www.boxertrix.com

Now then

Sat 19th May 2018
Set out fully loaded on my XJR from Northallerton, N.Yorks and rode up to Edinburgh via the A68



IMG_7082 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_7081 by John Taylor, on Flickr



where I stayed for 3 days in the most glorious sunshine and chilled with Carolyn while my XJR hid from site



IMG_7084 by John Taylor, on Flickr



We had a ride to Saltire Motorcycles in Edinburgh and they had 4 lovely old bikes for sale



IMG_7093 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Tues 22nd May

We headed to Oban to catch the ferry to Lochboisdale on South Uist where we would stay in the #Uiststormpods The weather was mild and perfect for riding cross country in Scotland. Fairly clear roads with no hold ups and made good time. Met a couple we know for some lunch before buying some food, wine and whisky for tonight.



IMG_7114 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_7115 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_7116 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_7121 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_7124 by John Taylor, on Flickr


We were the only bike on the 15:15 ferry and we landed at 20:30. Literally 3 mins from the ferry and we were at our pod We met our hosts Graham and Catriona, unloaded the bike and ate our Paella with a lovely bottle of Chateauneuf de Pap outside on the decking We lit a fire in the fire pit after eating and sat up till midnight drinking our Oban whisky, perfect. It was still light enough to take photos without a flash at 23:30, amazing



IMG_5770 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_5769 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5771 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7126 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7127 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7129 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7131 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7134 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7137 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7143 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Wed 23rd May

I was up early #forachange-not and went for a little wander down to the port


IMG_7155 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7156 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7157 by John Taylor, on Flickr



and then went for a dip in the sea, which was bloody freezing I'm gonna tell ya, I didn't stay in long lol


IMG_7162 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7163 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7168 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Carolyn and I then donned our walking shoes and went for a walk to Ben Kenneth



IMG_7172 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7173 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7175 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7176 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7177 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7178 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5776 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7179 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7181 by John Taylor, on Flickr



After a couple of hours we were back at Lochboisdale and had second breakfast sat outside in the sun at the cafe/post office/shop.



We went back to our pod and went for a ride on the bike heading up and through Benbecula to North Uist. We stopped off at a smokehouse and enjoyed some smoked salmon for lunch sat on the edge of a loch



IMG_5791 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5792 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5793 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7184 by John Taylor, on Flickr



We stopped at a war memorial and payed our respects to the islanders who had lost their lives in both wars


IMG_7185 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Back in Lochboisdale we went for a refreshing pint at the hotel and booked a table for tonights evening meal
IMG_7188 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7193 by John Taylor, on Flickr



There is a causeway with a very unusual sign on it


IMG_7195 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_7196 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Thurs 24th May

The sun shone on us yet again this morning for our ferry trip back to the main land and Mallaig



IMG_7214 by John Taylor, on Flickr



and we were joined this time by Gerard on is GS from Glenshee


IMG_7216 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7217 by John Taylor, on Flickr



We passed beautiful Skye on the way to Mallaig


IMG_7218 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7219 by John Taylor, on Flickr



and arrived in Mallaig for 10:30

IMG_7220 by John Taylor, on Flickr



A smart looking Manta was on the ferry too

IMG_7221 by John Taylor, on Flickr



I stopped at Fort William for petrol and was about on fumes lol


IMG_7222 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Next stop was Cluanie Inn for lunch on our way to Ullapool


IMG_7223 by John Taylor, on Flickr



this guy on a scooter pulled up and he was from Austria

IMG_7225 by John Taylor, on Flickr



and we arrived in Ullapool by 4pm after a fantastic days riding some of the greatest open mountain roads you can imagine bereft of traffic


IMG_7226 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7227 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7228 by John Taylor, on Flickr



after sunset
IMG_7229 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Fri 25th May

Chuck Berry - Sweet Little Sixteen, 'Up in the morning and out on the bike', well, use your imagination lol We headed north from Ullapool and had arranged to meet friends who were travelling in the opposite direction this week at Durness for a coffee. We had to stop and get some photo's of the spectacular scenery on the way


IMG_7234 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7235 by John Taylor, on Flickr



and found this lovely cafe to have lunch in Durness where we met up with Keith and Julie

IMG_7237 by John Taylor, on Flickr



more beautiful white sandy bays appeared all the way to John 'o' Groats where we were staying tonight


IMG_7238 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7239 by John Taylor, on Flickr



The view from our hotel at John 'o' Groats


IMG_7240 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7241 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7244 by John Taylor, on Flickr



There was evidence of spirited riding yesterday


IMG_7246 by John Taylor, on Flickr





tbc............

Great write up John and some lovely photos

Wow...

What a great trip, thanks for the write up, think we know where we may be going next year!

See you in Wales!

Thanks lads, not finished yet

Tomcat > Looking forward to it

Aye, enjoyed reading this report and piccies of stunning Scotland whilst eating brekkie this morning, last thing we expected was to meet John & Carolyn in Braemar today Great to meet you both (and Dave the Kawasaki KH500 riding and Mamola Rep owning geezer) ....... we had a great day out and stonking ride home through Glenshee.
Rob & Gail

https://www.flickr.com/photos/158964735 ... ed-public/

Glorious day in the Glen

Rob & Gail

Now then Rob & Gail, great to meet you in Braemar yesterday, Carolyn and I enjoyed a chat with you, hope to see you again sometime.

Fri 25th May cont.............


We found a very good restaurant named Stacks in the craft courtyard that is a cafe during the day and turns into a restaurant at 6pm. The decor, food, service, beers, wine and whisky were all top notch and credit to the mother and daughter team who own and run it, definitely a place to visit if you venture up there. We had a walk along the coast to help the food go down in the cool windy breeze


IMG_7247 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5839 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5840 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5843 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5844 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5845 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_5848 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Sat 26th May

Breakfast bun in the Storehouse cafe next to the hotel and we set off in low cool cloud with a hint of mist in the air. We rode down the A99, straight through Wick not stopping to see if Wally the Walrus was sunbathing and around Bandbea we came across a line of cars queuing behind a wide load which had a convoy of vans and police with a police outrider at the front, about 300 yards infant slowing all traffic coming the other way and moving them over. I made my way to the front of the sue then safely got past the rear van, truck, front van, cop car then chased after the bike cop. We caught him just as we entered a load of twists with no traffic on either side of the road and we had a little play through the bends without me getting too close obviously but he enjoyed it as much as I did I reckon and when we came out of the solid white lined bends he moved over to the right lane ad waved me through, i gave him a thumbs up and on we rode, good fun.

We were ready for a break at Brora and parked on the pavement outside of a busy cafe on the main road for a coffee and hot cross bun



IMG_7265 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7266 by John Taylor, on Flickr



As we finished our snack the bloody convoy came past again, bollox So when we caught them up again at Dornoch I did the same but the bike cop had shot off across the impressive semi circular bridge across the Dornoch Firth. He had stopped all traffic at the far end and we were now infront of the convoy and so rode across the bridge with not another sole on it. As we left the bridge the bike cop gave us another wave which was canny

We pushed on and the weather improved to sun and heat again as we stopped at Rosiesle to visit Carolyns Mam & Dad. We sat in the garden and told them about our holiday so far and left them, heading for our stop that night at Grantown-on-Spey. We had a great 30 mile ride of open roads with beautiful woods, forests and hills right into the heart of the town. We parked up and sat on the grass to eat a sarnie for lunch soaking up the now hot sun


IMG_7267 by John Taylor, on Flickr



We found our B&B off the main street and what a find. This by far the best place we stayed overnight. The couple, Neil and Anne were superb and he's a petrol head He had some awesome toys in the drive and garage, one car was No. 9 of only 20 ever made and it has 253 miles on the clock and he keeps it in a air conditioned bag but the welcome, decor, rooms, breakfast and introductory whisky tasting were all awesome. iff we go back we will definitely stop there again, theres no question.
We walked out to the Garth hotel on the main street which had a beer garden in the sun and stayed there for an hour and a half in the afternoon sun



IMG_6171 by John Taylor, on Flickr



IMG_6172 by John Taylor, on Flickr




We met a young American couple and a French Canadian who were staying there too and had good chat while tasting whisky which helped break the ice, although I've never had a problem getting to know people


IMG_7284 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7285 by John Taylor, on Flickr



That night we ate at No.7 Bistro in the towns high street and again we stick lucky. The food, service and wine were very good and well worth a visit if you get the chance.



Sun 27th May

We had a brilliant breakfast at The Spey and then sat in the rear garden with Neil and Anne drinking coffee and 'chewing the fat' in the again hot sun, we e=were so lucky with the weather all the time we were away it was fantastic. Goodbyes were said and we set off for Edinburgh over the Cairngorms which I was looking forward to riding again. The weather stayed with us and if anything got as hot as had been all week so the ride was all that much better for it. The roads were pretty much empty even though it was a Sunday and we had a great ride. The A939 was closed at Colnabaichin and we followed a fantastic diversion through even quieter roads. We came up behind a 'Gixxer thou' riding through Ballater and followed him out of the town then had a great little race to Braemar. I've got video footage and will get it loaded a little later. Pulling into Braemar we met Rob and Gail as previously mentioned and had a chat to them then grabbed some lunch. There was some nice bikes in Braemar


IMG_7286 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7287 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7292 by John Taylor, on Flickr



The last leg of our trip round Scotland was a real blast over the hills and through the valleys, alongside rivers and through the middle of forests. As we arrived in Edinburgh there was low cloud over the bridges and it was decidedly cold. We had a walk out for some dinner and then crashed out for a good nights sleep.

Mon 28th May

I was up and away early and had a decent ride back to Yorkshire although the weather was poor with a bit of mist and low cloud almost all the way home. I'd covered 1285 miles from and back to home and the bike was fly encrusted because there had been no rain to wash them off on any day but it was worth it, the trip was fantastic and will live long in the memory


IMG_7293 by John Taylor, on Flickr


IMG_7295 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Cheers

Superb John, but was the obligatory shot of the worn rear tyre in episode 1 really caused by spirited riding or the size of those panniers

popsky wrote:Superb John, but was the obligatory shot of the worn rear tyre in episode 1 really caused by spirited riding or the size of those panniers

Aye, you're probably right, but don't tell everyone

A couple of videos of us chasing a Gixxer Thou into Braemar



https://youtu.be/-vdH4kLjEUQ



https://youtu.be/v3QDWQ2FIuU

Wonderful photos..love the subterranean stay