After lock down and all of the recent tour / holiday upheaval, any plan to visit the Picos in Spain or the Alps have been put on hold this year, so I started to consider the possibility of touring Scotland again. With a brand new 1250 GS sat in the garage my only option would be to repeat rides across the Welsh border for this Summer, and since I'd already covered the usual runs out West I discussed the possibility of a Scottish wander with Mark who was well up for it too.
I wasn't sure if I could get a trip-away 'visa' from the Mrs though ('happy wife, happy Life' and all that) but after the latest edition of Adventure Bike Rider featured a cracking trip around the Highlands and on to the Isle of Skye to ride the Quiraing Mountain pass and a run over the Pass of the Cattle to Applecross again, I couldn't shift the idea from my mind. Eventually Helen relented, Mark had some holiday owing so we set to planning a trip for the following week. With only a few days to get accommodation booked (I didn't fancy camping this time), and route files tailored from various saved magazine routes we were ready to meet at Quatt Cafe on Sunday morning on our next adventure up North.
The weather looking good at least until Tuesday we had a nice ride up through Whitchurch, the A49 and onto the M6 toward the Lakes, stopping for lunch just after riding the Kirkstone Pass and through the Ullswater valley before riding on near Pooley Bridge, then up across the border to Moffat for our stay for the night in Dumfriesshire.
Across the border and off the Motorway the scenery changed. Long roads, out in the Dunmfriesshire countryside so good to get up here again at last. I managed to book us into the Buccleuch Arms Hotel for the night. Mark had stayed here before a really good hotel set up for Motorcyclists where the owner hosts the very informative website 'Motorcycle Scotland' full of many routes options ideal for us bikers. The hotel has some great steel garage bike lockups. I managed to reserve two for a fiver each and on arrival we were greeted by the staff who helped us into the yard and our lockup. There were several GS's on site, and a few other bikes too and after a 'Covid brief' were were soon downing a few beers and off to the curry house over the road.
