Riverfurm

  Final Day – Scotland to Northern Ireland, Then Home Up early and down for breakfast, but the dining room was packed with tourists from two buses. I grabbed eggs and pancakes and took them to the empty dining room to eat in peace. Today was just a few hours’ ride to the ferry port for my return to Belfast, Northern Ireland. It had rained overnight and was misting when I left, but I didn’t bother with the rain gear—my jacket is “kind of” waterproof. The ride wasn’t bad, taking about fifteen minutes to get out of Ayr, then mostly secondary roads along the shoreline. I arrived at the port about an hour early. There was one motorcycle ahead of me—a Harley, which you don’t see often here. About half an hour later, more Harleys rolled in. Turned out they were Hells Angels. I guess they’re everywhere. The waiting area was full of Asian tourists wandering around, and a few were fascinated by the motorcycles. A couple asked if they could take my picture. I said yes, and posed with the ...

  Last Full Day in Scotland This was my last full day in Scotland, and I wish it wasn’t. The ride today wasn’t anything to brag about—some highway, mostly secondary roads. The sky stayed cloudy all day and looked like it could rain at any time, but I made it to the hotel without getting wet. The Western Hotel is a big place right next to a horse track. I checked in around three. My room smelled like fresh paint, so I opened all the windows. That’s when the rain started. I went down to the bar for one beer, then about an hour and a half later headed down for dinner. One of the dining rooms was closed for a wedding the next day, so I ate alone in the empty dining room. Dinner was a Haggis Meat Pie, and it was actually pretty good. Before calling it a night, I moved the motorcycle next to the building by the check-in desk so they could keep an eye on it from the window. Tomorrow will be a long day, so I turned in early.

Day ___: Isle of Skye to Oban – Goat Paths and Good Scotch “Nancy’s Live and Enjoy Life Motorcycle Tour” After a morning shower and breakfast, I packed up the BMW GS and rolled out for the day’s ride from the Isle of Skye to Oban. The roads in this part of the Highlands aren’t built for speed — mostly narrow two-lane and single-track roads winding through remote and rugged terrain. A few miles in, the GPS took me onto what I’d generously call a single-track road, but in reality, it felt more like a goat path — barely paved in spots, steep climbs, and hairpin turns that made second gear the gear of the day. Occasionally I’d make it into third, but not often. The whole time I kept hoping no one would be coming the other way. Passing would’ve been... complicated. I did encounter two vehicles, but luckily there was just enough room to squeeze by. It was a challenging stretch — twenty-some miles of rough, narrow riding — but honestly, I loved it. That’s what this bike is made for, and Nanc...

 Ullapool to the Isle of Sky Some days on the road, things don’t go as planned—but somehow, they end up better because of it. I started the morning with my usual routine. Up early, waited for breakfast, ate, and got geared up. By 9:30 a.m., I was rolling out of Ullapool, aiming for a hotel somewhere near Glencoe—or was it Glencoonon? Honestly, I can’t remember the name exactly, and it turns out, neither could my GPS. It led me to a Royal Hotel… just not the Royal Hotel I had booked. After some confusion, I checked my itinerary and saw I was 25 miles off. Not a disaster, but enough to remind me how much I rely on that little screen. I punched in the correct address and rode another 45 minutes to my actual hotel. Lucky for me, the road getting there was a beautiful one. The hotel itself was great—comfortable room and an inviting bar/dining area. Only one other person was there when I walked in. He was digging into a plate of fish and chips that looked too good to pass up. I ordered...

I usually wake up very early—around 3 AM. This morning, I decided to listen to one of my favorite radio shows from back home. After a shower, I went downstairs for breakfast. Some of the other guests were already there. Lisa had marked each table with a painted stone showing the room number and name—just like the names on the doors of each room. Lisa also brought me my folded laundry, and I paid her £15 (she only wanted £10, but I thought she earned a bit extra). My plan was to leave around 10, so I took another walk to the cliff that overlooked the beach, then down to the beach itself, where a few people were out walking and playing catch with their dogs. Back at the inn, I repacked the motorcycle and suited up in all my riding gear. I forgot to mention earlier—I've been using a Garmin InReach tracking device. It sends a message to friends when I start and finish a ride and tracks my route here: https://live.garmin.com/Riverfurm . It also has an SOS feature if I get into trouble. ...

  To the Top of the Highlands – Inverness to Thurso Today’s ride took me from Inverness to Thurso—right up into the northern Highlands. It was a great ride, mostly on dual-track roads, though still pretty narrow, and occasionally on single-track roads. In Scotland, the road rule is that slower vehicles yield to faster ones. It’s a good system once you get used to it. Even on these tiny roads, the speed limit is 60 mph, which feels quick when the pavement’s barely wider than your mirrors. There were a lot of campers (or “caravans” as they call them here), most about the size of a box van. Many of them were doing the NC500—the North Coast 500—a scenic 500-mile loop around the top of Scotland. Part of the appeal is stopping in the small villages along the way. Scotland is well set up for RVs, with lots of little spots that offer electric and sewer hookups. Sometimes they look like basic car parks, but they’re actually camping parks. Some only have five spots, maybe tucked behind a g...