The ‘Scotch Mist’ Tour
With a distinct lack of scootering events for us to attend during a Covid-19 wrecked year, a few of us from Northampton Vespa and Lambretta SC had itchy feet. We decided there was still time to have a shot at something totally different before the close o
With a distinct lack of scootering events to attend during a Covid-19 wrecked year, a few Northampton Vespa and Lambretta SC members had itchy feet. Time for the NC500...
Away from the virus hotspots and densely populated areas, what could be safer than to undertake an adventure of epic proportions in the Scottish Highlands? We could tackle the infamous Scotland North Coast 500 on scooters. This 1700-mile round trip would take us around some of the remotest parts of mainland Britain! Andy ‘Fingers’, Stuey, Dawn and myself picked the dates and soon laid down some initial plans. Word of mouth spread among our club and numbers soon grew from the initial four of us to a rather ambitious total of 11. Among our group was a Scomadi, a Lambretta, eight Vespas and a back-up van with some hastily gathered tools/emergency spares. Our van driver Frank also carried a kilt and sporran to be worn as a forfeit during dinner each night by any rider that had to rely on the use of the back-up van. All good-natured banter and some evening entertainment for our group during our Scottish experience!
Sunrise…
As the sun rose on a September Saturday morning, we all met up on a garage forecourt on the edge of town. In true scootering fashion, we waited for people to fill up, don their waterproofs and gloves before setting off a mere 30 minutes later than our prearranged schedule. Heading up the A1 the miles were rapidly being chalked off as the odometer rolled over. There was a sense of adrenaline and excitement running through the pack of what lay ahead; no doubt that helped with the day’s riding, a mere 360-mile journey north! At 5pm we rolled into our first digs, just north of Glasgow, and were greeted by Gary and Stevie, two of our Scottish friends who’d agreed to find places for us to eat, drink and sleep for the night – top lads! Sunday morning, after a hot drink and a bacon roll courtesy of Gary and Gillian, we set off on our second leg. Heading northbound on the A82, the moment we reached Loch Lomond, suddenly as if by magic all the colours looked considerably more vibrant – glorious blue skies, rolling bright white clouds, sparkling turquoise waters and striking purple heather. While we absorbed the majestic views, we continued to make steady progress until lunch at a well-known bikers’ haunt – the Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum. The best sights of the day were yet to come; this became evident when we rode through the Glencoe Mountains, pausing only briefly at the Loch Tula viewpoint and again to look at the Glencoe Falls before crossing the Ballachulish Bridge and riding up into Fort William. The pace dropped down for the remainder of the week, with dozens of sights and attractions to stop off at, as we’d planned to cover around 100-140 miles each day. This mileage turned out to be more than enough. Many of the roads are single track and simply don’t allow you to mile-munch them. Besides that fact, there are so many interesting places you want to stop at to explore, or other viewpoints to simply pull in and admire the breathtaking scenery for a few minutes.
Monster
The early planned stops we came across were the Commando Memorial, the Laggan Swing Bridge, the Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus and Loch Ness, although jokingly the only monster any of our group ever saw was Stella Steve’s new Lambretta V125 auto. The journey continued, it seemed that as you went around every bend a fresh supply of stunning scenery emerged. Time allowed us a photo stop at Eilean Donan
Castle (as featured in the 007 film The World Is Not Enough) before we crossed the Skye Bridge for our digs that night in Kyleakin. The three Vespa smallframes in our group were all faring well, Will and Dawn absolutely no problem at all, but Giovanni was rumbled putting his kit bag in the back-up van... it’s the kilt for you tonight, my cheeky Italian friend! All good banter.
Next morning we headed back on to the mainland. Time didn’t allow us to explore the Isle of Skye properly, so a mental note was made to schedule this in on any future trip. After refuelling at Lochcarron village stores, next up was the famous Applecross Pass, the Bealach Na Ba with its 1-in-5 gradients and hairpin switchback bends. It was one of the highlights of the trip and it would have been even more enjoyable had it not been for the hold-ups caused by the scourge of any touring two-wheelers, the cumbersome motorhome! Around the Wester Ross Coastal
Trail and passing the delights of Loch Torridon we did our best to dodge the dark clouds and drizzle before it eventually got the better of us and totally drenched us all in 30 seconds at Gairloch. Fortunately for us it was only a further six miles along the A832 to our hotel that night at Poolewe.
Respite
Our digs for the different nights varied throughout the week from £18 for a bunk bed only in a bunkhouse, to £70 for a twin hotel room with a sea view and en-suite bathroom, and full breakfast included. It’s worth noting that if you’re on a budget then wild camping is permitted in Scotland, or there are numerous camp sites along the route. The added bonus of course, on a trip like this, is the camaraderie and the banter. Group bonding naturally comes along with you if you’re travelling with a group of like-minded individuals.
On more than one occasion during the morning after, Pete and Fingers seriously regretted being hoodwinked into Will’s latenight drinking games. A schoolboy prank on your poor old comrade, like putting salt in his beer when he’s unwittingly fallen asleep, are hilarious at the time he wakes up and takes a sip – but revenge is sweet, isn’t it Steve! Over the next few days our group travelled up the West Coast and were treated to the most amazing roads which are mostly well tarmacked. Despite the relatively low mileage we were covering each day, with the unrelenting roads the schedule was gruelling for some. Great roads for riding, bends one after the other winding left then right, ups and downs, with numerous hidden dips and blind summits to catch out the unsuspecting rider. This trip is not at all recommended for the average local café rider, but anyone who wants to try out their endurance and their riding skills at the next level are guaranteed not to be disappointed. The reward for your efforts are the stunning sights, the heather, the sun shining on the mountains and the glittering rockfaces, not forgetting of course the mirror-like reflections in the lochs. All these sights lend themselves to a multitude of photo opportunities along the way. Watch out for wildlife as well; we saw highland cows, a wild cat, puffins and an eagle. Fingers got spooked after he’d come out of the bar late at night in Lochinver by a deer wanting to ‘rut’ with him in the high street! Sheep on the side of the road often have the habit of running across your path if the loud crackle of a two-stroke exhaust spooks them. The stretch of riding through Clashnessie, Nigg and along the Drumbeg Road is now in my top three list of ridden roads, it simply is awesome. The mile-long canyon is a must-see stop-off at the Corrieshalloch Nature Reserve, a truly jaw-dropping sight which includes a walk over a swinging pedestrian suspension bridge above the Falls of Measach, not recommended for the faint hearted. Smoo Caves and the Golden Eagle Zip Line at Ceannabeinne Beach, both just east of Durness and the Causeway at Tongue are other notable attractions along Scotland’s most northernly coastline, as are Dunnet Head and of course John O’Groats, where the only way to go is to start your journey back home! Dozens of little quaint, interesting old bridges constantly pop up along the way, with the bigger modern constructions that you have to cross en route such as the Ballachulish, Skye Bridge, Kessock Bridge and the iconic Kylesku Bridge. You pass numerous old castle ruins that are all steeped in history; if you take time to pull up and read the information boards they are really quite intriguing and date back centuries. Dramatic waterfalls also line the route, plentiful local craft shops made great shopping opportunities for Ana and picturesque townships like Gairloch, Ullapool, Scourie, Durness, Thurso and Wick all offer something a little bit different.
Fuel is not a problem, generally there’s a petrol stop every 20 or so miles, although some of these are non-attendant pumps with ‘card only’ payments. Be aware though, there are a couple of sections where garages are 45 miles apart, so please do your planning ahead, unlike Giovanni who not once, but twice had to resort to replenishing his tank from his reserve one-litre bottle of petrol to get him to the next fuel stop.
Epic event
The North Coast 500 route is littered with amazing silver-sanded beaches and crystal clear waters; the more famous ones are Sango Bay and Achmelvich but if you go off the beaten track there are dozens of hidden gems. You’d lose yourself for a moment and think you were at some exotic beach in the tropics, and then a great wave crashing over some rocks would spray you with icy cold salt water and remind you that this is Scotland! Prepare yourself for all four seasons in the same day!
As for mishaps, all our machines managed pretty much hassle free. The two-strokes were in their element – I honestly can’t think of a better mode of transport more suited to covering the NC500 and taking it in than a trusty P200, but make sure you take plenty of your preferred two-stroke oil with you for the whole journey; oils are available but the variety is limited. Check your wheel nuts and exhaust bolts regularly and tighten up anything which starts to rattle! The trip was a breeze for Ana on her Scomadi and Steve on the Lammy auto, you’d have thought that the 4-T autos were the way to go on a trip of this nature, wrong! The only significant failures we encountered on the whole trip were two punctures – the first on Pete’s Vespa PX, no problem, wheel changed in under five minutes and we were back on our way. The second puncture on a Vespa GTS, however, was a different matter, what an absolute nightmare! It took two of us the best part of a day to sort it out with numerous repair sticks and gas canisters, resorting to tyre weld to limp the bike to the nearest bike shop in Wick (big shout out to the lads at AMS Motorcycles – thank you!)
We’d spent six days in Scotland and five days around the NC500 until we’d reached the end of it at Inverness. Every one of us had loved every second of it, Stella Steve didn’t want to go home. It was a shame we couldn’t have spent longer to see more of what ‘Scotland’s Route 66’ has to offer; two weeks would have been ideal and allowed time for the Isle of Skye and maybe one of the other islands. Alas, with work, family commitments (and a rapidly emptying wallet!) a week away from home is all that could be afforded. Oh well, along the 490mile journey back home from Inverness to Northampton we had plenty of time over two days to reflect on a remarkable week and to start thinking about when and how to do it all over again someday soon. Big Steve stated halfway home: “This week has been fantastic, far better than any scooter rally I’ve ever been on, this was up on the next level.” If one thing’s for certain each of our group will be back for more of the same, on another NVLSC tour as soon as it’s possible!