Motorcycling in Scotland – 3 towns and 1,000miles – Part 1.
Anyone following my blogs either here or over on the rainycity.blog will know that I really do like visiting Scotland.
The last time my wife and I were there was around about this time last year. On that occasion we stayed in Newton Stewart. Prior to that I think it was when we were up near Skye for a week.
I’ve lost count of the number of times we have stayed and travelled in Scotland. Additionally I have travelled in Scotland dozens of times as well.
What I can say with certainty is I will never get tired of visiting this magnificent country. A simple search on this blog using the word Scotland will bring up multiple posts of bike trips there.
The weather was good so…
With the weather set fair for a few days I decided to make the most of it.
I had been at Wembley a couple of days before for the FA Cup Semi Final. You can see a photo post from that event at this link and I was due to be at the Etihad the following Friday for the Manchester City v Wolves game. I had other commitments on the Monday but it meant that I had Tuesday to Friday afternoon free
Heading to Scotland via the Yorkshire Dales
I made a decent route north and other than the first 20 miles or so avoided all motorways. My destination was the town of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway.
I headed up through the Yorkshire Dales via Ramsbottom (near Bury in Greater Manchester), then, Clitheroe, Kirby Stephen and onto Selkirk. The final leg from Selkirk to Moffat was on one of my favourite UK roads the A708. I have written about the A708 previously.
The first pictures (below) are from the Yorkshire Dales leg of the journey.
Clicking any image will open a picture gallery that can be clicked or scrolled through.
Moffat – a gem in the Scottish Borders
There’s something about Moffat that keeps pulling me back. Over the years, I’ve found myself returning time and again to this small town in the Southern Uplands of Scotland.
In a previous era it was a thriving Victorian spa destination, and still carries reminders of the past. The architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries gives a nod to its heritage.
For anyone who enjoys the outdoors, Moffat is really well placed. If you’re into walking or cycling it’s ideal and if you’re a motorcyclist this place just delivers in spades.
For bikers it’s an absolute dream. The surrounding roads are scenic, winding, and quiet, it’s better than good.
On previous visits
Previously I have always stayed in one of the local B&Bs, and have never had a bad experience. On most occasions I have stayed in Moffat I have wandered down and had a beer in the garden of The Buccleuch Arms Hotel.
On this trip I booked into The Buccleuch Arms, mainly due to availability and timing. And honestly, I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.
A warm welcome and great hospitality, comfortable rooms, and a decent beer made for another memorable stay in one of my favourite towns. And I can safely say I have NEVER stayed in accommodation so well set up for bikers.
The A708 Selkirk to Moffat – one of my favourite UK roads
The A708 that runs from Selkirk to Moffat is one of my favourite roads in the UK.
I think every bike I have owned for the last 20 or so years has been on that road a few times with the single exception of my Moto Guzzi V7.
I love the A708, I love the scenery and I love the stillness.
Last time I was there on the F900 was in 2023 and I wrote a piece here about the road.
It’s generally well surfaced with decent tarmac, although there are a few rough parts to look out for.
The road stretches like a ribbon across hills, races past lochs and whistles past just a few scattered homes. It’s easy to get a ‘shift’ on but care needs to be taken on some of the crests, bends and dips in the road. …and of course keep an eye out for sheep and lambs.
On this trip I joined the road at the Selkirk end. It was around 15:30 or so and other than a couple of cars and three or four bikes the road was deserted – it was blissful.
Clicking on any of the images will open a picture gallery from the A 708 that can be clicked or scrolled through.
The Buccleuch Hotel
This place was so good that it’s worthy of a mention and it’s own picture set. I said earlier I had never stayed in any hotel that was so well set up for bikers.
It’s got some history
Information from the hotels web site shows that the coaching inn dates as far back as 1760. The building still has many of its original features.
The name itself goes even further back and originates as long ago as the 10th century. It’s a tricky name to pronounce correctly, so just for info the proper way to say the name is buh-clue.
The hotel web site tells the story of King Kenneth III hunting in a deep ravine (which is known as a cleugh). A young buck became cornered and charged towards the King. Legend has it that a man called John Scott got hold of the buck by the antlers and wrestled it to the ground and in so doing saved the King’s life. After that the Scott family, in addition to being rewarded were referred to as Buck Cleuch, ‘the buck from the ravine’. So there you go every day really is a school day.
But that’s not all
All of the staff I had contact with at the Buccleuch were friendly, professional and helpful. The evening meal was good, the beer was good, the bike parking was first class, the breakfast was superb, the room was comfortable and the shower hot and wet … but that’s not all.
Dave who runs the place along with other family members is a biker (as are the other family members) and they know a thing or two about what facilities make for a good stopover. The hotel has a drying room and a map room and a whole range of products available at no cost in a green metal storage box in the parking area. Products include oils, polish, bike cleaning gear, helmet cleaning gear, jet wash, snow foam, bucket and sponges and probably a bit more.
Route advice
In addition to the above Dave is happy to offer route advice, print routes and even load them onto your sat nav device. I have a Garmin XT and he suggested a fabulous route for me for the second day of my trip when I headed the long way up from Moffat to Buckie on the Moray Fifth. Check Part 2 to read more about that route.
A few images of Moffat
And to finish off this post there are a few images from Moffat posted in the following picture gallery.
Click any image to open the picture set that can then be clicked or scrolled though.
Click here to head to Part Two
Beautiful photo’s. So much beautiful scenery.