled of the main road and headed down to the harbour, turned
the bike round and headed for the ferry at Gill’s Bay.I didn’t stop and I won’t be back! I must have just
missed the rain, the mist rising from the road must have come from a heavy
rain shower, my luck is improving!However a couple of miles before Gill’s Bay I was coming out of a corner
just easing on the power and the back end slid out quite a bit, well, enough to
get my inside foot off the peg!I
thought this thing was supposed to have traction control!
Anyway the bike and I stayed upright.When I was turning into the ferry terminal I
noticed a lot of wind blown sand at the junction, so I am assuming that is what
caught me out on the earlier corner – wet sand.
Gill’s Bay ferry
terminal isn’t much to write about, a booking office, café and a boarding
ramp.Well it is all you need really... As I had already
booked and paid before hand, I gave my name to the Pentland Ferries guy meeting
the incoming traffic and he simply handed me my boarding cards and directed to
the head of the queue. I only had half an
hour to kill before loading started.Just as well as there is very little local to the terminal, don’t plan
to get here too early! The loading ramp
and the deck of the Pentland Ferries boat were soaking wet, but the steel has a
good non-slip coating and boarding was drama free.RT had plenty of padding put over the seat
before the ratchet tie down and two rope lashings secured her to the deck.The loading guys were superb, very diligent
and they couldn’t have been more helpful.
The Pentland Firth
was flat calm as the ferry made it’s way to Orkney past the lesser islands of
the Pentland Firth.It passed a couple
of the islands so close it was easy to see the seals that had hauled themselves
out of the water and were enjoying the sun on the rocks.
Entering Hoxa
Sound the WWII battery ruins and Widewall bay on the right, Flotta oil terminal
on the left signal that we have arrived in the Orkney Islands.I have real mixed feeling as we pass these
landmarks.I have not been to Orkney for
seven years. But for twenty years, since I was eighteen years old I have been
going to Orkney for three weeks, or more, weeks every year.Diving was as addictive as motorcycling for
me; and Scapa Flow was my drug of choice.Over the years I fell in love with the place, having spent the best part
of two years on the Islands over a twenty year period.I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, I could even feel it in my
chest.Either that or I was having heart
attack! First on the boat
however, means last off… I wasn’t having
a heart attack and as I rode off the ferry onto the islands it truly felt like
I had left my life on the boat.I
didn’t care about all the traffic in front of me, I was just going to go with
the flow and enjoy the relaxed mood I was in.Orkney is always like that for me, the world could end and I wouldn’t
know about it…truly bliss. Leaving St
Margaret’s Hope, I turned left and headed towards Stromness.I passed over the Churchill Barriers, through
Kirkwall and onto the campsite at Ness Point in Stromness where I will be based
for the next three nights, more about the roads later. The Ness Point campsite is
flat and the ground takes the pegs easily, I got hard standing for the bike and
a pick nick table next to the tent.There was next to no else on the site either, result!Camping on Orkney was a bit of a risk, I have
had some atrocious weather up here in the past, but I wanted to see if my old, beat
up body would let me camp again.
View from the Stromness campsite
Another view from the Stromness campsite
With the camp set
up I headed back into Stromness to get supplies.Stromness has changed little over the years,
there are some new buildings around the harbor area. These are modern, but fit
in well with the older parts of the town.I’m glad to see the cobbled main street has not been touched and the
whole street has not changed at all.
Maybe camping was
not such a good idea, the first night on Orkney it lashed down with rain and
the wind got up to about 30mph.Earplugs
helped out and I got a great nights sleep and better than that, the day dawned
dry but windy.
I managed to get
on the road mid morning with a plan to head for Burwick.Burwick is basically as far as you can go by
road from Stromness.Heading out of
Stromness I headed for Orphir and Houton, this road gives a great view over Scapa
Flow as you crest the rise in the road before you drop back down to Houton bay.
The road then twists away from Scapa
Flow past the intriguingly named Waulkmill Bay.A few miles later Scapa Flow appears on your right again and you follow
the edge of the Flow until you pass Scapa and into the outskirts of Kirkwall
then start heading south for Ronaldsay Burwick.
Continuing south
out of Kirkwall you pass the Highland Park distillery, drop in for a quick tour
and a sample if you wish.Not for me,
the smell, never mind the taste, makes me feel queezy!How dare I call myself a Scotsman…
Amazingly there is
now 7 or 8 miles of dead straight road until you get to St Mary’s and the first
of the Churchill barriers.Barrier one
takes you from the mainland onto Lamb Home, location of the spectacular Italian
chapel.Built by Italian prisoners of
war from a Nissan hut and materials at hand, it is truly spectacular.I am an atheist even an antitheist and the
religious significance means nothing to me, but this is always a place I visit
when I am in Orkney.I always think of
it as a humbling symbol of what can be achieved in times of such desperation. A few twists and
turns over Lamb Home and over Barrier 2 gets you onto Glimps Holm.The ride over Glimps Holm is over in a couple of
minutes with nothing much to write about, until you peel into the final left
hander the leads you on to Barrier 3.As
you leave the bend the beaches and the block ships of Weddell sound appear on
your left.This is one of the best views
on Orkney.The rusting hulks of the
block ships stand in stark contrast to the white sand beaches and the clear
blue seas that spread out before you. Continuing south
onto Ronaldsay (North and South) the road twists it’s way towards Burwick.
Burwick is
deserted now, I’m not sure if there is a ferry still comes here from John
O’Groats.I had a quick rummage around
and headed back to Kirkwall on the same road I had come.
I stopped of in
Kirkwall for a quick snack and picked up an OS map for tomorrows beach
hunt.Getting back on the road I headed
for Finstown with the intention to head for Birsay Bay.At Finstown I tracked down the turn off for
the A966 that takes you all the way to Birsay Bay.What a road it is, long sweeping turns
followed by scenic straights with the sea to your right and the low mountains
of the Mainland on your left.Nearer the bay the road
hugs the edge the fresh water Loch of Swannay.Five minutes later you are parked up Looking at the Brough Head and
Birsay Bay.
Leaving Birsay, it
is small winding back roads all the way own to the Bay of Skaill.This would be fine, but once you get off the
main roads the amount of cow, sheep and horse shit on the roads is
frightening.This slowed me down
considerably after being surprised a couple of times by ‘deposits’ on blind corners.Never mind, at least the scenery was still
stunning.Bay of Skaill looked amazing
as usual in the late afternoon light and the sound of the sea gently lapping on
the sand and pebbles would put you to sleep.I then rode down the side of Loch of Skaill following several carloads
of tourists and past the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness. Back at the
campsite I cooked up a quick lamb curry and headed into town for a beer with a
couple of old friends I had bumped into earlier.
Bay of Skaill
Orkney day two was
to be a beach day, not sunbathing just on the hunt for beaches… This is where the
only problem with Orkney comes in.You
spend a lot of time on the same roads.From Stromness to Kirkwall there are two options and I have covered them
already! From Kirkwall instead
of heading for the Barriers this time, I headed past Kirkwall International
Airport (yep, International!) heading for Skaill (the village this time, not
the bay – that is on the other side of the Island).This is a great wee road, it sweeps round 60mph
corners and the surface is great and you can see far along the road to the next
bend.
First beach was
Newark Bay, haven of peace and tranquility…
Newark Bay
Just five minutes
from Newark Bay is Taracliff Bay, more white sands and crystal clear waters…
Taracliff Bay
All this
tranquility had made me hungry so I headed off for a bit of luxury lunch.I picked up another shit covered back road to
St. Mary’s and headed south over the Barriers and back to Burwick.Just before Burwick I turned off the main
road and headed for the Tomb of the Eagles.I was not looking for that though, I was looking for the Skerries
Bistro.Five minutes from the main road
and I had found it.Steamed Halibut and
a view, what more could you want.
A slow ride back
up to Kirkwall to have a chat with another friend from the diving days saw the time heading for five o’clock.I got back
on the bike and headed for Stromness again, but I took a quick detour to take in the sights and sounds of
the cliffs at Yesnaby.
Yesnaby looking south
All day I had
been thinking about Yesnaby and if I would even go there.Yesnaby is a ghost that has been haunting me
since the death of a friend a few years ago.For over an hour I walked round the cliff tops and sat on top of the gun
emplacements, emotions and memories of Yesnaby past sweeping over me like the sea breaking on
the shattered rocks at the base of the cliffs. I left a permanent reminder of friendship and when I left Yesnaby I was a happy, smiling man very much at peace. I supose this is what our American friends call closure?
Right enough of that, back on the road…
The cliffs at Yesnaby
I got back to camp
and had a quick snack supper; I was still full of Halibut from lunch.I tidied up a bit as I would be packing to leave
in the morning.
I turned in and slept the deep sleep
of a contented man, looking forward to the ride to Ullapool in the morning.
My last night in Stromness look back towards the town
I managed to get
the tent down and the bike packed in half and hour, I thought it would take
much longer.I rode into town, got a
roll on bacon from the bakers.The girls
in there still recognised me as well!
I was getting the
‘big boat’ back, the Northlink ferry.I
got my boarding pass and was once again was directed to the head of the queue.A couple on and identical RT to mine pulled
up behind me, I said ‘hi’ and got ignored.Hope they enjoyed the rest of their trip…
90 minutes on the
Ferry saw the Hamnavoe docking at Scrabster, I read my Kindle all the way over.I have lost count the number of times I have
been on this ferry crossing, so feet up and relax.
Much to my
annoyance the petrol station on the west side of Thurso is now a Lidl, Aldi or
something like that.The hunt for petrol
only took ten minutes and I was soon on my way heading for Durness.
I never saw
another car between Thurso and Tongue.Sweeping along the A836 the views out over the sea to your right are
amazing.Every now and again you come
around a corner to the vista of a stunning beach or a small river estuary.The areas around Strathy, Armadale and in
particular Bettyhill are just breathtaking.
At tongue I picked
up the A838 and headed for Loch Eriboll and Durness.Just outside Tongue the causeway over the
Kyle of Tongue offers dramatic views of the mountains to come and views back
down the Kyle to the open sea beyond.
Moving on and
heading for stunning Loch Eriboll through the mountains it is to much to take in,
I had set the Drift camera up on the bike at Thurso so it would run for 6 hours
to record the awesome scenery from there to Ullapool.I should have known better… I didn’t take
many pictures as I had it all on video, righ? Wrong, read on. Loch Eriboll is
stunning, the single track road is designed for bikes.The road is narrow, but the visibility ahead
is generally good and the road surface if good.The biggest problem is trying to concentrate on the road while drinking
in the stunning scenery all around you.
The video from Loch Eriboll should be
here, when I took the photo below, I took the chance to check the video
camera.Alas, a stray wasp had smashed
in to camera 3 minutes out of Thurso obliterating the video and cracking the
lens - bollocks.
From here to
Ullapool I was on a bit of a downer, the out of action video camera was anoying me. I should have checked it sooner, the part
I didn’t have on video was probably one of the highlights of trip.
I pressed on still
enjoying the views, but concentrating more on the riding.Pressing on down the twisty roads the RT
still handles well, despite being a big heavy bike and being loaded up as
well.I stopped once more before
Ullapool to stretch my legs just north of Kylesku and a final snap. The road from
Kylesku to Ullapool is a rapid, great road surface and easy to read.Progress was definitely being made here.
Once I got to Ullapool I quickly found the campsite and paid for a pitch. I got the tent up, had a quick shower and shave, then headed down into the town for fish and chips by the sea!
I was the only
bike on the campsite when I arrived, however when I came back from dinner there were
several bikes parked up and pitched near me.Two Germans were touring Scotland, a lost Englishman and a Dutch couple
touring Europe for however long it took!
I think the first
ones in must have seen my bike when they arrived and pithed up near me and it just grew
from there.I was sitting outside my
tent, picking wasp out of my Drift camera when the other bikers started coming
back.
Josef, one of the
Germans came over to say hi.It turns
out his bike was festooned with 4 Drift Stealth cameras and he had a couple of
lens replacement kits with him….what’s the chances.£30 and a lens kit changed hands.The six of us gathered around as I was fixing
my Drift and sat for the next two hours talking about travelling, bikes and
general nonsense.I must work on my
German language skills!
When I got up the
Germans and the Dutch were already away. I was sleeping with earplugs in again
and slept until half past nine!What
time did we retire the previous night?The Englishman still looked lost, despite me giving him my spare map.
Today was either
the second last day of the trip or a long last day.I would make my mind up when I got to Fort
William. First stage for
today was to Poolewe and then down Loch Maree to Kinlochewe.The roads were once again empty, the surface
amazing and I was enjoying the ride on the long and fast sweeping bends of the
A832.The sight of Slioch over Loch
Maree on your left as you carve round the sweeping bends is amazing.Kinlochewe came all to soon, but I did need a
quick stop for a drink and a pee. Heading onto the
A896 heading for Shieldaig let me take in the stunning Torridon area.A lot of this road is single track and with
all the recent rain there was a lot of loose rubble on the road, also trying to
keep and eye on the road in this stunning scenery is just a hard as avoiding
the run off!
Out of the hills
the road is a mix of single track and normal two-lane road, some of this is
once again great riding road.The wider
parts are full of long sweeping bends that pull you in and the singe track
sections are tight and technical, not ideal ground for and RT but still great
fun.
After the last of the twisty bits passing Lochcarron I find myself on
the A87 and like a moth to a flame I am drawn to Eilean Donan Castle.Well if you are in the area it is the law, is it not?
Speaking of the
A87, it is one of my all time favorite ‘big’ roads.Sure it’s not twisty and technical, I’ll
leave that to the power rangers, but this is my kind of road.I love fast flowing roads like this and could
spend all day on this kind of road.Great surface, loads of passing opportunities and great scenery as
well.The uphill section leading to the
cairn garden overlooking Loch Loyne is, in my oppinion, especially good.
The next stop for
me was the Commando memorial, but first the boring parts of the road down the
side of Loch Lochy.This was made a bit
more interesting as there was a few boats passing and the swing bridge was
opened to let them through.A big thank
to the woman who gave me a mouthful of abuse for filtering down past about 30
cars to the head of the queue, the guy at the front was fine about it.Soon I was at the commando memorial.
After a quick stop
at the commando I headed down towards Fort William, I had decided that I was
going to get a B&B tonight rather than camp.I was half way down the golden mile having a
walk around when I decided to head for home that evening.It was a beautiful evening the sun was
shining on the loch and Glen Coe was bound to be stunning.I decided to head for the Kings House and
have dinner.Glen Coe was amazing in the
warm evening light, the traffic was light and what was there was slow and
easily passed.I Pulled into the Kings
House and had a very tasty steak pie and veg, relaxed for 15 minutes and then
walked back out to the bike.
This fellow had made his way to the car park looking for his dinner as well.
There is not much
more to write about the ride back home from the Kings House, it was uneventful, apart from the traffic
cops at Lochearnhead (the only ones I saw in 1000 miles) and the lashing rain
just as I got on the motorway at Stirling.
The RT was great
throughout.The panniers are not
designed for camping, mind you when they designed it they were probably
think more about hotel touring.The seat
is also a pain, literally.The
ergonomics of the bike are great I could go all day, the seat however is only
good for about 90 minute stints.The
padding seems very soft and I am getting a numb bum after about 90 minutes, 10
minutes off the bike and I am fine again and ready to go.I am going to look into this, as I want to
decide when I stop, not the bike.
This is how the days panned out:
Day 1:Home to Inverness, 177miles, running total:
177 miles
Day 2: Inverness
to Orkney, 158 miles, running total: 335 miles
Day 3: Exploring
Orkney, 137 miles, running total: 472 miles
Day 4: More
exploring Orkney, 108 miles, running total: 580 miles
Day 5: Orkney to
Ullapool, 145 miles, running total: 725 miles
Day 6: Ullapool to
Home, 310 miles, final mileage: 1035 miles
Camping wise I
bought some new gear:
Coleman Tatra 2
tent:Easy to put up and pack away, fits
in an RT pannier, stable and waterproof
Exped Synmat 9LW:Easily the best £100 I have ever spent on
camping, so comfy it is amazing Snugpak Traveler 2
Sleeping bag:Packs tiny, warn enough
for 6C with just undies and a T shirt Helinox 1
chair:Again money well spent, comfy and
compact it fits in a pannier with the tent Yellowstone
pillow:Just buy one - £7 comfy and
again packs down tiny
Trusty 10 year old
Trangia with gas burner, I like to cook when I am on the road Campsites: Pont of Ness campsite, Stromness, Orkney: £7.20 a night, flat pitches, good hot showers (20p) for ten minutes, very clean, small lounge area with WiFi & vending machine. I'll be back Broomfield Holiday Park, Ullapool: £8.00 per night, flat pitches, free hot showers, very clean, 5 minute walk into main town. Been before and I'll be back again.
If you got to the end, thanks for reading it all, a lot of it was indulgent but I couldn’t make
it much shorter and make it worthwhile for me. I hope you enjoyed it.
After not having been on a bike with me for about 30 years, the wife has decided that she wants to get out and about with me on the bike again. Saturday saw us in the car heading for J&S Accessories in Hamilton to get her a set of new gear.
The guys in the shop were great and spent an age getting us sorted out with a good set of reasonably priced textile gear.
The gear is based around an IXS ladies textile suit of zip together jacket and trousers with waterproof membrane and removable thermal liners. It looks like good quality kit, with well finished seams and sturdy zippers. It is not top of the range by any means, but it looks like it should last a good few seasons. Hopefully we will not need to test the waterproofing system to often!
Just an HJC IS-17 in pink rocket colour scheme, to arrive next week, will top of all that black gear.
Sunday morning came round and we were out on the RT for a 'short' spin to see if she would still be OK and feel comfortable on the bike. 95 miles later I can safely say I will be doing fewer solo miles of a weekend in the future.....
Just to try and plant a few seeds, I have dropped the maps of France in her works bag so she will have something to enjoy with her Monday morning coffee!
This wee blog has been somewhat neglected for the past 6 months, it has been a long winter. Lots of work, miserable weather and home life have all conspired to keep my free time to a minimum.
Things should be better now though. I have been out for a couple of good runs on the bike, acquired a Drift Stealth video camera, see the link to my YouTube channel on the right for the latest uploads. I have loads of footage to get through and comments (good or bad) are always welcome!
Looking forward to the next few months I have got a camping weekend planned later in June and a week long trip up to Orkney via Braemar, Inverness and Dunnet Head then back down the west coast. Hopefully I will get some good video and stills and then bore you all senseless with video blogs, slide shows and write ups!
