My first ride this year was en-route to the Tuck In RTE and that was eventful, this was less eventful, apart from avoidance of some four legged critters!
Having previously considered this ride and being unsure about it, having been away on a planned mini tour taking in Mathewsons at Pickering as well as some very nice scenery including Robin Hood’s bay, followed by three days at an Armourers reunion near Coventry, the off to Cockermouth and surrounds, I made a late decision on my return home on Thursday to give it a go!
I left home after lunch on Friday, the route actually staying within Scotland for the entire SS1000 in order to hopefully also qualify as part of the Four Nations challenge.
The weather was not forecast to be too bad, but not great, so some trepidation regarding what to pack and getting it slightly wrong in that I should have packed my heated gloves and jacket as it got very cold coming out of Inverness as I climbed up to the top of the hill… should have known really as I have been up and down that road many, many times.
I headed off from home and as I had a near full tank I thought I would just get a choccy bar or something and that receipt would do. Unfortunately, my local petrol station was closed due to a power failure so had to do an about turn and go to the local Spar instead! I did get a bit of a strange look asking for a receipt for 92p!
Off I go then, along the A70 to the A77 where I committed my habitual right turn at the roundabout and rode off north…. for a few hundred yards, before realising my other boo boo…. I hadn’t turned on my helmet intercom and hence did not hear the sat nav telling me to go south, well that’s my excuse as I only loaded the route last night!
So, one u-turn later and I am now at least heading towards Stranraer!
The planned ride was to go to John O’Groats via Stranraer, Dumfries, Gretna and of course then up the M74, M73, M80, M9, A9 and so on….
Mostly it went to plan, except for the weather! It was better than expected, just to lull me into a false sense of security really.
I changed my fuel strategy, having been caught out at Tesco Wick before when comms were down and so no 24 hour fuel there or in Thurso, so a top up at Inverness is strongly advised for anyone riding up that way for an out of hours visit during an IBA ride, however if your tank has less that 220 mile range, it could be an issue!
There is also a Tesco 24 hour petrol station in Perth which is easily accessible from the A9 and is probably less expensive than Broxden services.
Perth was easily reached from Tesco PFS in Annan, just off the A75, which is of course 24 hour and although a slight detour, well worth a planned visit if needed.
Inverness has a Burger King just around the corner from the Tesco petrol station and I did avail myself of that, but the service is drive through only after, I think, 8pm.
North of Inverness the roads were very quiet, helping me to maintain a better average speed, but this was knocked back when thick fog, or har, was encountered up the coast north of Helmsdale, countered by very strong winds once past Wick!
No problems at Wick with fuel, thank goodness, just with trying to keep the receipt stuck to the blu-tack to get the picture, memories of a previous visit when the receipt literally disappeared upwards and away!
Could not get a receipt at JOG, so relying on Spot tracker and Spotwalla and my pictures to prove my visit!
Wind was so strong I thought the bike was going to get blown off the side stand, it did wobble quite a bit…
Back on it and a return to Inverness through even thicker fog and a little light rain as well as the high winds!
There was a moment…. South of Helmsdale, as I crested a hill at around 60, only to find a herd of deer milling about on the road…. full braking effort and a slight turn to the right and I managed to avoid all of them, despite their best efforts to run in front of me and then stand still……
Further down on a dualled section of the A9 another group were standing in lane one, but this time I am doing 70 and so a swerve to avoid was better than braking, fortunately missing them all…..
There were more deer on this ride than I saw in all my years when we lived in Argyll!
I believe this time of year is called the rutting season…
Inverness was quieter as all the neds in their noisy cars who were there earlier had gone home for mummy to tuck them in, or whatever…. a fill up at Tesco and a visit to Burger King around the corner, wher asking for tea was treated with some uncertainty, but supplied nevertheless.
Onwards then and up the hill southwards, with accompanying sharp drop in air temperature, my jacket and liner seemed to cope, but the grips were up full and just about managed to keep my hands from getting very cold. The roads were thankfully quiet with few vehicles needing to be passed.
Since the installation of average speed cameras, even if it appears they only monitor front plates, it is possible that the opposing lane camera can pick up plates travelling in the opposite direction.
So I stick quite close to the posted limits, it’s not worth getting an invitation to meet the local sheriff court staff.
Once the road dropped down towards Perth the temperature actually got up to about 8 degrees, almost springlike, this made riding a bit more comfortable. More roadworks at, I think, the Inveralmond roundabout onto the A9 made going a little slow in both directions earlier, but it was quiet in the early hours.
Dawn started making its presence felt well before Perth, with the eastern sky getting light remarkably early on and a clear moonlit sky only helped it to be colder than it might otherwise have been!
This was replaced with a large black cloud and the inevitable rain, which got quite heavy nearer to Glasgow but eased thereafter.
As I had consumed a Burger King whopper meal the evening before, my stomach really needed to visit a toilet, to my surprise the food side of the services at Hamilton had not yet opened.
One warning about the services at Hamilton southbound, the entry does a very sudden 180 degree turn and there was no apparent warning, however the NT’s brakes are really very good, even in the wet….
The Cairn lodge was similarly dark, however the Shell station there does a nice breakfast roll and a hot drink and at just around six in the morning it was welcome, as was their toilet facility!
Well shortly after that my body decided it needed a nap so a detour to a small parking area north of a small village called Ecclefechan was the place to book in to the Iron Butt motel… I sat on the bike as the grass was wet and the ground was very dirty, undid my helmet strap and upper jacket fastenings and laid my head on my arms on the tank bag, I looked at the time and thought it said 06:26 and hoped I would not sleep too long… after what I thought was a couple of minutes someone nearby snored loudly and woke me up, then miraculously disappeared.
It was 07:04… I had gone out like a light and I thought I had slept for at least a half hour, a later check of my Spot tracker seems to indicate in reality it was six minutes!
However, the difference was quite marked, I felt quite refreshed and ready to get on with finishing the ride!
Another visit to Tesco PFS in Annan and back to the A75 to Stranraer and then up the coast toward Ayr.
A quick visit to the local Spar store to finish the ride, again a strange look when I asked for a receipt for £1.25 with my bar of mint Aero, I muttered some brief explanation for which I received an even stranger look!
I arrived home just before 10:15 and put the bike straight in the garage, unpacked what little kit I had and peeled off my bike gear. A bowl of cereal and an orange juice was very welcome as was watching the pomp and ceremony of the coronation of our king and his consort, my goodness, do we know how to do ceremonial in the UK!
Well, that’s my ride done, just under 21 hours in total, with over two hours of stops according to my track on the Garmin. That and the slow pace in the fog up north made the ride longer than planned.
Now, the Garmin.. I thought it had thrown a wobbly as it kept trying to take me off the M74…. Until I realised I had turned on “Avoid motorways” whilst on holiday and hadn’t unchecked it to start my SS ride…
That cured that little problem… but later and I don’t know if it was me or a route glitch, probably the former, it stopped the route.. I only noticed this when what looked to be a problem appeared.
I would press to go to the map and the Garmin would highlight the right hand bottom icon, which was set to time of arrival previously but was now on some other selection, there would be a click on my headset and the Garmin would then go back to the icon selection screen. I thought the touch screen had gone nuts… until I noticed the route wasn’t running!
Restarting the route sorted it out, but it was weird and illustrated how your perception can be altered when you think something is NOT doing what it was set to do and you are tired but think all is well.
Well a rest stop helped.
So another SS1000 completed an several more planned in the coming weeks, hopefully towards the Four Nations award.
Here's hoping it is all satisfactory for verification!
Next ride hopefully - SS1000 England
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/0408-12c78ce-7dcd/view?p=Coronation
Having previously considered this ride and being unsure about it, having been away on a planned mini tour taking in Mathewsons at Pickering as well as some very nice scenery including Robin Hood’s bay, followed by three days at an Armourers reunion near Coventry, the off to Cockermouth and surrounds, I made a late decision on my return home on Thursday to give it a go!
I left home after lunch on Friday, the route actually staying within Scotland for the entire SS1000 in order to hopefully also qualify as part of the Four Nations challenge.
The weather was not forecast to be too bad, but not great, so some trepidation regarding what to pack and getting it slightly wrong in that I should have packed my heated gloves and jacket as it got very cold coming out of Inverness as I climbed up to the top of the hill… should have known really as I have been up and down that road many, many times.
I headed off from home and as I had a near full tank I thought I would just get a choccy bar or something and that receipt would do. Unfortunately, my local petrol station was closed due to a power failure so had to do an about turn and go to the local Spar instead! I did get a bit of a strange look asking for a receipt for 92p!
Off I go then, along the A70 to the A77 where I committed my habitual right turn at the roundabout and rode off north…. for a few hundred yards, before realising my other boo boo…. I hadn’t turned on my helmet intercom and hence did not hear the sat nav telling me to go south, well that’s my excuse as I only loaded the route last night!
So, one u-turn later and I am now at least heading towards Stranraer!
The planned ride was to go to John O’Groats via Stranraer, Dumfries, Gretna and of course then up the M74, M73, M80, M9, A9 and so on….
Mostly it went to plan, except for the weather! It was better than expected, just to lull me into a false sense of security really.
I changed my fuel strategy, having been caught out at Tesco Wick before when comms were down and so no 24 hour fuel there or in Thurso, so a top up at Inverness is strongly advised for anyone riding up that way for an out of hours visit during an IBA ride, however if your tank has less that 220 mile range, it could be an issue!
There is also a Tesco 24 hour petrol station in Perth which is easily accessible from the A9 and is probably less expensive than Broxden services.
Perth was easily reached from Tesco PFS in Annan, just off the A75, which is of course 24 hour and although a slight detour, well worth a planned visit if needed.
Inverness has a Burger King just around the corner from the Tesco petrol station and I did avail myself of that, but the service is drive through only after, I think, 8pm.
North of Inverness the roads were very quiet, helping me to maintain a better average speed, but this was knocked back when thick fog, or har, was encountered up the coast north of Helmsdale, countered by very strong winds once past Wick!
No problems at Wick with fuel, thank goodness, just with trying to keep the receipt stuck to the blu-tack to get the picture, memories of a previous visit when the receipt literally disappeared upwards and away!
Could not get a receipt at JOG, so relying on Spot tracker and Spotwalla and my pictures to prove my visit!
Wind was so strong I thought the bike was going to get blown off the side stand, it did wobble quite a bit…
Back on it and a return to Inverness through even thicker fog and a little light rain as well as the high winds!
There was a moment…. South of Helmsdale, as I crested a hill at around 60, only to find a herd of deer milling about on the road…. full braking effort and a slight turn to the right and I managed to avoid all of them, despite their best efforts to run in front of me and then stand still……
Further down on a dualled section of the A9 another group were standing in lane one, but this time I am doing 70 and so a swerve to avoid was better than braking, fortunately missing them all…..
There were more deer on this ride than I saw in all my years when we lived in Argyll!
I believe this time of year is called the rutting season…
Inverness was quieter as all the neds in their noisy cars who were there earlier had gone home for mummy to tuck them in, or whatever…. a fill up at Tesco and a visit to Burger King around the corner, wher asking for tea was treated with some uncertainty, but supplied nevertheless.
Onwards then and up the hill southwards, with accompanying sharp drop in air temperature, my jacket and liner seemed to cope, but the grips were up full and just about managed to keep my hands from getting very cold. The roads were thankfully quiet with few vehicles needing to be passed.
Since the installation of average speed cameras, even if it appears they only monitor front plates, it is possible that the opposing lane camera can pick up plates travelling in the opposite direction.
So I stick quite close to the posted limits, it’s not worth getting an invitation to meet the local sheriff court staff.
Once the road dropped down towards Perth the temperature actually got up to about 8 degrees, almost springlike, this made riding a bit more comfortable. More roadworks at, I think, the Inveralmond roundabout onto the A9 made going a little slow in both directions earlier, but it was quiet in the early hours.
Dawn started making its presence felt well before Perth, with the eastern sky getting light remarkably early on and a clear moonlit sky only helped it to be colder than it might otherwise have been!
This was replaced with a large black cloud and the inevitable rain, which got quite heavy nearer to Glasgow but eased thereafter.
As I had consumed a Burger King whopper meal the evening before, my stomach really needed to visit a toilet, to my surprise the food side of the services at Hamilton had not yet opened.
One warning about the services at Hamilton southbound, the entry does a very sudden 180 degree turn and there was no apparent warning, however the NT’s brakes are really very good, even in the wet….
The Cairn lodge was similarly dark, however the Shell station there does a nice breakfast roll and a hot drink and at just around six in the morning it was welcome, as was their toilet facility!
Well shortly after that my body decided it needed a nap so a detour to a small parking area north of a small village called Ecclefechan was the place to book in to the Iron Butt motel… I sat on the bike as the grass was wet and the ground was very dirty, undid my helmet strap and upper jacket fastenings and laid my head on my arms on the tank bag, I looked at the time and thought it said 06:26 and hoped I would not sleep too long… after what I thought was a couple of minutes someone nearby snored loudly and woke me up, then miraculously disappeared.
It was 07:04… I had gone out like a light and I thought I had slept for at least a half hour, a later check of my Spot tracker seems to indicate in reality it was six minutes!
However, the difference was quite marked, I felt quite refreshed and ready to get on with finishing the ride!
Another visit to Tesco PFS in Annan and back to the A75 to Stranraer and then up the coast toward Ayr.
A quick visit to the local Spar store to finish the ride, again a strange look when I asked for a receipt for £1.25 with my bar of mint Aero, I muttered some brief explanation for which I received an even stranger look!
I arrived home just before 10:15 and put the bike straight in the garage, unpacked what little kit I had and peeled off my bike gear. A bowl of cereal and an orange juice was very welcome as was watching the pomp and ceremony of the coronation of our king and his consort, my goodness, do we know how to do ceremonial in the UK!
Well, that’s my ride done, just under 21 hours in total, with over two hours of stops according to my track on the Garmin. That and the slow pace in the fog up north made the ride longer than planned.
Now, the Garmin.. I thought it had thrown a wobbly as it kept trying to take me off the M74…. Until I realised I had turned on “Avoid motorways” whilst on holiday and hadn’t unchecked it to start my SS ride…
That cured that little problem… but later and I don’t know if it was me or a route glitch, probably the former, it stopped the route.. I only noticed this when what looked to be a problem appeared.
I would press to go to the map and the Garmin would highlight the right hand bottom icon, which was set to time of arrival previously but was now on some other selection, there would be a click on my headset and the Garmin would then go back to the icon selection screen. I thought the touch screen had gone nuts… until I noticed the route wasn’t running!
Restarting the route sorted it out, but it was weird and illustrated how your perception can be altered when you think something is NOT doing what it was set to do and you are tired but think all is well.
Well a rest stop helped.
So another SS1000 completed an several more planned in the coming weeks, hopefully towards the Four Nations award.
Here's hoping it is all satisfactory for verification!
Next ride hopefully - SS1000 England
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/0408-12c78ce-7dcd/view?p=Coronation
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