Friday 5 July 2019

NC500 kicks off the biking year, in June!

My motorcycle year didn't start well.  There was way to much work for our wee team, staff shortages and a major job running way over put paid to any major motorcycle shenanigans.
I was looking forward to a few days in Wales in early June, but once again the weather had other ideas and Wales was called off.... again.
The bike continued to play up and the ongoing fight with BMW to get it replaced rumbled on.  See the story here, for the final straw.  Eventually we came to an amicable agreement and I am now the proud (we will see) owner of a new R1250RT...

The new R1250RT at the Kyles of Tongue
To continue the theme of whistle stop touring that the Wee Touring Club seems to be cultivating after Normandy last year, we lined up the NC500 over 3 nights.  Since booking the digs Stuart & Colin had both become new dads, so the team was reduced to 3.
On Friday morning we met up at Kinross services, grabbed a quick coffee and headed north.  A quick blast up the M90 to Perth saw the back of the motorway for this trip.  Avoiding the A9 we headed for Blairgowrie and picked the the way more impressive A93 cutting through the Perthshire hills through Glenshee to Braemar.  Turning off the A93 at Crathie and heading for Cock Bridge on the A939, stop sniggering at the back, the grey line of the road cuts through the purple and green mountain scenery.  The guys were enjoying the road so much we didn't stop for any pictures.  Scot's Multistrada is a thirsty bugger and we needed to make an emergency pit stop for petrol in Granton-on-Spey.  A quick jump back onto the A9 for 20 minutes and we were crossing the Kessock bridge over the Morray Firth.  More fuel at Alness, the smell of Glen Morangie at Tain and suddenly we were at Rogart and our digs for the night at Sleeperzzz.  After unpacking and grabbing some supplies from the local shop we hit the Pittentrail Inn for food and a couple of pints.

Scot's Multistrada and my RT at Sleeperzz

It was nice to get some decent weather at last

After a great nights sleep and throwing down a quick breakfast of coffee and breakfast biscuits we packed the bikes and headed back onto the A9 and north once again.  This far north the A9 is a better road.  The road hugs the coast passing through east coast villages and towns and actually gets really good once you are past Helmsdale.  The road twists and turns, dives down and then climbs up the Berridale Braes, all this with the sun glinting on the mirror smooth North Sea.  We turned off the A9 at Latheron and continued up the coast to Wick.  Fuelling up at Tesco we headed to the cafe for coffee and snack.

"Colonel" Colin and Stuart joined us at Wick as well!




Continuing to sweep up the coast on the A99 we set our sights on John o' Groats and soon enough we were there.  It seems a lot livelier that it has been when I have visited in the past.

'Wee' made it to John o' Groats
After a few snaps and a wander around we decided to head for Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in the UK.  The A836 along the north coast east of Thurso is flat and uninspiring after the twist and turns of the east coast.  This along with the single track road to Dunnet Head being strewn with gravel caused by weeks of rain running off the fields dragged us back to reality.  Pulling into the car park at Dunnet Head I felt Orkney tugging at my heartstrings as it appeared in the distance over the Pentland Firth!

My RT, Scot's Multistrada and Andy's Tiger at Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head lighthouse and Orkney in the distance
Negotiating the gravel and sheep shit on the single track roads we got back on the main road and headed for Thurso.  We stopped in Thurso for a quick drink and to take in the views over Thurso bay to Orkney in the distance.
We then made good progress along the north coast, slowing down to take in the views over the beaches at Bettyhill.  As we got to Tongue Andy took a wrong turn and Scot and I got eaten alive by midges while Andy tried to turn his bike on a steep and narrow single track road.  Back on track we stopped on the A838 causeway at Tongue for a rare few photos.




I really like this bit of the A838 from Tongue to Loch Eriboll.  The road cuts through the bleak moorland with the mountains rising on the left.  The road is fast and there and next to no nasty bits to catch you out.  Rounding Loch Eriboll the roads become single track and the surface was quite cut up, add gravel run off and camper vans and this bit of the road was the worst so far.  It's all forgotten though, as you turn west and this view opens up in front of you...

Ceanabeinne Beach
After a photo stop, 10 minutes later we were at the Lazy Crofter Bunkhouse.  A home made dinner and a handful of beers signalled an early night for me.

After a disturbed nights sleep in a dorm of 8 I gave up trying to get packed and get into my bike gear without waking up the other 7 people in the dorm.  It is just not possible!  After the traditional coffee and breakfast biscuits the bike was packed and once again we were on the road.
The A838 heading south from Durness once again cuts through the bleak moorland with the mountains rising all round you.  Even though this is single track it is a fast road thanks to great visibility along the road ahead and the long sweeping corners and, thankfully, decent road surface.  The fast flowing riding came to an abrupt end as we turned onto the B869 to loop around past Clashnessie bay and its stunning beach.  The road is a 28 mile roller coaster of a single track road until you get back to the Lochinver turn off.  Going was slow, not helped by a complete knob in a camper doing 10 miles per hour, not realising that passing places are for overtaking as well.  Thankfully this was the only real traffic pain we had on this trip.  We called surrender at Clashnessie beach and got of the bikes for a wander and a few snaps.

Peace at Clashnessie beach
After getting back onto decent roads we made the most of the empty road and hammered down past Loch Assynt and the ruins of Ardvreck castle.  Turning onto the A835 we regrouped before a gentle run down to Ullapool for lunch.  Fortified with brioche French toast and bacon for me and unleaded for the RT we headed south on the incredibly fast A835 heading south from Ullpool.  So fast in fact Scot missed the turn off for Poolewe, Andy and I had a 10 minute wait for Scot to return.  The run around the coast through Poolewe and Gairloch to Kinlochewe was a bit more sedate as we took in the coastal views as the road hugs the coast.

RT and Gruinard beach
Gruinard beach from A832
It clouded over as we started down through Glen Torridon, but thankfully the rain stayed off.  We caught up with another group of riders.  We let them go after witnessing some seriously dodgy overtakes.  Just after Shieldaig we turned off onto the single track coast road to Applecross.  We pressed on again enjoying the good road surface enjoying the views over Rona and Raasay to Skye.  To avoid any camping we had booked a camping hut at the Applecross campsite.  The keys were in the door waiting for us.  After settling in we wandered down to the Applecross Inn for food and beer.  As it was my turn to pay the other two had Steak and Langoustine.  I have never had a bad meal here.

Applecross digs

The next morning the forecast rain hadn't shown up and the sun was warm as we left Applecross.  The last time I was over the Bealach na Ba, you couldn't more than the width of the road.  This time it was much better!

Mist free, but hazy, view from the top of Bealach na Ba over Raasay to Skye

Andy and I stopped for snaps, Scot was enjoying it to much and was off!
More Bealach na Ba
Spot the sticker!
The rain did show up at Lochcarron and it stayed with us for the next 100 miles.  The fast run through the pouring rain from Eilean Donan through Glen Shiel and along the side of Loch Cluanie was actually a great half hours ride.  This all changed as we rode along the side of Loch Garry, there was Diesel everywhere, you could even smell it in the air.  Not just a localised spill, there was about 8 miles of diesel spilled on the already rain soaked road surface.  I lost the front end at one point but thankfully it gripped again and I managed to stay upright.  I was going so slowly that I to pull over to let a truck pass that I had passed miles earlier.  A Fiesta driver that passed me wasn't as lucky.  He braked after he passed me for a corner and just went straight on and into a tree.  The car was dented but running and the driver had a nasty cut at the base of his thumb where he broke in on the steering wheel.  Turning right at the downhill junction onto the A82 at Invergarry there was as much Diesel as water running down the hill.  The next 20 miles to Fort William was the most nervous I have ever had on a motorcycle, just waiting for a spill around the next corner.
After re-grouping and drying out over a McDonalds in Fort William the rain began slowly easing.  By the time we got to Glencoe the rain had stopped, it was still cold and damp though and I was glad I put my thermals on before we left Fort William.  We just pressed on for home, at least the rain stayed off. 

All the pictures from the trip are here





3 comments:

  1. Nice description, a mate and myself did roughly the same route as you but clockwise. We both thought the roads and the scenery were fantastic. Fortunately, it appears that some of the roads we did miss will be there for a long enough time to go back!! How lucky is that? Sadly for us, our trip got off to a less than brilliant start at Spean Bridge where a female Chinese tourist, non-english speaking, decided to reverse into my mate's RT, sending it flying into mine with both ending up flat on the floor!! Luckily, damage was limited to surface only and allowed us to continue as described. In total, we clocked up about 1300, door to door. I'd go again tomorrow.

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  2. Sorry, I forgot to add, we did our trip on the 3rd June for three nights. Not a midge in sight!!

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  3. Thanks for reading the Blog! Aw man that was an unlucky start to the trip, glad it was only cosmetic and you could carry on. If you have a look through the blog there are more write-ups and pictures of a lot of the roads off the NC500. The only place we got midges was at Tongue waiting for a missing Tiger!

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