Monday 11th June 345 Miles
695 Total
I woke up early even for me. It was warm in my room despite a good breeze blowing through. I lay in bed until just after six and then got up for a shower. Today was the first proper day of the tour and I would be meeting up with my fellow clan members.
After making use of the free coffee in my room and devouring a cereal bar, I packed my things onto my bike and got on my way. I was warm in my bike kit already. But, the cooler air flowing through the vents in my jacket felt good as I back tracked a little of yesterdays route to Gretna Green.
I parked my bike up outside the old blacksmiths shop. It was a complete contrast to when I passed this way yesterday. All of the tourist coaches were gone. It was deadly quiet in the village this morning.
I took a couple of snaps of my bike in front of the shop. The blacksmiths shop was made famous for carrying out "anvil weddings" after The Marriage Act of 1754 was introduced. Young lovers would elope over the border to get married often chased by their angry family members trying to prevent them. It is still used as a wedding venue today with couples travelling from all over the world to be married here.
With my photos taken I walked back to my bike. One of the gardeners came over for a chat. I think he was worried I was going to ride over his immaculate lawn.
I was due to meet up with Robbie and Colin in Lockerbie at 8am. It was about twenty minutes or so to the café where we were meeting. I set off on a steady ride along the B7076. The road was empty. All of the commuter traffic was using the M74 which runs alongside. It was great to have this nice flowing road to myself.
I arrived at the café only to see that it didn't open until 08:30. I waited in the now baking sun for my two clansmen to arrive shortly afterwards. After a quick discussion, we all decided not to wait for the café to open and get some breakfast further up the road. Robbie took the lead with Colin and I following.
We headed in the direction of Glasgow taking the B7076 and B7078 crossing the busy M74 numerous times. A large hare ran across the road in front of Robbie and appeared to be heading for the fields. But, spotting Colin's bike the hare decided to closely examine his front wheel. This gave Colin the opportunity to confirm that his ABS was working perfectly, and tested the durability of his seat cover as his buttocks clenched it in a vice like grip! I was crying with laughter. It was one of those kind of weeks already, I thought to myself. With the incident avoided we continued on with our adventures.
Shortly afterwards Robbie decides to take a European line round a roundabout. Colin and I followed like sheep. It was not until halfway around that I realized what we were doing. I had a chuckle to myself. It was definitely going to be a good week.
After a few more miles we joined the M74 for the remaining twenty or so miles to Glasgow. It was very windy on this stretch of exposed motorway and it was quite exciting passing the bow wave of air created at the front of the large trucks. We arrived in Glasgow in no time. Robbie led us through the suburbs and we picked up the A81.
As we passed through Maryhill, Robbie pulled into the large 24hr Tesco supermarket with a plan to get some breakfast. The carpark was a dark multi-story affair. Robbie was concerned about leaving our bikes here so we rode on.
Maryhill is not the most salubrious of areas in Glasgow. It was made famous in the TV crime series Taggart. So, surely if Taggart was around our bikes would be safe!
As we rode out of the city on the A81 the scenery and roads became more Scottish with each passing mile. Mountains appeared on the horizon, covered by turbulent skies. The twisty grippy tarmac provided a great ride towards our next stop in Aberfoyle.
With just a minor detour down a dead end road with arrived in the village of Aberfoyle and went hunting for a coffee shop. Aberfoyle looked a little run down. I imagine it was a flourishing tourist stop off years ago. There are still lots of guest houses and hotels here. but, the whole place looked a little unloved.
We found a coffee shop where bacon rolls and large Americanos were the breakfast of choice for Robbie and I. Colin decided on the managers special breakfast roll which consisted of the fried parts of many dead animals.
We left Aberfoyle via A821, The Dukes Pass. The Duke Pass was constructed by the Duke of Montrose in the nineteenth century to provide better access to his estate. Today it is regarded as one of the most scenic drives in the UK. This seven mile roller coaster of tarmac gave superb views of the surrounding lochs and mountain glens. Unfortunately, the Highways Department were busy surface dressing and carrying out pot hole repairs. There were large patches of loose gravel in some of the corners which made the ride interesting at times.
All too soon we were deposited onto the A84 and A85 which would take us to Crainlarich. Here we encountered lots of holiday traffic including motorhomes travelling along at 40mph completely oblivious to the train of cars forming behind them. Luckily we were on bikes so we picked our way to the front of the queue and were soon on our way again at a more reasonable pace.
At Crainlarich we turned onto the A82 to Fort William, where we would meet the rest of the clan. On the way to Tyndrum while passing another line of traffic, Colin had his second close call. Colin and I pulled out to over take a line of three cars and a minibus. It was a long straight and there was plenty of room. As Colin got alongside the minibus it pulled out without looking. The wing mirror on the minibus nearly hit the end of Colin's handlebars. Luckily it didn't. but, it was too close.
Colin made it to the front of the other traffic without further incident. I was now on the wrong side of the road overtaking traffic and stuck behind an underpowered minibus addiment on passing all before it. An approaching car forced the minibus driver to abort his daring mission and admit defeat. As soon as the opportunity arose, I spared no horses to get passed this idiot and catch up with the others.
The A82 through Glen Coe never fails to impress. The scenery is just awe inspiring. As you ride through the glen you give a real sense of scale. It makes you realise that we humans are just a mere spec on the planet.
Robbie turned off at Loch Leven where we stopped for a cold drink at the pub. It was good to get off the bike and stretch my legs. It had been a few hours in the saddle, so I was glad of the break. We spent some time discussing Colin's exploits from this morning and hoped that would be the end of it.
We our thirsts quenched it was now just a few miles to Fort William. My fuel light had come on and the bike said I had a range of 22 miles left in the tank. The other two still had a quarter of a tank left. I took the lead and headed for the Morrisons supermarket where we would all fuel up and then meet the others. As I rode along my fuel range prediction remained constant. I made it to the fuel station with twenty miles range left! We filled up the bikes and I noticed that I had filled up with less fuel than Robbie and Colin. At least I know I shouldn't run out if I fill up when the other do.
The rest of the Clan were waiting for us across the road outside the main shop. It was all the usual suspects from previous trips. There was also a new Clan member, Johnny on his Triumph Tiger 800. He was meant to be here with his mate Neil. But, he had left just before we arrived in the back of a recovery van. His KTM had slowly expired over the last couple of days, and struggled to make it around the carpark under its own power. We also had lost Darren who had slipped a disc in his back pushing his bike off the stand in the garage at home. We were dropping like flies but determined to press on.
With a bit of essential shopping done for food for the next couple of nights, we headed en masse for Uig on the Isle of Skye. Here we would catch the ferry to Lochmaddy on North Uist.
Stu and Alison took the lead on their BMW K1600GT touring beast with the rest of us nestled in its wake. It was slow going to Spean Bridge with heavy tourist traffic in both directions, making overtaking difficult. We had a reasonable amount of time to get to the ferry check-in, but it was going to be tight if the traffic continued like this.
The swing bridge across the Caledonian Canal was closed to let a sailing yacht through. This allowed us to pass all the traffic in front of us, as we rode up to the front of the queue. Robbie and I discussed how slow the traffic was, and that we would need to ride a bit faster. If we rode at just under the speed limit we would make it easily. But, 40mph behind campervans was not an option.
Robbie didn't want to lead the way and asked me to do it. I said I didn't know the way (even though I did), so he reluctantly set off with us all in tow.
At Invergarry, I thought Robbie had suffered enough and overtook to lead the pack. I am always conscious of riding too fast, so I kept a close eye on my mirrors, counting the bikes so as not to leave anyone behind.
We were now on the A87 which would take us all the way to Uig. This is a fast and flowing scenic route across to Skye and beyond. I was concerned about the time so I increased my pace slightly from the 55-60mph we were at. 60mph for a couple of miles, all still there. 65mph, all still there. 70mph, starting to loose them. 65mph it is then.
Our pace turned out to be a good thing. We passed several speed camera vans on the way to the Kyle of Lochalsh. I was able spot them and give a couple of flashes of my super bright LED brake lights to warn the others. We would then cruise past smug in the knowledge there wouldn't be a fixed penalty ticket waiting for us at home.
It was windy crossing over the Skye bridge, with the wind sock standing to attention like Harvey Weinstein at an awards ceremony. Once on the Isle of Skye the ride was stunning. The scenery is different to the mainland, and the traffic was much lighter.
Between Broadford and Portree, a section of the road was being relayed. There was a convoy system in place to keep the traffic speed low through the road works. We waited at the front of the queue for nearly ten minutes before we were allowed to get on our way again. I was baking while we waited under a blazing sky. Luckily the views of the surrounding Loch were stunning.
Once through the road works it was a few miles to Portree where we took the chance to fuel up our bikes. We were unsure of how much fuel was available on the islands. So, having a tankful to start with seemed like a good idea.
It was at the petrol station that we realized that we were cutting it fine if we were to reach the ferry on time. What had been a relaxed day of riding so far turned into a slightly more spirited affair for the remaining 16miles. We arrived at the ferry terminal with fifteen minutes to spare. We were directed to the front of the queues where our remaining Clan member Finn was waiting for us. Finn had travelled over from Denmark, and had spent the last couple of days making his way over to meet us all.
After a visit to the booking office to collect a mountain of paper tickets, the very friendly ferry staff directed us to make our way along the pier and down to the loading ramp. They wanted to get us all boarded and strapped down first, before letting the other traffic on.
With the bikes strapped down efficiently and quickly and to our satisfaction, the staff directed us to the passenger decks. We chose to camp out in the rear lounge, and quickly marked our territory with all our biking paraphernalia.
I made my way to the restaurant where I made short work of a baked potato, baked beans, and cheese. Jim and Johnny also got something to eat. This meant I didn't have to cook anything when we arrived at the hostel later on.
It was a smooth crossing and we arrived right on time. I got stuck behind an Asian lady wearing a massive hat, as I made my way to my bike on the car deck. She wasn't keen to walk between the cars, as she didn't want to get dirt on her outfit.
The staff let the bikes off first. But, a couple of the clan were tucked away in the corners of the ship. They were soon released and we all disembarked onto North Uist into bright sunshine.
The sun was low in the sky as it was now eight thirty in the evening. It was blinding, and we were riding straight towards it. This meant that we missed a couple of road signs on the way to the hostel.
The ride to the hostel was stunning. The scenery of North Uist and Berneray looked beautiful in the glow of the sun. The roads were mostly single track with passing places. But, the traffic we did encounter was well disciplined and friendly. We arrived at the hostel which was an old thatched crofters cottage and barn situated right on the shore. White sandy beach ran along the front as far as our eyes could see. This was a good choice for two nights stay.
Robbie had arranged for us to have one of the dorm room to ourselves. But there were two ladies occupying the beds in each of the three dorms. With a bit of discussion as to whether the ladies would prefer to share together, or with a mixture of burly clansmen, they saw sense and moved beds. There was ample room for all concerned, and some more people turned up later on too.
We spent the rest of the evening catching up and relaxing. Whisky was drunk, and tales were told. It was a great time. We all retired to bed at around midnight tired from a long day of riding and content with our picturesque surroundings.
Tomorrow we will explore the Uists' to see what they have in store.
Here is my vlog of the days events
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