3 pubs in 3 countries
Main event: 1012 mile sin 19 hours 55 minutes
Legone: Inverness to Wanlockhead Inn, 203 miles, 3.5 hours. Miles today: 203
I leave Inverness at 5am and take the A9 south. What a soul destroying road that is. Mates warned me it was bad but I didn’t realise how bad – it’s 50 and 60 limits all the way, with average cameras. There’s nothing nice about it at all. Then the heavens open. This isn’t the start I was expecting. Part of the reason I’m doing the ride is I wanted a few new stories to tell besides the ones from my old job [as a surveillance rider, Ryan once had to beat an Intercity train from central London to Bristol Temple Meads on a K1200S in order to ‘meet’ someone off the train]. There aren’t many stories to be had riding at 50mph down a straight road in the rain.
I take the M74 down from Glasgow and come off to go to the Wanlockhead Inn – the highest pub in Scotland. A few years back I went to Tan Hill [the highest pub in England] and I’m expecting something like that – weathered old building, great views. But it’s just a shitty village pub. They can’t get any business from tourism or they’d put a bit more effort in. It’s also shut. The village has a lead mining museum which might raise your spirits if you’re into lead mining.
Legtwo: Wanlockhead Inn to Tan Hill, 120 miles, 2.5 hours. Miles today: 323
There are some good roads from the Wanlockhead Inn and I’m loving the MV, which is a surprise because I’m a fan of big engines. My usual bikes are a BMW K1300R and R1250GS, and in my old job [at the National Crime Agency] I put 47,000 miles on a ZZR1400 in 11 months. I absolutely loved that bike, so I wasn’t expecting much from the MV.
But it was perfect on the North Coast 500. I caught up with a group of riders on ZZR1400S and an R1250GS Adventure and they just got in my way – the bikes were too big. These lads were wrestling them around while I could easily hustle the MV. And you can hoik the front wheel up over bumps without worrying – with the Traction Control on level 4 out of 9 it puts the front back down for you. Nice.
‘I’m loving the MV, which is a surprise because I’m a fan of big engines’
Soon I’m onto the A74(M) and M6. I have the cruise control set at 88mph, which my sat nav says was a genuine 77, which is fine because this trip is about keeping a consistent speed rather than blasting the entire way. Then I head down the A66 to the Pennines and onto the phenomenal Yorkshire Dales roads; I rode round the Dales a few years ago and until I did the NC500 I thought they were the best roads in the United Kingdom. But it’s raining and I’m in a rush, which takes the edge off a bit. I could do without the sheep and cattle grids too.
Tan Hill is impressive because of its location [perched on top of the Dales with stonking views in every direction – Ed] and the pub does good takeaway coffee and bacon sarnies. It’s still raining but I’m feeling good. I meet some family friends who’ve come out to say hello so I stay longer than planned. I might regret that later on.