Scotland & Skye

[HockleyBoy]

Then

In the beginning God created the motorcycle and saw that it was good.
God realised that the sort of discerning person who would ride his new creation would require somewhere to ride it, somewhere where there were few cars, fast roads with long sweeping corners, single tracks with tight corners, mountains, lakes, rivers, fantastic scenery steeped in history and above all splendid alcoholic beverages for when the riding was over. So God created Scotland, the motorcyclists' paradise and the rest as they say is history.

Now

For a long time I have wanted to visit the Highlands but have not had time due to the pressures of work and family life but this year a window of opportunity arrived and I was granted a four day exit visa by SWMBO.

I booked bed and breakfast at three different locations, packed the Tiger and on Thursday morning at 5.45am set off from Essex. After a long journey to the top of England (including a very windy ride along the A66 I stopped in Carlisle for a badly needed breakfast. With the fat coursing through my veins I ventured into Scotland and on through Glasgow where the satnav took me for an interesting ride through the suburbs and the heavens treated me to the equivalent of riding a motorcycle through a carwash.

Clear of Glasgow, the weather cleared a little, the traffic thinned and I was soon on the banks of Loch Lomond.



From there I carried on up the A82 until I reached the Drovers Inn, somewhere I had planned to visit.



The Drovers is one of the oldest Inn's in Scotland and is purported to be one of the most haunted places in the UK (maybe by the ghosts of all the dead animals inside).



I had a late lunch in the Drovers and pressed on through the Great Glen.



By early evening I had reached my destination for the first night, the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, a very nice place with fantastic views of the mountains.



Once I had booked in I went off for a ride around Glencoe to see the local sights including the monument to the Glencoe Massacre



And Loch Leven



After that it was back to the Inn for food, a couple of well need pints of the local beer and sleep. The view from my room was spectacular.



The next morning I set out for Mallaig to catch the ferry over to Skye, after a detour around Loch Leven,



I stopped off at Fort William for a little shopping



and the Glenfinnian Monument (being cleaned in my picture)



I reached Mallaig, got my ferry ticket and joined a BMW rider at the front of the queue waiting to board the ferry.



The ferry came in



And we boarded first. Bikes secured it was time to head upstairs to the seats for a coffee and enjoy the ride. It takes about 30 minutes to cross over to Skye oon this ferry.

Once we arrived in Skye we had to wait for the cars to leave the ferry before we could get the bikes off (first on last off unfortunately). The BMW rider rode on and I filled up with petrol for the ride ahead. I was heading first for Broadhaven and once again the roads were superb.



After a brief stop in Broadhaven I rode on towards Portree until a sign for the Talisker Distillery caught my eye. Seemed like a worthwhile detour so I turned off and headed for Carbost and the Distillery.



I had a quick look round, purchased a bottle of 10 year old malt and was on my way. Next stop was Portree, the capital of Skye.



From Portree I had planned to ride up around the coast road which I did visiting Staffin



And Uig, the little ferry port for the Outer Hebrides



From here I rode on to Stein in Waternish and headed for the Stein Inn which is the oldest Inn on Skye dating back to 1790. It was busy here as the local sheep dog trial was taking place the next day but I had a nice meal and a drink or two before turning in for the night.



Again a great view from the room



The next morning after a brief trip to Dunvegan Castle,



I headed back across Skye for the Skye Bridge and the road to the mainland



From here it was on to the lovely town of Plocton (part of the original Wicker Man was filmed here)


Next stop was to be Applecross after a ride over the well known Applecross Road which I believe is the highest in the UK and goes on for about 10 miles.





It was hard work but the Tiger took the road in its stride and it was worth it for the views on the stretches below the clouds.



Once into Applecross I had lunch at the Applecross Inn before heading around the coast road for Kinlochewe.



After visiting Kinlochewe I rode on to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle via Garve.



I rode along the banks of Loch Ness towards my stop for the night at Fort Augustus but didn't manage to spot the monster!

Fort Augustus is a town on the site of an old Roman Fort at the point where Loch Ness joins the Caledonian Canal.



I stayed here at the Richmond House Hotel, nice and small and run by friendly people.



As it was to be my last night in Scotland I treated myself to a nice meal of locally caught prawns and locally produced salmon at the Lock Inn (highly recommended)



In the morning there was just time for a brief 100 mile detour to Eilean Donan Castle (which you may recognise from films like Highlander) before the long 650 mile 11 hour ride home.





And that is the end of my brief trip (but long ride report) to the Scottish Highlands, a fantastic place with really nice people. The Tiger was the perfect bike for the trip and didn't miss a beat. The addition of a beadrider made the long journey easier and putting Rainex (first time I've used it) on my visor made things a lot clearer.

Sorry it's a bit long but this is the first trip report I have written.

PS also posted on ADV Rider.

[JetdocX]

Incredible!  Add another Island to my list of "want to ride". :D

[Jrod]

Nice ride report!  I've been to the Highlands before and remember Urquart castle.  The day I visited they had gale force winds and it was hard to stand upright while walking the grounds at the castle.  Thanks for sharing!

[Yukon]

Sorry it's a bit long but this is the first trip report I have written.

No apology needed.  I enjoyed the entire ride report.  The pictures were great.

[Groucho]

Scotland is a lovely place, definitely. Thank you for your great report, which made me recognize, that I have to go there again to see the wonderful places I didn't visit last year.
By the way, we used the same parking space in front of Talisker... :P

[HockleyBoy]

Scotland is a lovely place, definitely. Thank you for your great report, which made me recognize, that I have to go there again to see the wonderful places I didn't visit last year.

It is a lovely place and I will also be going back when I get a chance.

By the way, we used the same parking space in front of Talisker... :P

Great minds think alike!  :D

[paulie]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing!

Lovely bit of countryside that is, and a great ride report, though I'm really looking forward to my next trip over the pond so I can explore it for myself!  8)

[Mudhen]

Incredible - thanks for taking us along!

[aeronca]

right on man, love the pic's. in june of 1988 i spent 6 weeks in scotland, between greenock and dunoon, and you'r pic's brought alot of memories back. sure would like to get back over there someday. good food, good people, good booze, good time - great report. -1

[Stretch]

<<<<<<<<<  Insanely jealous.


A two or three-week tour through England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (on my own Tiger) is at the top of my Dream Ride list.

Someday.

[HockleyBoy]

A TigerTriple.com tour of the UK would be great,  :D probably cost a fortune to bring your own bikes though. Still if anyone does get over or maybe organise it one day, count me in.

[boneymalloney]

Hi there,
I did almost the same trip in May, great to see your photos.
I spent a couple of days in the South of Skye near the Cuillin Mountains...

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[HappyMan]

Awesome thread!  A friend of mine from Scotland just purchased a new Ducati....I will send him your first paragraph.  I'm sure he will appreciate it.  

[HockleyBoy]

Hi there,
I did almost the same trip in May, great to see your photos.
I spent a couple of days in the South of Skye near the Cuillin Mountains...

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Skye is a lovely place, like your pic, post a few more when you get time.

Awesome thread! A friend of mine from Scotland just purchased a new Ducati....I will send him your first paragraph. I'm sure he will appreciate it.  

Happy Man,
Your friend has a great place to ride his new bike. I would love to take my sportsbike up there but I dont think my back or backside could stand it.