Sheffield to Orkney 2011

Our day started from Sheffield about 9am, three of us, me, SWMBO (Kaz), and a mate (Andy) from down South. Me on my 2010 F650GS, Kaz on 2011 G650GS, and Andy on a 2010 Varadero. The plan to get to Orkney in three days without using Motorways, and avoiding dual carriageways as much as possible.

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Our route took us up to Tadcaster, this was the slowest part of the journey thanks to sections of 30mph limits and small roads. It turned out to be a fairly quiet and enjoyable route, using these secret links between major areas.

Boroughbridge was our first stop, on what was to prove a lovely sunny day.

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I pinched a bit of AdamA’s route from a previous ride report to avoid Ripon, getting us up to Masham a slightly nicer route than skirting Ripon. Our first proper stop was the Manor Café (just Nth of Leyburn) for a bit of early lunch/late breakfast, good food at a reasonable price they just need to sort out the gravel drive.

Richmond next, then back roads to pick up the A68. A lunch stop at Brigantium Café (not to usual standard).

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Then onward to Scotland.

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Our first night was at Innerleithen in a pair of Pods.

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Met up with Farmer_Palmer and wife for a bit of wife swapping… seats. Kaz’s sculptured G650GS seat was dully swapped for a standard G650GS seat. Had a good natter before a late night to bed.

Day 2 started damp, and quickly got wetter for our run through Falkirk and over the old Kincardine bridge. The approach to the bridge was to be the only bit of dual carriageway we had to endure

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A light snack (and a dry) was grabbed at The Mill @ Aberfeldy, rather posh but they happily accepted the three drowned rats. From Aberfeldy we headed South West to the A85 and North on the A82, stopping for lunch at the Green Welly.

By the time we got to Fort William everything was drying.

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So a trip to Donan Eilean castle was called for

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Then retrace some of the route to the B&B for the night, Tramps

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We had a good nights sleep, and our host (Mary) prepared a lovely breakfast for us. Mary even provided boot polishing equipment so Andy could polish his Altberg boots before we set off.

We avoided Inverness, going via Beladrum to pick up the road towards John O Groats, doing a bit of back roads to avoid the busiest bit of the A9.

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As the day went on it got sunnier so by the time we got to JOG

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And then Dunnet Head

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We had a brilliant meal at a little café at the harbour in Thurso (Riverside Road), looks like a truck stop from outside, but very nice inside.

Our ferry to Orkney was 7pm, it was a really sunny crossing with the sea like a mill pond. From Stromness we had a 30-minute run to the lodge we had booked for the week.

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We had planned the trip to be at the Ring of Brodgar for the Summer Solstice, the run at 3am from the Lodge to the stones in the twighlight was weird. We have done the Solstice at Stonehenge which is not very enjoyable, at the Ring of Brodgar only about 10 people.

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Four days were spent enjoying the long dry days on Orkney before Andy had to set off back down South, he chose the cat to go back on.

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We spent a couple more days exploring Orkney, before setting off back South via the West coast of Scotland.

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The weather was perfect

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We made our way around the West Coast for our first night at a B&B on Lochinver, then the small road from Lochinver which was stunning.

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We made our way down to Sky, it got a little damp/misty but still enjoyable. Over the Sky bridge then the 6 mile single track road to the Charity Ferry, we arrived to find a queue of various BMW’s (five I think), the ferry became an exclusive BMW motorbike transporter.

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We ended the day in another Pod not far from Fort William, it had turned dry by this time.

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This Pod had large inflatable mattresses, chairs, table and cooking utensils including a gas stove.

The weather forecast looked rough for West Scotland, so we decided to set off home at 5am, it was a bit damp going over Ranoch Moor, but bright enough to keep an eye out for deer, we saw four near the road, but only one decided to cross and I was going slow enough to easily stop.

By the time we got to Falkirk the weather was dry, and by the time we got to County Durham it was getting hotter by the mile. We arrived home some 10 hours later tired but very happy.

Statistics:-

1760 Miles

209.48L petrol between the F650GS & G650GS @ a cost of £292.87

Cheapest petrol £1.33 a Litre

Most expensive £1.55 a Litre

F650GS average 69mpg

G650GS average 85mpg

Thanks for a great report. Very inspiring and another showcase of what great riding & scenery we have in this country

Nice report and we enjoyed the chat and the wife er I mean seat swapping......!

FP.

Enjoyed your write up and pictures, as said above we have a fantastic country to explore. Inspires me to get out more. Camping pods look good, no tents to carry and more sites seem to be offering them know.
Thankyou for posting.

Andrew

Thanks for the kind words guys (sorry for the naming mistakes, too late to edit... sky = Skye, Donan Eilean Castle = Eilean Donan Castle

Pip_UK said:

what great riding & scenery we have in this country

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We certainly do, one of the reasons I don't have a passport anymore, have so much to experience on this sceptic isle yet.

Farmer Palmer said:

Nice report and we enjoyed the chat and the wife er I mean seat swapping......!

FP.

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Yes we really enjoyed the chat, Andy was in his element If you do get some pods he fancied coming and working on the farm for a week !

andrewgsadv said:

Camping pods look good, no tents to carry and more sites seem to be offering them know

Click to expand...

Pod locations We think they are a good idea, no wet tent to be packed in the morning ! It worked well doing B&B and Pod on alternate nights.

They both had electric light and heater, but the one near Fort William was by far the best as they provided good inflatable mattresses, and all the cooking stuff we could need, plus 4 fold up chairs. The one at Inverleithen was just the pod with a picnic table on the balcony, our own inflatable mattresses felt a bit uncomfortable on the carpeted wooden floor.

RCE
Thanks for the link to pod locations,Julie may go for these as an alternative to camping.

Great report! Just returned from 4 days in Scotland on the 800GS with the missus and a mate on his GS(x1400)
Used Travelodges finest £19 rooms in Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh

pods look great if the weather is typically Scottish!

Good report!!

But that's me!!

On the ferry!! Yellow 1100 GS front nearside of the boat!! Me and a squad of BMW club members en route to tea at Corran, beyond Arnisdale, having come from club w/e at Fort Augustus. Remember seeing you!!

Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs!!

Did you like the spray and chip road on the way to Kylerhea??

But then Skye's always a good place to be leaving!! Pish weather.

And another thing!!

The ferryman was very amused to find that the K1600 with us had the same horse power as his boat!!

gerarddwatts said:

Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs!!

Did you like the spray and chip road on the way to Kylerhea??

But then Skye's always a good place to be leaving!! Pish weather.

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Nowt wrong with that road, you ain't seen chip & pin (sic) road until you have ridden ours. Last year had four of us disabled by the bloody stuff, tar and stone stuck to the tyres like something out of Flintstones.

We giggled a few times seeing ramp signs, and temporary surface signs that were better road surfaces than the best of the best road surfaces down here !

Pip_UK said:

Thanks for a great report. Very inspiring and another showcase of what great riding & scenery we have in this country

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Ahh but you don't.....