Scotland motorcycle trip -lochs, ferries and coastlines Pt 2
Scotland motorcycle trip part 2. The weather forecast still looked reasonable and the high temperatures that were covering England were not generally affecting Scotland. Although the weather looked reasonable there had been rain overnight with thunder and lighting storms (mainly out to sea). This meant the air was cooler and the roads were damp.
I was glad I had made a steady return to biking over the last couple of months. This trip was ammking me feel that the choices I had made were right.
After an overnight at Portpatrick at the very decent Fernhill Hotel I was ready for the next leg of the trip. This would take me from Portpatrick to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute
I mentioned in Part 1, my last ‘proper trip’ before the accident had also been to Scotland. That trip was on the BMW F900XR and I wrote about in the three towns/1,000‑mile trip post. This trip was different a full week with no rushing and more of a trip to let the miles unfold at their own pace.
Heading from Portpatrick to the Isle of Bute
I left the Fernhill Hotel in Portpatrick to contiue my Scotland motorcycle trip. My route north‑east started gently at first. It took me past Glenluce and along the quiet stretches of road toward Newton Stewart. From there it was a steady climb through New Galloway and the open moorland above Dalmellington. After that I dropped down toward Ayr and followed the coast up to Wemyss Bay for the ferry to Rothesay. It had been a pretty classic west‑coast route mainly rural and open, and great on a bike.
The weather on Friday 26 June was shaped by the wider UK heatwave. Although Scotland didn’t break any heat records, the west coast for the most part was warm and humid with a few spells of rain.
Scotland motorcycle trip – a dramatic and scary weather change
As I headed toward Wemyss Bay for the ferry, the weather turned dramatically. Heavy, prolonged rain, with violent thunder and lightning swept across the west coast. There were significant levels of surface‑water flooding which happened very very quickly. There were serious warnings in place across Ayrshire and the Clyde.
The downpour was part of a wider band of thunderstorms that hit much of Scotland that day. Several towns were left with flooded streets and disrupted routes. The weather and dark skies made the final short coastal stretch feel much longer. I have never ever ridden in such awful conditions. I had stopped at one point to put on my wet gear, and sheltered as best I could until the intense storm passed over but the final 10 miles to the ferry were at best challenging and not an experience I ever want to repeat.
A magical moment
One of my stand out memories of this Scotland motorcycle trip was when I was deep on the back roads of the Galloway Forrest and decided on a whim to get off the bike and walk back to a small bridge I had crossed over, to take what I thought would be a pretty and scenic picture of river. What I actually saw moving in a slow and confident way was a red deer wading across the river before vanishing into the darkness of the pines. It was a moment that more than made my day – check out Picture Set 1 for the pictures..
Picture set 1 from the Portpatrick to Bute leg
Click any image to open the picture gallery and click/scroll through to see pictures from the Portpatrick/Bute leg of the trip.
From Bute to Loch Shiel and the sound of the Bodhran
The run from Bute began quietly enough with an easy ride to the short crossing back to the mailand on the Rhubodach ferry.
Once back on the mainland the route unfolded into a decent west coast route. I travelled via Tarbet, Ardlui, Crianlarich and Dalmally, then out toward Connel and up through Fort William before the final sweep past the Glenfinnan Monument and the famous viaduct.
It’s a route that shifts constantly between the calm of riding alongside lochs to riding across wide and open stretches. The scenery throughout the day had been simply magnificent.
Change in the weather
Weather‑wise, Saturday had brought a change in the feel across the West Highlands. Forecasts had indicated winds would increase and possibly reach 45–50 mph in the afternoon, with drizzle giving way to heavier, more persistent rain and even the risk of thunder as the day went on.
There were layers of cloud over the hills, and as you would exect visibility dropped when the showers arrived. By late afternoon the western side of the country was seeing increasingly frequent and sometimes heavy falls of rain.
Final leg of the day on this Scotland motorcycle trip as I headed to Loch Shiel
The road out of Fort William ends at Malaig but I turned off after Glenfinnan for Loch Shiel. At that point the feel of the ride changed. From there being not much traffic to zero traffic with the road winding alongside the water towards the quieter shores of Loch Shiel. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but the road was slower and definately had an increased feeling of isolation. I arrived at the Loch Shiel hotel damp rather than wet and happy with what had been another really good day on the bike.
Picture set 2 – from the Bute to Loch Shiel leg
Click any image to open the picture gallery and click/scroll through the pictures from the ride from the Isle of Bute to the Loch Shiel hotel in Acharacle.
The band, the bodhran and a video
I can’t really say I have ever pinned myself to any particular musical taste. Some days my listening feels like it’s stuck in the 1970s and 1980s; other days it wanders all over the place.
One sound I’m always drawn to, though, is the bodhrán i it’s a shallow, single‑headed Irish drum played with a wooden ‘tipper’. It’s a sound that gives traditional music a steady beat and a sort of pulse.
I’d never seen one played live until my evening at the Loch Shiel Hotel. A group of local musicians had gathered, and among them was someone with a bodhrán. It turned a good night into a memorable one -and another unexpected bonus on this Scotland motorcycle trip.
Short video of the band
Scotland motorcyle trip – moving on to Gairloch
After an excellent stay at the Loch Shiel hotel I moved onto a place called Gairloch – in Wester Ross in the Western Highlands. I didn’t take a direct route and had decided I would head for the ferry at Mallaig and cross over to the Isle of Skye. My plan didn’t quite work out, although I was in time for the ferry there were no spaces. I didn’t want to wait for the next ferry (the Sunday timescale would have meant me sitting around for a couple of hours).
Short of petrol for the first time on this Scotland motorcycle trip
I decided I would head back to Fort William and make a route from there. The problem was I didn’t have enough fuel to get to Fort William (I was on reserve with around 30 miles worth) and the only petrol station in Mallaig didn’t open until 10:00am.
I had no option but to sit it out and wait. A little after 10:00am the small garage opened, I fuelled up and was on my way. After Fort William I headed for Shiel Bridge and then the iconic Eilean Donan castle on the way to Gairloch … it’s a castle worth seeing.
My wife and I had stayed a few miles from the Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan castle back in 2024 so I knew just how exceptional it would be. You can read about that trip at this link.
A fabulous day on the bike and the highest ‘daily score’ so far on the Scotland motorcycle trip
To say I had a good day on the bike would be an understatement. I mentally rate the days as I ride and score them out of 10. This was score a very solid 9.5
Picture set 3
Click any image to open the picture gallery and click/scroll through the last picture set of Part 2 – including the magnificent Eilean Donan castle. Dont forget to come back for the third and fnal part that will be coming soon
Dont forget to come back for the third and fnal part that will be coming soon