First attempt at a ride report, so bear with me!
It’s funny how you seem to spend weeks or months looking forward to a trip and then suddenly it’s time to go.
Anyway last week, five of us, three Daves, Marc and Glynn (who is a bike instructor from Safebiker and who got us all through our Direct Access) set off from his base in Widnes – for Ballachullish.
So we had two GSs, an FJR, a TDM and a Suzuki GSXR all northward bound for a five day break. We had the grudging permission from our wives to go and we were determined to make the most of it!
So on Day 1, after some four hours of riding up the M6, through some torrential downpours, we left the motorway and headed via Kilmarnock, Gourock and over the ferry to Dunoon, before heading for Crianlarich and out to Ballachullish.
We go this route every time that we head up there and the roads and scenery are simply stunning. Even the rains abated for a while as we hit the ‘A’ roads.
Eventually, we reached Ardno House B& B, our base for four nights. In hindsight, I should have found somewhere nearer to a pub as, at 10.45 each evening, we were asked to quieten down a bit. We were hardly partying but just talking and laughing mostly. It would have been better to rest up in the local before retiring to the B & B at the end of the night.
[/IMG]
As it was, that night, we ate at a local pub about 2 miles towards Oban on the side of the Loch before riding back to our base.
Anyway on Day 2, we had heavy showers with rain in between, so we headed down to Oban for a tour of the Oban Distillery, followed by a chippy meal and then a slow return via The Sea Life Centre where two otters were refusing to put on a show and instead were doing their best to escape. It was a brief respite from the rain which stopped every time we went inside and started again as we climbed on to our bikes.
The Suzuki stalled in the B & B car park, that morning, dropping the rider and falling onto its right hand side, damaging the indicator stalk.
After a return to the Ballachullish that night, we rode straight to a local pub for some tea before a return to our base. That night we were told to quieten down again at precisely 10.45, so we all went to bed.
Day 3 and the Suzuki started the day by falling over again, this time on the left hand side, breaking the gear selector and damaging the light stalk, so our planned trip to Skye was postponed and we set off to Cupar via the A82 to Lochernhead, Crieff and Perth to get the part. The bike looked so sad with both indicators drooping that we named her dropsy. The rider got some stick for the rest of the tour!
I realised that I’d taken no photos in the first couple of days and so out I decided to make up for it.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09009.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09011.jpg" target="_blank">/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09012.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09012.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
After a brief butty break, we returned up the A9 as far as Dalwhinnie before hitting the A86 to Spean Bridge and went to look at the Commando Monument. I couldn’t understand why it had been positioned so far out of Spean Bridge until we got to it. I’m not an emotional type of guy but, looking at the monument, in its fantastic setting, certainly brought a lump to my throat.
From Spean Bridge, we called at Fort William where the heavens again opened and we got soaked yet again. Still we brought some more beer and, after stopping at another pub for tea, we set off back to our base. We were saving a fortune by buying beer in each evening but it was just a pity that either the rain or the midges seemed determined to bugger up the evenings.
We still wanted to reach the Isle of Skye so, on Day 4, we set off along the A830 to Mallaig, for the ferry to Skye.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09027.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09027.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
It was a fantastic ride up to Mallaig where we were told that 2 bikes could get on the next ferry but that the other 3 would have to wait 3 hours. As we filled up, we watched a pair of old Indian bikes also filling up before riding off.
So bollocks to that, we had a pub lunch and headed back to Fort William via the A861 along the coast and taking in some long sweeping fast bits and quite a lot of single track bits.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09048.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09048.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The FJR clipped a deer just before we reached the ferry at Corran, on one of the faster stretches of the road. He was the fourth bike in the group and so we were all very lucky. The deer ran off into the woods and so we all lived another day!
We met up with a few more old Indian bikes and BMWs at the ferry and chatted to some of the riders as we sailed over the short stretch of water back to Ballachullish.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09050.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09050.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09052.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09052.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Tea again at a local pub, a few beers and an early night! We all decided that we had taken the best roads that day and were perfectly happy to miss out Skye etc. We had also skirted round much of the rain and had a great ride.
Day 5 was the end to our break in Scotland and the start of our homeward trip. After filling up, we travelled back to Crianlarich before running down alongside Loch Lomond to Glasgow.
After riding through Glasgow, we hit the motorway down as far as Carlisle South, when we joined the A6 and rode down to our last night stop-over at the Low Jock Scar, about 5 miles north of Kendal (close to Kendal Caravans). Needless to say, it pissed it down about half way down the A6.
Wow, what a place. Greeted with a pot of tea and a slice of cake. Really friendly welcome, lovely rooms and what a setting.
That night, we got a taxi into Kendal, had a Chinese meal, a few beers before getting the taxi back to the B&B. There were drinks available at the B&B but, when we got back at about 10.30, everyone had gone to bed.
Anyway, after a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast, we set off in more heavy rain back to the M6 for the trip home. It stopped raining as we passed Preston...
We had a fantastic time. The bikes never missed a beat and the rain was just an inconvenience, The roads were great and the friendly waves from the other bikers just added to the fun of touring, as a group on bikes.
It’s funny how you seem to spend weeks or months looking forward to a trip and then suddenly it’s time to go.
Anyway last week, five of us, three Daves, Marc and Glynn (who is a bike instructor from Safebiker and who got us all through our Direct Access) set off from his base in Widnes – for Ballachullish.
So we had two GSs, an FJR, a TDM and a Suzuki GSXR all northward bound for a five day break. We had the grudging permission from our wives to go and we were determined to make the most of it!
So on Day 1, after some four hours of riding up the M6, through some torrential downpours, we left the motorway and headed via Kilmarnock, Gourock and over the ferry to Dunoon, before heading for Crianlarich and out to Ballachullish.
We go this route every time that we head up there and the roads and scenery are simply stunning. Even the rains abated for a while as we hit the ‘A’ roads.
Eventually, we reached Ardno House B& B, our base for four nights. In hindsight, I should have found somewhere nearer to a pub as, at 10.45 each evening, we were asked to quieten down a bit. We were hardly partying but just talking and laughing mostly. It would have been better to rest up in the local before retiring to the B & B at the end of the night.
As it was, that night, we ate at a local pub about 2 miles towards Oban on the side of the Loch before riding back to our base.
Anyway on Day 2, we had heavy showers with rain in between, so we headed down to Oban for a tour of the Oban Distillery, followed by a chippy meal and then a slow return via The Sea Life Centre where two otters were refusing to put on a show and instead were doing their best to escape. It was a brief respite from the rain which stopped every time we went inside and started again as we climbed on to our bikes.
The Suzuki stalled in the B & B car park, that morning, dropping the rider and falling onto its right hand side, damaging the indicator stalk.
After a return to the Ballachullish that night, we rode straight to a local pub for some tea before a return to our base. That night we were told to quieten down again at precisely 10.45, so we all went to bed.
Day 3 and the Suzuki started the day by falling over again, this time on the left hand side, breaking the gear selector and damaging the light stalk, so our planned trip to Skye was postponed and we set off to Cupar via the A82 to Lochernhead, Crieff and Perth to get the part. The bike looked so sad with both indicators drooping that we named her dropsy. The rider got some stick for the rest of the tour!
I realised that I’d taken no photos in the first couple of days and so out I decided to make up for it.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09009.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09011.jpg" target="_blank">/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09012.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09012.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
After a brief butty break, we returned up the A9 as far as Dalwhinnie before hitting the A86 to Spean Bridge and went to look at the Commando Monument. I couldn’t understand why it had been positioned so far out of Spean Bridge until we got to it. I’m not an emotional type of guy but, looking at the monument, in its fantastic setting, certainly brought a lump to my throat.
From Spean Bridge, we called at Fort William where the heavens again opened and we got soaked yet again. Still we brought some more beer and, after stopping at another pub for tea, we set off back to our base. We were saving a fortune by buying beer in each evening but it was just a pity that either the rain or the midges seemed determined to bugger up the evenings.
We still wanted to reach the Isle of Skye so, on Day 4, we set off along the A830 to Mallaig, for the ferry to Skye.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09027.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09027.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
It was a fantastic ride up to Mallaig where we were told that 2 bikes could get on the next ferry but that the other 3 would have to wait 3 hours. As we filled up, we watched a pair of old Indian bikes also filling up before riding off.
So bollocks to that, we had a pub lunch and headed back to Fort William via the A861 along the coast and taking in some long sweeping fast bits and quite a lot of single track bits.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09048.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09048.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The FJR clipped a deer just before we reached the ferry at Corran, on one of the faster stretches of the road. He was the fourth bike in the group and so we were all very lucky. The deer ran off into the woods and so we all lived another day!
We met up with a few more old Indian bikes and BMWs at the ferry and chatted to some of the riders as we sailed over the short stretch of water back to Ballachullish.
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09050.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09050.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/?action=view¤t=Scotland09052.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/DaveLythgoe/Scotland09052.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Tea again at a local pub, a few beers and an early night! We all decided that we had taken the best roads that day and were perfectly happy to miss out Skye etc. We had also skirted round much of the rain and had a great ride.
Day 5 was the end to our break in Scotland and the start of our homeward trip. After filling up, we travelled back to Crianlarich before running down alongside Loch Lomond to Glasgow.
After riding through Glasgow, we hit the motorway down as far as Carlisle South, when we joined the A6 and rode down to our last night stop-over at the Low Jock Scar, about 5 miles north of Kendal (close to Kendal Caravans). Needless to say, it pissed it down about half way down the A6.
Wow, what a place. Greeted with a pot of tea and a slice of cake. Really friendly welcome, lovely rooms and what a setting.
That night, we got a taxi into Kendal, had a Chinese meal, a few beers before getting the taxi back to the B&B. There were drinks available at the B&B but, when we got back at about 10.30, everyone had gone to bed.
Anyway, after a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast, we set off in more heavy rain back to the M6 for the trip home. It stopped raining as we passed Preston...
We had a fantastic time. The bikes never missed a beat and the rain was just an inconvenience, The roads were great and the friendly waves from the other bikers just added to the fun of touring, as a group on bikes.
