This blog is the English version of my original blog in Portuguese:
http://viagens-2rodas.blogspot.com/
It started with my trips back in Portugal but only started translating the ones in Scotland
The First Trip to the Highlands A.K.A. "my best ride ever"
Date: 4-6 July
Itinerary: Glasgow – Inverness – Ullapool – Durness – Thurso – John O'Groats – Inverness – Glasgow
Map:
Total Distance: 1012 kms / 628 miles
Report:
Some years ago the actor and my dear motorcyclist mate Ewan McGregor * decided to make a motorcycle trip with his best mate Charlie Boorman. The original idea was to ride from London to the South of Spain, however the dream and therefore the ride length grew to the point of connecting London to New York by land, through Asia and North America. They called this project "Long Way Round", the report can be found in the form of a book and 10 TV series. Apparently this wasn't the enough so some years later they decided to make a new trip, this time from the northernmost tip of the UK (John O'Groats) to the southernmost tip of Africa - this was the Long Way Down.
I saw these episodes while still in Portugal, in a time I was planning my life in Glasgow. Back then I thought "one day I will go there with my bike"... I never thought that day would be so soon!
The original idea was to visit John O'Groats, just that! I heard that the roads to get there were good and that it would "only" take me around 7 hours.
After googling about Scotland and speaking with the only two locals that had gone to the very northern tip of Scotland, I was convinced that I had to visit the Western Coast (John O'Groats is on the North-eastern part).
One minor problem: read that the roads are very narrow, only one car can go by! That means the speed is lower, that means almost half of the 1000kms/600miles I had planned were going to be very slow, at speeds of around 50kms/h / 35miles/h, taking obviously a looong time, something like 10 hours of continuous riding on narrow twisting roads in just one day.
Friday, the 4th of July 2008, meant for some the celebration of the Independence Day (in the U.S of A), for me it meant the beginning of a great ride!
The day started with me setting up all the equipment on the bike and strolling to... my office! As always only at 16h my working week ended, so I left Glasgow at that time directly to Inverness. I knew that I had the enough hours of sunshine to get there, wasn't that sure about the road being dry. Everything went ok that day, even though I had to stop every 160kms/100miles to refuel, since my bike is probably the one with the least autonomy in the world!! :p
My first stop however was to take a picture of a landscape I thought to be nice. Back then I thought I wouldn't see anything much better then this.
Some time later something happened to me that didn't for quite some time - my mouth slowly started opening as the landscape started getting nice, then pretty, then stunning! I then saw the sign "Welcome to the Highlands"
The landscape was the following:
(I recommend opening the panoramas full screen to see them with a decent resolution - just click them!)
Back then I thought that it wouldn't be easy or even possible to find nicer landscapes, for me all the ride was already worth it!
Just before Inverness I stopped for a rest.
Once there it wasn't easy to find the hostel, here are some photos I took when going around trying to find it.
The good side is that I got to know most of the city, which is fairly small. I still think that not having a GPS has many advantages!
That yellow dot on the bottom of the pictures is my baby, behind it the Hostel where I stayed. It's called Bazpackers, costs around £14/night. It's 6 people bedrooms and the bathrooms are mixed! :p
I still had some time to visit the city before going to sleep, here are some photos I took around.
Good old MacDonald's saved me at 22h, when all the other food places were closed.
Most of these pictures were taken at around 23h - it was the weekend after the longest day of the year.
Saturday I left at 8h, direction Ullapool (see map in the beginning of the post)
The day started cloudy, I cursed the forecast of "clean skies" that I had seen online.
Soon after I entered once again the mountain and loch areas at the same time the clouds started to clear...once again my mouth started opening!
Ullapool is a small town with little interest, mostly used for its ferry connection to some of the Western Isles. I liked the camping though, with a great view over the loch.
From here I went North, entering the most beautiful coastal area I've seen.
I followed my plan and went into the narrow twisty secondary roads - the ones that are really worth seeing! The landscape went by slower and the sensation of freedom that only a bike can give made me think "if the people that criticise bikes so much would have the slightest idea..."
For me, it's one of the best feelings I can have!
(I recommend opening the next picture full screen and slowly scrolling to the right)
I was also there! :)
In Reiff
The landscape was great, the mountains on the back gorgeous!
Lochinver
Camping in Achmelvich, a place I hope to return soon!
I took the previous and next picture standing on the same place.
My second favourite landscape from the tour.
"Point of Stoer" Lighthouse
It's a different way of seeing my ride!
Drumbeg, viewpoint and the view after :)
Next to Unapool, finally back to the wide roads.
One more video!
The following panorama was taken in the same area of the previous video - the lake on the right side of the video is the same of the picture.
The following panorama shows place I most liked, not only of the trip, but one of the places that most impressed me, ever! It's a 180 degrees panorama that shows a huge valley and uniquely beautiful.
Got to Durness soon after 18h.
The petrol station was closed. I got worried, didn't know if I had the enough fuel to get to Thurso, where I was supposed to stay overnight. Fortunately I found the guy that opened the station just for me to refuel. Scottish people, once again, being great!!
I still had to ride the whole northern coast. That would only be possible after a nice dinner and some rest.
While having dinner in a restaurant with a great perspective over the cliffs a thick fog appeared from nowhere! I still had around 200kms / 160 miles to get to my destination, didn't like the idea of having to do it with a dense fog. I was sure that my ride was over and that from now one only had a long painful stretch ahead of me.
Soon after the fog started clearing.
Once again... woow! I had never seen such a light show! On both sides of the valley there were clouds over the mountains, over the loch in between a ray of sunlight was shining, lighting the mountains on the other side from beneath.
Simply stunning!
Decided to make one more video, this time to show how it is to ride the bike on those narrow roads.
The following miles revealed a mix of lights and shadows like I had never seen.
Over the clouds :)
Finally I got to the last leg of my day, the 60kms/40miles of good roads, good visibility, no cops or radars! Just a long smooth road, the sunset and me with my 120bhp yellow precious!
Got to Thurso right after the sunset. Found the hostel and decided to visit the city once again. Not an interesting place at all, loads of young people going out at night to a couple of opened bars, many more going around and around with their tuned cars, that's the way to be cool around there I guess!
I took the next photo around midnight, while I was looking at the sea. Even with the thick clouds there was still the enough light in the skies to read.
Sunday was gray and rainy. I knew it was going to be like that, the forecast was of strong rain but still I have decided to go on my trip - at least the first day was good! :)
Still I decided to continue with the original plan and visit that area. Went to Dunnet Head, the true northernmost point of mainland Scotland.
From there I went to John O'Groats, the place I had dreamed to go to. Not really interesting to say the truth! At least not after the ride of the previous day!
Finally and before starting my Long Way Down to Glasgow, I went to Duncasby Head to visit the known cliffs.
After that I had the long trip to Glasgow, 8 hours riding with clouds, rain and fog. No landscapes interesting the enough to stop and take pictures!
And for the ones that have no experience with motorcycling, after those wet 8 hours I was completely dry and warm, so it's not as uncomfortable as most people think.
I hope to return to the Western Coast of Scotland to see the rest of it! Stay tuned, I'll post the "results" here!
