Ullapool Motorcycles Closed

I think this is (was) Simmo's place? I knew him when he lived in my part of the world. Decent chap, I'm sad it didn't work out for him.

Yes, it was me, Simmo. I have just found this thread. 2017 was a mad year for annoying tourists in their campers and idiots on motorbikes but 2018 was even worse. The North West of Scotland has been ruined by the NC500 in my opinion. I just couldn't cope with the thousands of tourists so I now live one of the Shetland Islands, in the middle of nowhere. 83 square miles of peat bogs and I hardly have to talk to another human being for the rest of my life.

The business was fun and it really was nice to help the grateful people but the minority ruined it. I learnt a lot about myself especially the fact that I am not really a people person hence the move. Yes English who move to Scotland are OK, English who come for a seven day invasion of arrogance and looking down their noses are pricks.

Adios!
 
Can wholeheartedly agree with you on all accounts regarding the invaders.
 
Can wholeheartedly agree with you on all accounts regarding the invaders.

How do you differentiate? I visited Scotland recently with Louise and our daughter during the October half term . We had a very pleasant time staying in a glamping pod Balloch and a small hotel in Portsonachan , visiting Oban & Inveraray. Were we invaders ?
 
How do you differentiate? I visited Scotland recently with Louise and our daughter during the October half term . We had a very pleasant time staying in a glamping pod Balloch and a small hotel in Portsonachan , visiting Oban & Inveraray. Were we invaders ?

You usually make this association face to face. The vast majority of those I meet or have met are fine, however there is an increasing number who are so ignorant to locals and others around them.
 
Shame as it’s on the NW 500 so a good place to get stuff on that trip. 2 years ago my tyres were fecked but he was as helpful as you could get though we had to carry on as it was 2 days to get them.
 
How do you differentiate? I visited Scotland recently with Louise and our daughter during the October half term . We had a very pleasant time staying in a glamping pod Balloch and a small hotel in Portsonachan , visiting Oban & Inveraray. Were we invaders ?

No Rushy, you weren't. You were welcome visitors.
The folk that are generally unwelcome in Scotland are the same that would be unwelcome anywhere.
You know the sort.....:D
The ones that plonk themselves down at the table next to you....and you suddenly decide that you don't really want the rest of that pint and that now would be an excellent time to check out the other pub down the road !
 
Simmo just to give you a bit of heart we had a successful business until the EU quota’s ruined a lot of the fishing industry. We had just spent 3/4 million on capital equipment for further fish processing then bang boats had quotas fixed on them, fish landings dropped all over the UK and many processing jobs went ( I voted for Brexit) we lost ALL. But moved to Peterhead worked with bro as company engineer for dear friends who made our lives Whole Again. So my friend the bad times can and will change. Take care my friend. John
 
Good to hear from you Simmo, I see the occasional post from your on the DTRF forum (although I only have public access now). Sounds like where you moved to is great - I don't suppose you still have your CR500 do you? It'd be great there ;-) Shame about the NC500 route, was thinking of doing that myself next year, but if the locals are hostile to visitors I think I'll not head that far north.

Really good to hear from you, keep in touch on here :)
 
I’d been giving the NC500 a bit of thought, not as a fixed route but as a pointer towards an area that I’ve not visited since the mid ‘80s but this thread has made me reconsider because if there’s a degree of animosity being created by both locals and visitors I’d sooner stick to my tried and trusted routine of visiting mainland Europe.

On the issue of whether campervans and their owners bring business to an area, we tend to drive for a day then use ebikes to visit the more inaccessible places the next day and it’s very rare that we cook more than our breakfasts in the motorhome preferring to eat out every evening. Ok, that doesn’t put much cash into shops but it does boost pubs and cafes by a fairly significant amount every day.
 
I’m sure that the old adage of ‘My attitude is a reflection of your attitude’ most probably applies to the locals on the route.

On that basis, I’d see no reason not to go.
 
don't think there is animosity on the part of the locals,just comments, some maybe justified but they are mostly welcoming.
 
I’d been giving the NC500 a bit of thought, not as a fixed route but as a pointer towards an area that I’ve not visited since the mid ‘80s but this thread has made me reconsider because if there’s a degree of animosity being created by both locals and visitors I’d sooner stick to my tried and trusted routine of visiting mainland Europe.

On the issue of whether campervans and their owners bring business to an area, we tend to drive for a day then use ebikes to visit the more inaccessible places the next day and it’s very rare that we cook more than our breakfasts in the motorhome preferring to eat out every evening. Ok, that doesn’t put much cash into shops but it does boost pubs and cafes by a fairly significant amount every day.

I wouldn't worry, the country and the people and the pubs are still the same, generally. As with anywhere, the arrogant pricks get a poor reception, nothing new, just more of them. It's a friendly country, whatever the accent
 
I wouldn't worry, the country and the people and the pubs are still the same, generally. As with anywhere, the arrogant pricks get a poor reception, nothing new, just more of them. It's a friendly country, whatever the accent

I don’t worry about going to Scotland, I was there last weekend visiting my son and his family in Aberdeen and I spend a fair amount of time working at Grangemouth refinery but if campervans and tourists are viewed with a bit of shall we say, distrust, in the NC500 vicinity it doesn’t seem worth it.

It’s ages since I went up there on the bike though because these days it’s nearly always for work related reasons and for a long time I’d be there to go climbing in either the Cairngorms or Fort William area neither of which are really suited for motorbikes. I’ll probably just decide one day to go when I’ve got a quiet period at work but planning ahead is a bit of a bastard.
 
Funny, I don't ever recall any animosity in my 26 years as an Englishman in the Highlands, and I get out quite a lot on the bikes. Canpervans can be a bit of a nuisance, but not enough to spoil a ride, and gawd knows it's never going to be as bad as the south east. And as a humble b&b owner I can't say I mind tourists too much...

Fighting the traffic in September last year on the NC500 in Sutherland. :D

 
Funny, I don't ever recall any animosity in my 26 years as an Englishman in the Highlands, and I get out quite a lot on the bikes. Canpervans can be a bit of a nuisance, but not enough to spoil a ride, and gawd knows it's never going to be as bad as the south east. And as a humble b&b owner I can't say I mind tourists too much...

Fighting the traffic in September last year on the NC500 in Sutherland. :D


Is your b & b in a spot that could be used my our collective here when visiting the real north?
 
In all honesty we're not ideal for bikes as we are on the outskirts of Inverness and you need a car, bus or taxi to get to the pub/town centre. We do get bikes from time to time though, it's just something to bear in mind.

PM me if you want details. The important thing is that if the 2019 season is as busy as the last few years, just winging it in the busy places can be risky - Inverness gets booked out (or the prices go silly) and there is a lack of accommodation further north - no Premier Inns in Durness!:D
 
Funny, I don't ever recall any animosity in my 26 years as an Englishman in the Highlands, and I get out quite a lot on the bikes. Canpervans can be a bit of a nuisance, but not enough to spoil a ride, and gawd knows it's never going to be as bad as the south east. And as a humble b&b owner I can't say I mind tourists too much...

Fighting the traffic in September last year on the NC500 in Sutherland. :D


Likewise as an Englishman of some 60 years ' residence. There Has always been and always (I hope) will be banter between the two nations just as there is between different regions / counties of England. Long may that continue for if it ends, our cultural and historic differences will be no more also. What a dismal prospect of bland grey porridge!

Sure, some on the fringes of the SNP trot out bigoted bollox but they're a tiny minority mostly online and eabout as influential as extreme nationalists such as Tommy Robinson down south. There's complaints also about the sheer number of tourists but that applies only to particular hot spots at particular times and it's really about inadequate spending on transport infrastructure and not.directed against tourists as such.

As Dave says (post 21) come as a friend and youll leave as a friend!

Ps: Fine pic Threedawg. It's fair making me antsy for the Spring! :D
 
Scotty couldn’t agree more my brothers step son is an ardent snp-er I said what about your dads great grandpa who left Caithness and poverty for work in the shipyards of Tyneside. Also our fish customers were all based south of Berwick. All went well until the snp’s magic EU cocked our fishing industry up, well apart from that little rant I say live and let live and when we where wild camping around the West coast in our younger days I only found help and courtesy there again we bought our food etc from local shoppies
 


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