This is a summary of our recent Scottish tour taken mid to late August this year. The route was an anticlockwise tour starting in Hawick, onto Callander, Banchory, Tain, Laide, Glenelg, Oban, Kirkcudbright and finishing at Masham to break up the journey home.

A great tour all in all, good scenery, weather and riding, visited castles, museums, rode over mountains, around lochs, day trips to the Isles of Skye and Mull and met some interesting people along the way.  The accommodation was a mix of guest houses/B&Bs, small hotels and rented houses. 

We met up with Sean and Mel on 16 August at Wetherby Services.  Unfortunately, due to a toe injury Sean sustained whilst riding his bike a few days prior to the trip, which resulted in a painful foot, they travelled by car.

We travelled to Hawick via the A68 for an overnight stop.  The A68 is an excellent motorcycling road with sweeping bends and road surfaces.   The Balcary House Hotel, a typical Scottish hotel, was very good, set in its own grounds with deer seen roaming around early morning.    The interesting Hawick Museum visited, located in Wilton Lodge Park, is directly opposite the hotel; which includes local history and two areas dedicated to local motorcycling racers Steve Hislop and Jimmie Guthrie.

Our next stay was at Callander, stopping off at Errington’s Barn café, then onto the National Wallace Monument enroute to Callander.  Stayed at the Southfolk Villa, a small B&B for two nights.  The landlady Muriel was a character as was her friend Gran, a pair of comedians.    The dining room had an old Norton on display, which had been owned by a family member and now passed onto Murial and her husband.

A scenic journey out heading for Lochs Venachar, Katrine and the Lake of Monteith.  We spent some time at Loch Katrine watching the Sir Walter Scott steamship at the pier head load up with passengers and sail away.

The ride onto Banchory was quite a cool one travelling on the A85 via Loch Earn and across the new Kingsway Bridge over the River Tay towards Perth.  Then on the A93 via Glenshee to stay in a rented house for three nights next to a golf course.  The roads and scenery were brilliant.   During our stay at Banchory, had a trip out to Dunnottar Castle, into Stonehaven; and then met up for lunch at a posh garden centre with Sean and Mel’s friends who live in Aberdeenshire.

Also visited the Grampian Motor Museum at Alford which is worth visiting.  Many varied vehicles on display from snow ploughs to trams and including exhibits from BBC’s Top Gear and the Guy Martin Collection.

At Tain for two nights, a comfortable small guest house, the St Duthus Villa.  The ride took us through Tomintoul with a stop at the Old Fire station café, where they served the best scones of the holiday.  A funny incident of an elderly man hard of hearing was asked several times, each time more loudly by the café server if he wanted apricot or raspberry jam with his scone.  Strawberry!  He shouted back at her.  Mel and me were in fits of laughter. We spoke to an interesting German lady in the car park travelling around Scotland on her immaculate classic Royal Enfield 650, complete with large dog in the sidecar. 

Not many places to eat out in Tain town and we frequented the Platform 1864 bar and restaurant at the railway station on both nights.

One of the places we all wished to visit was Dunrobin Castle, a spectacular historic Castle dating back to the 1300’s with a French influence with its turrets and formal gardens.   A bonus was a falconry display taking place that morning.   

Our next ride onwards took us over some amazing roads and scenery on the way to Laide for one night.  Riding over the A836, A837 and the A835 stopping at the Elphin tearoom we had been to before. Then onto Ullapool for a lunch stop sat in the sun overlooking the harbour. 

The Ocean View Hotel in Laide, certainly lived up to its name and in a remote place.  The hotel only offers homemade pizzas and salad which were very good.    We ventured out in the evening, but the owner had warned us of midges at dusk and early morning.    Thankfully, this was the only time we encountered the pesky blighters.

Speaking of midges, on the way to Glenelg, we just had to have a stop at the Midge Bite Café, where thankfully no midges to be seen. 

One of the ‘must see’ castles enroute to Glenelg, is the iconic Eilean Donan Castle, Dornie.   The day was warm with grey overcast skies which made for some dramatic photos, but the crowds were out in force making it very busy.  It would have been good to get a photo of the bike near the Castle, but with the parking (bikes park free), no chance.

The two-night stop in Glenelg in two booked lodges had to be rearranged last minute while away to the Glenelg Inn directly next door due to an administrative error in the booking. But let’s gloss over that!  Doh.   The journey was great with many scenic views. 

Far reaching views from the hotel over to the Isle of Skye.   Again, a remote place, and had a walk around the bay to look at the monument commemorated to the Glenelg residents who had served and died in the two world wars. The monument is one of the 2026 Round Britain Rally way points.

The main reason for wanting to stay at Glenelg was to catch the ferry over the Isle of Skye.  The ferry, reached by a single unmade track road, is the last manually operated turntable ferry.  We had decided to visit the Armadale Castle, grounds and museum on Skye and not to go as far as Portree.

Our next stay was in Oban for three nights in a rented house, a short walk from Oban centre.  A very pleasant journey, with a lunch stop at the Creagan Inn, which with the now very warm weather more like the Mediterranean with the plants, clear blue sky and a yacht on the loch.   The first day was spent in Oban, and yes, we visited Wetherspoons a few times.  Visited the War and Peace Museum, a history of Oban and its town during both world wars was interesting and free, donations are always welcome.  Sean wandered outside and spotted Charley Boorman in the car park and had a chat with him.   Of all the places……..in all the world.

The second day we took the ferry over to the Isle of Mull as foot passengers for a 40-minute sailing.  Then a bus ride, which happened to be a luxury coach, to Tobermory.   Many photos taken of this iconic town.    Another interesting museum visited, the Mull Museum, and again free of charge.

Our travel from Oban to Kirkcudbright on a Sunday morning started out with grey clouds, on one of the longest travelling days.  We caught the short ferry from Dunoon to Gourock and could see brighter skies ahead. It was a pleasant ride, but within just an hour of reaching the hotel, the rain came, it was torrential, and the top box leaked.    

The Arden House Hotel, Kirkcudbright was another traditional Scottish hotel set in his own grounds.  The evening meal was very good, especially the senior’s special menu at £15 for three courses.  Several classic cars were parked up at the hotel, the Classic Car Rally had been held the previous day in town, shame we missed it by one day.

Our final long travel day was from Kirkcudbright to Masham with road works and diversions going through Dumfries.  

A good ride to Alston on the A689, but travelling on then came across more road works and lengthy diversions which meant we travelled an hour more than expected to Masham.     We met a couple from Lanarkshire with very strong Scottish accents (hopefully we said yes and nodded in the right places) on a Kawasaki staying in our hotel, and they were going over to Germany for two weeks from Hull.

The Triumph Tiger was effortless, smooth, responsive and no problems, except it is a noisy bike and Paul has been looking at various ways of deadening the sound.  

The tyres caused some ‘twitching’ sometimes over ridged road surfaces, or hatched out road markings.   So, a new set of tyres may be on the cards next year before any future tours.  

Can thoroughly recommend Scotland, the last time visited was five years ago, and had forgotten how beautiful it is.

Tricia Hannon (pillion rider, amateur photographer and scone aficionado).