Monday, September 3, 2012

Back up north with Faithir

A couple of weekends back HB and I had planned to go to Applecross with Maw and Faithir. They had booked a static caravan, or chalet (depends how posh you are) for the weekend and there was plenty room for us.
Faithir and I had a couple of days off before we had to leave for Applecross so we decided to go the long way stopping to camp at Glencoe and Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.
The road up to to Glencoe is brilliant. The first bit to Callander is a bit dull with a few motorway/dual carriageway miles but after that its great fun. There's a really nice twisty bit along the side of Loch Lubnaig, then on to Rannoch Moor, where it was windy as fuck. It must have been the strongest wind I've ridden in, which includes a run along Loch Eribol where the full loaded GS was nearly blown off its side stand. I found that accelerating was the best way to keep the bike in a relatively straight line.
Riding into Glencoe the scenery is stunning. I've tried to show it in the video below but the camera really doesn't do it justice.


Following Faithir along the nice twisty bit after Callander.




Riding through Glencoe.



Bike trip with Faithir

Bike trip with Faithir
The Red Squirrel Campsite


Bike trip with Faithir

We were camping at the Red Squirrel campsite, a nice site where folk have been camping for years and years. You are allowed to have fires on site, which is quite rare here and the toilets and showers have recently been upgraded.  
After we got the tents up we nipped to the shop for a couple of beers and some supplies. We also bought some logs to go along with the planks I had strapped to the back of the GS. The Red Squirrel is a popular site so you'll rarely find any fallen wood on the site. Being quite close to Glasgow the Red Squirrel can occasionally be visited by a special brand of fuckwit who try to pull the branches off the trees for firewood. If they watched Ray Mears instead of Jeremy Kyle they know that green wood doesn't burn that great. Luckily it was midweek so the campsite was fuckwit free, apart from myself and Faithir of course.


Sitting round the fire was great crack. Usually you need a fire at Glencoe to keep the midgies at bay but there was quite still quite a strong wind blowing which gets rid of them too. After a while we headed along the road to the Clachaig Inn where we had some food and a few nice beers.


Bike trip with Faithir

The next morning I opened my tent.
Bastard.
FUCKING MIDGIES.
There were millions of them. I'm usually not that bothered by midgies but these wee fuckers were unbearable. For those of you that don't know, midgies are tiny wee flying insect that bite and are really fucking annoying. We took the tents down as quick as we could then went to a cafe for breakfast. We were both covered in wee red dots like someone had drawn on us with a red felt tip pen, fucking midgies. Breafast at the Glencoe Cafe good though. No fucking midgies there.

Bike trip with Faithir
Midgie bites on Faithis heid.

Bike trip with Faithir
Fucking midgies

Bike trip with Faithir
Braw, and nae midgies.


Our next destination was Dunvegan on Skye. We rode up the side of Loch Ness, not seeing any monsters, then along Glen Garry and the A87, passing the famous Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie. Eilean Donan was mobbed with tourists so I didn't stop for a photo, instead we pushed on into Skye, riding the fast, twisty road through the Cullin hills and over to Dunvegan.


Bike trip with Faithir
Dunvegan Campsite.


Bike trip with Faithir
Lens cap ya fud.

Bike trip with Faithir
At Danny MacAskill's folks place.

Bike trip with Faithir
Dunvegan Campsite


Bike trip with Faithir
Dunvegan. Dunno how the sheep get off the wee island.

Bike trip with Faithir
Nice spicy venison burger.



After a quiet night in Dunvegan we headed back over the Skye Bridge to the mainland and on to Applecross. The road to Applecross, the Bealach Na Ba, is the highest in Scotland at 2052 feet. its a really scenic, narrow twisty single track road, you can see lots of it in the video below and the GS is parked on it in the title picture of this blog.



From Loch Ness to Applecross.



Bike trip with Faithir

Bike trip with Faithir
Faithir on the Bealach Na Ba

Bike trip with Faithir
At the top of the Bealach Na Ba

Bike trip with Faithir

Bike trip with Faithir



The caravan at Applecross campsite was great. It had a nice wee raised decking bit on it with a table and chairs with a view looking out over Applecross Bay. Faithir and I arrivesd a few hours before HB, Maw and Roli Dog so got a quick pint in at the Applecross Inn.

Bike trip with Faithir

We had the caravan for three nights and spent most of out time chilling out. We had a meal in the Applecross Inn and got the crack with some of the staff locals and other visitors. It really is a great place to visit, the landlady, Judy Fish, keeps the place at a really high standard and no matter how busy they are you always get fed and watered. One night was the annual Applecross Raft Race. The RNLI had their lifeboats there doing a display and the Applecross Inn had a barbecue, music and other entertainment on.
We visited the Walled Garden and I had a good few spins on the bike. HB and I went for a spin round the coast road to Shards Stained Glass and I went down to the pier at Toscaig where a couple on a Bandit 600 and a Suzuki Intruder 250 were catching mackerel.
We also got the usual cracking sunsets.

Bike trip with Faithir
The appropriately named Sand on the Applecross Coast Road. 


Bike trip with Faithir
Chilling oot at the caravan.


Bike trip with Faithir
HB and Roli at the Walled garden.


Bike trip with Faithir
Shards Stained Glass.


Bike trip with Faithir


Bike trip with Faithir
We seen these Goldwings on the campsite....

Bike trip with Faithir
This was their camp setup! looks cool but I wouldn't want to be in there if the weather turned bad, or if the bastard midgies came out!


Bike trip with Faithir
Got speaking to this Polish guy. He came up to Applecross from a break working at the Edinburgh Festival on his MZ 250.


Bike trip with Faithir
Applecross Inn menu. Its all really fucking good.


Bike trip with Faithir
Plaice and squat lobster.


Bike trip with Faithir
Mussels


Bike trip with Faithir
Drambuie soaked haggis


Bike trip with Faithir
Chowder.


Bike trip with Faithir
The food is goooood.


Bike trip with Faithir
So was the crack.


Bike trip with Faithir

Bike trip with Faithir
Barbecue

Bike trip with Faithir
RNLI


Bike trip with Faithir
HB, Roli and Maw outside the Applecross Inn.


Bike trip with Faithir
There was this picture on the wall of when the Six Day Trials came to Applecross in 1930.


Bike trip with Faithir


Bike trip with Faithir
The Cullins of Skye from Applecross.


Bike trip with Faithir

Bike trip with Faithir
When the sun goes down the cameras come out.

Bike trip with Faithir




If you've not been to Applecross go for a visit. Its gid.




Bike trip with Faithir






5 comments:

  1. I have been to Applecross but never on my GS and I sure would like to drive that awesome road. Damn that large pond between us. Great Report.

    Having been to Isle of Skye at least 8 times, it only get's better each time.... Applecross Inn is one of our favorites. You had great weather except for the DAMN Midges.

    A TEXAN who loves Scotland.

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  2. Now those roads look like twisty fun. I need to ride the one to Applecross.

    Beautiful pictures, as always.

    I think you have entirely too much fun, well except for the wind and frackin midgies that is.

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  3. A truely funny picture, mike trying to read a book.

    p.s Mikes a prick.

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  4. I've been to Applecross a few times now by bike ... ah there are tales to be told there ... but what goes on tour .... ;-)
    As for the Red Squirrel camp site, forget what you've heard about Avon Skin-So-Soft or Deet .. .as far as the midgies there are concerned those products are just marinades .....

    Great pics and videos fella. - Spud

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  5. Sheep on da Isle will be taken off by boat, same as here. Past the Applecross Pub many times . Seems I need to stop for food.

    ReplyDelete