My family are from the Isle of Mull in Argyll and I like to get back there to visit my grandparents grave every year or two, but the weather in 2024 was not conducive to a week's riding and camping and this year was just flat out busy with ...'stuff'. So I thought it was going to be another year when I could return to my spiritual home... and then... October!
So spotting that there was going to be high pressure parked over the UK for a week or so, I booked, ferry, campsite and another ferry and on Wednesday night, I set off to ride, overnight from Weston-s-Mare to Oban where I had a 9.55 am ferry booked.
I took the 'quick' route, avoiding as much of the M5 and M6 mess as possible, so from Home to Worcester on the motorway, from there to Northwich, Cheshire on the A roads, then onto the motorways and trudge it out to Glasgow, over the Erskine Bridge and up the side of Loch Lomond.... not that I could see much.
I left home at 9.30 pm and after plenty of stops and a half hour snooze in a services, I arrived in Oban at 8.00 am, just as the second ferry of the day was arriving. "I'm booked on the 9.55 boat" "Ahh dinna worry about that, we'll get you on the next boot!" and they did, despite me not being able to book onto the 8.25 on line!
500 miles pretty much door to door.
First visit on Mull was to put some flowers on my grandparents grave, a great uncle and a few old friends. Then off the Duart Castle to take some photos for a friend and get something to eat. After that I just wandered around the island on roads I know like the back of my hand, but have never ridden on a motorcycle.
I got to my campsite at 3.30pm, another 111 miles on the clock.
5.30am Friday I was drinking tea and by 7.25 I was rolling out of the campsite.... in the dark (never struck camp using a head torch before) and off to my second booked ferry at Fishnish. Turns out I had been reading the timetable wrong, so instead of just making the 7.45, I had time for a coffee while waiting for the 8.15.
In all the 60 plus year I have been visiting Mull, I have only been on the A884 from Lochaline once, but I MUST do it again. It's single track (naturally, these are the Highlands you know) and it runs through some of the most magnificent scenery I have seen in Scotland.... wonderful start to the day.
Next was the little five minute ferry crossing at Corran, a fill up with fuel and off down Glen Coe, which was broody and sunny at one end, and cloudy and cold the other.... so, Scotland then. Next a bash along the various fantastic A8x's to Sterling and then a trudge around the Motorways to get to the A68 just below Edinburgh. I rode up this road from Darlington a few years ago and was keen to repeat the experience going the other way. A stop at the border for the obligatory photo and on.
Before Darlington my route took me across country, through the North Penninies and Yorkshire Moors National Parks. Some roads I knew, others I didn't.... absolutely magnificent... what a boost to a flagging spirit. Then eventually and inevitably... the M6.
Friday at 6.00 ish I discovered is a really, REALLY bad time to be passing Liverpool and Manchester, the motorway is INSANE. Those that know, know. Everyone else... AVOID.
Finally the M56 and then the A49 towards Whitchurch and Shrewsbury.
By now I was aching. I had stopped often, including for a free cup of tea at Lancaster services... thank you to the young lady... you know who you are, I can only think I looked worse than I felt. But the day was feeling long and I still had at least three hours to go.
Roads... lighting! The VStrom lights are OK... well adequate. On roads with good cats eyes / white lines I could crack along at 60, on some others, I was down to 45 and having impatient locals trying to get home / to the pub tailgating is not helpful, I must have plenty of rear cam footage to look at later.
Anyway, soon enough I was riding round Ludlow... and having my last petrol stop of the trip. Then Leominster, then Hereford. Over the Prince of Wales bridge and then, a mile from home, I nearly got side swiped on the M5 when a taxi decided that the motorway was not restricted to one lane and continued to plow along in lane 2 with me in (the open) lane 3. I saw him coming and slowed, he undertook and then swerved in front of me... without me slowing, that would have been me he was swerving into. Front camera investigations will be done later.
And into the garage at 11.00pm.
1223 miles in total.
Was it worth it? Fu.... erm, yes, it was.
Topic: What have you done with your V-Strom today? (Read 1719778 times)