To the Royal Hotel in Ullapool

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. It works off both cell and satellite signals—seemed like a good idea to have along.



The ride itself was pure enjoyment. No error messages on the dash this time. The route took me along narrow two-lane roads and some single-lane stretches hugging the coastline, with big elevation changes. These roads feel like they were made for motorcycle riding—up, down, tight corners, long sweepers. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more—the roads or the scenery.

At one point, I pulled into a dirt parking lot filled with bikes and cars. On the hill above was a zipline that stretched out over part of the North Sea. I hung around watching for a bit and got talking with three other riders who were also heading to the Royal Hotel. One of them noticed the Irish license plate on the GS and asked, “You from Ireland?”
Me: “Yes.”
Him: “What part?”
Me: “Pennsylvania.”
He gave me a confused look until I explained I was on a rental from Ireland. He said he figured something was up because of my accent—or lack of one.

They left before I did, but I caught up with them on the road and eventually passed them. I got to the Royal Hotel in Ullapool just before check-in. A few other riders were waiting for their rooms, but I got mine right away. I unpacked the GS and even scored a great parking spot right in front of the hotel. Gear off, Garmin shut down.

A couple of hours later, I had dinner at the hotel. It was a great ride—and tomorrow, it’s on to the Isle of Skye.

The zip line across the North Sea.




More Zip line.

I stopped here for lunch. I learned more about the NC 500. It is a 500 mile loop of towns in the North Country, that many campers do. I bought the shirt.


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