Photos Available

All done.

Page down the blog until you come to the picture of the thistles. Click on that and that should take you to my Flickr album.

Enjoy.

The Stats

You know you love stats.  I'll save you the number of pints or baked beans I had this time round and concentrate solely on the bike stats.

Total distance covered: 1897.8 miles

Number of Gallons used: 35.89
Number of litres used: 163.17

Average Miles per Gallon: 53.75
Average Miles per Litre: 11.82

Total Fuel Cost: £211.35
Average Cost Per Mile: 0.11p

Ginny's pence per mile figure varied between 0.09p and 0.13p. Not surprisingly, given the nature of the beast, she produces better figures on those long motorway runs with the cruise control set. The autobahns are what she was built for but she was more than capable of tackling the twisty and mountainous single track roads in the highlands, she was just a little more thirsty doing it.

All in all, the weather was pretty kind, though if I'd gone 2/3 weeks earlier, as a couple of people told me, I could have left the waterproofs packed away. I'd gone prepared, so although it was a tad unpleasant at times, it was never persistent heavy rain, so I never got despondent. A big plus for me and Ginny, was the distinct lack of midges. I did encounter some and they were a bit of a pain but nothing like I had anticipated. I'm glad I didn't splash out on one of those bee keeper hats, let's put it that way.

I've said this already but the west side of Scotland, the first part of my tour, is far better than the east. The scenery is simply breathtaking in places and just beautiful in most. I said after the tour last year, Norway is like Scotland on steroids. The landscape in Scotland is very similar, though not quite as high. On the plus side, the western highlands are a lot easier to get to and a damned sight cheaper!

If I was thinking of doing the NC500 again, I'd probably cut out the eastern side and either ride clockwise to Thurso and come back over the central highlands or most likely, turn around at Thurso and do the west coast bit in reverse.

Given that this is billed as Scotland's answer to Route 66, it is surprising that there are only two (that I saw) signs along the route to tell you you are on the NC500. Those I believe were put up privately by businesses or the village. You can buy maps and souvenirs at garages and tourist info but other than that those responsible for Scotland's roads, don't seem to have embraced the idea, as those along Route 66 have. Maybe it's early days, maybe they think a free map is more appropriate. I'm just glad I had tomtom programmed.

Speaking of tomtom, you may recall a day where she appeared to go loopy, telling me to turn into almost every lay-by I came across. The following days were all perfect, so I think it must've had something to do with me removing the whale watching stop and entering the deer museum.

Anyway, I think that's your lot. I hope you've enjoyed coming on this tour with me. If you have any comments, then feel free to make them. I like to know people are actually reading my posts. I'll be looking to get some photos uploaded asap, so you can come back one more time to check them out and don't forget, I'll be blogging (already am) again next year, for the Wild Hogs tour of Portugal & Spain. Make sure you sign up for email updates of that one.

www.whespana19.blogspot.com

Day 11.3

Well, as expected the game didn't go well, Arsenal losing 2-0 in the end.

Getting away from the stadium wasn't quite as bad as expected and I was soon on a familiar route home, my commuting route.

I reached home about 19:20.  Time to check in with 'er indoors!

Come back for some stats later.

Day 11.2

Stop for fuel at Sainsbury's somewhere in Derbyshire. Got myself a meal deal too. Waterproofs had been on since Buxton. I guess that's why they have all that spring water.  Once on the M1 it was  up to Ginny to do her stuff, which she does effortlessly.  A few holdups on the way meant I walked into the Emirates Stadium with a few minutes to spare.

Half time we are a goal down. Might wish I'd gone straight home.

The Emirates Stadium

Day 11.1

Just a short hop from Auntie's house is the AVRO Heritage Museum at Woodford. No time to pay a visit on this occasion, just some photos of Vulcan XM603 outside.

Day 10.3

Lunch over with I was back on the road, gradually making my way through the dales and into Lancashire, the county of my birth. It wasn't long before the countryside slipped away and I was travelling through the industrial towns. Those then slipped by to be replaced by the M60. Once again Ginny could stretch her legs.

I arrived at my aunt & uncle's house about 16:00. Though a bit chilly before lunchtime, the weather had been pretty good, sunny for periods but happily, dry.

Tomorrow is the last leg of my journey. I have a couple of detours planned, one being to the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal v Man City. I'm expecting to reach home by 20:00.

Ginny enjoying a break in the Yorkshire Dales

Day 10.2

Popped into Asda and got some lunch. Then it was back onto the M6 for another 40 miles or so. It's not all about Ginny's mile munching though, so I'm heading south through the dales and some tiny twisty roads again. Guess you can never see too many sheep!

Stopped on the hills for my sandwich, listening to the bleating. Quite peaceful, sunny and not too windy. Lots of bikers around these parts.

Day 10.1

Left about 9:30. Arrived at Carlisle Asda fuel stop 11:35. No single track roads this time, just solid 2/3 lanes. Ginny is a long distance runner so this was right up her street. I just set the controls for the heart of the sun and she did the rest.

Looking to take a scenic route down to Manchester, where I'm stopping with Auntie & Uncle.

Day 9.4

Back over the pub. Guy has managed to squeeze me in. They are really busy. Had nothing since brekkie, so calamari starter, then hunter's chicken. 😉

Day 9.3

Dominoes Perth don't deliver ☹  Will have to try and get in over at the pub, else I'll be going hungry. Wouldn't be a problem if I was in the centre of town.

Day 9.2

Just outside Inverness it started raining. Waterproofs on. Rained pretty much all the way to  Perth.

Passing Inverness on the A9 signalled the end of the NC500 route. The first 3.5 days were definitely better than the last day Not just because of the change in the weather or the crappy hotel, either. The West is the Best, believe me.

I had another detour on the way down, to Loch an Eilein, paying a visit to my mum's last resting place. Almost 5 years ago to the day, my brother and I rode up here, to fulfill her wish to be scattered on the banks of the Loch.

When we did that, we chose a spot we could identify easily, for just such an occasion as today. Armed with photos we took at the time, of a particular tree configuration, I was able to identify the spot. It was peeing down when I arrived and in deed as I left but as I stood chatting to mum, the sun came out briefly. Make of that whatever you want.

I had one more stop to make before Perth, for fuel. Next drink for Ginny will be at the same Asda I used last Saturday. Let's hope I don't encounter the same tomtom/headset issues as then.

Am staying at a Travelodge. It's 5* luxury compared to the Golspie Inn. There's a pub next door.  Popped over for dinner but  I forgot it was Friday and it is full. Should have booked on reflection. May try a pizza delivery instead or go back later.

Loch An Eilein

Day 9.1

Do not stay at the Golspie Inn, at least not room 14. En-suite in a disgusting state, culminating in water dripping through the ceiling when upstairs took a shower. Had them take 50% off the bill. Seems to be run by amateurs.

Anyway, detour today to the Falls of Shin. Was hoping to see some leaping salmon.

Success, for me, if not for the salmon.  Witnessed 7 attempts in about 30 minutes. They seem to be drawn to what looks the fiercest part of the falls. I wonder why? Amazing sight all the same.

The Falls of Shin

Day 8.5

So having done the most northerly point, it was only proper I did the most north easterly, Duncansby Head.

From there I was heading south, to Wick and my fuel stop. I had a fuel station programmed in tomtom but saw a Tesco on the outskirts, so nipped in there instead. Good job, I saved 5p per litre on the planned stop.

From there, my next stop was at a place called Whaligoe and some steps, that lead down the rock above a cove. There's a ruined house/shed, whatever. Not sure of the story, just there are 294 steps! There's a cafe at the top, so I had a coffee and a slice of redcurrant chocolate brownie. Very nice but a bit ' I saw you coming' at £8.50!

Last stop was Dunrobin Castle. This is a fairytale pepperpot style, though from the car park side, it's not too special. Take a walk down to the waters edge though and you see it in all its glory.

A spit from there is my digs for the night, the Golspie Inn.

Tomorrow I shall detour from NC500 inland, ending the day in Perth. To be honest, it's not that interesting now, not a patch on the West Side, so I shan't be missing much.

Dunrobin Castle

Day 8.4

Arrived J O'G. Still overcast, windy and chilly. Rode round to the famous signpost hoping to get a shot of Ginny by it. Apart from being rammed with people it's a gravel path to and around it. Not worth the risk of losing my footing and laying Ginny on her side.

Day 8.3

Castle Mey. Toilet and photos. Parking up, some Germans in a camper stopped to admire Ginny. Guy has a 2012 model back home.

Off to John O'Groats next.

Castle Mey

Day 8.2

Next up, Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in mainland Britain. It is now officially cold and I have put on my waterproof jacket to keep out the wind. Heated seat and grips are also on.

Was hoping to see some Puffins by the lighthouse but didn't. Did see a pair of Golden Eagles though, so more than made up.

Next stop, Castle Mey, once home to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

No words needed

Day 8.1

Have totally lost track of days now. Tried to put yesterday's route in tomtom!

Left Tongue about 09:30. Jumper on again. First stop was at the Dounreay nuclear power station. It is being decommissioned but the familiar fast reactor sphere is still there. It was a bit blowy there and under heavy cloud.

Discovered an annoying thing about the Neotec. With the top vent open it is possible for flying insects to get in and crawl around inside the lining, which is not the nicest feeling, I can tell you.

Day 7.5

What  a brilliant day.  Best so far. Scenery is just amazing and apart from the odd knobhead, the roads have been superb, though little wider than your average driveway in places!

I've seen massive glacial valleys, golden sandy beaches and to top it all off, I was able to get a photo of a highland cow suckling a calf.

I made a stop at a place called Smoo Cave. Fresh water filters into it from above but I believe when it is high tide, it also takes in sea water. Don't quote me though.

I'm now at my B&B in Tongue, on the north coast, the nearest place to where they will soon be building a space launchpad, so I'm told. The landlord here was interviewed by the Sun newspaper when the story broke.

Off to the pub shortly for dinner and a nightcap or three. No phone signal again. Time for another complaint to  Vodafone 

Mummy and baby

Day 7.4

If Lochinver to Drumbeg was challenging, then I really can't think what to say about Drumbeg onwards. Scary in parts. Superb for a pillion I would say but not really solo, when all that matters is which way the road goes and where the next passing place is. Never been on roads like them. Superb experience. And the sun is out!

Stopped for lunch by Kylescu Bridge. Superb view over the water and towards the mountains.

More beautiful scenery

Day 7.3

Stopped at a place called Drumbeg. It has a viewpoint and a shop. That's about it. Ride from Lochinver has been on single track roads again. Quite challenging, not least because some drivers just don't go slow enough. Littered with sheep too and as close to the sea a coast road you may come across.

Time to pop into the shop and see if they have anything for lunch. Bit windy at the viewpoint though, so I'll find somewhere more sheltered to eat.

View from the windy Drumbeg viewpoint

Day 7.2

Stop in Lochinver for fuel, £138.9 per gallon and a pie at the 'famous' pie shop.  A huge selection of home made pies for take away or eat in. Too early for lunch, so bought a Rhubarb & Strawberry for afters.

Just chillin'

Day 7.1

Left at 09:25. Weather ok, if a little chilly. Put my jumper on for the first time.

First stop Ardvreck Castle, a 15th century ruin. First encounter with any midges. Put the skin stuff on this morning but doesn't seem to be deterring them.

Next stop should be a fuel stop at Lochinver I think. Already lost track of what I'm doing and what day it is!

Ardvreck Castle

Day 6.4

I walked down into town. It's quite a way, not sure how far exactly but I clocked up almost 12000 steps there and back. There's not a lot to it to be honest, two parallel streets a harbour and a ferry terminal. There's a couple of tea rooms, restaurants and a pub and the usual Scottish woolen goods shops. I had a walk round and drew some cash out, staying loyal to my former employers, before popping in the tourist info centre, where I picked up some NC500 souvenirs. Not the £22 cap, nor the £23 t-shirt.

Then I nipped over the chippy, hoping to get a battered haggis but they didn't do it, so i just had a portion of chips. It was supposed to be large but if they think that was large, they need to come to my local in the village!  As I walked back up the hill, a ferry came into port. The weather had perked up considerably and I had to take my jacket off on the walk back it was that warm. When I got back, I spent a while sitting out on the steps, soaking up the sunshine . Have to make the most of it, if as predicted it'll be cold and frosty overnight.

Apart from the issue with tomtom, today was ok. There really are some great roads up here, coupled with magnificent scenery, of that there is no doubt. It's just a shame that so few people seem to know how to drive the single track roads.

The place I am staying in is very nice. It has a fantastic view over the loch and the added bonus for me, of a garage for the bike. At £45 B&B for my single room, I think it is pretty good value too.

Tomorrow's route will take me onto the north coast and my overnight stop will probably mean I've covered about 300 of the 500 miles. Whilst we're on the subject of miles, Ginny clocked up 3000 yesterday.  

Soaking up the Scottish sunshine

Day 6.3

Well, next stop should have been the deer museum but tomtom had other ideas. For some reason she kept telling me to turn into roadside parking places, so I had to keep ignoring her. She was happy to carry on but eventually I realised we were just a few miles from Ullapool, so must've missed the deer farm turnoff.

Blow me if she didn't then take me right into town itself. I knew my B&B was before you got into town.  When I checked tomtom, she still had about 5 waypoints showing to visit. I deleted them and was able to find my overnight stop up the hillside, overlooking the loch. An excellent view, I'm sure you'll agree.

Going to walk into town whilst it is still dry and warm enough. They are expecting frost tonight apparently FFS!

View from my room

Day 6.2

Set off about 10:55. I'm a bit stuborn sometimes, so even though there were dark clouds looming, I set off without the waterproofs on but wearing my sunglasses. It proved to be an ok choice for quite a while, then I hit a rain shower.

I stopped and geared up, only for the sun to come out and the rain  to stop a mile later on. I'm at a place called Gairloch, from whence the whale watching trip should have departed. It is sunny but at the viewpoint, very windy.

Next stop should be the deer museum.

View from Gairloch viewpoint

Day 6.1

Had a lie in this morning. My overnight stop is in Ullapool, which is only about 137 miles away and with my whale watching cancelled I have an extra couple of hours to kill.

Plan B, a stop at the Deer Museum. Having come across four wild stags yesterday, I thought I'd get up close and personal. Apparently it is free to enter, so even better. You can buy bags of food to feed them. Last time I did that was back in 2015 at the deer farm on Route 66.

Weather this morning is grey and overcast.  Temperature about 11 degrees. Brrrrr!

Wild Stags on Day 5

Day 5.10

Things what I have seen today. A leaping salmon, lots of sheep, highland cattle, deer, a rainbow and a nuclear submarine.

Day 5.9

This is a fantastic setting. Just a pity the weather isn't all that. The village sits on the edge of a Loch, with an island about 200m offshore.  The hotel has a telescope for watching the birds and seals. I've not seen any seals, only seagulls. Sun is breaking through now.

Tomorrow's plan have already been scuppered by the weather. The plan was to take s boat out whale watching but they have cancelled, as it is going to be too windy. Gives me some time to kill. Maybe I'll sleep in a bit. Tomorrow's stop will be in Ullapool.

Day 5.8

Stopped in Applecross on the other side of the mountain for a coffee and a wee. At least it stopped raining for a while. Back on the single track road, littered with sheep and idiots, the sun came out and then it rained again. Hey ho!

Arrived at my hotel in Shieldaig about 17:30. Grey and not too warm here so I'll just have to console myself with some grub and a beer.

Tigh An Eilean Hotel

Day 5.7

On the Wester Ross coastal road. Goes over the mountain on a very twisty single track road. Unfortunately I am up in the clouds and bloody strong winds, so the pic ain't much to shout about.

Should be beautiful rolling hills or maybe sea!

Day 5.6

Fuel stop at Lochcarron. Waterproofs on for the last 20 miles ☹

The fuel station / store

Day 5.5

First stop on the NC500, Rogie Falls. Lunch time.

Rogie Falls

Day 5.4

The start of the NC500.

Day 5.3

Arrived Inverness. Ride over the mountains was good and reminded me of Norway, there being snow poles to mark the verges. Just popped in to Tesco to get a meal deal for my lunch.  Weather if mixed. Sunny, cloudy but a tad windy. Off to start the NC500 route now.

Day 5.2

Sometimes you have to ignore tomtom.

I wasn't. Tomtom had done its stuff

Day 5.1

Left Cheryl & Geoff's house about 08:45 and made straight for Tesco to fuel up. 235.4 miles on this stint. A few yards later it was almost tour end. Waiting to turn right onto the main road, a car approached indicating left. I checked left and as I started to move and looked back to the right, it was clear the car was  not turning. We both stopped, so no real harm done. When I pointed out that the driver was indicating she put her hands to her mouth, horrified. Look right, look left, look right again!

Wouldn't want to go there

Day 4.1

Rest day with Cheryl and Geoff in Inverurie. After some brekkie we set off for a trip to Alford and the motor museum there. It's a smallish place but filled with some very interesting exhibits, both two and four wheeled, petrol, steam and electric powered.

For some reason, which isn't entirely clear, they also have a special collection of Guy Martin's cars, bikes and his infamous Merlin engine. It really was an interesting place to visit.

Back at base now, we'll soon be sitting down for roast dinner.

I've enjoyed my time here and Cheryl and Geoff have been great hosts. It's been great to catch up and share our biking stories

Tomorrow I shall actually start the NC500. That will be made all the easier by me having sorted out the headset to tomtom comms.

Guy Martin's TYCO Suzuki

Day 3.4

Well, it's been an up and down day. Ride from Peebles was fairly uneventful ( I got to cross the new Queensferry bridge ) until I got to my turn off point of the A90. Road closed and signs saying do not follow satnav. Re-programmed tomtom. She took me off at the following junction.  Same again, road closed. Third time lucky and skipping all waypoints, she got me to Inverurie, though I had now missed my planned fuel stop and traversed umpteen roundabouts around Aberdeen! A shit day had just got shitter!

Found Cheryl & Geoff's house fairly easily and with Geoff coming out into the street to guide me the last few yards, parked up, freshened up and then went out for a curry. The place is under new management and they seemed keen to make a good impression, plying us with free glasses of 'champagne' during the meal and a snifter post meal.

A quick stop at a pub on the walk back and it was time for bed.

Not sure what is planned for tomorrow, my rest day but feeling guilty they have given up their tickets to the Aberdeen v Rangers game to take me out. Don't suppose a win for The Dons will make it any better either.

Hopefully tomorrow I can sort out the communication issue between tomtom and the headset. We'll see.

Day 3.3

Day started off well then quickly turned to shit. At the fuel stop I was due to enter the next part of the route in tomtom. No route found it kept telling me! I had brought the full route too, so was, after some time able to get back on track. Or so I thought. At the same time, tomtom decided to unpair from my headset and refused to recognise it again! It's like the last 2 tours all over again, riding with no audible instructions.  As I said, shit!

Tomtom has buggered me about again but I have had a nice twisty road ride to Peebles, where I am now stopped for lunch and a pee.

Hoping the second half of the day is better.

Day 3.2

Fuel stop at Asda, somewhere near Carlisle. Ginny is no binge drinker, so 178 miles covered and range of 105 still showing.  Next stop will probably be north of the wall. Have already seen one chap in a skirt, in Keswick, so expecting more.

Day 3.1

Set off at 09:40. First stop Dudley's resting place. Hoping his spirit lives on in one of the rabbits in the churchyard.
R.I.P. Dudley.

Day 2.4

It's 3/4 of a mile to the Kings Head. Being the countryside there's no path, so I had to walk on the verge and change sides when it ran out....3 times. The pub was OK, serving local Jennings ales but I just had to start with a pint of Lancaster Bomber.

Strangely, the bar meals menu and that of the restaurant were one and the same. I plumped for pork medallions which turned out to be chunks! Still, it was very nice, if not bar meals price. For afters I had a Jennings Cock-a-Hoop and then made the trek back. Still, at least it had stopped raining and does feel like it is warming up a tad.

Louise will have a full English for me in the morning. :-)

First stop on the way will be St John's church in Keswick, where I shall visit my old Wild Hogs pal Dudley. It's the first time I've been back since his funeral in 2014, when us Wild Hogs were escort on the funeral processsion. Sad  times.

Day 2.3

So here I am in the Lake District. It is no mystery how it gets its name and since the moment I crossed into Cumbria, it was raining, culminating in a heavy downpour just as I rode through Windermere. The cons outway the pros for me at the moment. Pro, the scenery. Cons, the weather and the Cumbrian authority's insistance on putting manhole covers, right in the middle of every bend. And I'm not just talking the little round or square ones either. No, massive rectangular ones, strategically placed to scare the shit out of all bikers. OK in the dry, I gather it is sometimes but really quite unnerving in the wet, such as today.

With a stop at the Amblside Roman Fort on the way, no need to take the helmet off in this weather, I arrived at my farm B&B about 17:20. I was met by the cutest little puppy, 10 weeks old I'm told and by the landlady, Louise. She reckons the weather is going to perk up again from tomorrow, insisting that the heatwave is travelling north again. I'm hoping she's right and it carries on for another few hundred miles. Besides the unpleasantness of riding in the rain, Ginny is now filthy. Maybe Geoff will have a hose/pressure washer, so I can give her a wash down when I hit Inverurie.

That's my target for tomorrow. For now though, I'm going to take a walk down the road to the local pub, the Kings Head and have some dinner and maybe a couple of pints of Jennings ale.

Day 2.2

Isn't it amazing how quickly a day can go from good to shit?

Just 15 miles from the fuel stop and I had to make an enforced stop at Wetherby Services. There's a clue in the name as to why.

20 miles later, near Ripon and the lights were on and it was thundering! Oh well.

I've stopped for my subway in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Wensleydale to be exact. A cracking spot, if it wasn't for the fact it has started to rain again. Anyway, on I go.

Don't see many of these about

Day 2.1

2 hours after setting off  (09:32) it's time for both Ginny and I to take a drink. We could probably both have gone further but this is the fuel stop I had planned into the route.  Ginny's done about 206 miles and range is still showing over 100.

Weather was superb when I left Helen's place. Now, somewhere near Doncaster, it has clouded over. Temperature is a bit more pleasant though.

Ride thus far has been far better than yesterday. The A43 and A1 showing none of the tailbacks of yesterday. The next leg will take me west, cross country.  I have a stop planned in Ambleside later for some roman fort remains but will probably stop for lunch before that. The fuel stop has a subway, so a 6" BMT could be the order of the day.

The young lady in the petrol station has called me babe, love and darling, the full set. Northern lasses eh?

Fiat 500 rubber.

Day 1

Left home at 14:45, with the temperature up at 27 degrees. Opening Ginny's air deflectors does help in those conditions but it was still very hot and sticky.

The journey was pretty crap to be honest, with several tailbacks along the way, M25, M11 and A14 and also not without incident.  I'd barely gone 20 miles and was filtering through the tin box mongs, when one young lady decided to squeeze the gap I was going for. I saw her look in her mirror as I approached and took this as a sign she'd seen me. That IS usually the case. However, as I went to move alongside, she pulled towards the white line, leaving me no option but to brake. There was slight contact, though I wasn't sure at the time where. A blast on Ginny's cruise liner loud horn and the gap was there for me once more. Judging by the look on her face, she had no idea what she'd done, so I don't believe it was a deliberate act. If so, she'd have got more than just a head shake. Later inspection showed a black mark on my engine protector, so I guess that came into contact with her tyre.

With the various holdups, I lost about 30 minutes on the journey, arriving about 17:15. After a cold drink, Helen took me on a walk around Burton Latimer, down to the river and passed the Weetabix facrory. 
That was quite funny as just along the road it smelt like someone was preparing breakfast!

We had a chinese takeaway for dinner and then watched a bit of football, Burnley v Aberdeen. My friends Cheryl and Geoff, with whom I am staying on Saturday are Aberdeen supporters. They wouldn't have been happy tonight.

Tomorrow I am heading for the Lake District, staying a few miles outside Keswick. Weather should be fine and warm again. Let's hope that journey passes without incident.

D Day

Today's the day or yesterday was the day I expect, by the time you read this.

Nothing to rush for. I'm staying with my friend Helen in Burton Latimer tonight. That's only a couple of hours away from home. She's working from home, so I'll be planning to leave about 14:30 - 15:00. That should mean she's finished work by the time I arrive. Packing is 80% complete and I just need to do a couple of bits on Ginny before I set off.

Weather forecast for today in Chatham is up around the 30 degree mark once again. It is very warm now, at 10:00. The next couple of days made my mind up on what to wear. I was thinking that going to the frozen north, I may need my leather jacket but if I wear that today, Helen will be opening the door to a melted me. Mesh jacket it is then. It looks like I might encounter some rain over the next few days, especially Monday when I start on the NC500. That looks like being a bit of a wash out, so should be fun on those twisty roads. I'll have to engage Ginny's rain setting, which tones down the power delivery. Just one of her rider aids. The temperature will be a far cry from what it is here today, 14C or 15C but will be OK, so long as it is dry. I'll have a long sleeved jumper in case.

I'll be doing some updates along the way each day, satellite signal allowing and maybe a full report in the evening, if there's anything I've missed. Be prepared for photos of my dinner and/or maybe the odd wild Haggis! 😉

That's all for now.

Me, if it gets any hotter!

D -4

In four days time the waiting will be over and I'll be on the first part of this tour. A short, 2 hour hop up to Burton Latimer near Kettering, for an overnight stop with my buddy Helen.

After weeks and weeks of dry, hot and sunny weather, the last two days have been dull, windy and wet. I'm hoping this isn't a prelude of what's to come and that we can return to what we've got used to recently.

I have a couple of days holiday this week, which will allow me time to get packed and to get Ginny prepped. She'll get a bit of a polish and a full tank of fuel before we set off. Tomtom has been updated today and my routes have been downloaded. They will keep me off the straight and not so narrow in the main and on scenic and more interesting roads, until I get to the NC500 itself. Obviously, once there, I pretty much have to follow a fixed route, like everyone else. I do have a slight detour built in, towards the end of the route but you'll have to wait to find out what that is.

I'll be updating the blog daily, so don't forget to keep checking in. Obviously, if you've signed up for email updates, then you'll find them in your inbox each day.

Prepared for the worst

Thanks to the advice from some biking peeps at RBS and my bro', I have purchased some of Avon's Skin So Soft, which apart from keeping my rough old skin as smooth as a new born's botty, will apparently deter any midges from wanting to lunch on me. I've read many a review praising the stuff as a midge repellent, in fact more than I have for it being good to the skin. Hopefully it will do the trick, that's if the heatwave we've experienced, yes even in Scotland, hasn't killed them off first. Either way, I'm prepared.

By the time I start the trip, I shall be retired, with my last working day being the day before. I have some holiday to take before then, so I have plenty of time to plan my packing, etc.

If you've not already done so, then you should sign up for email updates, otherwise you risk missing out on how I get on. For now though, I'll bid you farewell. I'll be back in touch on 2nd August.

Avon's midge repellent

What are the chances?

My countdown tells me I have 39 days until my North Coast 500 adventure begins. At present, the entire country, yes Scotland too, is experiencing some very nice warm and sunny weather. What are the chances then that I'll be leaving my waterproofs in the topbox? It's a rhetorical question, so no need for you all to write in. It will be what it will be, I guess. My main worry though is not the rain but the midges, that I am led to believe are prevalent at this time of year. I'm not only worried that I will be seen as a gourmet meal by hundreds of thousands of the blighters but also that they will make a nasty mess over the front of Ginny. I think I'll have my work cut out to keep her looking smart, so a pack of baby wipes will definitely be on the packing list.

Ginny clocked up 2000 miles today, on a run down to Hythe to watch the footie at my brother's house. She's barely seen the light of day since I got back from the NW200, so it was good to get my leg over. As I'm still riding the Sprint to work occasionally, it feels quite unusual to get on Ginny, as not only is the riding position different and Ginny that much bigger but the riding style also has to change. She's getting a bit of a ride out over the next couple of weekends though, as my brother Paul and I are off to Assen this weekend for MotoGP and then the following Saturday, heading up to Cambridge for the Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride to the American cemetery.

I'll write some more nearer the time, for now though, y'all in the UK just enjoy the weather, whilst it lasts.

Welcome

Crazy, I know. Three blogs on the go at once! Another month though and it'll only be two again.

This then, is my North Coast 500 Tour blog.

Faced with not having a job anymore by August, as a result of my taking voluntary redundancy, and with a new bike just begging to be ridden, I was looking for something to fill my time. What better then, than a road trip?

I've heard and read a few things about this route, heck, I've even watched a programme about it in gaelic!, so I was quite taken with the idea of giving it a go. Everybody talks about the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and I've witnessed some myself before (Ed. not as nice as Norway though)  but I've never been down the West coast, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to rectify that.

Despite my reservations about the weather and the midges, I decided I would plan the trip, giving me the opportunity to get out and about on Ginny and to catch up with some folks in the process. Some alive, like my Wild West Tour friends Cheryl & Geoff, who live in Inverurie and some sadly departed, such as my Wild Hog buddy Dudley, who rests in Keswick and my mum, bless her, whose ashes my brother and I scattered at Loch an Eilein, near Aviemore, back in 2013.

Although the route itself, incidentally, billed as Scotland's answer to Route 66, is only 516 or so miles, there's the small matter of the Inverness starting point being 600 miles away from my home! All in all then, I'm expecting to cover about 1,950 miles.

The plan is to set out on 2nd August and return on the 12th.

Follow me then, as I venture into the heathen north, to the land where men wear skirts and everyone, even the women, is called Jimmy! I'll take you to mountains, lochs, sandy beaches, right to the tip of mainland Britain and even to a place where the sky glows....and that's not from the northern lights!

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