Evening all,
Not been on here for a little while so forgive me that.
I thought you may appreciate my recent ride more than my usual riding/cafe visiting pals!
Friday I got off work early and with a rare 36hrs of freedom from work and toddler. Threw my kit at the panniers and tried to remember how my bike kit went on! Loosely with plan to go to the lakes I left Macclesfield heading north.
It was lashing down all the way up so I thought I would keep going and look at the Galaway coast. It was still raining so I peeled off up the A7. By Peebles fuel was required and I took a short break to check the weather.
The west coast looked dry and it was early enough to get up to Glen Coe and get a camp.
I pitched my tent feeling smug and settled down with a dram.
A mate messaged to see where I had got too and joked that I was going to do the Nc500.
Well the seed was planted.
I left Glen Coe at 5.45 riding to Strathcarron, followed the Nc500 from there clockwise over to Applecross with the Sky still on fire with the morning sun over Skye. I phoned the wife from Durness to say I was turning towards home. Her unwitting comment that if I was by the sea it's probably best to turn became all the more fitting when she realised where Durness is!
I carried on round the nc500 route to Tounge (which imo is the end of the beautiful part) taking the Lairg road to Bonar Bridge, which is a beautiful and desolate Valley. I saw 2 vehicles in 30 miles and no people.
Bonar bridge to Nair over the old hill road, Nair to Grantown on spey then up to Braemar. I stopped for a coffee and another scotch pie while deciding to carry on or set camp. The helpful lady in the petrol station said "you've maybe an hr before you'll need to be really careful of beasts". So off I set again (on fairly high alert having seen several stags early in the day) heading for Edinburgh and on to A702 south and back to the M6.
Arriving home to my own bed at 1am Sunday again feeling very smug.
Total ride time- 26hrs
Mileage on the odo- 1380 but I think I reset out of habit at the first fill up.
Worth doing- 100%
Best bit- the views as always but a close second was the heather! Insanely purple, always go up in spring normally so never seen it before.
Worst bit- the tourist idiots not letting you past despite the regular signs telling them you.
Scary moment- not really but 1 stag crossing the road followed by 3 other about 50 feet away was close enough to make me very aware!
Not been on here for a little while so forgive me that.
I thought you may appreciate my recent ride more than my usual riding/cafe visiting pals!
Friday I got off work early and with a rare 36hrs of freedom from work and toddler. Threw my kit at the panniers and tried to remember how my bike kit went on! Loosely with plan to go to the lakes I left Macclesfield heading north.
It was lashing down all the way up so I thought I would keep going and look at the Galaway coast. It was still raining so I peeled off up the A7. By Peebles fuel was required and I took a short break to check the weather.
The west coast looked dry and it was early enough to get up to Glen Coe and get a camp.
I pitched my tent feeling smug and settled down with a dram.
A mate messaged to see where I had got too and joked that I was going to do the Nc500.
Well the seed was planted.
I left Glen Coe at 5.45 riding to Strathcarron, followed the Nc500 from there clockwise over to Applecross with the Sky still on fire with the morning sun over Skye. I phoned the wife from Durness to say I was turning towards home. Her unwitting comment that if I was by the sea it's probably best to turn became all the more fitting when she realised where Durness is!
I carried on round the nc500 route to Tounge (which imo is the end of the beautiful part) taking the Lairg road to Bonar Bridge, which is a beautiful and desolate Valley. I saw 2 vehicles in 30 miles and no people.
Bonar bridge to Nair over the old hill road, Nair to Grantown on spey then up to Braemar. I stopped for a coffee and another scotch pie while deciding to carry on or set camp. The helpful lady in the petrol station said "you've maybe an hr before you'll need to be really careful of beasts". So off I set again (on fairly high alert having seen several stags early in the day) heading for Edinburgh and on to A702 south and back to the M6.
Arriving home to my own bed at 1am Sunday again feeling very smug.
Total ride time- 26hrs
Mileage on the odo- 1380 but I think I reset out of habit at the first fill up.
Worth doing- 100%
Best bit- the views as always but a close second was the heather! Insanely purple, always go up in spring normally so never seen it before.
Worst bit- the tourist idiots not letting you past despite the regular signs telling them you.
Scary moment- not really but 1 stag crossing the road followed by 3 other about 50 feet away was close enough to make me very aware!
