Scotland the Wet

A five day motorcycle tour of Scotland with the Σύλλογος των συνταξιούχων που θέτουν λέσχης μοτοσικλέτας was bound to encounter some rain - my expectations were not dashed.

As a Scottish virgin, I was however blown away by the spectacular and diverse scenery and my ability to effect a puncture repair. I neither had the opportunity to visit a distillery nor eat haggis.

Business started at Moffat and took a clockwise turn around west and east finishing at Wetherall on the River Eden near Carlisle, a border outpost only just on the safe side of Hadrian's Wall

Gear explosion #1 ! at the Buccleuch Arms Hotel in Moffat

Slow drizzle setting in nicely

Motorcycle garages provided by devoted Hotel owner John, a GS rider

To Fort William

Whilst the rain had abated at Moffat overnight, I decided to leg it past Glasgow on the motorways and hit the sunny banks of Loch Lomond   as soon as possible before the forecast afternoon rain came. Two things went wrong with that plan.

My companions Roger and Mike enjoy dripping over nice furnishings whilst coffee drinking - Hotel overlooking Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond

Further to the prolonged coffee stop,  the MV Agusta suffered a rear tyre deflation and we waited some 3 hours for "recovery" on a dangerous off camber bend in the driving rain.  Whilst Mike had come prepared with a puncture repair kit there was no discernible hole to fill..

It turns out the deflation  had been caused by a hard to find piece of glass emedded in the tread

Some time later I drip  into the Alexandra Hotel Fort William to dry my boots with the supplied hair dryer

Fort William scenic view

For the record - Hotel Alexandra the next sunny morning

To Ullapool

 This was to be a mostly fine and puncture free day.

The Ben Nevis hugging bike friendly Thistle Stop at Invergarry on the A82 just before Loch Ness

By some misunderstanding of the intended route I navigate down the most superb road the A87 and arrive at Dornie, Loch Alsh on the right and Loch Duich on the left

Dornie Disney castle

Inspection of the Michelin reveals that we are on the west coast

The ride further North to Ullapool on the A835 was memorable for it's views and pounding rain which soon cleared having passed Loch Glascarnoch  - here is Loch Broom

 A modest fishing fleet  - sometimes Russian  boats park here.

A nice new car ferry made by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft MBH and Co KG - Loch Seaforth - a whole load of new ferries to spot up here under the CalMac flag.

Looking out to the island of Stornoway

The end of the road, more or less

The Royal

Through the Cairngorms to the Tay and more deflation

Passing Inverness we look for a coffee stop - this scrapheap challenge location at Inverness Airport did not have a cafe so we proceeded East along the A96 

..to Ozzy's place just before Nairn

The A939 windswept and torrential with cyclists of all shapes and psychotic illnesses took us in single track fashion up dale and down glen - no photos due to water ingress danger - through the Cairngorms.

Emerging at Braemar the rain subsided and the Hungry Highlander served deep fried mozarella sticks.

At this juncture the MV Agusta has another puncture....this time we find a nail and so I make a repair using a plastic plug and some sealant from Roger's  rusty can. We arrive late at the hotel wondering what to do next.

The Tayside hotel at Stanley

The next day at Perth....

Talk about customer service - a pair of tyres supplied on a Sunday?

Inside view of the defective tyre - Believe it or not this plastic tyre repair  plug actually worked.

A new tyre!

Waterproof stop - I follow Mike newly shod over the River Forth, around Edinburgh and down along the A701 to Moffat

I explode again at The Crown Hotel Wetherall

Back in Knutsford  - total trip 956.3 puncture proof miles.