A scooter run to East Sutherland (102 miles).
It is 5½ weeks since surgery. The weather this November has been fantastic so far and it has been such a waste not to be able to get out on two wheels. The forecast is for that to change and become much more like winter so I thought at 5½ weeks since surgery go for it. It is supposed to be 6 weeks before resuming normal activities following a hernia repair. I was careful and never put the scooter on the centre stand but used the side stand all day. I feel fine after it. So this run was chosen to give me a road I’d not been on and to go not too far but far enough to make it an adventure.
I just made up a picnic at home and took my thermos flask. I went down to Alness to the bank to transfer money between two of the church’s accounts. I went to Morrisons for petrol. Then it was on to Invergordon Hospital to drop in a week’s record of blood pressure readings and the monitor I had borrowed. Then head North to Sutherland.
This was taken just beyond Saltburn looking out to the Sutors of Cromarty. I went up onto the Scotsburn road at Kildary and cut out a section of the A9.
I pushed Northwards and as usual went by Cuthill and the Embo road to bypass part of the A9. The next picture is coming down to Loch Fleet and looking across to Littleferry.
I continued on to the Mound and then went through Golspie. Before Brora I branched out to the Doll. I knew this ford was there. We crossed it many years ago. I thought I might possibly do it on the scooter but chickened out when I saw the distance, the depth and the rough surface.
I found the scooter could get up to that suspension bridge and crossed the River Brora by it. All rather exciting.
The next picture is from the other side of the ford.
I then joined the Gordonbush road and headed up to Loch Brora.
Beyond Gordonbush I stopped by the loch for my lunch. The temperature was very comfortable.
My usual picnic when I don’t go into a shop and buy ‘rubbish’.
The road follows the River Brora through Strath Brora and then you branch right to East Langwell. The road takes you to West Langwell and then at the end of the road Achnaluichrach. I turned the scooter round at the croft buildings and stopped at the first passing place on the way back to take some photos.
Looking back to Achnaluichrach, you can make out the buildings where I turned. The public road ends there.
Loch Preas nan Sgiathanach. These Gaelic names are something else.
I then moved onto Rogart and bypassed Lairg by taking a back road to the left before Lairg that takes you by Rhian Breck and then takes you out near the station. This was another new bit of road to me.
A wee bit outside Lairg I went into a parking area to the right that makes use of the old road.
My scars are improving. Still an ugly old man!
My last stop of the day was shortly before Bonar Bridge and beyond Invershin where there these smashing views out and over the Kyle of Sutherland.
There is something poignant and sad about an old deserted boat.
After Bonar I just headed by the Struie Road to home. The day was getting a bit colder.
I have a weather station on the wall of our garage which transmits weather data every 15 minutes to this website. It recorded the temperature on Thursday as reaching 13.2°C. Today, Saturday, it reached 5.7°C. That is quite a difference; the difference between surviving a scooter trip and not!
Well it was just smashing to be out on the scooter again. I saw three different new bits of road when on two wheels – at the Doll, going to Achnaluichrach and bypassing Lairg by Rhian Breck.