A scooter run out to Rosehall. (61 miles)
This is my first slightly longer scooter run this year. I have been desperate to get out on it but we have had such a long, cold winter. The scooter has had some repairs over the winter. Visually it has had two new front panels. I let the top front panel drop. I had put it on top of a pile of stuff in the garage and when I came back out the next day it had fallen and broken. A bit sad because they fitted well. These new ones don’t fit so well. I still haven’t the small side vents fitted. It has a new wiring loom. It has all LED bulbs. It has a new floating earth stator with flywheel and new voltage regulator, so all the electrics are DC. This was because last year the lights kept stopping working and frying all the bulbs. It also has a USB plug fitted for a Satnav.
Time to go. The odometer reads kilometers.
I went up over the Struie and stopped at the viewpoint. You can see Ben Klibreck in the north with the snow on it.
And Ben More Assynt to the west with snow on it. It was a lovely day but very cold.
And onto Bonar Bridge.
I went to the shop to get a wee picnic and was overcharged. When I asked for a recalculation I got 90p back!
I headed out on the Lairg road and cut onto the LochInver road out to Rosehall. I then went down to the Bailey Bridge over the River Oykell. Just below Inveroykel Lodge. I love this run. If its cold and windy, like today, I go under the bridge for shelter.
Here we are under the bridge about to eat my picnic.
I then headed up to near the lodge and onto the Culrain road. It is a beautiful drive. I was starting to feel very cold. Looking back up the valley and again Ben More Assynt is showing.
A bit further along is Carbisdale Castle. It was built in 1907 for the Duchess of Sutherland on a hill across the Kyle of Sutherland from Invershin. Until 2011 it was used as a youth hostel. It is now, sadly, owned by an investment firm.
And back to Ardgay.
I went through Ardgay and back up the Struie. I stopped beyond Aultanamain just to get photos of the snow and keep a record of how cold it is for April.
I got home about 4:15 very, very cold. But it has been great to be back scootering. I love this junk-heap of a machine. (17847.7 – 17749.3 = 98.4 km (61.1 m)). That shows that the odometer is pretty accurate compared with the GPS track (62 m).
There is still a lot of salt on the roads. Look at my dirty scooter. I don’t like taking it out on the salt but needs must. I gave it a good wash.
