YamYam’s Top 10 Posts Ever.
So whilst I await the melting of the Fife Ice Caps, I shall collate some data…Geek Style.
I am always amazed at how sparse reviews are for products, or how biased a lot of reviews seem to be. Motostrano Blog said it excellently:
“I rarely read product reviews these days. They are all advertisements and we know it- pure fantasy. On the other hand, there’s the ‘discussion forums’ where you can read countless essays written by lonely males holed up in their mancaves about the products they’ve purchased, sharing with others the ins and outs of why the product they invested in is so great. Of course it’s great, you bought it and you’re actually wasting life hours writing about it. We beat our chests about the little gizmos and gadgets we’ve been able to scrounge up on our hunting and gathering missions out in the shopping wilderness. Heading back to camp with our gear speared on a stick- which is really a lonely little desk away from the kids or wife – we review the goods, inspect it, try it on, pose in action shots in front of the mirror, perhaps in our underwear, perhaps dressed up in our leathers in the garage. Then, as if to map out a terrain that no other fellow savage has explored, we set up to transpose our inner most thoughts on digital paper about whatever it is we just bought, signaling to other tribe members where to go and what to see along the adventure.”
So it’s with great satisfaction and indeed pride, that I have been complimented on my reviewing technique and detail. This is probably why (and you will see soon enough) my reviews are the most popular out of my posts. Naebody cares about me seeing a plane almost hitting the Forth Road Bridge. They want to know why I think the Puma Desmo’s were the best boot ever made.
Anyway, lets move along. I give you the top 10 favourite posts on YamYam ever (in descending order):
#10: Review: Respro “Foggy” Anti-fog Mask
#9: Review: Puma Brutale Gore-Tex Boots
#8: Update: AGV GP-Tech Helmet
#6: Review: Shark RSI “Eden” Helmet
#5: Yamaha MT-03
#4: Review: Puma Desmo 800 Boots
#3: Tutorial #1: How to change grips and handlebars
#2: Kawasaki ER6n
The most popular post on YamYam ever is, surprise surprise:
#1: Review: AGV GP-Tech Helmet
So there you have it. I think the reason is I got the GP-Tech really early, as in first batch. This allowed me to get a head-start and offer the viewing public a chance to see what this new helmet was like before going out to purchase it themselves.
It’s a good indication of what people are after when looking around the interweb for motorcycle type stuff.
I hope you enjoyed reading the top 10 posts, but also have a wee look around the archives at the non-review stuff. You might be pleasantly surprised…or endlessly bored.
All the best
Gordon
Half Shut Knife
Hello all.
First off let me apologise for not posting lately, it’s been a bit hectic.
Me and Em have been looking for our first house and it’s proving difficult. We have looked at 4 places now and we’re still no further forward. I guess it’s trying to balance livability with compromisment. Yep, I have given up trying to find the write words. You know what I mean hopefully.
The GSR has developed a real funny thing. When I get to 6th gear and roll on I can feel a distinct knocking through the pegs. It’s like there is only 1 cylinder going but really slowly, a slow “thud…thud…thud” and it’s at constant intervals so it’s obviously something to do with the engine….I am nearly due for my 8k service so I’ll bring it up then.
Another thing that I need to bring up is the small matter of my bike failing to start. The other day I headed off to work and stopped at the petrol garage. I filled up, went in to the shop to pay, came back out and by the time I had done all that and tried to start my bike, it wouldn’t. I tried 5-6 times to start it and ended up wheeling it over to the car park. I tried a few more times and it fired up no problems. Extremely weird and worrying, considering that not long ago it did that and the whole wiring loom needed to be replaced. I wonder what the reason for it is. Was there an air pocket in the fuel line? Who knows….
Anyway, I am really tired, very very stressed and had a very sore head all day. So instead of continuing to moan my face off, I shall retire to my bed.
Keep checking back folks, I will be updating the site with these things over the coming week:
- Update of my RST GP-Pilot Race Gloves
- Review/Update of my HARDAS Kevlar Jeans
- Update of my beloved Alpinestars Effex Gore-tex boots
- Update of my Puma Desmo 800 boots
- Video post of our Bealach Na Ba ride up and down!
- More gear updates and reviews as and when I have the time.
So I look forward to that.
Thanks for looking everyone, I hope that you haven’t lost interest.
G
p.s. My freaking camera memory card has suddenly stopped working, so I can’t take any photos, which is really annoying….ARGH I AM MOANING AGAIN! Night all.
Scotland Tour 2008 – Day 6/7
Day 6 – Isle of Skye to Lochgilphead
Well it was the last day of the trip before heading home tomorrow. We woke up to a nice day again, with the sun shining and the wind soft but warm. We had breakfast inside today and although I liked it, the others felt it was lacking. Anyway, we had a bizarre sending off when the hosts had to rush out to catch the last ferry to Fort William at 9:50am. There were still guests in the house but off they went, leaving the house completely open and available for anyone…
Anyway we headed off with the sun still shining but it was looking pretty naff over the west coast.
We decided to stop at Eilean Dornan for the toilet as Em and K needed after an hour. As me and Blair were sitting there, we thought why don’t we just go in. It’s only £4.50 and it’s not like we will be back here any time soon. So we did…
Eilean Dornan Castle on a crap day. Tourist trap.
Eilean Dornan Castle. Unfortunately Conner MacLeod was ill that day.
Well it was pretty cool to see it but not really that interesting. I felt a wave of patriotism as we entered the banquet hall, and was bursting to shout “MACLEOD!” at the top of my lungs but resisted. However I did have a hanckering to watch Highlander all of a sudden.
We went around the designated tour path, and at one point I think we strayed as we ended up in a viewing gallery looking over the banquet hall. There just so happened to be a tour guide talking shite as we entered…and then I got my water bottle out. As I was drinking it the tour guide caught a glimpse of some shadowy figures in the gallery and did a massive double take followed by a very confused look. Then all of the punters turned round to see 4 of us standing there like tubes with all our gear on. Quick exit with lots of rustling followed. I then banged the crown of my head off a low doorway and that was sore.
Eilean Dornan wasn’t falling down, it’s just the crappy photography…
We spent a good 15 minutes going round the castle and then headed outside. We had a wee walk around and then headed back to the bikes, stopping at the reception first where the bloke behind the desk had generously offered to keep all our tank bags and helmets for us. Nice guy and nice offer.
We then got on the bikes and started the long road to Fort William. Then the heavens opened up.
As we rode through a massive glen I was suddenly aware that Blair wasn’t behind me any more. I pulled in to a layby and waited for 10 minutes. Still no show, so I turned around and headed back to where he was. As it had started raining he had decided to put his waterproofs and waterproof covers over his luggage. I decided to do the same and then walked over in to the wilderness for a quick toilet stop. It was during this quick loo stop that the jet arrive, cominig in from my left on it’s end, the jet was in full ripper mode, with the wings swept back and full throttle engaged. It was low, it was loud and it was one of the smartest things I have ever seen. Shame I was doing peeing at the time. It then shot off in to the distance where we could see it going up and down over the crests of the landscape. Amazing!
We eventually got to Fort William and by this point it was teaming down. We searched for a place to eat and eventually we found a Brewers Fair type place and got in just in time for the heavens to really open up.
A great lunch was had and after the rain calmed down we decided to crack on. Not before swapping my waterproof trousers for Blairs waterproof suit, which was slightly too short for me. It was pretty uncomfortable but couldn’t be bothered stopping to sort it. I eventually did however because circulation had stopped going to my lower body…
A couple of hours later we arrived in Oban and stopped at Tesco to grab a bottle of wine for my Auntie and some munchies and then we were off again, edging closer and closer to our destination.
Eventually we arrived to a lot of relieved faces and although the midges were out in hordes, we got in and settled down for the night. It was great to be back in familiar surroundings. I love it there and they have an amazing house.
Blair and Kirsty were heading home tomorrow but me and Em wanted to stay an extra day. So we did. We took a wee trip down to Tarbert for the afternoon, had an ice cream and a nice relaxing stroll around, then headed back for tea. We had another ace night, watched House and went to bed as we were up early tomorrow to unfortunately head home…
Invarary, stunning.
The final day was better, with the sun shining when we woke up. We had a nice breakfast and got everything sorted out for returning home. We had lunch with my auntie and uncle then got on our way. It was really sad to leave their house but we had to head home now.
A quick stop in Invarary for Em to go window shopping again. She saw a nice crafty shop up beside the Jail, so I headed up with the bike and there happened to be a bin lorry blocking the whole street. I parked my bike in front of some parked cars and waited for the lorry to finish, and noticed that there was a woman in the car I was parked in front of. As the bin lorry started to move I got my gloves on in preparation to move too, but then this STUPID woman peeped her horn to tell me to get out the way! I looked at her and she just sat there looking back at me. I pointed to the bin lorry and saw the driver laughing at me sitting there in amazement. I then rolled forward just in time for her to bomb out of the space. Totally ridiculous and completely unnecessary.
It was then the back road to Lochearn and then on to Crieff, by which point I was extremely low on fuel. My seat was also fecking sore, so I had to improvise again with a towel to make it remotely bearable. Finally a Shell garage appeared and I was relieved to say the least. I was well in to my reserve and had a max of 3-4 miles left. Once I had filled up I asked the lady if there was anywhere nice to eat and she suggested an italian place down the road.
What happens when warm rubber meets warm roads.
Final leg of the journey. Note the improvised seat. The comfy towel.
We had a fantastic lunch at this place, I had some pasta stuff and Em had a ciabatta filled with Coca-Cola smoked ham and some other bits and pieces. Tasty.
It had started raining just before we had got to the bistro, but had now stopped so began our final leg back. The rain had started again by the time we approached my turnoff, but I didn’t care, because I was nearly home.+
The final photo from the Scotland Tour 2008. It’s a photo of a parking ticket that I got when we went to the deli-bistro. You can never be too careful!
So there we go! It is all over.
After 1226 miles of amazement, joy, wonder, awe, tiredness, hunger, scents, sights and sores we had successfully completed our round the coast tour of our homeland. I saw things that I had never believed were in Scotland, things that took my breath away. I feel ashamed that I had never known about the places we went to and the various gems that we found. The Bealach Na Ba was one of which that amazed me. I think what made it so much better was the weather. When we were on top of the Bealach Na Ba viewpoint, we overheard a biker saying “the last time I was here we couldn’t see in front of our faces.”
Everything that we wanted to see and do, and even the surprises like the John O’Groat sea stacks and the Bealach Na Ba pass were viewed in the perfect light. Sunshine and nice temperatures made all these places come alive and I will never forget the things that we saw on our trip. I know that if I go back again it will probably be raining or foggy and will not be as good. This was a trip of a lifetime and I am just so happy to have been able to experience it with the conditions we were given.
The people we met were also fantastic. As soon as they saw our bike jackets or helmets, everyone seemed to open up to us. They must get a lot of bikers coming around their way, so usually when we said we were just from Fife, they were surprised. Maybe more because we were so exciteable about what we were experiencing.
My favourite place on the trip was Durnamuck, with the amazing house and view. Skye was close second and the north west was just fapping gorgeous.
Look out in the next few days for my photo stitches. Also the Bealach Na Ba footage and some other trip footage for you as well. I also have a lot to report back on the gear I used on the trip and my new AGV GP-Tech helmet, which was a bit of a disappointment really.
Anyway,
Thanks for looking folks, I hope I could convey even a smidgeon of what we experienced. I know that there is no possible way for me to tell through words or even pictures the beauty of my country. You’ll just have to come and experience it for yourself!
Gordon
Scotland Tour 2008 – Day 5
Day 5 – Isle of Skye
Waking up to a sad feeling of nearly over-ness, Em was already awake and rustling. We were greeted by a nice gentleman who had already set up our breakfast outside on the “sun terrace” as it was such a nice morning.
Indeed it was! It was glorious and the view from his house was breath taking. There was about a 200° panoramic view showing the west coast of Scotland. As you can see, the weather was pretty spectacular:
Waking up on the Isle of Skye
After a thoroughly nice breakfast and chatting to another couple who were coming up the west by train, we were invited to walk down to the shore, where we could see some rock pools. The dogs would love it he said, so off we went, to his own private shoreline.
Waking up on the Isle of Skye
It was just amazing to be able to wander around with no plans. We spent an hour or so wandering around the shore, looking in rock pools and throwing rocks in to the water for the dogs to chase. After a while it was getting on a bit so we decided to head back to the house and get going.
The first port of call was the Cuillins.
The Cuillins.
There was an ace road that ran from Merkadale to a base camp at Baulinter. It was single track but offered amazing views of the Cuillins and of the approaching beach that we would sit at.
The AGV GP-Tech. So good, but so very disappointing.
Once we arrived it was scorching. There was little or no wind at the bottom of this massive mountain. There was a small shop though that had ice creams and camping stuff. We got some ice creams, Blair got a pocket kite.
We nipped to the loo and on to the beach we went, where a guy had a humongous pro-kite that was lifting him off his feet. Blair looked down at his pocket kite and suddenly felt inadequate. So he never opened it and went back for a refund…
Once we were suitably roasted we decided to head off again. We wanted to make it up to Portree to have a nose around and perhaps get some dinner/seafood. Unknown to us was that we took the insanely long and drawn out “back road” to Portree, and it took us ages. It was a pretty crap road as well with sheep all over the place.
A map in the wee shoppie at the base of the Cuillins.
Once we arrived in Portree it was the height of the afternoon sun and we were all pretty hot with our bike gear on. Especially me with my Furygan jacket, which is lined with the same stuff as the outside of waterproof coats…so it was like wearing a food bag. Not good for wicking body moisture away that’s for sure.
We had a browse around the place, went down to the harbour where Emma saw one of the shops that she loves to look in, with jewellery and nick nacks. I saw a Buell XB12S and instantly fell in love again. What inconsiderate arse would park my dream bike in front of me…i don’t know..:(
We went up to the “main square” where there was faff all happening and then decided to head back down the road. It must have taken us all of 25 minutes to get back to where we started…if only we knew of this main route before taking the stupid road. However…after a week of smooth cruising and pillion friendly riding, both Blair and I decided to open it up a bit…not a good idea on this road. The road was really bumpy and at one point I left terra firma, only to arrive back at it with a nice big ground out. Not only that but Emma left her seat and ended up on my seat hugging my back. I knew I would have hell to pay once we stopped, so instead of prelonging the inevitable, I kept the pace up. (Secretly though, I fecking loved it, and so did Blair, who also had hell to pay after an exact re-inactment of my previous efforts)
Fuel was needed so we stopped at the Esso in Broadford, and that’s when the finger wagging started. It was actually quite funny. As I stopped and turned the engine off, I nodded for Em to get off and said to her, “let’s have it then…”
“I’VE NEVER BEEN SO SCARED IN ALL MY LIFE!! SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING…”
As I looked behind me, K was also doing her own finger wagging, and there was me and Blair standing like lemons getting shouted at by our better halves….I found it funny anyway…
After the girls cooled down we headed for some SEAFOOD! YEAH! We went to a place called Creelers which was a traditional Scottish seafood place and had some good grub. Off home it was then, stopping in at the Co-Op to grab some drinks and stuff for watching the Apprentice tonight!
Forget that, Alan Sugar is about to fire someone…
It was nice to just sit and relax for a night after our mega schedule for the past 5 days. As we were nearing the end of the Apprentice the host came through and he said that the sun was casting a beautiful sunset on the west coast, he had never seen it so nice before…but someone is about to get fired…..oh no, what to do.
Oh well, I guess I missed the sunset then.
We watched “You’re Fired!” and then headed off to bed. We hadn’t really noticed but tomorrow was going to be a massive day as well. From the southern tip of Skye to Lochgilphead. It was going to be tough and the weather wasn’t looking to hot…oh well. 
Scotland Tour 2008 – Day 4
Day 4 – Durnamuck to Ardvasar, Isle of Skye
Fantastic sleep last night, the king size bed was just what I needed! We woke to a cracking, clear blue sky, with the temperature around 19-20°C. The breakfast was delicious and we all felt so relaxed it was like being home. The hosts were superb and offered us some great chat whilst after we had breakfast and then we got set up to leave.
Durnamuck, my new favourite place.
The hosts had some amazing wee pets that we played with in between getting ready, with the young dog really exciteable and a great laugh.
Maisie
After we reluctantly left Durnamuck we headed round the coast towards Kyle of Lochalsh. We stopped at a beach 40 minutes away and had a we rest. We weren’t on any tight schedule as the distance was so little, however we did find ourselves taking small detours as a result…
Some place which I can’t remember where…
We were desperate to do the Bealach Na Ba road, an infamous road which leads to Applecross. Almost anyone that we spoke to recommended it. We stopped for a quick bite to eat in a place called Shieldaig, which didn’t really have many places to eat. We were also told that there was a petrol station there, but wasn’t and we only had enough to get us 40-50 miles. The options were head back to Torridon and then do the whole Applecross experience, or go to Lochcarron and only do the Bealach Na Ba road. We opted for the latter using the lack of time as an excuse and headed off in a slow pace.
Just before the Bealach Na Ba road.
Once we got to Lochcarron it was another “peep to get assistance” and we filled up our bikes to the relief of Blair. I think the whole thought of running out of petrol on a bike makes anyone nervous. Heading back to the Bealach Na Ba road I felt really excited. So many people had told us to do this road, it must be something else. Once we arrived we stopped at the bottom of the road and I set up the helmet cam to go and off we went. I will post up the video of the Bealach Na Ba road, up and down, soon.
Amazing. Absolutely AMAZING.
The road was unbelievable. It started off quite a shallow climb, weaving our way up the side of a hill. This lasted for around 10 minutes and then we crested a hill and saw the reason EVERYONE said do this road. It was simply mind blowing. I think again the weather helped us out a bit because the sun was beating down, we saw a massive cliff face with a steep valley and then the road on the other side. As we looked up the road we could see in the distance basically a flat wall. It took a wee bit to get up and luckily the car drivers let us pass and then we hit the hairpins. These were 8-9 of the steepest hairpins you could find and was a real test of clutch and brake control, especially with 2 up and luggage. Once we did the hairpins it was a short straight to the Bealach Na Ba viewpoint.
The View from the top of the Bealach Na Ba road; Bealach Na Ba viewpoint
SOMETHING ELSE!! WOW!! We had a 360 panorama of the Isle of Skye, as well as the hills to the right and left. It was amazing. Quite windy but superb. I took a massive photostitch here so will post that up soon. After wandering about for a bit we headed back to the bikes and started our descent.
Looking down the Bealach Na Ba road.
Coming back down the road was 10 times more stunning, as we were able to see the whole Bealach Na Ba road stretched out in front of us. It was superb. The cliffs to the right were in shade but the light was just perfect to show all the contrasts in ground type.
And again, with the girls getting slightly fed up with our excitement.
Blair and I couldn’t help but stop every 2 minutes to take photos. The girls were getting a bit annoyed at having to stand about whilst we ran around trying to get the perfect shot.
We finished our photography and headed to Skye. We didn’t really stop at all after the Bealach Na Ba and trucked on. We still had a bit to do and the day had morphed in to quite a long one, when it started out as a relaxing jaunt down to Skye.
After an hour or so we finally arrived at the main road to Lochalsh, and instead of going straight there, Blair guided us towards Eilean Dornan Castle. A quick blast down the road and there it was, the actual castle from Highlander. Again the light was perfect and we got some great photos of it. Just as well because the next time we would visit it would be overcast…
Eilean Dornan Castle. The most photographed castle in Britain. (I think…)
We got to Kyle of Lochalsh and filled up again as we weren’t sure of the petrol situation on Skye. We were in good spirits as we knew we were a short distance away. Crossing over the Skye bridge we bombed it south (after taking the wrong exit on the roundabout.)
It took around an hour to get down to Ardvasar where the digs were. We had booked these digs way back when we first started planning the trip and Blair said they were amazing. It would have to be something pretty special to top Durnamuch but we would soon see.
By this point we were all getting hungry and by the time we had arrived and got ourselves together, we were ready for a big eat. The hosts suggested a place called the Eilean Iarmain for tea and we headed down at an increased pace…
Eilean Iarman Hotel. Coincidence or what?
We arrived and asked if we could get something to eat. They directed us towards the bar area and we settled infront of the open fire…until our faces started melting and we moved table.
Drinks were in and menus were being browsed until K suddenly went “I know that guy!” looking over to the chef. K worked with him at a previous job and was somewhat of a mentor to her. He came out and was a brilliant guy! He is a freelance chef jumping around the UK and had settled here for the past couple of weeks. Sounded brilliant! He then said he would cook our tea and come and chat after. Needless to say we got one of the best meals on the trip (with a little extra on the side…) and then he came over and bought us a round and chatted for ages. It was just brilliant. What were the chances of K meeting her old mate in the south of Skye at that very moment? Simply amazing.
After a fantastic tea we were all stuffed and in need of some sleep so we headed back to the digs for showers and some TV, before lights out and lots of sleep in preparation for our jaunt around Skye tomorrow. It looks as if the weather would remain glorious for us tomorrow so we were all looking forward to seeing the Cuillins, continuing my search for Cullin Skink (which I had been totally unsuccessful with since the Commando monument on Day 1!) and Emma’s search for some fresh seafood.
Scotland Tour 2008 – Day 3
Day 3 – Freswick to Durnamuck
Day 3 started with Emma rustling in bags. It’s what she does. Wake up, shower, come back and start rustling. Then it’s the hair drier. The bed was hard and the pillows were so soft my head was touching the matress… so I had to use some towels and clothes to make it remotely comfortable. The resulting sleep was not the best and to wake up to Em’s morning noise was a bit of a duffer. Howard Leight, we salute you. What a joy it was to be able to catch an extra 15 minutes sleep with the Lazer Lites in.
Breakfast was ok, we ate in the white porch bit. Weather was looking sus, but it was already starting to break up so we started cheering up.
Getting the panniers on and set for the biggie.
Leaving Freswick we initially headed north towards JOG again, but then turned left short of it and headed West. Following the coast around we passed a valley of sand dunes that Blair wanted to see, but due to the constant signalling problems that we had, I didn’t realise. So I ended up heading down to a beach looking over to the sand dunes/beach.
I then realised that I had left Em in Freswick and brought a mannequin instead…
After a quick look at the rock pools, we headed off again, but by now the weather was starting to turn for the better. We saw some wind farms, and even though it was a private road, we wanted to take some photos beside them.
Windy Millar. Beautiful things, and my favourite plant next to them!
After a while of riding we hit a great bit of road and threaded our way through some beautiful scenery. We then saw a nice place to stop and have a wee break/toilet and take in some of the views.
Glorious roads, glorious views, glorious weather…
I think I will keep repeating myself here, but after the short break what came after was some more ace roads, breath-taking views and gorgeous weather.
I got peeped at for taking this photo. Some idiot thought I was parked in a stupid place…
We did a big stint on the bikes and then got hungry. We were running out of fuel and saw that Tongue was coming up so decided to head there for some food and fuel. We found this wee place and the girls headed in to grab a sandwich whilst B and I went for some petrol at the local Spar. There was only 1 pump and some old guy operated it. He then said the cost of the fill up i.e £7.65 and you had to remember that and say it at the till inside. Pretty odd but a lot of bikers were there and a cool ass Night Rod.
Lunch in Tongue
After a quick rest I headed in to the shoppie to find a Saltire sticker for my helmet but they didn’t have any. So we headed onwards, up through a wooded area and surfaced looking straight ahead at this view:
Wow, but this was nothing!
I have lots of stitches of these views, so you don’t really appreciate the view that was on offer here, but you will when I post them up!
After taking in this view for a minute or two we headed to a crossing that we saw in the distance. I liked the first visor image so tried another one with B’s Schuberth inner visor.
Hello.
Again I have a stitch of this view but haven’t uploaded it yet.
As we headed around the top of the Loch, we went up a really steep incline which brought us out a the top of a hill looking down a massive sea loch. Brilliant! I really couldn’t take it all in, it seemed like everytime we turned the corner the views were getting better and better.
We were going round that loch!!! But wow how nice is it!! Em’s YY sticker making an apperance!
Yeah we were heading around that Loch, and it was an amazing road. It was single track but the undulations were superb and the road was snooker table smooth. There were a few mongo’s in Land Rovers but once we let them past we were able to enjoy the amazing scenery.
B&K taking it all in.
What was to come next would blow all our socks off. We crested an uphill section and saw this beach in front of us. The road carried on up the hill and every meter we progressed the beach got longer and whiter. We sat here for ages just gobsmacked that a beach of this beauty was in our country.
You would expect to see this in the mediterranean
As we reluctantly decided to move on we took our last looks at the heavenly beach and left. We had marked the Smoo Caves on our “things to see” map, so headed there next. It was early afternoon now and the sun was beating down something else. There was also a nice breeze so you didn’t appreciate how burnt you were getting.
Smoo Caves. Funny name, really nice place.
The Smoo Caves were a wee treck down some stairs and then in to the outer caves. They were ok I guess…cave like…then you went across a wee bridge to the inner caves. This is where the tour stopped for us, but you were able to pay a small fee and go further in to the caves and see some more stuff. There was a really smart lagoon type place though.
Hey you guys….
There were some people in the next cave and we could see the boat, but we didn’t really have the time. Plus we were all geared up and had the tank bags etc so it wasn’t really appropriate.
Would’ve been good but I don’t mind not seeing all the way in.
Smooooooo
The next stage was a long one. We travelled for ages without a break. We did stop on the bikes and take quick in situ photos but we soldiered on. We were getting quite tired and it seemed like we were missing a lot of great photo oppertunities, but we were starting to get a bit weary.
A nice valley, with a nicer stitch coming soon…
A good two hours later we arrived at a toilet and we all peeled ourselves off the bike. We had a quick toilet stop and B&K had a quick smoke, then some boys turned up with some nice bikes. Out of them all I liked the Triumph Tiger and the Ducati 999, which had a pillion on the back. That would be some really uncomfy riding, especially for the pillion. Cracker seat.
Dead Emma.
We started heading in to the big mountain ranges now, and the views were simply epic. The road was freshly laid and it was amazing to feel so much grip, even with Emma on the back. We stopped at a few viewing points to take it all in.
One of the stunning views we saw.
The girls relaxing in the sun, waiting for us boys to stop taking so many photos…
The road then changed from mostly uphill sections to mostly downhill sections and as we weaved through this huge landscape, there was nothing but smiles all round. After a while we came to a junction and then the road was back from single track to single lane. It was quite disappointing to be out of that landscape but we then saw a ruined castle, so went to check it out.
Amazing landscapes.
The girls heading for the castle.
Heading onward we saw the Suilven mountain range. We were supposed to be staying near in a place called Elphin. There was a cavers cottage that was £5 a night, but it was back to basics and the girls really weren’t up for it. So I had to try and find somewhere at the very last minute.
Suilven from afar.
We were heading for a wee place called Durnamuck, which was on the side of Little Loch Broom. Ullapool site on Loch broom with a mountain range sitting between the two lochs. We were hungry so stopped in Ullapool for a nice tea of fish.
Dinner in Ullapool. Our bikes attracted a lot of interest…mostly from middle aged men…
After a nice tea and realising that we were all really sunburnt we decided to head for the digs around the Loch. We nipped in to the garage to pick up some alcohol for tonight and got trucking. It took a wee while to get around the Loch and there was a lot of “where are we going?” but eventually we found it (after a wrong turn sent us down her neighbours driveway…)
WHAT A FIND! Absolutely beautiful.
When we arrived we were beside ourselves. For such a last minute find we couldn’t believe our luck. It was a fantastic new build with jaw dropping views. After we said our hellos and got sorted out, we decided that it was too nice to sit in and relax so we headed out to see the sun set. What a great choice it was because the sunset was amazing and the resulting views on the hills were simply beautiful.
Sunset over Durnamuck
Once we decided that we had had enough of the midges and lack of remaining light, we headed back. We were invited in to the living room and we had a great chin wag for an hour and a bit by which point we were all really tired. The king sized beds were a delight and I slept like a baby log. What a fantastic day and a fantastic place. I fell in love tonight.
Durnamuck, one jaw droppingly gorgeous place. 5 out of 5 YY stars.
Tomorrow was to be quite a relaxing day mileage wise and the weather was all set to be nice. Fingers crossed for my first trip to the Isle of Skye!
Scotland Tour 2008 – Day 2
Day 2 – Inverness – Freswick
So we woke up, not so fresh faced and raring to go, but the weather was looking promising. We headed back over to the golf place for breakfast and after working out their stupid pricing plan, we got some bacon rolls and some tea.
After packing up the panniers and fitting them we headed off to Tesco to grab some petrol and some cash and headed out to the Inverness bridge. When we left the carpark I turned left and headed for the main roundabout and got on to the motorway leading up to the bridge, but then I lost Blair somewhere along the way.
We waited for 15 minutes and finally, to Emma’s relief, he turned up.
Most displeased
There was a pretty bad accident on the bridge, a 4 car job with airbags and the lot, although I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt. We then continued north travelling up the east coast, along the Black Isle and up to Tain, where we arrived at the Glenmorangie Distillery.
The Glen of Tranquility…
Pretty smelly but great to go and see
After leaving the gift shop with a wee bottle for Dad, we headed up north, stopping at a crossing to soak up some rays. It was turning out to be a beautiful day! My AGV helmet was starting to fall apart though, with the DD adjustment thing ripping off in my hand. Not good for a top-line helmet…(Update after)
The crossing between Tain and Dornoch
The weather was scorching and spirits were up as we headed further north, with some amazing sights along the way. As we threaded our way through some glorious road and scenery, the smell of the Scotch Broom was delicious, a nice coconut smell, reminded me of summer holidays.
East Coast roads are ace
The yellow stuff is the Scotch Broom, lovely!
After quite a time on the bike we stopped at a small food stop and refuelled our bodies. There was some weird locals speaking to us, and at one point called us fat b*stards, which was nice…
Tasty burgers…dodgy chat
After wolfing down our lunch, we headed out to get some petrol. B was petrified of running out so was on tenderhooks all the way to the petrol station. When we arrived it was like a step back in time. An old guy was polishing the engine of his 50 year old classic car and turned to see us riding up. We filled up and we chatted a bit, he was getting his classic ready for the summer. We paid and said our goodbyes.
We must have travelled about 2 miles, and as we exited a wooded area suddenly we were in a retail park! There was Argos, Next, Superdrug….it was bizarre! One minute we are in the back of beyond with an old timer and his classic car, the next we were in the present day!
We decided that we would ride up through Wick to the B&B, unpack the luggage and then head up to John O’Groats.
B&K arriving at the digs
The ride to JOG was good, smooth roads and it was nice to get the panniers off. The bike felt really nimble and light and I made full use of the rev range on one of the long quiet straights…:D
HooHa extraordanair
Once we arrived at John O’Groats we headed over to the sign and some New Zealanders were getting their photo taken. Basically what happens is you pay some money and you get your home town, plus the distance from JOG to your town and then you get a professional photo taken. So the NZers were getting their photo taken and the guy then came across and asked what we would like, so I said can we have the bikes up beside the sign?
“£9.50 each, or if you don’t want the bikes in, it’s free…”
Free it was. So he said that’s fine, if you wait a second he would take down the monster NZ sign for us. Great!
So we waited for a while and he then surfaced with some letters and stuff and started putting them in the slots..so that it read “Your Town ?”….
Arse. Anyway, we got all our gear together with the helmets all lined up, and then another member of the joe P came across and asked if I would like him to take our picture. I said yeah that would be great and he started calling the pro an arse.
After taking our photos, we were standing there and the pro shouted me over, then proceeded to say that we could in fact actually park our bikes anywhere we like outside the chained off area….and that we could put the bikes up on the grass if we liked!? But he was leaving in 3 minutes so we would have to be quick…
Cue me and B sprinting over to our bikes and whizzing round and up the grass..oh it was a laugh.
The pro then got in to the swing of this “being nice” thing and started chatting away to us about how shit my camera was and how he hated the compacts, “what you need is a good old 35mm SLR.”
Are you joking me?
The forbidden photo
Anyway, me and the girls abandoned Blair whilst the guy chatted to him for ages, and whilst he was getting that, the guy that took our pictures came over and started chatting to me. He was on a trip around Scotland the other way in a camper van with his wife, and was bigging up the roads big licks. He was great chat and in the end we had a good chin wag for 20 minutes.
A few more bikers had turned up and Blair had made it away from Nice Guy Eddie and we started chatting to them.
The Gissers and the trailies
The boys were on Trailies going the same way as us, but roughing it with tents and the tins. As we were chatting about how many miles they were dong a day (unbelievable) the pro was now in his car and doing a massive kerb rider over the grass mound. Upon seeing the pro bouncing about inside his car and doing some serious 4×4 in his Ford Escort, he burst out laughing, but with a real shriek of a laugh, and his mate shouted “HOI! Don’t laugh!!!” Really funny.
The Trailies said their goodbyes and said they were going to try and get to Ullapool tonight!!! and then got fully geared up, helmet, gloves, rev your engines….then went 200 yards and got off again at the campsite…gloves off..helmet off….
Local talent hotspot
After milling around for a bit we decided to go and reserve a table at the JOG Seaview Hotel, which we had been recommended by the B&B Lady. Me and B sat outside and the girls went in to book the table, then re-appeared in 2 minutes saying that they had went to the bar and suddenly all these local men were around them. There was also a woman screaming at her drunk husband to get home…So tea in Wick then ladies?
Just as we were leaving some old cars bombed past heading for the JOG post.
The Pro at the JOG post had mentioned in his excitement that there was some sea stacks beside a lighthouse to the East. We went to check it out, and I wasn’t really expecting anything really. On the way to the sea stacks there was a gully type thing where all the birds were sitting in the layers of cliff face. It was really smart.
Cliffs with seagulls and Razorbills
Then as we headed over the crest of a hill the sea stacks came in to view and my word, what a view it was. The light was just right, casting a nice shadow in the slight mist that was surrounding the cliff faces. And the sea stacks were huge!!
Beautiful. The Sea Stacks near John O’Groats
Look out for a photo stitch of that soon..
Anyway, after standing in awe of the beautiful sights that were before our very eyes, we headed back to Wick to grab something to eat. We travelled all over Wick looking for somewhere to eat and ended up beside a Sainsburys at a hotel which I can’t remember the name of…the Norseman?? Anyway, the food was ok and the service was shocking.
We headed for Tesco to fill up and get some drinks for tonight, then headed back to the digs, where the sun was just setting.
New born? No, just itchy
When we arrived we stood in the garden for a bit and Blair was sure a sheep was giving birth, but it was just rolling around….Drinks, some TV and then bed, a big big day tomorrow and we were all a bit apprehensive about it…
The Farmhouse B&B – Freswick. 4 out of 5 YY Stars
Tomorrow = Freswick to Durnamuck 
Scotland Tour 2008 – Day 1
HELLO!
That’s it! It’s all over…:(
We had a superb trip, filled with breath-taking views, amazing roads and fantasatic people. All in all we are a bit tired but the amazing experiences we all had kept us going through all the pain and tiredness. I managed to take over 730 photos, so I will try and sort them out and post the best ones in chronological order….so here we go!!!
Day 1 – Perth to Inverness
The morning of the big trip! Ultra excited, things were already packed and ready to go the night before. All that was needed was to get up, pack some last minute things and off we go!
The bikes were fuelled up, the luggage was on the bikes and all gear was ready, so we saddled up and headed for Inverness.
The first of many photos – Group photo at Aberargie
It was looking very overcast but we were hoping for some glimmer of sunshine. After we took the first photo B mentioned that he needed petrol so we filled up in Perth and continued north until we had our first break at the House of Bruar. It was still too early for lunch so we continued on and decided to stop when we got to Spean Bridge.
Toilet stop at the Laggan Dam
We carried on to Spean Bridge where we ate a quick and slightly disappointing lunch, although I had Cullen Skink and it was tasty. We then headed up to the Commando Memorial and looked over to the Nevis range.
The Nevis range, still overcast…
The Commando Monument, commemorating the Commandos who trained in this area during WWII
After a wee rest we headed up along Loch Ness, stopping at Urquhart Castle, but we didn’t go in cause it was £6.50 each…no thanks.
Urquhart Castle, nice to look at but not worth the £6.50pp…sorry.
“How far have we come? Is that IT?….oh….”
After steaming up the Great Glen we arrived at Inverness. We drove around for a bit, and then decided to head over to Fort George, an old fort that was now used as a military establishement. We did however arrive slightly late…and it was closed. Oh well, B and me decided to risk the chance of getting shot and walked around the closed Fort to take some pictures. Pretty cool really.
Fort George, closed to everyone….oh well.
The Fortifications, really smart and quite a drop some of them!
After the disappointment of driving an extra 10 miles down some crap road only to find it closed and then trying a burnout on the gravel only to have Em fly forward and sit on my back….we headed back to the digs for the night; The Travelodge!
We had some nice pub grub at the golf restaurant and then went to get some kip…only we couldn’t because some girls had decided to have a party in the room above us and then start smoking outside our open window. Earplugs did the trick and allowed sleep in an unusually loud Travelodge.
That concluded Day 1 of the tour, and the forecast was looking good for tomorrow! OOO!
Chocks Away!
‘Twas the night before christmas and not a creature was stirring…EXCEPT FOR YY GETTING READY FOR A MEGARIDER”
We leave for the Scotland trip tomorrow and I am really excited.
I started fitting luggage on to the bike and we will start filling it up tonight with all our crap.
There’s still a little bit to do but we will hopefully have a relaxing night before the big ride tomorrow.
I can’t wait!
Thanks for looking folks and look back in a week for an extremely big update with hundreds of photos and some videos!
Gordon
The Countdown Begins…
Well, actually it already has.
2 days to go and I am getting mega excited. For those that don’t have a clue what I am talking about, we (me, Em, Blair and Kirsty) are riding around Scotland, anti-clockwise. Perth to Inverness to Freswick, to JOG, across the very top of Scotland to the North West, down to Ullapool, then down again to the Isle of Skye, where we shall stay for 2 nights and head around Skye, then down via Oban to Lochgilphead where we decide if we want to (read if we can be arsed) go round the Cambletown twig, before heading back home to Perth….breath.
It’s a 7 day trip starting from this Friday, 23rd May till Thursday 29th. All the B&B’s are booked and we are gearing up for the long journey, which will take us round the very pinaccle of what Scotland has to offer, and by gum I am excited. I hope the weather is going to stay nice, but we’ll just have to wait and see! Looks promising though.
So anyway, to prepare for the trip, I spent tonight working out how to mount my helmet cam on the bike to capture some of our journey. After 20 minutes of non-starters, Dad came out and asked what I was up to. He then did a Dad special and managed to rig up a mount for the camera. It consisted of an L-bracket hacksawed a wee bit, with a jubilee clip and the mount for my dogcam. A few moments later and we had a rig! It looks like THIS:
CHECK THAT OUT!! HAHAHA, brilliant.
So there it is! It works a treat! There is no vibes from the bike and it is solid as a rock with a little bit of solid adjustment should I need to. The angle of the camera was pretty much perfect as well, with maybe some down angle needed.
The Dad Special. King-ding-a-ling.
I have a video of my quick jaunt with the dadcam mount but I will refrain from posting it up……..
It’s brilliant, and well hidden so when we leave the bikes out it will hopefully be safe.
So there you go. I will maybe take some stills from the video to show you what it’s like, and then the Scotland Tour 2008 DVD will go on sale….haha.
The HID light is excellent and I have found out why the high-low beam thing was bust, the gaffa taped wiring loom obviously has a loose connection, because when I turn the bars to full lock left, the full beam works….so I’ll have to sort that out on Thursday when I am off! I also had to re-fit my stock wedge bulbs because the bloody japanese LED ones started flickering again. HOW ANNOYING IS THAT. It’s like a really bright strobe light going off at the front of my bike. Oh well, it looks cool with the warm top half and cold bottom half….sort of…:(
Note the reflection off of the screen, smart.
I’ll post before Friday and then it’s a week of (hopefully) glorious riding pleasure.
Thanks for looking folks
Gordon
