Day 2: The Highland Fling
Day two dawned cold but sunny, we were up at the crack of 9-ish, raring to go.
My pal, Mike, wanted to ride through Glencoe, something he'd not done before. Local intelligence at The Green Welly informed us that officers of the law were performing the vital task of operating a speed trap for bikers a little way up the road. With George's Guzzi in running-in mode we weren't at any particular risk from the scuffers, but we still kept our eyes peeled for 'a grey unmarked Audi'.
Over Rannoch Moor the temperature dropped and forced us to stop at the Loch Tulla viewpoint to put on an extra layer and warmer gloves. Fortunately the piper wasn't there to spoil the ambience.
My riding companions: Mike, Graham & George
Loch Tulla viewpoint
Glencoe was its usual spectacular self with fresh snow on the tops. It's an amazing place whatever the weather with an atmosphere that still resonates with the massacre of 1692, a particularly macabre period of Scottish history. The Chinese tourists we ran into were just as interested in Graham's beast (oo er!) as the scenery.
Mike offers free rectal examinations in Glencoe. No takers.
TDM900 in Glencoe. Perfect!
Graham was sure he'd left his bike there
From Glencoe we turned south towards Oban and then onwards towards Lochgilphead. That's a very short half sentence to describe one of my favourite stretches of road in Scotland - the A816 south of Oban. Mike (Triumph Explorer) and I enjoyed a 'spirited' ride south. I believe we might have exceeded the national speed limit on a couple of occasions, or about 30 odd miles, whichever is greater!
Connel Bridge and the falls (complete with crazy kayakers)
Oban harbour with the Isle of Mull ferry
No explanation necessary!
They think big in Oban.
Carnasserie Castle
Crinan is just one of the jewels on this coastline and non of my companions had ever been there, so we made a short side trip for a coffee stop. Crinan lends it's name to the Crinan Canal dug out in the early 1800's. It's only about 10 miles long but it provides a safe route from the Clyde to the Hebridean Islands without the long and dangerous journey around the Mull of Kintyre. Nobody wanted to run into Paul McCartney obviously.
Crinan
What are they plotting?
What happens if we all push at the same time?
A Clyde Puffer. The white van of the Islands
From there we turned north to Inverary and over REST & BE THANKFUL to Arrochar. REST & BE THANKFUL are the words chiseled on a stone near the top of the pass by soldiers who built the original military road in the mid 1700's. The pass got its moniker because the climb from Ardgarten is so long and steep it was traditional for travellers to rest at the top, and be thankful for having reached the highest point. The name stuck and is still used to this day.
I took those soliders at their word and had a rest on the slopes of The Cobbler to take a couple of photos while the rest of the crew continued on back to the campsite.
REST & BE THANKFUL
You can see the old road in the valley bottom
The evening was spent in the bar enjoying some live music.
Next instalment... The ride home
Edited by Jim, 13 April 2016 - 08:58 pm.