Can't flipin wait!!
I'm up in Scotland in June.....
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With the Birmingham Advanved Motorcyclists.
Heres the Agenda;
We have one extra night at Fort Augustus
http://www.thecaledonianhotel.com/
to see some more of the west coast further north than
we usually go and an extra day on the way back at the
Queens Hotel outside Lockerbie
http://www.queenshotellockerbie.co.uk/index.htm The hotel has a full size championship snooker table, heated swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and for the more energetic, a well equipped gym. It doesn’t have covered parking for the bikes but they may not fall over during the night either. The extra day on the way back will allow us to see something of Hadrian’s wall and the Keilder Forest. Those of you who remember previous tours will realise that this will also force us to do Heartside Pass twice but these are burdens we must bear.
The length of the days out have also been reduced,
I’ve tried to get down to 260 miles a day from the
290+ we were doing last year. Fuel stops stay at 120
mile intervals so if your bike won’t let you do that
let me know and I’ll put some extra ones in.
Itinerary
On Sunday we work our way up the spine of the country,
crossing the Peak District, Pennines (several times),
and take lunch in the Yorkshire Dales before crossing
the boarder for a night at the Queens Hotel outside
Lockerbie. Only 278 miles (down from 311 last year).
The shorter distance is achieved by starting from
Hilton Park services and using the M6 to get north of Manchester. At 5Hrs 20mins in the saddle it’s still a long day.
Monday we cross the lowlands using the A74/M74 (Boo)
drag our weary bones through Glasgow (Sorry, has to be
done) before getting to Loch Lomand which is where the
open roads really start. Oban, the West Coast, and up
the Great Glen to Fort Agustus, . 272 miles but with
several bits of motorway and the open Scottish Roads
it’s an easier day (5Hrs 5mins).
On Tuesday it’s the new short day (4Hrs 15mins riding)
to recover from the exertions of getting there. 233
miles through the highlands to the northwest coast at
Lochinver with views across The Minch to Lewis and
that fabulous viewpoint above Loch Ness on the way
back to the hotel.
For Wednesday it’s 259 miles (down from 273) around
the Highlands including the famous Applecross Road.
Then the A832 along the West Coast and the A835 where
I always think I’m cruising along until I look at the
speedo (Oops, beer anyone?) 4Hrs 35mins riding.
Thursday is Isle of Skye day, a glorious 258 miles in
4Hrs 55mins. Along the A82/A87 to the Kyle of Loch
Alsh and the Isle of Skye. If you’ve done it before
you know why we do it. If you haven’t done it you owe
it to yourself. Back past Eilean Donan Castle (You
may have seen it with the BBC hot air balloon floating
past) and pack for our last night at Fort Agustus,
which probably means Haggis and a go on the putting
green, chickens and midges permitting, followed by
packing and an early night. Well that’s the plan,
butwe’ll probably be in the bar until late again.
Friday we go back down the Great Glen, through Glencoe
past the Trossachs and stop at Callender for lunch
with the finest selection of puddings know to Bam.
The Forth Road Bridge takes us over the Firth of
Forth, the ring road avoids Edinburgh and leads us to
the A7. You could land a small plane on the A7, if
you weren’t too busy looking at the scenery. 266
miles in 5Hrs 25mins, the longest day of the trip so
you’ll probably want a swim and/or a sauna to get the
knots out.
Saturday is an exploration of the boarder country.
Starting with the famous Heartside Pass, built by Mr
MacAdam himself, leading us to Alston then Hadrian’s
Wall and the Keilder Forest with stops at the visitors
centres, an easy 179 miles in just 3Hrs 25mins but we
have to add some sightseeing time. Back at the hotel,
look at the Gym, think about an invigorating swim or
working up a good sweat in the sauna, but probably
just go and lie in the Jacuzzi. The end of tour meal
will probably involve a glass or two of wine and there
could be some tales told about the tour, some of which
may even be true.
Sunday is going home day, back down the M6 to
Heartside Pass to see if you can improve on the line
you took yesterday, Alston with it’s cobbled main
street (easy on the throttle there) then Teesdale, Tan
Hill, the Wensleydale Cheese Factory, Ribble Head
Viaduct fuel at Skipton then drop onto the M6. 264
miles should take 4Hrs 30mins riding.
The trips to Lochinver Skye and Applecross may change
days depending on weather and cloud heights, all the
routes can be extended and some can be cut short.
I’ve attached some zip files with the intended routes
shown in Microsoft Autoroute and in Garmin formats for
those of you with GPS.
Here we go again!
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and Rugby 
