Monday 3rd June 2024
A scooter run to Sconser, Skye (237 miles).
I am delighted that the old scooter is running again. Monday had a great forecast with the weather to break on Tuesday. I ‘WhatsApped’ Billy to see if he wanted to go for a run and he was up for it. Now the target for today was to get over to the island of Raasay. This is something we have wanted to do for over a year now.
Billy came for 9.30 and off we headed, but first we went down to Alness as I needed to get to the bank with the church collection. We then headed to Dingwall, to Tesco, to get food for the day and petrol for the scooters.
We headed out by Strathpeffer, Contin and Garve onto the Achnasheen road. A few miles along we stopped by Loch Luichart to have something to eat. An Australian man came over and started to talk to us. I blame Billy. He is a magnet for people to engage conversation with. He talked with us for as long time while I was desperate to eat. We once had a guy join us for the day after a conversation with Billy. Today the parking place was full of vehicles, including a lorry; we are starting the tourist season.
Eventually the Australian wandered off and we could eat enjoying the luxury of sitting on a dyke!
We then moved on to Achnasheen passing the spot where I had to dismantle the scooter back in March. We went on to the Achnashellach road and before Lochcarron branched onto the road to Kyle of Lochalsh. The single track roads were bad with cars not letting us pass. If you come up to the Highlands use the rules of the road. DO NOT HINDER TRAFFIC THAT IS GOING FASTER THAN YOU. USE THE PASSING PLACES TO ALLOW OTHER DRIVERS TO PASS.
We stopped before Auchtertyre because we are old men and this old man no longer has the joy of possessing a prostate.
We then headed to Kyle and over the bridge to Skye. We stopped in Broadford for lunch. Eating is a great joy on a scooter adventure. As usual I had a pork-pie. Now my usual treat is Barratt’s Nougat.
After lunch we merrily made our way through the beautiful scenery of Skye to Sconser from where you catch the ferry to Raasay. It was alarming to see no ferry and no cars there when we arrived at 1.50. An illuminated board said next sailing 14.00 which in my reckoning is 2.00. Then we investigated the timetable.
You will notice an important ‘C’ beside 1400, something I did not notice when I looked at the timetable on my phone.
Looking over to Raasay that we would not get to.
So it was a quick reschedule. We decided not to wait for an hour until the next ferry but to head to Kylerhea. If that ferry was running we would cross over to Glenelg. If we had waited the hour we would be rushing to explore the island and then be very late getting home. ‘Discretion is the better part of valour’.
We did stop to get some photos heading back through Skye.
That mountain is Glamaig and the Red Hills. Martin and I did these many, many years ago. Uncle Hector and Archy Boyd were going to some minister’s conference in Skye so we scrounged a lift. Uncle Hector dropped us off at the Glamaig end and we walked round the Red Hills Horseshoe dropping to the waterfall below Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach where we were later picked up by Uncle Hector and Archy Boyd. My memory is of descending on fantastic scree shoots. Very bad for your boots!
We picked up more petrol in Broadford.
And headed over the Bealach Udal to Kylerhea. This is near the top of the Bealach looking over to the mainland.
We reached Kylerhea just as the ferry was about to leave. The fantastic ferrymen swung the turntable back round and allowed us on. I was on Billy’s bike at this time which was a lot heavier than mine. I had meant us to get back to our own bikes for going onto the ferry as I am far happier maneuvering my own bike. We had to reverse and manoeuvre them to face the other way. They hadn’t turned the turntable the full way round! But it was really good of them. It costs £10 for a motorbike and driver. It is a really exciting crossing. The MV Glenachulish, is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world!
Billy and I actually did this in 2010 on my old XS650 but we didn’t go to Sconser, only as far as Broadford.
Over on the Glenelg side.
You go over the Mam Ratagan Pass to get to Shiel Bridge. We stopped high up to eat and get amazing views and photos of the Five Sisters of Kintail. Again hills I have done but with Billy and Roddy. It was in winter and the conditions were so severe we had to cut the straps on Billy’s rucksack to get his ice axe out.
We went through Glen Shiel and then Glen Moriston to get to Invermoriston where we headed north up Loch Ness. A glimpse of Loch Ness.
It was then a case of motoring North East swapping bikes from time to time. It makes a big difference to your old aching bones to change machines. At Drumnadrochit there is no chip-shop now so we headed to Beauly over the Cul Na Kirk. The chip shop in Beauly was shut! So onto Muir of Ord. The chip shop in Muir of Ord was shut! It was on to Conon Bridge where we found a chip-shop come Chinese takeaway. I bought a Chicken Chow Mein which was delicious. The people were really nice. We ate at the football field where some young boys were training. It is amazing how fit and agile young boys are and how decrepit and stiff us old ‘boys’ are.
We headed through Dingwall onto the Old Evanton Road and then onto the Struie Road. We stopped at the Fyrish Substation entrance where Billy expected me to leave him but I went on further with him to our usual departure point at Aultnamain at the wind-farm entrance.
Another great scooter trip. We may not have achieved our target but we had a great day. It was great to have Billy there when taking my scooter out for a much longer distance. If the worst had come to the worst I could have left it somewhere and jumped on the back of his.