Kens Stag Trip - Day1 (West Highlands)

June 29, 2018

Kens Stag Trip - Day1 (West Highlands)

Normally on an annual basis i go on a single road biking trip with old friends who I mentioned previously in the blog. This year has been a good year and ive already been on three trips, but the 'annual' trip is upon me again.

For the past four years we've been saying we'll go to Scotland. ...but Scotland always seems so far away and Ken lives in Truro (a 9hr drive) so we never made it.

This year is different, this year we've made it!

Ken fitted a trailer to his van and brought up his bike (XJR 1300SP) Paul M's bike (VN1700) and brought a Triumph Sprint 900 for Paul B. (He broke his TDM on black ice) Will and i used his flat bed tipper truck for Will's Harley Fat Bob and my CB1300.(loading those bikes on the flat was hairy!)

Incidentally, Will and I shared the driving. I did the second bit which allowed Will grab four beers from the services... Next year I'm going the second half!

The plan is to do the West Highlands, the north Coast 500 and the eastern region in 4 days.

Kens getting married this year so we've coined the trip 'Scotland Stag Do'. I must add the weather this year is amazing, a heat wave, as hot as Scotland has ever been!

We started near Bellshill (once Paul B had finished fettling the bike) and headed north through the rolling Scottish lowlands.

Passed multiple Lochs (where Paul B fettled the bike again)

And watched a sea plane land!

We wanted to cover approximately 200miles today, so we kept the stops and photos and piss taking to a minimum and pressed on.

As we headed north the Lowlands gave way to the Highlands and the scenery got even better...

Amazing. We all commented on just how beautiful it is. (If you not been, then plz come)

A quick pit stop for lunch and some light fettling by Paul B (me on the left, Paul B in the middle and Paul M on the right)

During lunch i started looking for a B&B or Hotel to stay in about 2hrs away, but had little luck. Its half term, the weather is incredible and everything is booked. I called a lot of numbers, and on one call, even though the B&B was full, the helpful lady said she might know someone who could help!

She passed the phone to a chap named Scott who has a house in Dornie who said we could stay there! So off we went, all five of us, and it was on the actual route we planned too!

heading north, for two hours we came to our destination...

Dornie

Ellean Castle

Dornie is little more than a hamlet sat on the side of Loch, but it's packing a hotel, a bar, a bakery, a pizzeria, a couple of B&B's and pub into its diminutive size.

We're currently sat at 'The Clachan' in the sunshine at 19:54, gotta love the lattitude.

A poem from Will

if you were the ocean and i was a duck,
I'd dive to the bottom and drink my way up,
But youre not the ocean and I'm not a duck,
So let's chop these beers and get f*cked up!

9:30pm