Beer Hunters IX - The Western Isles.

[Mr K]

We (Ballistic and I) started in a modest way: Seaton Sluice, first The Kings Arms.. a pint of Abbotts Ale and then one of Bombardier.... 300yards to the west "The Melton Constable".. Nimmo's XXXX, Spitfire, Abbotts, Bombardier..

Retired to Ballistic NE HQ in ubiquitous Skoda Octavia staff car and had pizza....

Inverness tomorrow night, Saturday...

To be continued...next Thursday..

 

[Ash]

come on ! we are sat waiting and -

 

[Mr K]

come on ! we are sat waiting and -

Patience "Grasshopper" - Just home....

 

[Mr K]

Day 2, Saturday: To Inverness.

Left home shortly after eight, bound for Hawick, Morrison's, fuel, breakfast and to meet Paul (Wrong way) and Tracey.

Tracey's only been out five times on her new Transalp and they'd ridden from Southport to Hesket Newmarket, where they were staying and whizzed up to meet us and have a ride around the Borders.

We rode together for a while, before me and Ballistic carried on north at Innerleithen and Paul & Tracey headed off to St.Mary's Loch for lunch.

The weather was cool but sunny.

Here's today's route:

We stopped at the ski station cafe for drinks at Glenshee, before having one of those sat-nav moments:

"Take unsurfaced road left"

All good fun on a GS, but Brian yarked his back dismounting to snap me in "action....

Eventually we arrived in Inverness at a favourite B&B of ours... Brian was suffering with his back, but selflessly agreed to go to the pub, despite his obvious pain ......and I am sorry for laughing, Brian, honest.....

Inverness:

First, the Castle Tavern, where I stuck to the "Stag" - a lovely dark beer...

Newcastle were playing Stoke and it was on the telly, making it obvious a few Geordies where present...

After 2 or 3 we wandered off in search of "Blackfriars"....we were puzzled by this sign:

...soon we found the place:

We drank "Dark Monro" (4.5%) and "Blackfriars", brewed specially for the pub (7%) ...

There was a band on, Twisted Blues:



After that we walked back to the digs... forgetting to have anything to eat....



(313 miles)

 

[Mr K]

Day 3 - Inverness to Ullapool:

Like this:

We awake and head down for breakfast. Brian's back isn't getting any better and I listen to him putting his trousers on from beneath my duvet: Fokkin!....Gnuh!!....Oaooagh!...Baaast****.... etc
Breakfast is superb,particularly the black pudding . Our wonderful landlady's father makes it himself... and you can tell..

The weather is again bright and sunny but cool.

We took some lovely single track roads and as you may tell by the map, didn't take the direct route..

Had a drink in tongue

Couple of shots on the run down to Ullapool from Durness:

Our landlady wasn't home so we parked the bikes, dumped our gear and went to The Ferryboat Inn and had a pint of Caledonian 80 Shilling...

Returned to the digs, showered and off to The Morefield Motel. Had Red McGregor and An Teallach and possibly "Seaview".....

Wandered back into town for £9.60 fish and chips..

...and a few more pints of 80 Bob at The Ferryboat...

...and to bed...

 

[Mr K]

Day 4: Ullapool to Stornaway

After breakfast (superb black pudding again) we roll the 400 yards to the ferry to Stornaway:

Bikes are stowed first....and we're off....

Arriving at Stornaway, Lewis..

We booked into our B&B (lovely "Sula Sgeir") and headed off north:

We went up to the Butte of Lewis, across featurless moorland...

After which we had a brief dalliance with an "Unsurfaced Road" (see map) which lead nowhere unless you are a mountain goat or masochist...

...before checking-out the Callanish Stones:

Our B&B, which we would come to love...

So we got back to the B&B, knowing that 4 real ale serving pubs were listed in Stornaway.. and indeed The Hebridean Brewery is based in said town....

..after refreshing ourselves we set upon the town ....

3 out of 4 of the pubs listed had either gone trendy or feral....

We arrived after a great many footsteps at the Carlton Bar, which, praise be had Deuchar's IPA on....

My joy was short-lived when I inadvertantly asked the local pish-heed where a fellow could acquire a steak....

Flecked with spittle we bid a retreat and ended up watching Julia Bradbury do a Railway Walk on the telly in the B&B with a Chinese takeaway, 4 tins of Kronenbourg and a bottle of Chablis from the Co-op...

Improvise!

 

[brassmonkey001]

After that we walked back to the digs... forgetting to have anything to eat....



(313 miles)

It's a long road that has no kebab shops!

 

[Mr K]

It's a long road that has no kebab shops!

Just a beer-light to guide us...

 

[AndyT]

I enjoyed that, I quite fancy taking a few days out to see the NW tip of Scotlans soon and maybe even hop over to the Islands for a swift one

AndyT

 

[Mr K]

Day 117: Stornaway to Knockaline

Poked ma heed oot the Velux windae and ascertained it was dry and bright once more.
Great black pudding yet again

We head off for Leverburgh and the ferry....

The scenery and roads are much more pleasing to the south of Stornaway...the road dipped and curved through hills and a myriad of tiny lakes, causeways across lochs, twisting through small villages, crofts spaced several hundred yards apart, single track sinew with the bonus of drivers that know how to drive it..

Random pictures from the run to the Leverburgh ferry:

Mmmmm ... McBakes?

Arrived at the slip and waited for the ferry...

Seems like a good point to stick the track in?

The track includes the ferry crossing which seemd quite tricky: The ferry went slowly and weaved between buoys to avoid reefs and rocks...so cool.

I've never left a ferry with less ceremony: Bonk! Ramp down. Go..

By the time we reached our B&B..

...it was drizzling and cool. We chucked our gear in and went down to Limaddy for a pint at the Limaddy Hotel ... Deuchars IPA strangely enough.
Then back to the digs for a spruce-up.

The boozer was about 1.5 miles away...

...so we walked..

Cosy place..

With a warm welcome....

.... and my bestest mate on North Uist spotted these for Brian to photograph..

..so we had a drink....

 

[Mr K]

On arrival, last night we realised we had an early start: We had to check in for the Oban ferry before 08:30 ...and we were 40 miles of single track away...and drammed-up...

But we awoke at 06:00 and our wonderful landlady (who once had an ex-French Police R65) made us the full cooked breakfast (with sauteed potatoes) and the beautiful black pudding...

We make the ferry:

Leave Loch Boisdale...

...and settle down for the 5 hour crossing..

The lighthouse at Ardnamurchan point (The most westerly point on the British mainland) if you can make it out..

Arriving Oban:

Today's plot:

Off the ferry at Oban I was gaspin' for a pint and Brian may tell you I was riding in that manner...

Anyway, we found our lovely B&B...

..and seeing as I'd not had a pint for 18 hours, I left Brian abluting and legged it to the pub..

It's a lovely bar..

We had a few pints of Mayfield Brewerey - Auntie Myrtle's and lots more Windie Goat - Sheep's Linne...

Even the Bobbies love it

I had my steak at long last..

...and then a G & T ....

..and some whisky nobody wanted.. "Lagavulin" - must a been shyte... label said it was 16 years old and no fecker had drank it yet...

..tasted fine to me and the Ballistic man.. to which my gratitude I must express for the planning and research that goes into getting me mullahed all over our beautiful country.

Top job, Brian/Ballistic.

 

[Deleted account W]

Good stuff, I enjoyed that. Aren't beer, bars and bikes great

 

[Mr K]

Day 368:

Failford - Home.

Motoways and dual-carriageway 165 miles.. lost a screen bolt

 

[Dee Tee]

Top Report,Chris. Sounds like a brilliant trip .

 

[Jazbee]

Great stuff Chris, looks like you had a great time Heading to Durness and Ullapool this weekend. As a matter of interest...how much was the crossing to Stornoway and how long did it take?

 

[Mr K]

Great stuff Chris, looks like you had a great time Heading to Durness and Ullapool this weekend. As a matter of interest...how much was the crossing to Stornoway and how long did it take?

From what I can recall the the crossing took 2 and a bit hours. If you like real ale head straight for Tarbert. If not drink only in Hotel bars.

We had 3 crossings:

Ullapool to Stornaway

Leverburgh to Bevernay

Lochboisdale to Oban

..all for £73...



Ring CalMac..they're doing 50% off for 3 years.

onyack

 

[Mr K]

A breakfast fit for a Tosser..

 

[Aidan1150]

That was a good read. Thanks Chris.

 

[wully]

Enjoyed that, thanks for posting.

Was out on Lewis and Harris last summer and am going back on two wheels- loads of great roads on Harris to explore

 

[Mr K]

Correction

"Limaddy" should be Lochmaddy - I'd abreviated it as "L'maddy" in my notes and misread it.