Scotland at 45mph

Hi Matt--
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I don't imagine there's much riding in Scotland during the winter, eh? Looking forward to your reports next Spring.

Indeed, hope your not getting battered to bad with the rain and wind at present

Hi Matt, I have just read your ride report over a couple of days and very enjouable it is. I live in the scottish borders near Kelso and head north as often as possible and your threads have made me rethink my travels, as of next year I am going to try some of the roads you have travelled instead of blasting through to get up north, as I have done for the last 30 odd years. Hope you pass your test soon and hopefully we may meet up on the road sometime.
Cheers Davie

Howdy dude.

I was in Scotland once, but not on a bike. I found it to be an amazingly scenic place which I am determined to return to.
Thanks for posting your pix, to remind me I need to get back over there.

I was in Glasgow (OK but crowded, and I was only there for one afternoon & night), Inverness (MUCH better than Glasgow_ again- wasn't there long enough to really enjoy it), and we were up on the North coast at Kyle Of Tongue- where we spent a solid week, just hiking and driving around. The best thing was we were there in the last days of October into November- so no one was there... and I mean NO ONE. it was quiet to the point of loneliness. Barren but beautiful. We saw Dunnett Head, and the big Sea Stacks to the west, saw guys surfing in full wet suits on tiny cove beaches, and LOTS of wildlife.

Scotland (for me) was, in a word, amazing.
Revisiting it thru you RRs is sweet.

Thank you very much! Hope all is well with you.

I actually had a great Christmas. We had the whole family together for the first time in years. I also got these from my fantastic girlfriend:



No riding for me in December. The weather is too erratic for my tastes. While it hasn't been too bad here, it often changes without much warning and can have you riding in terrible visibility. Spring is not too far away though!

We're lucky here. Falkirk is quite sheltered from the coastal weather. So yeah it's been raining, it's nothing like the scenes on the news.

Awesome! Some of the best biking roads in the world are in Scotland. It's a shame so many miss out.

I actually need to get myself down to the borders sometime. Only ever passed through that part of the country.

Aiming for March to pass my test. Would be great to meet some folk from the site.

It's a small country but there are some very remote areas. Nearly everyone lives in the central belt with the rest of the country much quieter. That's how I prefer it.

A mix of biking and hiking would be the perfect way to see the country I think. A yacht and a helicopter would be nice as well though.




Merry Christmas everyone. And have a happy new year!

Great pictures! Looks like wonderful country. My wife and I are seriously thinking of a trip to Scotland to ride the countryside. We have a BMW R1200 GS (Colorado USA) and would like to rent something similar in country. Very early planning phase. Is there anything you could advise us regarding seeing the country by motorcycle?

2upincolorado

bring some waterproofs

Matt, just finished reading your great thread. When will you post your photos of Loch Duich and Eilean Donan Castle (hint, hint)? Had a great time there years ago.

No riding here in the True North Strong and Free. A foot of snow has already fallen today and it is still coming down hard.

I can hardly wait until winter is over and you start riding again.

Well done!

Wonderful, thank you Matt.
So that'll be Ireland and Scotland next July (from a then wet Thailand).

Well to expand on Kwakbiker's eloquent summation: it rains a lot in Scotland. Summer is no guarantee of good weather. 2012 in particular was a stormy summer. Is Colorado hot or cold (I want to say both)? It tends not to get too cold in summer (ie it doesn't freeze) but high winds are pretty common when you're up north. You'd probably be ok two-up on a GS.

American helmets will be illegal to use here. For a helmet to be road legal it has to be EU approved. I've never heard of the police checking helmets but it's something to bear in mind.

As for renting a GS, a quick Google check brings up Scotlandbybike.com. I have no idea what they are like but their main page says they have 1200s so they might be worth investigating.

Petrol is very expensive here. Certainly a good bit more than you pay in the states. And it it gets slightly more expensive the further north you go. Most things will be more expensive actually but petrol is where you'll notice the biggest difference.

Other than that, good luck with the planning. I hope you do get across. Scotland is genuinely one of the best biking countries in the world. More people should experience it.

Thanks man. Glad you enjoy it. I have family in Canada (I had to look up your lyrics!) that are constantly updating Facebook with new photos of the snow. I also have family in Australia forever updating us with photos of fire. We've had very little snow this winter and even less fire. Should be back out pretty soon actually if the weather stays as mild as it has been.

Eilean Donan Castle is top of the list this year so hopefully March or April.

Haha it'll be wet here too! I really do hope you come. A biking holiday of Scotland and Ireland would be superb.



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As for this year I have bought myself a nice new camera and sought advice on how to use it so hopefully my photos will get better. Fingers crossed that I'll have my full licence in the next month or so too which should mean that longer trips become possible and you won't need to look at a new picture of Loch Lubnaig every other day!

I'll leave you with a couple of picture from my local park since there aren't many pictures of Falkirk on here at all.

Callendar Park:

Matt82




Actually Matt, that's not strictly true. The wording of the law is a bit vague and is along the lines of a helmet must meet the relevant EU regulations, or be so constructed as to be of a similar standard. That's not a direct quote, but that is the bones of it. I have been buying my Bell helmets from the US for a while now, and the DOT sticker is more than enough to satisfy the letter of the law.

Are you sure it satisfies the letter of the law? Ie you've had this confirmed by someone who knows the law?

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm only getting my info from Bike or Ride magazine (I forget which) that pointed out that while plenty of US helmets would meet and exceed the EU standard if they were made here, there are also plenty of DOT certified helmets that wouldn't be up to our standards so the DOT isn't recognised by UK law.

This helmet for example is DOT approved and the website states clearly that it is not legal for UK roads.

Fair shout Matt, but I think you will agree that provided you don't wear anything obviously dodgy like the one in your link you shouldn't get any problems with the law.

Oh absolutely. 1) The odds of a cop asking to check your helmet are small enough to be negligible. 2) Even if they did see it I doubt they'd care as long as it wasn't obviously crap.

It's worth bearing in mind though. If nothing else it's the kind of thing an insurance company could use to wriggle out of paying out on a claim. Though again, they'd need to find out first.

Cant see it being an issue as the couple would be visiting from the country of origin

Good luck with the test Matt, do you plan to change your bike when you pass?

What a fantastic thread!

I did a trip around Scotland several years back, and was able to see a fair bit of the country. It was fantastic to see your pictures and be reminded how beautiful it is there.

Terrific pics and ride report..many thanks..now I have to go there..

Hey fella cracking thread going here ,, have you passed your test yet ?? .. I have passed you many times heading up the road by Lubnaig and up through Glen Ogle ,, i noticed the bike as my friend had one who passed his test down at JAs in sunny Falkirk . Just looking at some previous pics you had posted and i remembered that day at the green welly stop ,, i had pulled in for a coffee when i got talking to the guy with the Duke desmo in your pic ,, i was the guy with the GS that pulled in ,, i was heading on up the road to do the loop




Keep up the great thread pal ,, the spring cant come quick enough ,, my arse is making buttons to get out on some dry tarmac for my anual jaunts around scotland/ north of england and if you fancy getting out for a run or two give me yell ,, all the best jm

Great thread, Matt! I hit Scotland as a hitchhiker and train-bound tourist about a decade ago, and have been itching to go back ever since. Glorious country.