Excellent!
Scotland 2024: Skye, Bealach na Bà ... and an Act of Remembrance
- Thread starter retroman
- Start date
Excellent!
Thank you Tim, more to follow
Day 7: Sheildaig to Rothesay (Isle of Bute) via the Commando Memorial, Spean Bridge.
I had a disturbed night’s sleep; there was a generator or boiler sounding outside my room every twenty minutes or so, and by 00:30 I’d had enough. The Night Porter was summoned from his slumbers and (in fairness) immediately moved me to an (even better) room with a view across the Loch. In the morning the staff were very apologetic, and I was to be given a full refund of £140 for my room & breakfast … but to be honest, all I really wanted was a peaceful night
Still, there were others who’d had a worse night than me. Rishi Sunak & Co; with (dis)honourable mention to the SNP. Goodbye ….
On departure we did consider retracing our steps over Bealach na Bà, but there was little improvement in the weather, so instead elected to take the low-level A896 to Strathcarron … itself a stunning road
And so, to Spean Bridge ...
Mercifully, the place was deserted. H captured me approaching the Commando memorial to pay my respects ....
I had a disturbed night’s sleep; there was a generator or boiler sounding outside my room every twenty minutes or so, and by 00:30 I’d had enough. The Night Porter was summoned from his slumbers and (in fairness) immediately moved me to an (even better) room with a view across the Loch. In the morning the staff were very apologetic, and I was to be given a full refund of £140 for my room & breakfast … but to be honest, all I really wanted was a peaceful night
Still, there were others who’d had a worse night than me. Rishi Sunak & Co; with (dis)honourable mention to the SNP. Goodbye ….
On departure we did consider retracing our steps over Bealach na Bà, but there was little improvement in the weather, so instead elected to take the low-level A896 to Strathcarron … itself a stunning road
And so, to Spean Bridge ...
Mercifully, the place was deserted. H captured me approaching the Commando memorial to pay my respects ....
David RL Prichard, Royal Marines (1940-2023)
To explain, my Dad died late last year at the age of 82. He had served as a Royal Marines Commando as a Regular, then the Reserve, for many years. In the early 80s his Unit trained extensively in the Kinlochleven and Glencoe areas. Despite active service in the deserts of Aden and training periods in Norway (amongst other places), he always talked of his time in Scotland as the toughest of his career.
On my return home I came across these photos which date from 1983. I believe this may be somewhere on the Aonach Eagach ridge: not the best of places on a sunny day in lightweight walking gear ....
Dad on left, clearly enjoying the wonderful view ...
Looks like Five Sisters in Glencoe, Dad fourth from left looking at the camera ....
Dad wearing Green Beret furthest left. I wouldn't fancy carrying that kit and those weapons/ammo in that country at any time ....
During down time, Dad and his Unit managed to visit the Commando Memorial. He always regarded this as Holy Ground. He is visibly moved in this photo.
And so, H and I paid our respects to Dad and to all Commandos, living and departed.
~ This Country Was Their Training Ground ~
We left Poppy tributes in the Memorial Garden ... and (I'm not ashamed to say) shed a few tears.
... I had brought an Isle of Islay single malt in my hip flask. We raised a toast ...
Goodbye, Dad. Wishing you fair winds, and following seas.
~ Per Mare Per Terram ~
Onwards to the Isle of Bute. TBC'd ....
To explain, my Dad died late last year at the age of 82. He had served as a Royal Marines Commando as a Regular, then the Reserve, for many years. In the early 80s his Unit trained extensively in the Kinlochleven and Glencoe areas. Despite active service in the deserts of Aden and training periods in Norway (amongst other places), he always talked of his time in Scotland as the toughest of his career.
On my return home I came across these photos which date from 1983. I believe this may be somewhere on the Aonach Eagach ridge: not the best of places on a sunny day in lightweight walking gear ....
Dad on left, clearly enjoying the wonderful view ...
Looks like Five Sisters in Glencoe, Dad fourth from left looking at the camera ....
Dad wearing Green Beret furthest left. I wouldn't fancy carrying that kit and those weapons/ammo in that country at any time ....
During down time, Dad and his Unit managed to visit the Commando Memorial. He always regarded this as Holy Ground. He is visibly moved in this photo.
And so, H and I paid our respects to Dad and to all Commandos, living and departed.
~ This Country Was Their Training Ground ~
We left Poppy tributes in the Memorial Garden ... and (I'm not ashamed to say) shed a few tears.
... I had brought an Isle of Islay single malt in my hip flask. We raised a toast ...
Goodbye, Dad. Wishing you fair winds, and following seas.
~ Per Mare Per Terram ~
Onwards to the Isle of Bute. TBC'd ....
Very poignant.
Thanks Dave. You'd have got on well with Dad. When he left the Regular Royal Marines he joined Cardiff City Police (later South Wales Constabulary), retiring after his full term. An old school hard-as-nails Sergeant who took no shit from anyone, massively respected by all the right people (and feared by all the right people, too)Good one Dave.
Respect to your dad, as a former PARA I always stop at Spean Bridge on my travels, beautiful place and so atmospheric.
Excellent write up which I’ve really enjoyed following.
I make a point of visiting that monument and paying my respects. It is set in such an evocative location, and gives me goosebumps every time.
I make a point of visiting that monument and paying my respects. It is set in such an evocative location, and gives me goosebumps every time.
Great photographs Dave ... a man and Service to be proud of 
It's a moving place and especially if the weather is less than kind and the tour coaches are absent. A reminder of the conditions the commandos faced back in the day.
I first went there shortly after the memorial was unveiled. Our neighbour, was absolutely determined to see it. I was taken, along with his wife and two boys, on a holiday in their Dormobile and then to a caravan near Oban.
When we got to Spean Bridge, Willie was very quiet and wandered off on his own. We three boys of course had no clue what he was thinking about as we ran around, doing what bored kids do.
Willie had an undiagnosed heart condition and died in his bed in the early 90s. I then discovered that he had served on an LCI and had taken commandos in on D Day.
So if I'm passing and it's quiet, I always pull in and think about Willie Rae, a decent, kindly man and what was on his mind that day.
Me too - strikes just the right note!
Thanks, one and all, for the very kind comments.
Apparently the Memorial is over-run in peak season. I'm glad we were able to visit in peace.
Pete, that's a wonderful and moving account. Rest in peace Willie, and thank you for your service
The run south through Glencoe … those peaks look familiar … see my third photo in post 24 above ….
At Bridge of Orchy, we turned right onto the lovely single track B8074 along Glen Orchy. This follows the river through a forested area for most of its length with some impressive rapids and towering peaks either side. Sadly, the rain continued to fall so photo stops were limited.
We joined the A85 at Inverlochy for a short blast to the A819 and A815 south to Strachur, turning off southbound along the A886 for the ferry to Bute at Colintraive. Wonderful biking roads throughout.
Readers may recall that last year, I had an issue with dearth of petrol stations in the West Highlands: I nearly ran out of fuel between Mallaig and Fort William. This year I came prepared … sure enough, on the A886 the fuel light came up, some 20 miles to the ferry. Although I probably had enough to get me there, I didn’t want to risk running dry, with the prospect of being pushed off the ferry & up the slipway. Time to decant some juice.
It's a short hop from Colintraive to Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute, but the ferry is sunstantial, so this route must see a fair bit of traffic.
Bute is a lovely island and I had hoped we would have time to explore and even do the ring road, but by this stage we were both tired and hungry, so our AirBnB at Rothesay beckoned ... some eight miles distant.
At Bridge of Orchy, we turned right onto the lovely single track B8074 along Glen Orchy. This follows the river through a forested area for most of its length with some impressive rapids and towering peaks either side. Sadly, the rain continued to fall so photo stops were limited.
We joined the A85 at Inverlochy for a short blast to the A819 and A815 south to Strachur, turning off southbound along the A886 for the ferry to Bute at Colintraive. Wonderful biking roads throughout.
Readers may recall that last year, I had an issue with dearth of petrol stations in the West Highlands: I nearly ran out of fuel between Mallaig and Fort William. This year I came prepared … sure enough, on the A886 the fuel light came up, some 20 miles to the ferry. Although I probably had enough to get me there, I didn’t want to risk running dry, with the prospect of being pushed off the ferry & up the slipway. Time to decant some juice.
It's a short hop from Colintraive to Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute, but the ferry is sunstantial, so this route must see a fair bit of traffic.
Bute is a lovely island and I had hoped we would have time to explore and even do the ring road, but by this stage we were both tired and hungry, so our AirBnB at Rothesay beckoned ... some eight miles distant.
Day 8: Rothesay (Isle of Bute) – Hawes (Yorkshire Dales)
Our Air BnB was a self-contained flat which was well-equipped and comfortable, but (in common with all our digs on this tour) was on the top floor of a three-storey building ..... I must research these things a bit better in future. The host had assured us that our bikes would be safe on the square opposite Rothesay Castle, and this was corroborated by the locals we spoke with … and so it proved. We had a good view, at any rate: bikes bottom left.
After a pint and a home cooked dinner, it was off to bed for a restful night – albeit, disturbed at 3am by the screaming Kittiwakes who colonise the castle walls
The following morning, Day 8 of the tour, and we were up for the first sailing of the day to the mainland at Wemyss Bay. A big beast of a ferry this time, and (joy of joys) blue sky and patchy sunshine. With our bikes strapped safely in the hold, we enjoyed a lovely sailing across the Firth of Clyde, ready for the blast south to the Dales.
Looking back to Rothesay: I hope to return to Bute for a fuller visit & exploration in due course.
"Mr BlueSky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long ... so long ....?"
TBC'd ....
Our Air BnB was a self-contained flat which was well-equipped and comfortable, but (in common with all our digs on this tour) was on the top floor of a three-storey building
..... I must research these things a bit better in future. The host had assured us that our bikes would be safe on the square opposite Rothesay Castle, and this was corroborated by the locals we spoke with … and so it proved. We had a good view, at any rate: bikes bottom left.After a pint and a home cooked dinner, it was off to bed for a restful night – albeit, disturbed at 3am by the screaming Kittiwakes who colonise the castle walls
The following morning, Day 8 of the tour, and we were up for the first sailing of the day to the mainland at Wemyss Bay. A big beast of a ferry this time, and (joy of joys) blue sky and patchy sunshine. With our bikes strapped safely in the hold, we enjoyed a lovely sailing across the Firth of Clyde, ready for the blast south to the Dales.
Looking back to Rothesay: I hope to return to Bute for a fuller visit & exploration in due course.
"Mr BlueSky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long ... so long ....?"
TBC'd ....
Final post: Day 8 (Cont’d) and Day 9, homeward bound
Off the ferry at Wemyss Bay and we followed the A713 > A75 southbound to Gretna, usually a great motorcycling route, but this year hampered by long sections of loose shingles with resurfacing work ongoing
We arrived at Hawes in lovely evening sunshine after a memorable run over Buttertubs Pass. Our accommodation for the night:
Fantastic en-suite room:
Unfortunately I hadn't banked on England surviving this far in the Euros, the pub was full of gobshite football fans all shrieking and bellowing at the massive flat-screen TV which itself was at maximum volume. With KO clashing with our evening meal timing, we abandoned this place and made our way down the road to the White Hart for peace, quiet and a slap-up meal. Lots of other diners arriving, all nervously asking "... is the football on in here?"
H and I are big into our Victoriana, especially lovely old fireplaces ... the White Hart has this marvellous thing:
The Board was still noisy until kicking-out at midnight, thankfully I had a good night thereafter.
After breakfast, home via the North Pennies (see tank bag for the route
....)
H and I bade farewell via intercom on a chock-a-block southbound M6. We arrived at our respective homes at about 16:00 and within minutes of each other ....
So ends another great tour, despite the weather all target roads and passes ridden with another 2,022 miles on the 1150 ... such a great bike, after all these years.
Thoughts are now turning to the next tour ... Scotland never fails to amaze, but we might give it a miss next year, and seek out some sunshine on the Continent instead ... but who knows ...
Thanks for reading, folks ... ride safe
Off the ferry at Wemyss Bay and we followed the A713 > A75 southbound to Gretna, usually a great motorcycling route, but this year hampered by long sections of loose shingles with resurfacing work ongoing
We arrived at Hawes in lovely evening sunshine after a memorable run over Buttertubs Pass. Our accommodation for the night:
Fantastic en-suite room:
Unfortunately I hadn't banked on England surviving this far in the Euros, the pub was full of gobshite football fans all shrieking and bellowing at the massive flat-screen TV which itself was at maximum volume. With KO clashing with our evening meal timing, we abandoned this place and made our way down the road to the White Hart for peace, quiet and a slap-up meal. Lots of other diners arriving, all nervously asking "... is the football on in here?"
H and I are big into our Victoriana, especially lovely old fireplaces ... the White Hart has this marvellous thing:
The Board was still noisy until kicking-out at midnight, thankfully I had a good night thereafter.
After breakfast, home via the North Pennies (see tank bag for the route
....)H and I bade farewell via intercom on a chock-a-block southbound M6. We arrived at our respective homes at about 16:00 and within minutes of each other ....
So ends another great tour, despite the weather all target roads and passes ridden
with another 2,022 miles on the 1150 ... such a great bike, after all these years.Thoughts are now turning to the next tour ... Scotland never fails to amaze, but we might give it a miss next year, and seek out some sunshine
on the Continent instead ... but who knows ...Thanks for reading, folks ... ride safe
Thanks for that - I enjoyed reading it.
