Long(ish) Way Up

bristolsaint

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M'off

Off to Orkney. Starting from West Bay, on the Jurassic Coast and riding to Scrabster at the very top of Scotland to catch the North Link ferry to Orkney. If I went the direct route it would be just over 700 miles, but I'll detour, ride some wiggly bits and take my time.

Unlike Orinoco, I won't be doing my trip on a 24.5 bhp Himalayan, but on a 170 bhp SuperDuke GT. I'll take plenty of photos but won't be posting them until I get back, as I don't know how to do it from my ipad. I'll try to post a bit of a report in the evenings and do the piccy bit when I get home in 11 or so days.

It's dry, but quite windy here at present and the roads are cluttered with people doing the West Bay triathlon. Good luck to them! The forecast looks ok, but remaining windy. Maximum daily ride will be about 275 miles, with a few much shorter ones, especially on Orkney, obvs.

It's a new thing for me, a solo trip. I've either toured with friends or with the lovely Mrs Saint riding pillion. It'll be fine! More to follow.
 
Enjoy, somewhere on my to do list.
 
Excellent start, thanks for mentioning the extra 0.5, definitely makes all the difference :)

Enjoy the trip
 
Unless you’ve already paid, look at pentland ferries. I’ve used both but prefer pentland.
 
I find Tapatalk makes it easy to do a write up and include photos using the iPad whilst on the road, if that helps?
 
the 411cc Himalayan is the better motorcycle for this kinda trip :D
:beerjug:

…not if you’ve got an SDGT, not a Himalayan, it isn’t.:rob

Ferry’s already booked, so North Link it is. Next time… what makes Pentland better?

Day 1, a motorway day, just to get a decent way north and a night in a Premier Inn. Blimey, their food has gone downhill, but the rooms are still clean and comfortable.. M6 traffic round Manchester is the pits. Almost static. Still, I’m not in a hurry. I’m no longer used to motorways and cities. We don’t have either in Dorset and I haven’t gone far for a couple of years.

A bit more M6 then turn left at Gretna and onto the twistier bits. The SuperDuke is brilliant. Quick, comfortable, although arse ache sets in after about 5 hours and carries me and the luggage effortlessly. I’m really looking forward to seeing Scotland again. It’s such a beautiful country and I love riding there.
 
…not if you’ve got an SDGT, not a Himalayan, it isn’t.:rob

Ferry’s already booked, so North Link it is. Next time… what makes Pentland better?

Shorter crossing, cheaper, good food and lands at St Margaret's Hope and you get to ride along the Churchill Barriers :thumb

Orkney is one of my favouritist places. Have a good trip.

:beerjug:
 
Are you camping or bnb's ?

If you need any suggestions of where to go, just ask. I'm planning on going back in July on the bike, few nights on Sanday then Westray
 
Are you camping or bnb's ?

If you need any suggestions of where to go, just ask. I'm planning on going back in July on the bike, few nights on Sanday then Westray

Hotels for me. I don’t camp. A mix of cheap and decent. 3 nights on Orkney, so a nice place there. Overall average £100 ish per night.

Today has been fun. Motorway to Gretna then round the Dumfries and Galloway coast road. Shame about the average speed cameras, but traffic kept speeds sensible. Really good road and it suited the SDGT perfectly. It wasn’t the planned route but I had plenty of time so went the long way. Total about 350 miles today.

Shorter day tomorrow from here in Dumbarton (exotic, huh?) to Fort Augustus, again via the long route, having been up the A82 and across Rannoch Moor a few times before. No more Premier Inns and their shite food until the blat home next week. They have really gone downhill with their food. A decent hotel and, hopefully a decent meal awaits tomorrow.
 
Yesterday was a bit drizzly. Lots of low cloud to start the morning. A ride past Faslane naval base then heading west, avoiding the A82, the Green Welly and Glencoe, preferring the coast to Oban. Scotland is so beautiful. It doesn’t seem to matter which road you take, the scenery is stunning. Lunch in Fort William, then the short afternoon ride to Fort Augustus and my hotel, stopping on the way for a photo at the Commando Memorial. Respect.

My hotel’s an old hunting lodge. All tartan and deer heads. Clean, comfortable and friendly. I walked into town to watch boats going through the locks. The lock keeper was being kept busy. By 5.30 I was back in my room where I fell asleep and slept until 6 am! I knew I was tired, but 12 and 1/2 hours uninterrupted sleep. Wow! Roll on breakfast!

A gentle ride to Ullapool is today’s plan. It’s grey and overcast, but dry, so should be ok. I’ll be going the scenic, coastal route again, but some will be on the NC500, so could be more traffic. Hey, ho.
 
Yesterday was a bit drizzly. Lots of low cloud to start the morning. A ride past Faslane naval base then heading west, avoiding the A82, the Green Welly and Glencoe, preferring the coast to Oban. Scotland is so beautiful. It doesn’t seem to matter which road you take, the scenery is stunning. Lunch in Fort William, then the short afternoon ride to Fort Augustus and my hotel, stopping on the way for a photo at the Commando Memorial. Respect.

My hotel’s an old hunting lodge. All tartan and deer heads. Clean, comfortable and friendly. I walked into town to watch boats going through the locks. The lock keeper was being kept busy. By 5.30 I was back in my room where I fell asleep and slept until 6 am! I knew I was tired, but 12 and 1/2 hours uninterrupted sleep. Wow! Roll on breakfast!
A gentle ride to Ullapool is today’s plan. It’s grey and overcast, but dry, so should be ok. I’ll be going the scenic, coastal route again, but some will be on the NC500, so could be more traffic. Hey, ho.


Sounds great, I know when I visit Scotland I always get a really high quality sleep because there is generally no external noise to disrupt me, i.e. cars racing up the street, sirens, kids shouting etc.....it is bliss!
 
Ullapool is a nice town, couple of nice bars and good views. And some decent roads.
 
I’m in Orkney now. The first grey day since the ride started. A quick trip to JO’G and Dunnet Head this morning before getting the ferry to Stromness. The ride from Fort Augustus to Thurso, with an overnight in Ullapool, was terrific. Warm, sunny, midge free. A real joy. Lots of little roads and some NC500. Not too much traffic and very few wobbly boxes. Loads of GSs and other adventure bikes. Got talking to a Portuguese guy who’d ridden over on his ktm690 supermoto, which had 50k on the clock!

Skara Brae tomorrow, which should be interesting. 3 nights here in Orkney then the long journey south.
 
I’m in Orkney now. The first grey day since the ride started. A quick trip to JO’G and Dunnet Head this morning before getting the ferry to Stromness. The ride from Fort Augustus to Thurso, with an overnight in Ullapool, was terrific. Warm, sunny, midge free. A real joy. Lots of little roads and some NC500. Not too much traffic and very few wobbly boxes. Loads of GSs and other adventure bikes. Got talking to a Portuguese guy who’d ridden over on his ktm690 supermoto, which had 50k on the clock!

Skara Brae tomorrow, which should be interesting. 3 nights here in Orkney then the long journey south.

The Tomb of Eagles is fascinating and an absolute must :thumb2

:beerjug:
 
Enjoy.

I took my wife to Orkney and Shetland the first week of June. Our first visit. 4 wheels of course.

We enjoyed Northlink ferries as it was so easy to book the 3 hops from Scrabster to Orkney. Orkney to Shetland. Shetland to Aberdeen.

My wife saw it as a mini cruise (nice outside cabins and Magnus lounge). Flat calm all the time.

Not a drop of rain.

Visited all the obvious tourist sites - barriers, Italian chapel, Scapa Flow bay, Skara Brae.

I was stunned by the size of the cathedral. With the bell from HMS Royal Oak.

All long overdue.

Shetland was great too. Cruised top to bottom.
Being an oil man I was interested in the history of Sullom Voe.
 

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