SCramblISH

Five days in the Highlands on a bmw scrambler, a SCOTTISH adventure

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“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” ― Jack Kerouac

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6 days, 1200 miles

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Adventure complete!  

The successful view of the Royal Mile out of the hotel room window

G&V Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Showroom truths

Motorrad Central, Dalkeith, Scotland, UK

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A warm welcome by the staff

Motorrad Central, Dalkeith, Scotland, UK

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Time to spare

Due back with a full tank by 1300

Motorrad Central, Dalkeith, Scotland, UK

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A moment of respite before the the last of the backroads into Stirling and then  the freeway blast into Edinburgh.

Is there a bad view anywhere in Scotland?

A85, Loch Lomond, Scotland, UK

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Coffee stop in the stunning Trossachs National Park

A84, Loch Lomond, Scotland, UK

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Scrambler in the morning light

A82, Altnafeadh, Scotland, UK

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Gas stop 

A82, Glencoe, Scotland, UK

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Its 9AM and the rental is due back in Edinburgh (140 miles away) by 1PM

The roads from Fort William to Edinburgh are all motorways, but, as I’ve come to learn, direct routing between points here is a rarity; we’ll wind our way southeast across the country, and, if all goes well, we’ll get there with time to spare.

A82, Loch Leven, Scotland, UK

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75 miles through what was the heaviest and sustained rains I’ve ever ridden in brought me and the scrambler to Ft. Williams by early evening.

I was so soaked from four hours in the torrent that, as I waited for my room key, a small puddle formed on the floor of the lobby - slightly embarrassing.

Everything I was wearing was drenched - obvs - so I spent the evening in my room drying my gear on the radiator.  Happily, the BMW factory bags supplied by Motorrad Central (as part of the rental) kept everything inside of them dry, so at least I had a change of clothes to take the edge off the discomfort.

The photo here was taken in the dampness of the following morning where the weather had taken a strong turn for the better.

Hotel Alexandra, Fort William, Scotland, UK

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Rainy and steep (I saw several 15% grade signs), this twisting single track road has lead to the summit of the Bealach Ratagan. 

We’re looking over Loch Duich and some of the Five Sisters of Pintail.

Down there somewhere is the A87 and a blast toward civilization.

Mam Ratagan Pass, near Shiel Bridge, Scotland, UK

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The road on the far side of the ferry is equally remote, and the weather on the mainland is still typically Scottish.

The map says that there is a motorway out in front of us somewhere.  This road heads east and the motorway runs north/south; they’ll intersect eventually.

And since we’re on the only road in this area, its hard to get lost.  

Unnumbered road, eastern Highlands, Scotland, UK

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There’s been a ferry crossing from Glenelg to Kylerhea in Skye for hundreds of years but the current, 40-year old ferry – the Glenachulish – is the very last manually-operated turntable ferry in Scotland.  It appears that the turntable is a Scottish invention, allowing ferries to operate at any state of the tide and sparing the motorist the trouble of reversing.

The Glenelg to Kylerhea route is the shortest ferry route from Skye (at 550 meters); you can also take a Calmac ferry from Mallaig to Armadale or the much newer bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh.  But it was this route that was used by cattle drovers over hundreds of years en route to the cattle marts in the Lowlands.  Just as the fast waters here means that the ferry needs to ‘snake’ across the Kylerhea narrows, some cattle used to get swept away on a fast ebbing tide only to finally make land around the headland on the beach at Glenelg. 

The ferry was saved in 2007 after the previous owner retired and was bought by the local community with the aid of funding from the Big Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.  It is now owned and operated by a community interest company. 

Kylerhea Ferry, southeastern Skye, Scotland, UK

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Ferry Scrambler in the Rain

Kylerhea Ferry, southeastern Skye, Scotland, UK

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I played fetch with the ferryman’s dogs while we waited.

These guys spend all day crossing back and forth across the narrows, and, to them, the boat and the ports on either side are their backyard. 

Kylerhea Ferry, southeastern Skye, Scotland, UK