Scotland 2005

I had no bike and needed to recover from the operation. I was feeling very down about the situation. Fortunately for me I have a good set of mates and they helped me a lot to get myself fit and to help me decide which new bike I should get. Within five weeks of the event I had ordered a new bike and was on my way back to a full recovery. I had a few weeks to get used to the new bike and sort out how I was to get all my stuff to Scotland. One thing I have not said is that I managed to crash my car in Wales, so that was written off too. So I had to buy a new bike, car and trailer in a very short time.

I left home at four in the morning, arranging to meet my friends at Lancaster Services at 5.30am so we could travel up together. The journey up was interesting has I had never driven that far in one day before. I remember having to hold on for a toilet stop for about an hour at one point. Eventually we crossed the border and we were in Scotland with still about 180 miles to go to our destination. On the way up we stopped near to Loch Lomond, as my friend Mike had a kilt that needed to be modified. So he took it back to where he bought it. From there we started to climb up through the mountain ranges, which are magnificent. I did not realise how high they are in Scotland. Eventually after 8 hours of driving we arrived at our campsite. A lovely little place just on the coast with a beach front so to say. Now we had to put our tents up, sort out some food and definitely have a beer. After a bite to eat we went for a walk to find a local pub. We found one about a mile and a half away.

When we went inside it was full, so we went out side with our drinks, but it was bitterly cold for the time of year. So a quick pint and back we headed to our campsite. It was June and it was still light at 11pm, so it felt strange trying to go to sleep in the daylight, even though I had been up since 4am. The sky was really beautiful at that time of night with the clouds creating beautiful patterns in the sky. Once the sun had set the stars came out and they were amazing too. Normally only the main constellations are visible but up there thousands can be seen at any one time. I just wanted to sit there and admire to beauty in front of me.

After a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast the three of us decided it was time to go for a ride and see some of the beauty Scotland has to offer. So we headed for Fort William along a lovely road that meanders along with sweeping long curves, ideal for bikers. There is a railway line along side the road, famous for being used in the Harry Potter films. We had a stop at Fort William for a bite to eat and a look round. From here we headed for Glencoe up through a mountain range. As we rode along we could see the weather closing in slowly, clouds drifting over the mountain tops. Luckily we had our winter waterproofs on because the rain came down like stair rods. It was that heavy the water actually started to seep though to our skin. Not a nice feeling because it is cold and takes ages to dry out. We got to the top of the Glencoe pass and decided to head back to Fort William. The wind was gusting against the bikes and we had to be careful so we did not get blown into on coming traffic.

On the way back we took a detour and decided to take a ferry across the loch and see the other side. So on we jumped and paid our money and then the sun started to come out and dry us off. It became that hot the water was evaporating of the deck of the ferry. Once off the ferry we followed a nice country lane around the edge of the loch, stopping on occasions to take photographs. By now we had totally dried out and were getting a little warm inside our winter clothes. Standing around in leather gear is not advisable because you soon get very hot so back on the bikes and head back to the campsite to met up with the rest of the gang who where travelling up on the Sunday. By the time we had got back some of our other friends had already arrived and set up camp. In total the where eleven of us on this trip. So that night we put up the pagoda and all enjoyed a good laugh, a few beers and some hot wine to take away the chill in the air. Again there was another clear night with a beautiful sunset full of pinks and blues.

The view from the shore was fantastic and I was amazed at the beauty of it. It was a fitting end to a good day. It was about 11 at night and I was still finding it difficult to get to sleep with it still being light outside. Eventually I did and I was looking forward to another great day on the bike because we had decided to head for Skye on the ferry the following day.

First we made the short trip from the campsite along the coast to the port at Mallaig to catch the early morning ferry. After purchasing our tickets we waited on the dockside for the ferry to arrive. As we all waited we chatted and laughed. Next two bikers pulled up along side us each with a letter ‘D’ on their number plates indicating they had come from Germany. Well straight away my friend Pat shouts out ‘Don’t mention the War.’ at the top of her voice. Every one of us stood there shaking their heads. The two riders walked past us each saying, ‘Good morning’ in perfect English.

That is typical of Pat, puts her foot in it and does not really care what she says and who hears it. By this time the ferry had arrived and we had to load the bikes on board. We had to wait for all the other traffic to be loaded first. We were allowed on board and tied the bikes up and made our way up to the seated area for the twenty minute trip across the water. It was a pleasant trip, thank god because I get seasick very easily. Once docked; we left the harbour and headed off on the narrow roads that can be found on Skye. Our first destination was to Elgol at the southern tip of the island, along a narrow single-track lane for about 15 miles. The road passes along a large mountain range and runs along the coast. The scenery is absolutely breath taking with the mountains running on one side and the coast on the other. Slowly the road starts to climb up the mountains to get to the other side of the coastline. Elgol is a small village with just a harbour and a café for the visitors. Mainly used for fishing and deep sea fishing trips.

We had a bite to eat and a cuppa at the café. Next we headed back along the narrow road back to the main road to continue with our tour of the island. From here we headed north towards Loch Ainort and onto the coast road around the Sound of Raasay and onto Loch Sligachan. From here we cut across the island through the mountain range to get to the other side of the island to Loch Harport. I really enjoyed this part of the ride because it was fast along the wide roads that wind through the mountains. It reminded me of riding in the Isle of Man. It was now mid afternoon and we had to start to heading back so that we did not miss the ferry back. We rode back over the mountains again heading for Portree on the eastern coast. As we left Portree the rain started to fall. It was very heavy and I was soon wet through to the skin. The wind was also very strong on the exposed parts of the road. It was a long, cold, miserable ride back to the ferry terminal. We got back with plenty of time for the ferry so we all went into the terminal to try and dry ourselves out.

Pat had decided she wanted her picture taken with the Lone Piper out side so I obliged, getting wet in the process. It was a wet ride back to the campsite and that evening we decided to go out for meal instead of cooking outside, just to cheer ourselves up. It rained all night and the following day we all decided to go out in the car instead because our kit was still wet through. So we headed off and found a lovely spot with a typical Scottish castle by a loch. We had a good look round the place and posed for some pictures in this remarkable area. It was definitely a good site for a castle because it was surrounded on three sides by the Loch and was built on the highest point in the area, giving good protection from any attackers. It was a beautiful place, I just had to sit down on a rock and take it all in. Places like this make life worth living and I was sharing the experience with my best friends.

It was so quiet there you could only hear the waves on the shore and the sounds of the birds. In the distance a diesel ship was passing and the thump of the engine could be heard, even though it was a few miles out to sea. It was a lovely place to visit and well off the beaten track. From here we headed back but decided to go to Malliag again for a fish and chip supper. After purchasing our food we went and sat by the harbour to eat it. It was a lovely pleasant evening and I enjoyed the tranquillity of the harbour. I love to watch the boats come and go, people living their everyday lives, while I just sat and watched the world go by. We were very lucky to see some seals swimming around in the harbour. They were very friendly and not at all disturbed by the fact everyone was watching them from the harbour side. They just gently swam around taking no notice of us. It was nice to see such beautiful creatures in their natural habit. Scotland had started to grow on me and I was enjoying every minute of it.

We headed back to the campsite for the evening, where we all got together in the pagoda next to one of our campervans. There was a nip in the air so Pat had decided to buy a couple of bottles of red wine and cinnamon sticks and had put on a pan of warm wine for everyone to warm their cockles. Well you can imagine our delight to be drinking a warm alcoholic beverage. The evening went by so quickly with us all chatting about our adventure so far. We also had a good chat regarding where we where going to go to the following day. Dave suggested that we should go over the Applecross Pass. So it was decided that we would have to catch the early ferry over to Skye again and head off in that direction. We all finished our wine and decided to get some sleep, as we would have an early start in the morning.

The previous day we had stopped in Fort William for a cuppa, as bikers do, even though we where in the car. Whilst there I bought myself a pair of waterproof trousers to stop my leathers getting soaked through. From that point forward I was obliged to wear them every time we went out on the bikes because it never rained when I had them on. Everyone would say, 'Have you got your lucky water proofs on?' This was fine until the sun came out and I started to get very warm in them. So fully kitted out we headed off to the ferry again for the short hop across to Skye and then across the Skye road bridge back onto the mainland, which saved us some time, rather than travelling all the way round. Once back on the main land our first destination was Plockton via the little villages of Badican, Ersusaig, Drumbuie. The village of Plockton lies on the edge of Loch Carran, it is small and picturesque, with a harbour full of boats and fishermen mending the nets on the quayside.

My friend Mike loves his seafood and promptly found the nearest fish shop and bought himself a tray of fresh prawns. He really enjoyed them, breaking apart the shell and devoured the tasty fish inside. I just stood here and watched him and took a few photos for posterity. Well on with our travels up the banks of Loch Carran to Stathcarran and onto the village of Loch Carran. Eventually we found the turning for the Applecross Pass, also known as Bealach Na Ba, which as a warning sign telling of the dangers of the road and that it is not advisable for learner drivers. The single track pass rises from sea level up to 2053ft at the summit in five miles. We made our way up the narrow road with hairpin bends, with shear drops on one side and cliff faces on the other. An absolutely spectacular view and I loved every minute of it. My friend Lindsay later told me she was only looking ahead of her, because she doesn't like heights. We eventually reached the summit and stopped in the visitor parking area to have a look at the view.

It was well worth the trek up. Now we had to make our way down the other side and go for a well-earned drink and bite to eat. In Applecross village, which is on the coast looking out over the Inner Sound across to the Isle of Raasay, there is the Applecross Inn, original name if I ever heard of one. Here we had a bit of lunch and of course a cuppa tea. Now it was time to head back taking an inland route following the shoreline of Loch Duich and the banks of river Shiel towards Loch Clunie. Riding past the Lochs is a strange feeling because it is like you are standing still because they where perfectly calm. The reflections on the water were a perfect mirror image of the mountains. Onward to Invergary and down passed Loch Lochy, this is approximately thirteen miles long, on into Spean Bridge. From here it was about fifty miles back to the campsite at Arisaig. We had covered about two hundred and fifty miles in the day, which was very tiring but well worth it with the beautiful landscapes we had seen.

I had a fantastic time with some of the nicest people I have ever met. Scotland was a magical place to visit, even though the weather was bad on occasion, but the staggering beauty shines through no matter what.

I will have to visit again in the future......

Next - Scotland 2006