Author Topic: Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014  (Read 10947 times)

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« on: July 05, 2014, 06:07:10 AM »
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Troon,+South+Ayrshire,+UK/Gourock,+Inverclyde,+UK/Hunters+Quay+Holiday+Village,+Hunters+Quay,+Hunters+Quay+by+Dunoon+PA23+8HP,+United+Kingdom/Inveraray,+Argyll+and+Bute,+UK/Oban,+Argyll+and+Bute,+UK/Fort+William,+Highland,+UK/@56.1899827,-5.8267994,8z/data=!4m43!4m42!1m5!1m1!1s0x4889d178532a2fc7:0x2389f1b114a7c2fa!2m2!1d-4.659948!2d55.541332!1m5!1m1!1s0x4889a52e1b060be1:0xaa8ba0129d1089e4!2m2!1d-4.8168799!2d55.9591984!1m5!1m1!1s0x4889a4590c83915d:0x29418fb941961cc3!2m2!1d-4.924964!2d55.978144!1m10!1m1!1s0x48890cb1c22a7ecd:0x6205e858db5cca57!2m2!1d-5.0771018!2d56.2309517!3m4!1m2!1d-5.3076986!2d56.0791954!3s0x48899d66402cfadb:0x6a09d59cacfb919f!1m5!1m1!1s0x488941d0d2ddf1c1:0x83dd4aff818fc237!2m2!1d-5.471047!2d56.415157!1m5!1m1!1s0x48893323371c031b:0xcda03ee308544821!2m2!1d-5.105218!2d56.819817!3e0?hl=en

This story starts in the west of Northern Ireland with a rude alarm call at 04:30 on 25/06/14. I was on the road at 04:55 and eastward bound for the ferry meeting other riders on the way. Our trip had been planned but a chum who unfortunately fell off a push bike about 10 days before the trip and broke his shoulder. He was destined for the operating table as we boarded the ferry!! I met Alan on his R1200GS at 05:30 and we pushed on to meet Andy on his R1200GS at 06:00 some 40 miles away. We were to meet Davy on his Ducati Multistrada close to the ferry.

As we headed up onto the Antrim plateau, the sky darkened and eventually the screen started to mist over with very fine mizzle. A quick stop to pull on the waterproofs and we were on our way. Within a few hundred meters of the stop, I noticed the bike felt like it was slipping and not easy to steer in bends - I slowed and figured it was the wet after a dry spell leaving the roads slippy. After a few miles we met up with Davy and I had to stop. To my surprise I had a flat front tyre! Not a happy bear at all. I had no option but to limp on to the next service station and get some air into the tyre. That done, we made the boat no problem and the tyre seemed to be holding out.
  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
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Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2014, 06:12:18 AM »
On arrival in Scotland the rain was much heavier and we set off from the ferry in good spirits - only to find my tyre flat again within the first few miles. Off we went in search of a tyre shop - after trying 2 who declined to look at motorcycle tyres we found this guy, Kenny, in Ardrossan. Any UK bikers heading to scotland, take a note of his number and be sure to give him a call. Well recommended.
www.bikerevs.co.uk
  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2014, 06:18:35 AM »
Once the tyre was sorted it was a short ride up to Gourock to catch the ferry to Dunoon. Unfortunately we were stuck behind a lorry moving a mobile home for most of the trip and he was causing traffic chaos including a couple of accidents! By the time we got to the ferry we were soaked and spend the crossing trying to get as much of our gear dried as possible. I even had water running between the pinlock and the visor such was the rain!!

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2014, 06:23:38 AM »
Once we got to Hunters Quay we took a scenic route north to Inverary where we decided to follow the coastal road round to Oban. It was only as we came into Oban that the rain decided enough was enough and it was time to dry up. After a coffee stop we did the last few miles to our base in Fort William on dry roads!
  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2014, 06:57:17 AM »
Ok this is my 3rd go at this post - I'll keep the pics spread between a couple of posts.

Day 2 started with a trip to Mallaig to the Skye ferry via the Glenfinnian Monument where the "Harry Potter" Hogwarts train was filmed.
Unfortunately at Mallaig the ferry man decided that there wasn't enough room on the ferry for our bikes nor on the next one and were were going to have to wait 2 hours for the ferry - we dediced to book ferry tickets for the next morning and go explore the area.

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2014, 07:02:24 AM »
We had an outdoor lunch at a beautiful restaurant in Arisaig and fresh fish was the order of the day - pints of prawns being a popular choice!

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2014, 07:09:00 AM »
After lunch we followed the A861 through the Sunart peninsula and the views were stunning. The road does become a single track road for much of its length but there are numerous passing places. We got back to Fort William just in time for their peak traffic which to be honest was pretty light! The days totals were 138 miles at 49.4 mpg

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2014, 07:16:44 AM »
Day 3 was a planned 09:30 start with our latest ferry check in at 10:35 and the ferry 41 miles away. However a slight issue with one of the GS needing about a litre of oil left us pushing it to get the ferry - but we made it with some negotiations!

Skye is amazing and the roads are superb. The views are amazing and it has to be seen to be appreciated.

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2014, 07:20:23 AM »
On the way back from Skye, I stopped at the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge. A beautiful place and a fitting tribute to the Commandos.

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2014, 07:26:50 AM »
Our last day began with a wash down and pack up and we were off heading for home. We headed for Glencoe which is stunning although it would have been nicer if it had been warmer and drier! Fortunately it was only a brief shower and the rest of the trip was pretty warm and dry.

A lunch stop in Inverary, this time in the George Hotel, and the food was well worth waiting for with the burger being about an inch and a half of solid meat!
  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Zipster

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Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2014, 07:35:13 AM »
Finally we took the same ferry to Gourock and at Troon we met with some members of the Tribe of Judah Motorcyle Missionaries and we boarded the ferry to home. On the other side it was 100 mile dash home with flies being the main casualties of the trip.

I had a few repairs to sort out such as a stuck on brake light which happened in the last dash home and a loose phone mount which were both easily fixed.

Trip totals - 950 miles and averaging 49 mpg (my dash home managed to drag my average back down after making 52mpg earlier in the day!!)

Looking forward to the next one!!

  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline roninvt

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Re: Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2014, 09:33:36 AM »
Cool ride report, I hope to ride those roads one day!!
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1993 K1100RS

Offline Zipster

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Re: Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2014, 06:10:29 PM »
You'll not regret it. They're great roads but they can be hard on a tyre - you can see the sparkles of the glass type particles in the road surface which makes for great grip in cold weather but can knock a few thousand miles off if you ride hard!! Anyway it's a great trip and highly recommended.
  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline Rightsideup

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Re: Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #13 on: July 19, 2014, 11:56:57 AM »
Next time you're over this way give me a shout - you would have passed within 300 yards of my house!
'74 Ducati 750GT | '78 MZ TS250/1 | '92 BMW K75RT
In the high latitudes of Finland, in the parching heat of Africa, under the most different operating conditions these motor-cycles run to the satisfaction of their owners.​

Offline Zipster

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Re: Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #14 on: July 20, 2014, 06:34:33 PM »

Next time you're over this way give me a shout - you would have passed within 300 yards of my house!
Many thanks - I will do for next time.
  • Northern Ireland
  • 1996 K1100 LT SE - sold with 104,500 miles in 2015; 2001 R1150RT - 68,000 miles; 2013 Triumph Trophy SE - 50,000 miles; 2007 Harley Ultra Classic - 50,000 miles (Canada bike for stateside use only)
Add life to your days, not days to your life!

Offline MCrenshaw

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Re: Scotland 25 - 28 June 2014
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2014, 07:45:26 AM »
Nice ride report; plenty of good photos.  I made a trip through the borders back in '01 by car.  Perhaps one of these days I'll make it back to make a ride to the Highlands.  A good friend lives in Fife and we have an open invitation to come visit.

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