Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 September 2013

View Trip 10 – The North Coast in a larger map

At the end of the last trip I had 533 miles/857.5 km left to go so I needed a trip that would cover a lot of mileage. And I knew just the thing. I’d been dying to do this since the start – the very north edge of Scotland.

I really wanted to do the Bealach-na Bo pass to Applecross in Wester Ross. This is a very steep, hairpin pass which zigzags its way up a mountainside. You get to it by taking the A87 to the Kyle of Lochalsh then a series of single track and secondary roads which eventually come out at Ullapool from where I’d be able to continue on to the north coast. But it would add a lot of time to my journey and, as I’d done it before, years ago, in a car, I decided against it and to go straight to Ullapool via Inverness. This would reduce the trip to two days instead of three meaning I wouldn’t have to leave Cozy, my cat, alone for more than one night.

It was still a huge distance to cover, so I was up at first light and on the road by 8.00 am. Straight up the A82 to Fort William, then on to Invergarry. This is where I could have turned west to Applecross but I continued straight on to Fort Augustus, where the Caledonian Canal meets Loch Ness. The canal locks were bustling with people but I didn’t stop and continued until the road started to run parallel with the Loch. I kept wondering where the spot was that that couple saw Nessie all those years ago.

Loch Ness

I was in Inverness by 1pm. This is where my map let me down as it wasn’t detailed enough and I had to ask a man in a car park how to get onto the Ullapool road. He gave me directions and, when I then pulled level with him at a roundabout, he pointed me to the correct exit. Over the Moray Firth bridge and I found the A835 which I followed all the way to Ullapool.

The A835 was a fabulous road – a nice, wide carriageway with no pot holes and well graded bends that required no reduction in speed. As I came to an impressive dam I pulled over to take a photo.

Dam

God, it was so quiet. I couldn’t hear a thing. As I lined up my shot, suddenly, BANG, there was this almighty explosion as a Tornado jet rocketed across the sky.

I reached Ullapool at 3 pm and had a quick break.

Ullapool

The skies were clouding over and it looked liked rain ahead, so I went in search of something to eat. Fortified with chocolate and a cup of lentil and cumin soup (quite the oddest combination I’ve ever had) I headed for the petrol station. Here, I met a German lady who was also touring Scotland on a motorbike. She’d come with a friend but it seemed they’d had a parting of ways and she was now having the time of her life exploring every single track road she could find.

After a few minutes cars started to queue up and the owner came out and gave us the evil eye. We wished each other bon voyage and I continued north as she went south.

Riding up a series of narrow, winding, back roads through the hills and glens of Scotland’s north western coast was a true delight. It was raining but I didn’t care, it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Ardmair

Public services in the highlands

Ardvreck Castle

Ruined croft

As I approached Durness, I saw a sign for the Passenger Ferry to Cape Wrath. Unfortunately, that was the closest I was going to get to that corner of the country as it was 4.30 pm now and, I suspected, too late for the last ferry.

Reaching Durness, I was overcome with joy. I had made it to the north coast of Scotland. I felt utterly elated.

From here I decided to continue on to Tongue, a short distance on judging by my map. I didn’t look very closely though, as if I had, I would have noticed the road goes down one side of Loch Eriboll and up the other and adds an extra 20 miles to the journey.

Coming into Tongue, the road crosses another inlet, the Kyles of Tongue, via a man-made causeway called the Kyles of Tongue crossing.

Kyles of Tongue Crossing

I stayed in the Tongue Youth Hostel that night and got talking to an Aussie bloke called Phil from Moruya. By a remarkable coincidence, he knew Steve and Jan, the couple I’d met when doing my tour there in 2010/11.

I was on the road for 7.30 am the next morning. The petrol station in Tongue didn’t open till 8 am but a sign informed me there was one in Bettyhill. I figured by the time I got there, this would be open. It was so tiny, I rode right past it without noticing it and had to turn round and have another go.

Filling up, highland style

I continued along the coastal road, the A836, taking in the sights, when suddenly I saw what had to be Dounreay nuclear power station. It was in the process of being decommissioned but judging by the number of cars there this obviously involved quite a lot of people.

Dounreay Nuclear Power Plant

Next stop was John O’ Groats. Somehow I was deeply disappointed by this. It was just a car park really surrounded by a visitors centre and a few shops.

John O’ Groats Harbour

John O’ Groats First and Last Shop

After a cup of tea and a wander around, I got back on the bike and headed south. Travelling down the east coast, my mood became sullen. The wild, untamed, ruggedness of the west coast was replaced by a more cultivated environment of fields and organised villages. It was pretty but not in the same way as the west.

It was a long ride down to Golspie where I turned off the A9 onto the A839 to Lairg and on to Bonar Bridge and Ardgay. From here I went in search of the final landmark in the Round Britain Rally that I was participating in. Ten miles of single track road and I found the spot just as a group of school children doing their Duke of Edinburgh award arrived at the scene. One of their teachers kindly took a photo of me.

Me, at the end of my Round Britain (or in my case, Scotland) Rally

Rejoining the A9 it was a long, cold slog, back to Inverness. I was cold, hungry and grumpy and I still had over four hours of riding to do. All I could think about was food. What I needed was a nice, hot stew. I was salivating just thinking about it. But there was no stew to be found so I had to settle for an egg mayonnaise sandwich in Fort Augustus and a pot of soup at the Green Welly in Tyndrum.

I got home at 8.15 pm, just as it was starting to get dark. Going north, I had loved it, but coming south, it was a real trial to keep going.

But I’d done it. I’d completed my 5,000 km (5,310.5 km/3,300 miles to be precise). Alas, I’d failed miserably to raise £5,000. But I’d seen Scotland in all its glory during the best summer we’d had in years, so all in all, it was a fantastic experience.

For full photo gallery

Trip 10 – The North Coast

 

The final position:

	Miles	Km	£
Overall Target	3,107	5,000	£5,000.00
Total this Trip	726	1,168
Total to Date	3,300	5,310.5	164.85
Left to Go	0	0	£4,835.15

I may have covered the 5,000 km I set out to do on this trip, but I haven’t raised anything like the £5,000 I hoped to, so if you’ve enjoyed reading this blog, then please MAKE A DONATION NOW by using the JustGiving link below. You can find out more about my “5K for £5K Challenge” here. Thank you.

Sunday 25 August 2013 – Part 1

View Trip 9 – Fife & Tayside (Part 1) in a larger map

The last couple of trips had been a bit uneventful so things were due for a shake up and, by golly, that’s what they got on this one.

Things started out well enough – the sun was shining, I was on the road early and, as I didn’t have too many miles to cover, would hopefully be home again by mid-afternoon.

Once again, I took the M8 out of Glasgow, then joined the M80 to the junction with the M876 which took me over the Kincardine Bridge to the ancient Kingdom of Fife. It wasn’t as sunny here, in fact, it was quite overcast and hazy which obscurred the views, nevertheless, I wanted to see what I could, so I followed the Fife Coastal Tourist Route (B9037) past the rather unsightly Longannett Generating Station on to the gorgeous village of Culross. From here I could see the refineries of Grangemouth (that I’d passed on Trip 3) on the other side of the Forth estuary.

Longannet Generating Station

Culross

Grangemouth from Culross

Leaving Culross behind, I continued along the tourist route towards Inverkeithing. Suddenly, I saw the massive crane of the Rosyth Naval Shipyards towering over the horizon. Man, that thing was collosal and deserved a closer look. Rounding the headland, the whole shipyards lay below me with the Forth Rail and Road Bridges poking up behind them. It may not have been pretty, by my goodness, it was impressive. Three of man’s huge constructs in such close proximity.

Rosyth Naval Shipyards with Forth Bridges beyond

At Inverkeithing I planned to start making my way north to Tayside. This is where things started to go downhill.

It was slow-going along the coast road and the haze was getting thicker, spoiling the view and I was starting to wish I’d gone north via Dumferline instead – a faster road. As I came into Kircaldy I got stuck in a huge queue of traffic caused by a set of roadworks. Finally clearing these, I made my way along the Esplanade, then got stopped at another set of lights. Just as I was thinking what an unattractive town it was, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and almost jumped out of my skin. It was the man from the car behind me.

“Did you know your back tyre is flat?”, he said.

“What?”, I replied, not quite believing him.

As soon as the lights changed, I pulled over and, sure enough, it was flat.

Flat tyre

Now, it’s either a testament to my superior riding skills or a sign of my complete lack of sensory awareness, that I hadn’t noticed this. Either way, there was only one thing I could do. I whipped out my foot pump and started pumping. Five minutes later it was still flat as a pancake so I asked the man who had just come out of the pub if there was a Kwik Fit nearby. He directed me back up the Esplanade. Unfortunately Kwik Fit don’t fix motorcycle tyres, so I had to call the AA who immediately advised me they wouldn’t be able to fix it either and that they’d have to tow me back to Glasgow, I’d just have to wait 2 hours for the recovery vehicle to arrive.

While I waited, the Kwik Fit mechanic offered to pump up the tyre. Once he’d done this he said “I can hear it leaking,” but it wasn’t coming from the tyre but from the where the spoke met the wheel. How the hell had that happened?

Two hours later, the AA duly arrived and winched my bike onto the back of the tow truck.

Poor Bonnie gets towed home

David, the driver, strapped it down securely and we set off for Airdrie, where the plan was to leave it at the garage I usually used. When we got there, however, not only was the garage closed but the entire truck yard in which it was located, was also closed and gated shut, so, even though he wasn’t supposed to, David then took me all the way back to Glasgow (what a hero!).

By the time we got back, unloaded the bike, and I then got the train home, it was 7.30 pm. So much for a nice short day.

Sunday 1 September 2013 – Part 2

After the bike got dropped off, I contacted a mobile motorcycle service (www.mobilemotorcycleservices.co.uk) I’d seen around and Gordon, the owner, came and took my Bonnie away for repair. A couple of days later, it was back, with a new inner tube and looking none the worse for its ordeal. In fact, Gordon had even washed it down for me, so it looked beautiful and shiny. Top service!

I’d been really pissed off about having to cut this trip short and it was a real battle with myself to get going and finish it off. It was cold and windy outside and I hadn’t really planned on riding this weekend, so it took a supreme effort to get out of bed and head over to my friend’s to pick up the bike. Once I was on the road though, I felt a lot better. I took the back road (the A811) from Milngavie up to Stirling as I didn’t want to retrace my steps from last week. Arriving in Stirling, I could see the castle on the hill – what a magnificent sight.

Stirling Castle

Not much further on is the Wallace Monument, another fine piece of architecture.

Wallace Monument, Stirling

From here I picked up the A91 east. It’s a beautiful road through lots of charming villages and farmlands and next thing I knew I was filled with joy. At Milnathort I had the option of joining the M90 to Perth and then on to Dundee, but where would be the fun in that? Basically, I was a back road rider, so I continued on the A91. Just after Auchtermuchty (another great Scottish placename), I stopped to take a photo of the one of the many fields that had been harvested.

Harvest time near Auchtermuchty

On returning to the bike, the pressing need that had been building for some time, suddenly felt like it needed to be relieved. Now, Scotland is full of beautiful villages, but providing public toilets is something it’s not so good at. I found a bush (which, judging by the number of paper hankies behind it, several others had found too) and squatted down. And just as I let go, wouldn’t a car pull in!!! Concluding my business, I zipped up, wandered past the couple, said “Afternoon,” as if nothing had happened, and rode off.

A few miles further on I turned onto the A92 and followed it over the Tay Bridge to Dundee. It’s not a high bridge so you feel quite close to the water and given how windy it was, it was quite scary riding across it. To my left I could see the Tay Rail Bridge but there was nowhere to stop and take photos. Arriving in the city, the whole waterfront was built up and I had to ride some way out of town before I could find a vantage point.

Tay Road Bridge, Dundee

I didn’t hang around Dundee and followed the A90 north to Tealing where I tool a back road west to Coupar Angus and joined the A94 to Perth. This took me past Perth Airport at Scone, a place I’d worked back in 2001.

Control Tower at Perth Airport, Scone

Planes at Perth Airport, Scone

After Perth, where I could have taken the A9 south, I decided to continue west on the A85 to Crianlarich. By Crief, though, it was getting really cold and the thought of going all the way down the side of Loch Lomond home seemed far too far, so I took the A822 south back to the A9. At Dunblane the A9 becomes the M9. By now, it was blowing a gale and I didn’t want to get blown under a truck, so I came off at Stirling and went back the way I’d come – on the A811 to Glasgow.

I’d covered 269 miles/432.9 km on this trip which meant I only had 533 miles/857.5 km to go to complete my 5,000 km. One more trip should do it.

For full photo gallery

Trip 9 – Fife & Tayside

 

The position so far:

	Miles	Km	£
Overall Target	3,107	5,000	£5,000.00
Total this Trip	269	432.9
Total to Date	2,574	4,142.5	164.85
Left to Go	533	857.5	£4,835.15

 

If you’re enjoying reading this blog, then please help me reach me raise £5,000 for charity by donating using the JustGiving link below. You can find out more about my “5K for £5K Challenge” here. Thank you.