Weekend Jaunt (September 2013)
I wanted to try and clear up the remaining rally locations around mainland Scotland this year, and there was a cluster in the North East that I could get. There were too many to make a round trip of it, so Dawn came up with a cunning plan. We could stay at her Aunt and Uncles in Grantown-on-Spey for a couple of nights. Fantastic idea!
I then set about planning a route in three parts. The trip from Edinburgh to Grantown, then a round trip in the area, and finally, the trip back home again. Since Dawn would be riding pillion, we decided to try and keep the days as short as possible, especially since it was three in a row.
It was pretty straightforward as plans go, so at 12:00 on Saturday we set off. The first photo was at the Jubilee Cairn in Ballater (Round Britain), with a rest for some lunch. From here it was up and over the Lecht (Grim Ride – Mountain Passes), a wonderful road through the mountains and the second highest paved road in Scotland. Then it was a gentle ride down to Nethy Bridge (Grim Ride – National
Parks) before reaching our destination.
I then set about planning a route in three parts. The trip from Edinburgh to Grantown, then a round trip in the area, and finally, the trip back home again. Since Dawn would be riding pillion, we decided to try and keep the days as short as possible, especially since it was three in a row.
It was pretty straightforward as plans go, so at 12:00 on Saturday we set off. The first photo was at the Jubilee Cairn in Ballater (Round Britain), with a rest for some lunch. From here it was up and over the Lecht (Grim Ride – Mountain Passes), a wonderful road through the mountains and the second highest paved road in Scotland. Then it was a gentle ride down to Nethy Bridge (Grim Ride – National
Parks) before reaching our destination.
The plan for the next day was a loop up and around the Black Isle, picking up three locations then back to base. The morning started off with light rain and brisk winds, and the rain was on and off all day, sometimes heavy. The sort of day where you don’t quite get dry before the next shower comes. Not great biking weather but then again, what can you expect in Scotland during September.
First stop was at the lifeboat station in Invergordon (Grim Ride – Lifeboats), before heading up to Dornoch cathedral (Grim Ride – Scottish Counties). It was built in the 13th century, in the reign of King Alexander II (1214-49) and the episcopate of Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245) (later Saint Gilbert of Dornoch). It was burnt down in 1570 during local feuding. Pub fights can get a bit out of hand up here obviously.
First stop was at the lifeboat station in Invergordon (Grim Ride – Lifeboats), before heading up to Dornoch cathedral (Grim Ride – Scottish Counties). It was built in the 13th century, in the reign of King Alexander II (1214-49) and the episcopate of Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245) (later Saint Gilbert of Dornoch). It was burnt down in 1570 during local feuding. Pub fights can get a bit out of hand up here obviously.
From here, the plan was to head for Nigg and catch the ferry across to Cromarty. This would save a 40 mile trip along the North shore of the Cromarty Firth and back along the South shore. We didn’t know what the ferry times were, but figured that it was short crossing so they should be too far apart. We got there but there was no sign of the ferry. The sign said it was every 15 minutes so we waited…and waited…and waited. It looked as though the ferry had been cancelled due to the high winds. It was looking a bit choppy right enough. So it was back to plan B and the ride along the Firth.
We arrived in Cromarty, took the photo of the Hugh Miller institute (Grim Ride – Scottish Counties). This is a geological museum dedicated to Hugh Miller, a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. At this point, we really were a bit damp, so it was time for a cup of coffee and a bit of cake to prepare ourselves for the ride back. No more photos to get so we were back in no time.
Our trip home the next day was going to take in a little loop up to Fochabers before heading down the East coast and home. At least it was drier today, and the first stop was the memorial to the women’s land army (Round Britain). This was unveiled by Prince Charles in 2012, to recognise young women who left their homes to work farms and feed the nation during World War II. It was designed by Peter Taylor, who also designed the 158 Squadron memorial that was one of the locations in last year’s Round Britain Rally.
From here is was a ride down to the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford (Grim Ride – Motorcycle Museums). There are some really nice roads in this part of the country, that tend to get ignored. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have a lot of time to wander around this, as we wanted to get back
home fairly sharp. There were no more photo stops for the rest of the day.
So, I managed to tidy up all of the various rally locations in the North East and, other than the rain on the second day, it was a nice trip along some lovely roads. Our hosts, Meg and Alf were fantastic and a huge thanks has to go to them for putting us up for a couple of nights, it really did make things a lot
easier.
Spot Track of the trip can be found here.
home fairly sharp. There were no more photo stops for the rest of the day.
So, I managed to tidy up all of the various rally locations in the North East and, other than the rain on the second day, it was a nice trip along some lovely roads. Our hosts, Meg and Alf were fantastic and a huge thanks has to go to them for putting us up for a couple of nights, it really did make things a lot
easier.
Spot Track of the trip can be found here.