Woodend Wanderer

Our last day on tour. It was 140 miles to go to Clarencefield. The day dawned gloomy, misty and a fine drizzle fell. It was a day for the wet weather gear again. Our night in the Kilbride farmhouse annex was very comfortable. We rated it 8/10. It was a lovely building but a little dated. The shower needed a little bit of updating but the lounge was amazing and the warm fire lit for our arrival was a wonderful touch. Lala, our host came to say goodbye.

We set off for the ferry to Gourock from Dunoon into the murky gloom. The ferry crossing is around 40 minutes. Once in Gourock we set off south passing Skelmorlie where my mum and dad used to live, through Largs where we stopped for a coffee, climbed up the Hayley Brae and struck south for Dalry.

We passed east of Kilmarnock on B roads that were good quality surfaces in the main and carried us over rolling farmlands. We descended down into the village of Sorn. As we did so out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of red and a yellow roundel on a bike in the window of a small garage set back from the road.

We pulled off to investigate. Well what a find. In this garage we could see some old racing motorcycles. We went in and spoke to the owner James. He is the son of the JD Morton and son, garage owners. I simply asked him what the story of the bikes was. He pointed to an old black and white poster on the garage wall and said that’s my dad racing in the Isle of Man TT in 1963. There were some beautiful old motorcycles there. James asked whether we would like to see some bikes in another garage round the back. Of course we would. In there was his fathers old bikes and on the wall were his medals and cups he had won on his motorcycles. All this from a chance meeting to go look at motorcycles. Fantastic.

We then headed for Wanlockhead.

It is said to be the highest village in Scotland and is an old lead mining town. We had a brief look around as the weather was still wet before descending down to pick up the main road to Dumfries and onto our accommodation at the Farmers Inn in Clarencefield.

We had travelled over 2000 miles on our motorcycles and it was now at an end except the run south to home. I sat in a chair in our room and relaxed. All the planning had worked. Not planned to death but enough to make a very good tour.

What an absolute blast this has been. I got to know my friend Andy much more. Motorcycle touring with a buddy is the perfect way to get to know someone. It allows you to fully enjoy everything a motorcycle has to offer.

I hope this story encourages you to get out and explore. Life is too short to sit on a sofa.

We stayed at the Gowanlea guest house in Campbeltown and it was superb. We gave it 10/10 for comfort, cleanliness, amenities and just the ambience. The hosts John and David were just lovely. It is the second 10/10 we have given this tour.

It was raining when we woke. It was clearly a day for the wet weather gear. Once dressed in all the rubberised clothing we set off back up the Mull of Kintyre to Tarbet and Lochgilphead. Here the road splits to Oban or Glasgow. We took the Glasgow route turning off to take another coastal scenic coastline.

The clouds hung low on the surrounding hills. The rain found a weak spot in my clothing. I could tell it had. There was a cold spot on my neck that then trickled down to my shoulder.

At moments like this there is only one solution. Stop. Put another layer on to ward off the cold. Regroup. Adjust the clothing and try again. It worked. I was warm. Mind you the assistance of heated grips and a heated seat helped.

We stopped at Inverary for a coffee at the Cafe Bella where the barista, AJ, served us hot coffee. He is from Jersey. How does a man from Jersey end up in Inverary? He explained. We enjoyed the warmth and the coffee. We returned to our bikes and I caught a glimpse of an old Clyde puffer sat on the mud in the harbour. It was the Vital Spark. Well I never. The little steamer was the star of the TV show the Tales of Para Handy based on some very funny stories originally published in Glasgow Evening News newspaper. It was a very welcome and unexpected sight. 

We pushed on up the west side of Loch Fyne and at Cairndow turned of onto the A815 down the east side of the loch. The rain eased off a little but never really stopped.

At Strachur the road leads into the A886  and then at Leanach we turned onto the B8000. To call this a road is an exaggeration for it is a single lane twisting, dipping and heaving strip of what can loosely be called tarmac, complete with gravel, potholes and grass. Throw in the odd local who knows the road and thinks that coming the other way at 40 MPH is usual making us brake heavily and wince then you get the idea. But the scenery along the road makes it all worth while. The peace. The quiet. The sheer majesty of the views. 

We stopped at Tighnabruaich for a rest before riding on to our final destination of Dunoon. A quick shop at the local supermarket for something for dinner, purchased our ferry tickets for tomorrow, a pressure wash of the motorbikes to remove the salty crud and grit accumulated since Skye and we arrived at our accommodation for the night and met our host Lala. The annex at the Kilbride farmhouse was a very unexpected surprise complete with woodburner glowing nicely and set by the owner for our arrival.

We set off in the rain this morning with a smile on our faces and even though it rained all day and we were both cold and damp, we arrived with a smile. Motorcycle touring does that to you.

Tomorrow is our last day on this tour. All good things must come to an end. That is the way it must be. If they don’t the next good thing cannot start. How profound is that to end with!

After a scrumptious breakfast looking out over the loch we packed the frost covered bikes and made ready to leave for the 220 mile run to Campbeltown at the bottom of the Mull of Kintyre.

The morning dawned crisp and clear. It was chilly but stunning.

We rated the Strontian Hotel 10/10. We could not find one fault at all. It ticked all our boxes and more. I came with no expectation. I left loving the place and will return with Debbie in October.

The road up the east side of the peninsular is another single track road but not quite as winding as that on the west.

We stopped to take a rest in the warm sun for a while in a sheltered spot before pressing on to the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge. What a place. The impressive sculpture of three men stares out across their training grounds to Ben Nevis and its accompanying mountains. Close by is a memorial ground for old warriors to lie in peace. It is a moving place in a very well chosen location. More on the memorial can be found here.

Still with thoughts in my head about what I had just seen we struck south through Fort William, Oban and down the Argyll coastal scenic route. We passed through the fishing town of Tarbet and entered the Mull of Kintyre. (I bet you are humming the tune!!) The weather clouded over and the temperature dropped once more. A few spots of rain fell.

After a long day in the saddle we have arrived at the Gowenlea guest house in Campbeltown.

Now this is a well appointed place. There is a guest lounge that has been very well stocked with fruits and snacks, tea and coffee. The host comes from Whitley Bay. So close to where I used to live in Seaton Delaval. His mum used to work in the same factory mu dad did. You can’t make this stuff up.

I will do a better review in the morning as I am knackered and a bit stiff after todays ride but this country continues to astound me with its scenery, its people and its roads. What a place!

The little white house we rented was a two bedroom fairly old house that had been nicely decorated. I wanted to rent a house so I could do our laundry. That was accomplished successfully so we had clean clothes to see us until home. We gave the place 7/10. It was not cheap for what it was for one night. There were little in the way of amenities for us. OK there was tea and coffee and biscuits but no milk. A small carton in the fridge for our arrival would have been nice. 

We woke to a chilly frosty morning. The bikes had a dusting of frost about them. We set off on the 162 mile run gingerly as the roads could not be trusted until the sun had warmed them up a bit.

We headed for Armadale to take the ferry to Mallaig. Whilst waiting for it we bumped into a small tour group of Ozzies and Kiwis. Had a lovely chat with them.

Back to sea for me. Well for 40 minutes as we crossed over to Mallaig. We took the coastal scenic route through the pretty village of Arisaig to Glenfinnan. The beaches are of the whitest sand and buest seas. They would be comparable to any beach I have see in the Seychelles. Just the sea is a bit cooler.

We spent some time checking out the Glenfinnan viaduct made rather famous in the Harry Potter movies. The structure itself is rather impressive but not so much as say the railway viaducts at Settle or Durham or Bath. The Glenfinnan one looked rather drab compared to the magnificent stonework of the others. 

We then looked at the impressive Glenfinnan monument. More about it can be found here.

We retraced our route along Loch Eilt and turned south on the A861 south to Strontian.

This is a sinuous road that twists and turns its way along the coast and is mainly single track with passing places to pass traffic coming the opposite way. It takes concentration for there are frequent blind bends and summits and dips but what awaits you at the end is worth every mile.

The Strontian Hotel is a revelation. The Owner Julie greeted us warmly. Our room was warm and comfy and well appointed.The hotel is spotlessly clean. Work by local artists adorn the walls. It is a fairly old building and the decor is typically Scottish and very much in keeping with the building. Julie has owned it one year only but she has big plans to run motorcycle tours from the hotel. The hotel and area lends itself to the idea.

We had a great dinner in the restaurant. The Cullen Skink I had was amazing. Rich with seafood and delicious.

I loved the place and its situation so much I have booked to stay with Debbie in October.

Go take a look at the hotel. Meet the staff. Great people. 

We both slept soundly in super comfy beds. A must for anybody touring on a motorcycle. The views from the front of the hotel are simply breathtaking.

The Hartfield Hotel hostel gets a 9/10 from us. The welcome we got at the reception was warm and we were given a guided tour of the place. There are good facilities here. Washing machines, a drying room for wet gear, a good kitchen and a lovely room to ourselves. It was warm and comfortable.

The day dawned bright enough. Blue skies with scattered clouds boded well. Until we stepped outside. Then the chill was very noticeable. Andy pointed to an ominous cloud behind us. It started to drop little ice crystals on us as we packed the bikes up.

We had around 170 miles to do today. We had to climb to 2000 feet above sea level to get over the Bealach Na Ba summit so we set off pronto to try and beat the weather.

As we commenced the climb it started to snow. As we gained altitude the temperature dropped markedly and the snowfall increased such that by the time we got to the summit the snow was falling steadily and was being blown horizontally by the strong wind. We did not stay long at the summit lookout point as we still had the hairpins to negotiate and we wanted to get those done before the road became too slippery.

Once on the downward leg the conditions improved markedly. The snow disappeared. It was confined to the northern slope only. On the south side descent the road was dry, the sun shone but the wind persisted.

We stopped at the bottom to get the obligatory photo of the sign before continuing on, taking the turn off to Plockton harbour for a hot drink to try and warm up numb fingers. This is a lovely little place at the end of a winding often single track road.

From Plockton we continued onto the main road to the Kyle of Lochalsh and crossed the bridge onto Skye. 

Next stop was Trumpan church. I had heard and read a lot about the massacre at the church and wanted to go there. Click here for the story. To reach it you need to negotiate a lot of single track roads. Some in a poor state of repair and the further north on Skye we ventured the stronger the wind got. By the time we reached the church the wind was howling and it was biting cold. We did not stay long and ventured on.

Next stop was the Anchor cafe at the port of Uig on the NW tip of Skye. It was a busy ferry port and there was a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry in waiting to load for the Outer Hebrides. Revived by a toasted sandwich and a hot drink we ventured up the final peninsular to the northern tip of Skye rounded the top and met the full force of the wind as we ventured down the east side to Portree. We stopped to see the Old Man of Storr, a well known rock formation. My hands were so cold I could not take a photo. But here is one to give you an idea.

We finally arrived at our accommodation for the night in Portree, unpacked the bikes and went for a hot shower to warm up.

It has been another great day of outstanding scenery. Wind battered coasts, soaring peaks, twisty roads, all sorts of weather from driving snow to strong winds and sunshine. This tour continues to exhilarate and the bikes just keep soaking up the miles. Tomorrow we take a ferry and continue south.

Todays leg was to Applecross 120 miles away. The weather has well and truly changed. The day dawned grey and overcast and the first showers of the day had started.

We rated the Caledonian Hotel 6/10. The staff were great and welcoming. But the twin room was the smallest we have had yet. The shower cubicle was tiny and you could hear every noise from the rooms above and beside us. That said the breakfast was good so 6/10 it is.

The road struck south on the A835 and was easy going albeit a bit wet. At Corrieshalloch Gorge we turned off the main highway onto the A832 to Gairloch and immediately started to climd. As we did so the temperature dropped and the wind increased. By now the cloud base had descended to cover the tops of the peaks. We had allowed plenty of time for this leg of the journey so we could stop frequently to warm our hands and just take a break. The scenery is staggering. The rain had charged the waterfalls.

At one particular viewpoint we stopped at, the sun was shining on a distant peak which made for a nice photo op. The temperature on my bike said it was 4C but the wind was around 30 knots and gusty. It felt raw. A delightful couple travelling Scotland in their motorhome were already at the viewpoint when we arrived. Andy waved at them, they waved back and we were invited into the motorhome for a cup of tea and a chat. Mick and Yvonne were from Sheffield and had just purchased their camper van and were touring Scotland in it for the first time. What a smashing couple they were. We were to meet them later in Applecross before they set off your Plockton and we said our goodbyes. That chance meeting reaffirmed our faith in humanity. They were running short of teabags so I gave them some of my Yorkshire Gold to see them through.

We turned off the road at the tiny village of Aultbea looking for a cafe and stumbled upon MacLennan Park overlooking Loch Ewe. Here we found the story of the Russian Convoys that would congregate in Loch Ewe before heading for Murmansk and Archangel. It was fascinating. Worth a detour to see for yourself. There is also a museum to the Russian Convoys here but it was closed when we passed.

The road continues along Loch Maree to Kinlochewe where the road to Applecross splits off to the west.

From here on in the single track road twists and turns its way along the exposed coast, blasted by the stiff North winds and throwing the rain horizontally at you. It was slow going on a narrow strip of tarmac. It was chilly and the wind found its way onto the back of my neck no matter how hard I tried to cover it. It was like a little needle.

The road finally drops down into Applecross. The wind dropped away and it was dry. This was a little oasis of peace. We took a late lunch in the Applecross inn before checking into our rest for the night at the Hartfield House Hostel.

Whilst having a cup of tea in the lounge we met Johannes and his fiancé Renee from Den Haag in the Netherlands. They are touring on a motorcycle and getting married as well. We chatted for some time about our motorcycles, their jobs and loved to hear of their wedding plans in Scotland. We wish them all the very best for their future together. Meeting people like this couple and Mick and Yvonne really makes me appreciate getting out and doing this. A chance meeting and saying hello is all that it takes.

Tomorrow we head for the Isle of Skye and it looks promising for better weather. We shall see.

The day dawned bright but much cooler. In the hour after sunset a bank of cloud had rolled in and whilst we packed up the bikes the temperature dropped a few degrees more. Andy cooked us up some scrambled eggs made from the eggs that were left in the pod by the proprietors laid by there very own chickens. A great way to start the day. We gave the Tignlochan pods 9/10. The bed for Andy was a bit hard and uncomfortable. But the views and location were sublime. Go stay and decide for yourself.

Whilst on 75 miles to Ullapool, this was a strenuous ride mentally. We rode to the lay-by at the Kylesku bridge to take a few photos before striking west to the small village of Drumbeg via the B869 road.

The road to Drumbeg is not for the faint of heart. It is single track, narrow, very twisty with lots of blind bends and summits. I rarely got out of second gear. It was intense riding rewarded with amazing vistas. Even though it required total concentration, I would do it again tomorrow simply for the views the road offers.

We turned off just past Clashnessie and took the winding road to the Stoer Head lighthouse. It lies atop a windswept outcrop where sheep graze and the wind bites through every layer of clothing you wear. Incidentally, you can hire this place to stay.

I wandered around the lighthouse buildings just soaking up the peace. What a place. Take the time to go and visit it and rest a while when you finally get there.

The road from here to Lochinver is equally demanding. These single track roads require total concentration. Not much room for error in these parts. The roads often have gravel on tier surfaces. A nightmare for motorcycles. The winter frosts and ice play havoc with the roads. Those in these parts are particularly affected. Be careful in these parts on a motorcycle.

The bikes were refuelled at Lochinver. We were refuelled at Lochinver with a fabulous Leek and Tattie soup and a coffee. A young man who had seen my youtube channel came up to us and we talked about motorbikes and the roads in the area before we set off south to Ullapool.

Again the road twists and turns through majestic vistas before joining the main A road into the town of Ullapool, the biggest town in these parts although modest in size to most towns further south.

The Seafood Shack is a must visit. So Andy and I simply had to go. The food is really good. No, I mean really good. Go visit it.

We finished the evening off with a cheeky beer at the Arch Inn. 

Tomorrow is the leg of the tour to Applecross. I hope the weather holds.