DK here, at the end of August 2003, I decided
to treat myself (having had a really crap year after my marriage ended) so
I bought a new Buell,
quit work (I tried to get 3 months off but they said no, so I just quit...
felt good.) & went touring.
Gaffa & I set off for Stormin' the Castle from Northampton, after about
50 miles Gaffa's clutch had given up,
to the point where we were doing just under 30 mph on the M1. Not good!
He ended up going back home & I carried on to the rally, & got there
about the same time Gaffa got back to Northampton.
Usually rally stuff, too much beer & lots of home made punch which kept changing colour from the guys I was camped near.
I managed to replace my 96 badge which I had lost a few years earlier.
Saturday morning I awoke a 5:22 am, hungover, freezing cold & soaking wet,
with my feet sticking out of my tent & my contact lenses still in my eyes.
I dont remember anything of the previous night (no change there then)... It was a sign of things to come.
It rained for most of the ride-out & I hadn't put on my waterproofs! Had a great time... Really honestly...
The day picked up after that & I made it through 'till the last band finished without passing out.
Sunday 7th September 2003 I awoke at 5:22 am AGAIN but this time I had no hangover, my contacts were where they should be
& I'd managed to shut my tent properly. I was far too hot, so I had a J & went back to sleep 'til about 10.
After the rally I headed for Scotland, I planned to be at Loch Ness to see the sunrise on my birthday 3 days later.
I think it was at Corbridge just before Hadrians Wall (A69) I stopped off at some posh hotel to use the loo, & as I was putting my jacket
back on my sleeve hit some bloke round the head. It turned out to be the top boss from the job I had just quit (bonus)!
I found a Roman Temple at Hadrians Wall dedicated to bikers, & then I managed to got about 60 miles west (instead of north) without noticing,
& had to travel back again & pick up the right road (A68) north to Scotland (DK strikes again).
I eventually got to Scotland & booked into an hotel at Jedburgh. The room was for 6 people but seeing as everywhere else was booked I took it.
The place was full of old duffers, & they were the biggest bunch of piss-heads going, the bar didnt shut & I didn't feel good in the morning.
Monday 8th September 2003, I carried on up the A68 towards Edinburgh. I got moaned at by a copper for taking my bike on
a footpath up a big hill near the city centre, but I got let off by a PA ('cos he was a biker) for parking on double yellow lines outside the Pizza Hut.
The car parked in front of me got a ticket, & the guy on the table next to me wasn't happy 'cos it was his car & I had been let off! Nice one.
I left Edinburgh & accidently ended up on the road I wanted (didn't think I was going to find it) & eventually stopped at a campsite at Strathyre
which was by Loch Lubnaig on the A84. The 300 metre walk to the village was quite scary (to the pub) as it was pitch black
& I was wearing black leathers & there was no room off the road due to steep sides. (& I dont believe it was 300 metres either... more like 900)
In the pub I ended up talking bike all night with some local, & ate half his pizza & then dont remember leaving, but apparenlty I did.
Tuesday 9th September 2003, 1 day to go until my birthday, so the plan was get to Loch Ness by nightfall, mmm...
From Strathyre the A85 to Crianlarich, then A82 north to Tyndrum. This is where I hit the best road I've been on ever.
If you get the chance to do the A82 accross Glen Coe, do it. The scenery is spectacular,
the road's got lots of straight bits & twisty bits & flat bits & steep bits etc...
It pissed it down again & I didn't put my waterproofs on again. You'd think I'd learn by now.
It took me ages to do this section 'cos I kept stopping lots for photos.
I ended up at Fort William, & because the weather was turning really nasty I decided to stop there the night.
I hooked up with 2 other bikers whose names I cant remember & we ended up booking into a B & B (wich was mingingly awful)
& then going to the pub for more beer! Didn't make it to Loch Ness, never mind.
10th September 2003 my birthday. Because the B & B was so horrible we went to the 1 next door
& got breakfast there instead, it seems that happens quite a lot. I wasn't prepared to eat in that place.
Anyway, my birthday, I felt great, & the weather was brilliant. In fact it was so good I decided to mount
my camcorder on the bike & go back & do the A82 accross Glen Coe again, it's worth it.
So I did that & thoroughly enjoyed it & eventually got to Loch Ness that about 7 ' clock that night.
Booked into a really expensive hotel called the Clansman at Drumnadrochit with a balcony overlooking the Loch.
11th September 2003 I decided to stay another day, did my laundry at Inverness & had another Pizza while I was waiting.
(I think I should get some shares in Pizza Hut with the amount of pizzas that I get through!)
That night I ended up in a proper locals pub & had far too many beers again, took a taxi back to the hotel, made a few J's
& went & sat on the shores of Loch Ness for a smoke. Perfect timing, the waters were perfectly still & calm, not a ripple
& as I lit up the first 1 the I saw the full moon rise above the Loch, which was far better than seeing the sunrise that I didn't get to see.
Friday 12th September 2003, no particular plans apart from getting to John 'O Groats at least. It was an enjoyable uneventful ride,
& I filmed the last 12 miles to John 'O Groats lacthing on to the back of 2 other bikers whom I caught up & stayed with.
After that I saw a sign which said "Tourist route to Ullapool 170 miles" ... hah !
It was 3 pm & I wanted to stop riding at 6 pm, so 3 hours for 170 miles no wurries... yeah right!
It seems about 120 miles of it was single track road in poor condition with various renegade animals trying to take you
out en-route (most of them being sheep) It took me 5 hours, it was enjoyable but hard work, & I was knackered by the time I got there.
This is inspiring countryside. If you're going to do this tourist route, give yourself all day to do it.
I eventually made it to Ullapool & booked into the Ferry Inn on the harbour front. Had a few beers, & ended up in some "trendy" club where I got
chatted up by a Swedish lass (who wasn't blond). She invited me back to her place for a smoke or something, but I managed to miss getting in the taxi.
She came back walking (staggering) about 20 minutes later having a go 'cos I hadn't got in the taxi with her, so that never happened... bummer!
Dont remember getting back to the Ferry Inn (that happens a lot) but apparently I did seeing as I woke up there the next morning.
Saturday 13th September 2003 still at Ullapool, what a brilliant day. It was baking hot, & I wasn't hungover for some strange reason.
I decided to have a lazy day, so I just bummed about on what passes for a beach (bearing in mind its a working harbour), smoking lots.
I bumped into the Swedish lass again & got moaned at again for not getting into her taxi, so I then cleared off
back to the Ferry Inn, for more beer (it was mid afternoon)
After a few beers & a few hours, I found myself talking with 2 young Swiss girls (dont quite know how that happend), Delfine & Saffrine, who were on a
hiking holdiday around Scotland. They're French speaking Swiss, & build & ride bikes back home. Delfine has the darkest most beautiful
eyes I have ever seen. Anyway they arranged to take me out for lunch the next day (lucky me).
Sunday 14th September 2003 I explored some of the local are trying to kill time until my lunch date. Then went to do lunch.
15 minutes later they still hadn't arrived so I jumped onto my bike & went what would be 2 minutes walk back to the B & B feeling a bit crap.
5 minutes after that they walked in. Seems I was 1/2 an hour late so they had decided to look for me :-)
We did lunch, then they invited me to pitch tent with them, so I did. We then all went for a walk up a stupidly big hill overlooking the town,
not something I'd normally choose to do but hey, I'm a single bloke... what do you expect. We went our separate ways for the evening meal & were
supposed to meet up after but I couldn't find the pub. I managed to find all the other pubs in town though (its only a small place) & had a pint in each 1.
Monday 15th September 2003 the girls were catching the first ferry out to Stornaway & I got invited along again (cool).
So they told me where they would be camping & we arranged to meet a McNeills Bar in Cromwell Street at 9:30 pm.
I decided to go for a boat trip round the islands in the morning & catch the last ferry out at night. I left my bike parked on
double yellow lines & as the boat pulled out of the harbour for a 4 hour round trip some police traffic wardens turned up & started looking at my bike.
Luckily I didn't have a ticket when I returned. I took a photo of some big-horned-long-haired-highland cow things
& then noticed that the electric fence keeping them away from me was non-existant where I was stood, so I beat a hasty exit.
Finally got the ferry to Stornaway, found the campsite & the girls tent & then had 18 minutes to walk 1 1/2 miles to McNeills Bar.
I was 15 minutes late when I got there. Had a great night again, & you're not getting any details.
Tuesday 16th September 2003, Delfine & Saffrine wanted me to meet up with them again that night, but the place they was going was miles
away from even a road, & the weather was really crappy, so I caught the 1st ferry out & went back to Loch Ness, this time staying in a hostel,
& then planned to travel as far south as I could the next day to run away from the bad weather.
17th September I set off early, did the other road below Glen Coe but it wasn't as good as the A82. I got as far as Carlisle when a fuse blew
on my bike leaving me with no electrics (lights speedo fuel gauge etc). Put in a spare & then ran out of petrol at Penrith. stayed in another B & B,
more beer & stuff, the place was dead. I must have walked half way round the town looking for a pub with some life in it.
18th September 2003 set off early again, blew my last fuse pretty much straight away & couldn't get any more so I rang up for recovery.
They are supposed to take me to the nearest Harley dealer. When they turned up the guy reckoned he
took 1 there yesterday but they wouldn't look at it for 2 weeks so he took me back to his depot to sort it out. The Harley garage refused
to look at my bike & it took 2 hours for the recovery people to authorise taking me home instead.
When I got back to Northampton I got a text from my ex-wife, she had seen my bike on the back of the tow recovery lorry. Bugger !
2003 Scotland Glen Coe...
