Scottish Highlands and Isle of Man (CGB2401)
The excitement this morning is high! We set off at 9 o'clock. Not only are we starting the first riding day of our tour through Scotland, but we are also taking the ferry across to the Isle of Man. The Mecca of many motorcycle racers and racing enthusiasts likewise. We have stick to our schedule though, as our ferry departs in the early afternoon. But that doesn't stop us from riding the small roads through the Bowland National Park in the morning. And what a surprise at coffee break - we found the center point of the United Kingdom. In the end, however, we had to wait quite a while as the ferry was delayed. It wasn't too bad after all as we shared our fate with at least 100 other motorcyclists. So there was plenty of time to look at the other motorcycles and have a chat or two.
We are lucky that the Grand Prix is taking place. The island is filled with bikers and there's a great atmosphere. It also means that roads will be closed so we took off early in the morning to ride the famous TT route. Back in the hotel we did a good breakfast and then it was off again to discover the southern part of Man. Here we have beautiful views on the see and the scenery. Our visit to the motorcycle museum and Peel Castle are additional highlights.
The reason for our surprise extra day on the Isle of Man was because of the bad weather at sea, and our ferry back to mainland England which had been cancelled as a consequence. Instead, the group took the opportunity to visit the most interesting Manx Museum. The two-storeyd museum shows a combination of national Manx heritage and the history about the famous TT race here on the Isle of Man.
Leaving the Isle of Man feels like leaving home. Fortunately it also means that we get to go to Scotland! The first hills, also know as the Low Lands, appear upon us, when we are getting closer to Edinburgh. It's funny that withing a days riding the accents change dramatically. Our beautiful hotel is located, as one could expect in Scotland, within a golf course
The city Falkirk has one of the most spectacular ship lifts to connect the nearby rivers. We arrived just in time to watch the first rotation of the day. A really impressive experience. We continued on to another landmark of the town of Falkirk. The two oversized horse heads - they are called “Kelpies” - are supposed to represent the hard-working horses in earlier times. Among other purposes, they were used to pull boats on the rivers. Sterling is home to the castle of the same name, which was our photo motif around lunchtime. The last part of today's route took us through the very impressive Glencoe Nature Park in the Scottish Highlands.
The sun has come out and is guiding us on a ferry crossing and towards Glenfinnan. Here we see the famous railroad bridge from the Harry Potter movie. A picture stop provides a good view on Ben Navis, the highest mountain of the United Kingdom. Riding along beautiful coastlines, valleys and rivers one really has the feeling being in the Highlands. A great lunch is followed by a pictures stop at Eilaen Castle, know from the movies Highlander and Bravehart. The moment we arrive on the Isle of Skye it starts to rain a bit which enhances the atmosphere. Upon arrivel in our lovely hotel, and after a hot shower the whisky and beer taste great, well deserved!
Whenever it has rained during the night, the next morning you get the impression that the landscape has been miraculously cleaned. The colors seem much clearer and the air seems even fresher then. As the weather today cannot be clearly predicted, we want to remain flexible. We want to ride as much as we can, but at the same time we don't want to get caught in the rain on purpose. This plan seems to work. We take refuge in a small café during the first rain shower. But once the rain had stopped, the Applecross Pass showed us its most beautiful side - and also its driest. We even get to see a few wild deer. At lunchtime, Jan surprised us with a delicious picnic.
Everyone has heard of the Loch Ness mith but what some people don't know is that it is a beautiful area! On the shores there is Urquhart castle wich dates back almost a 1000 years. Even much older are the stones circles on the other side of the lake at Clava Cairns were people have been gathering for reasons unknown to modern men. The Cawdor Castle is another highlight of the day. Shakespeare has just this enormes structure in his play about Macbeth
Aberdeen is our next destination. However, we still have a lot to do before we get there. Right after the briefing, we set off from our castle hotel in Inverness towards the Cairngorm mountains. The best thing about today's ride is the seemingly endless little roads through the beautiful landscape. There is hardly any traffic but all the more sunshine along the Whisky Trail. Of course, there are countless distilleries in Scotland. Today we visit the two distilleries Glenfiddich and Glenlivent. Of course, we don't taste any whisky here, but it is still very interesting to learn about the production process. Part of our group takes the guided tour through the distillery, while the other riders continue along the Castle Trail to Aberdeen.
This last riding day will bring us into a beautiful mountain area with great views and hardly any civilisation. Good food for lunch at a lake and we're off for the last stretch. Upon arrivel in Edinburgh we celebrate a safe tour with countless impressions.