We decided to go out for our last ride on the motorbike before it gets loaded onto the trailer ready for the 14th! We were not disappointed as the weather was dry, with great visibility and warm.
We set off from the campsite and headed for Skye via Kinlochewe, Achnasheen along Loch Carron and then through the Kyle of Lochalsh before going over Skye Bridge.
Halfway along we stopped for a coffee at the Loch Carron viewpoint where we also stopped last year in the ‘van. A lovely chap pulled in alongside us on a (brand new) Royal Enfield Bullet motorbike with the exact same plan in mind. We obliged each other by taking the necessary photographs and then spent the next 15 minutes chatting. He was staying in Fort William and touring the area over a few days, but was also waiting to collect an additional motorbike that had a bit more poke to it. In his lifetime he’s owned ten bikes and counting!
As we’re nearing the end of our time in Scotland we have tried to look at the scenery with ‘fresh eyes’ because we know we will not see views like these again for a while. The natural beauty of this part of Scotland is absolutely amazing. When the sun is shining there is no better place to be and the views are enough to literally take your breath away. There is something magical about this place, you cannot explain it but it has been an immense privilege to live here for the last six months.
We reached Skye and rode over the bridge, but it was a very quick excursion onto the island as we had a soft drink and then made our way back over the bridge to head back.
When we toured up here last year we were told that we must visit Plockton, especially by the lady we met at Glen Nevis campsite who used to live there! It is a typical ‘Chocolate Box’ village but a nightmare to get to as it is single track roads, with very few passing places and a lot of blind corners to contend with. Dean was absolutely shattered when we got back as it took a lot of concentration to ride!
It has been an experience riding along the single track roads in Scotland, we’re not sure if England has as many? The amount of people who do not understand how to drive along them is amazing, no wonder the locals get irritated! A lot of drivers do not realise that on a motorbike you cannot just pull off the road and let a car driver pass (who couldn’t be bothered to observe the passing place etiquette) otherwise you end up falling off in a pile of gravel and grass – and a motorbike does NOT HAVE reverse gear! Anyway, one and only rant over!
We stopped off on the way back to finish our flasks of coffee and to admire the view. These Highland roads are real thrill to ride along. I’m not sure if we will get the same buzz from riding along the Cowley Road, Oxford!
On our return we had a quick shower and headed off to the Poolewe Hotel for a well deserved curry and a pint of Belhaven Best – happy days!
