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Motorbike trip to Scotland
  • Hannah Brandley
Aug – Sep 2019

Motorbike trip to Scotland

We are planning to ride our motorbikes to the Isle of Bute and back. Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 23, 2019
    Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    The plan

    August 20, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    So, the plan for the trip is...
    Friday - Newquay to Bath, avoiding the motorway
    Saturday - Bath to York, mainly on A roads, but it's a long way, so probably motorway around Coventry/Leicester
    Sunday - York to Wooler in time for lunch with Judith
    Monday - Wooler to Berwick on Tweed to see Eleanor and John
    Tuesday - Berwick to Edinburgh
    Wednesday - Edinburgh to Bute for 3 nights
    Then we have 3 nights to find our way down, possibly Lindsey's, then somewhere in Wales and then Bristol, but we're waiting to see how the journey up goes before we commit to mileages or routes.
    Wish us luck!    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Packing

    August 22, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We're nearly packed up - we wanted to start early so we knew how much space we needed.

    I've packed all my clothes and shoes into one of my panniers:
    Trainers
    Sandals
    4 dresses
    Smart going out jumpsuit
    Pair of jeans
    2 pairs of leggings
    2 pairs of shorts
    7 tops
    Pyjamas
    1 warm jumper
    Sports bra and as much clean underwear as I could find (and some extra knickers on the advice of a good friend who knows)
    Travel towel
    Toiletries

    Jamie has my other pannier - I don't think he's planning to take as many dresses.

    We then have Jamie's panniers for other bits and bobs, and my top box empty for throwing in bike gear if we need to when we stop.

    I'm also taking my tank bag with things I need easily accessible - waterproofs, purse, phone, directions written in big letters, bottle of water.

    We now have intercoms, so can listen to music and chat as we ride, which I think is going to make the journey a lot more enjoyable. And hopefully reduce the likelihood of us losing each other.

    So excited to get going to tomorrow morning!    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler
    2

    Day one

    August 23, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Ugh, I already wrote this, then managed to lose it somehow.

    We set off at 8:30, managing to get Xander out of bed to take the first photo of the trip!

    We managed just over 2 hours of riding before having to stop for a toilet break just short of Lynmouth. We grabbed some petrol and headed into the village for a walk. Shoulders were aching and bums were numb by then. We left our coats in my top box, but kept bike trousers on, and over heated pretty quickly. It was truly hot.

    The next stage of the journey was very warm and very twisty, but then opened out into nice wide roads. Lots of traffic around Barnstaple, but the views along the North Devon coast made it worthwhile.

    We made it across the M5 at Bridgewater and looked for the first place we could find to grab some lunch. After failing to stop at the first three places we finally stopped at the Ashcroft Inn for a lovely bacon brie and cranberry ciabatta sandwich in the garden.

    It was just another hour to Bath, so we arrived at the air BnB at exactly 3:30, 7 hours and 184 miles from leaving home.

    This evening we walked into Bath, about 25 minutes through fields and woods, a lovely change to stretch our legs. We had a drink in the pub then spoiled ourselves with a trip to the spa. 2 hours of relaxing in the warm water, saunas, Steam rooms and swimming.

    Dinner was taken at Franco Manco something or other next to the train station, which was surprisingly good!    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 2

    August 24, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Well, that was an amazing day of riding. Once we managed to escape from Bath, the roads were empty, wide and beautiful. We just followed the Fosse Way all the way to the A5 near Leicester. It was so hot though, whenever we stopped it was a job to get my gloves off my hands were so sweaty.

    We stopped at a lovely village after about an hour of riding called Moreton in the Marsh for breakfast, and bought a picnic to eat later for lunch, to try and conserve funds.

    We did 10 miles of motorway up the M69 and M1 then stopped for petrol at Leicester Forest East. £1.50 a litre!! We had ridden 112 miles since the last petrol stop. Jamie had used 6.35 litres, I used 9.95! But my bike is faster!

    We didn't want to get to our next air BnB too early so we stopped in Bawtry just south of Doncaster for lunch. We had a drink to cool down, then had a
    wander around the village and found a park to eat our picnic.

    Getting back to our bikes I couldn't find my keys for my panniers. Which had our bike jackets in, which had my bike key in the pocket. We really needed the keys. I almost walked back to retrace our steps, but luckily Jamie eventually found them in his pocket! A bit scary, not sure what we would have done if they were really lost!

    We arrived in Escrick at our gorgeous air BnB at 4:45, 230 miles and 8 hours after leaving Bath. We're staying with Judi who is super friendly and has made us feel completely at home. We had a walk around Queen Margaret's school to the Temple and back and through the village before stopping at the Black Bull pub for dinner, which is almost across the road from her house. The village is really pretty, surrounded by quiet and very flat country side and farm land.

    We got back at 9:00 just in time to watch Casualty with Judi and her gorgeous dogs. We would definitely recommend staying here if anyone needs accommodation near York.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Afternoon in Wooler

    August 25, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After a cup of tea and a lovely lunch of egg rolls we set off on shortish walk around the surrounding countryside of Wooler. It was really very hot so we took it easy and stopped to admire the view on a regular basis. I only lost my phone once, but luckily didn't have to retrace our steps too far to find it. Actually we didn't need to retrace our steps at all, but we didn't realise that at the time. Long story, you really needed to be there.

    On return to the village we all felt it was necessary to check out the beer garden of one of the pubs in the village that Judith hadn't yet tried, and test the beverages on offer. We can report the cider was refreshing, but the beer garden was more of a courtyard and unfortunately a little smokey.

    Judith then taught and beat us at a game of Qwerkle before dinner, then a pleasant evening stroll up the hill to watch the sunset.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler
    Freud the 15 year old massive fluffy cat
    Poppy and MaggieSlightly restricted view

    Day 3

    August 25, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We had a good night sleep and Judi gave us cereals and freshly made bread for breakfast before we set off again about 9:00 for Wooler. We filled up with petrol in the village before heading up the A1m. We were planning to take a more scenic route further east, but decided to get to Judith's as quickly as we could. The roads were clear all the way, and the weather was slightly cooler than yesterday and a hazy sunshine so it was actually a really pleasant ride. We stopped again at Washington services to fill up again (97 miles, 7.4l @ 156.9p and I thought yesterday was expensive!)

    It was just another hour to Wooler, the last 40 minutes or so along gorgeous wide open roads, unfortunately following a car doing 55 mph everytime it came to a bend or a hill until there was somewhere to overtake when it sped back up to 60!

    We arrived in Wooler at 12:00 after a short day's riding of 140 miles.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 5

    August 26, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We left Eleanor's this morning and headed straight to a local bike mechanic she had found for us. Unfortunately he wasn't working today, but his neighbours gave us directions to another one who luckily was working and who was awesome enough to fix Jamie's bike.
    When we arrived in Bath on Friday he realised that his clutch cable was fraying, and ever since then we had been trying to keep to clear roads and avoid having to stop, speed up or slow down too frequently so that he didn't have to change gear!Each day he lost a few more strands and by today there really weren't many left. We did try to get hold of a new cable but there weren't any in the country, and we had to order one from Germany which is going to arrive on Wednesday. As it was also bank holiday weekend, we struggled to find anyone available or willing to help, so we just had to keep going until today in the hope we'd find someone in Berwick.
    But Tim the lovely mechanic replaced the cable and we are now good as new!

    With happy bikes we were able to take the scenic route to Edinburgh up the B6355 across the moorland and over the hills which was gorgeous. We saw about 6 cars the whole way, and the views were amazing.
    We arrived in Edinburgh about 1:30 and were luckily able to get into the air BnB to leave our stuff before heading into the city.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 4

    August 26, 2019 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Only 16 miles today! And a gorgeous road from Wooler to Tweed mouth, but slight slower than usual as Judith came with us to see Eleanor for the day.
    We took a picnic with us, and Eleanor and John took us took us to an amazing spot on the river Whiteadder for a swim and to jump in off the rocks. Near the rocks the water was so deep we never managed to touch the bottom.

    Judith headed home after we had finished our lunch and the rest of us went on to Chain Bridge Honey Farm so Jamie could visit Scotland for the first time, and we could have a cup of tea.

    We had a good walk around the town walls of Berwick, all the way down to the lighthouse and then stopped in a cute little bar for a quick pint before dinner.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 5 afternoon in Edinburgh

    August 27, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We love Edinburgh. The streets are so wide, it feels really spacious. Even the busy bits don't feel overwhelmingly busy, though I know we wouldn't be saying that if we'd been here a week ago. It doesn't feel as dirty as other cities either. The buildings are amazing, they just go on up, and not ones made of steel and glass, these are really old houses and other buildings built before there were cranes! They are so higgledy piggledy and beautiful.

    We walked in to the city from the air BnB for about half an hour along a quiet pedestrian path away from the roads, through King George's park where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

    We walked up to the castle and got as close as we could without paying, used their toilets and then headed back down the hill. Without seeing the inside of the castle, the most impressive thing was the temporary structure built for the Military Tattoo for the festival that they were just starting to take down. Eleanor had told us about it, but once we saw it we genuinely didn't believe that it could possibly be temporary until we asked one of the visitor guides! It's amazing - it takes them 6 weeks to put it up and take it down for a month of usage during the festival.

    We then walked down the royal mile, and out to the Scottish parliament, and Holyrood palace before climbing Arthur's seat. It was pretty hot, and a really tough climb. I'm reasonably fit, but I was knackered by the time we got to the top! And there were so many people up there: small children, people wearing completely inappropriate footwear, much older people than us... I can't believe they all made it up there! We did walk pretty quickly, but still!

    On returning to the city we found a cake shop to replenish our energy reserves, then a pub to replenish our cider reserves. We walked round the city a bit longer until it was a reasonable time to get dinner, and found a fab place to eat.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 6

    August 28, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We set off from Edinburgh after a lovely breakfast about 9:30, and sat in traffic for a while until we got to the M8 which we followed as far as Glasgow. We came off and took the A760 to the coast and up the A78 to Wemyss to catch the ferry. A much nicer road which was within a couple of metres of the sea for much of the time.
    The sky had looked threatening all the way from Edinburgh but it only actually started raining a couple of miles short of the ferry, but it was coming down hard by the time we stopped.
    We timed our arrival perfectly and within 20 minutes we were heading for Bute.
    It was still raining as we arrived, but seemed to be easing up, so we headed for the first cafe we spotted for lunch, The Kettledrum. By the time we'd finished the rain had just about stopped, so we had a walk around the town and grabbed some supplies from the co-op before riding across the island to our home for the next 3 nights.

    The cottage is in the middle of nowhere, as far as that's possible on an island only about 6 miles wide, near the loch and about a mile from the beach. It's really spacious for just 2 of us, and we were left fresh eggs and home grown tomatoes and peas by the host.

    After some of us had a short nap, we headed out for a walk to Scalpsie beach and along the coast a little to spot our first seals which were sitting on rocks just off the beach. There are also jellyfish everywhere, some really very large, dotted all along the shore line.

    The weather was beautiful, so knowing that it was going to change tomorrow we tried to make the most of it.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler
    2

    Day 7

    August 29, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    The weather wasn't predicted to be great today, but we have since learned to ignore the weather forecast and look out of the window!
    We decided to brave the rain anyway and head out for a walk around the North of the island. We rode as far north as we could to the place the short ferry goes across to the mainland, and left the bikes and our gear there. We only had trainers with us for walking, so our feet were wet through within minutes.

     It did keep trying to rain, but the showers were fairly light, and much of the walk was through the trees so it wasn't too bad. The walk took us up round the northern part of the island and out to a WWII bunker used as a decoy in the war which had amazing views out to sea.

    We saw loads of toadstools, mushrooms and a large ants nest.

    We finally stopped for our Scottish picnic lunch once we found our way back down to the sea front. We sheltered under a tree and ate our scotch pies, home grown tomatoes and apples, then walked much of the way back to the bikes along the shore front looking for shells.

    It was quite a tough walk, though disappointingly we didn't make it to the top of any of the hills due to the weather and our unsuitable footwear, so we headed back to town for tea and cake!

    We popped back home to get some dry clothes, then headed out again to Ettrick bay for another walk and a hot chocolate in the tea room as it had stopped raining.

    Dinner was omelette with the eggs, tomatoes and peas we were given which was proper yummy, and we had a cosy evening watching a film.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler
    2

    Day 8

    August 30, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    We were expecting rain all day today so planned to spend time indoors exploring Mount Stuart house. We arrived just in time for the 11am tour and were really glad we made it. The house is incredible, and there is so much detail and interesting facts that we would have missed had we not had a tour guide. Every available surface of the house was intricately carved, painted or woven with the most incredible detail and intricate patterns. We were blown away by the amount of work that must have gone into it, and how they even managed to get the materials to the island in the first place. The marble came from Italy.

    It was actually not raining by the time we finished the tour of the house so we managed to get round part of the gardens too before we had lunch in the cafe. And we spotted a submarine out to sea.

    By that time it was raining pretty hard, so we headed home along the last bit of main road that we hadn't yet ridden on.

    The afternoon was spent packing, reading and watching films with the vague hope that it might stop raining long enough for a quick walk, but it didn't.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 9

    August 31, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I am rapidly going off the blog! I've already written this post, and it has disappeared again, so apologies if this comes across as less than enthusiastic.

    We managed to get up and out, and load the bikes by 8 this morning with the aim of catching the 9am ferry from Rothesay. We were a bit too early, and it was pouring with rain so we sheltered in the waiting room for half an hour or so, but were still pretty soggy by the time we boarded the ferry.

    Luckily it had just about stopped raining by the time we arrived on the mainland (or maybe it was only raining on Bute), but the road was regularly covered in water that we had to lift our legs as high as we could as we drove through to avoid getting boots full of water.

    We stopped for lunch (and to put on extra clothes - we had already had our heated grips on) at a fab farm shop/cafe and experienced our first Scottish breakfast, including haggis and potato cakes.

    We then decided to ignore the advice of Google and headed for the A75 despite it being closed. The detour was about 5 miles of stationary traffic through a small town full of traffic lights which would have easily added over an hour to our journey, but luckily as we were on bikes it didn't hold us up too long.

    We arrived at Lindsey's about 2:30 and after a lot of internal deliberation and contemplation I made the tough decision to ride all the way down the steep gravel track to the house. Jamie was ok, his bike is a lot lighter, has lighter luggage, and knobbly tyres, but mine is heavier with road tyres. I made it all the way down without dropping it once, though did have my feet on the ground most of the way.

    We had a short walk around the fields to the farm to visit Bella's sheep, then the rest of the day was mainly spent doing gymnastics tricks with Bella and taking photos of puppies.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 10

    September 1, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    We were lucky enough to be woken up this morning with a cup of tea by Bella before the girls all headed out to the stables and the boys off to the farm.

    We packed up and helped ourselves to breakfast then I spent a few minutes psyching myself up for the return journey up the hill. I was feeling more confident, but still had to tell Lindsey not to watch! It was pretty scary, but I made it without dropping the bike and without putting my feet down! So proud!

    We took the A66 to Brough then the A685 to Kirkby Stephen as usual, but decided to avoid the motorway as far as we could and took the A683 all the way to Lancaster. It was truly the most beautiful and fun road road we'd been on all trip. I could have stopped 10 times for photos, but was enjoying the ride so much we didn't stop at all. But the views along the valley, to the hills, to the waterfalls were just stunning. We hardly saw any traffic the whole way, but maybe we were just lucky.

    We took the M6 around Liverpool, and the M56 to Chester then headed south to Shrewsbury. We had rain, sunshine, rain, sunshine.

    We decided to get to Wales for lunch and stopped in Wrexham to find a nice pub. Oops. Nevermind, we never have to go back there.

    We arrived in Shrewsbury just before 3 and have a lovely bedroom, our own kitchen, bathroom and dining room, all 10 minutes walk from the town centre and breakfast included. Not bad for £46.

    We had a cup of tea then headed into town to explore. We walked all along the river, further than we meant to, then criss-crossed the town centre trying to see all the sights before finally deciding on a pub for a quick cider - the Loopy Shrew.

    We walked back to the river to the Armoury for dinner, then home again via Tesco for chocolate.    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 11

    September 2, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After our cereal and croissants in Shrewsbury, we set off for Bristol, stopping at Asda for fuel and a picnic on the way out of the town. We took the road directly south to Symonds Yat Rock which was unfortunately the main road through the area and was very busy with traffic going both ways and many many lorries, so it was a slow, fairly painful journey.

    We had a cup of tea at the top of the hill, then took our picnic down to the river where we ate it watching the local entertainment of canoeists posting in the rapids.

    We had started off following the yellow arrows for a circular walk, but quickly lost them, so followed the river for a while until we could find a path back up the hill. It turned into a rather longer walk than it was meant to be. We definitely deserved the tea and cake back at the café.

    We set off again for Bristol and arrived at Becky and David's just before 4.

    We were fed a lovely dinner of home made pizza and salad and chocolate cheese cake and prosecco!    Read more

  • Hannah BrandleyMotorbike trip to ScotlandTraveler

    Day 12 home safely

    September 3, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We left Bristol just before 9, and slogged it out down the motorway and A30 through drizzly rain, stopping twice for fuel (Gordano and Okehampton) and arrived home safely just before 12.

    Trip end
    September 3, 2019
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