This trips really stems back to 1987, when I first met Jack at the Bol d Or at circuit Paul Rockhard in the south of France. Back then we were young dumb and full of c**, now we’re just older. I very much doubt we anticipated then we would still be dicking around on motorbikes, in some form or other. Addresses and phone numbers were exchanged, back then it was harder to stay in touch, phone calls to parents houses, messages left on note pads next to the phone, telephone tennis until finally we managed to get hold of each other and make arrangements to meet up again whether it be a bike rally or another 24 hour race, Le Mans a few short months later.
I never would have anticipated meeting someone when I was 21 would cost me so much money over the years, but it did. Mountain bikes, Jacks fault, biking in the alps, Jacks fault, a trip to India to ride the highest road in the world, Jacks fault, and now a Royal Enfield, Jacks fault.
That’s what I get for saving his life on at least two occasions, one he may well have survived without my input, the other, he very much might not have.
Bringing us to another trip, Scotland.
We decided to take the Enfields to Scotland for a while. A chat with Ian and Andrew Feeley a few weeks before saw us at Knockhill for the Rewind festival, a good starting point to the rest of Scotland.
After Knockhill the weather on the west coast wasn’t looking too clever so we headed East. Not too far from Knockhill we pitched up outside Kinross for a couple of nights to wait out the weather. North of us was wind and rain, east of us wind and sunshine, we opted for sunshine.
After the Fife coastline we head up over the A93 Glenshee “Old Military Road” a proper introduction to the Highlands of Scotland, a great stretch of tarmac.
We headed to the granite city of Aberdeen to hang out with some friends of Jack for the night, food, beers and a welcome bed on a rainy night. Heading out of the city the following morning we drop into J&S to pick up a new satnav, mine has finally given up the ghost. A cupa at the Findhorn estuary follows.
With an overnight at Inverness
We’ve been on the road a week and finally we get the big views that Scotland has to offer.
We pitch up at a campsite just off the A828 and head out for an explore, but, Jack has picked up a puncture, as he sets to with the spanners I’m on the phone calling local garages to see who has the equipment to deal with bike wheels, nothing too local so with the wheel strapped to the back of my bike I head to Stoddarts in Oban and Andy has the tube swapped over in a jiffy
Butty with a view
We’re meeting up with Geoff this morning, heading somewhere to a rally, we’re early so we head up into Glencoe, and who should we meet coming the other way…….
Geoff’s recently built Magnum 5 being used as intended.
A ferry, and we all know a ferry = adventures
Adventures wouldn’t be anything without stopping for a brew with a view.
And as this is Scotland, there’s view all around
After sorting out the tents we head to the most westerly point of the mainland, Ardnamurchan point.
The weather wasn’t being kind and all the campsites up the coast had full signs. We rode up to Mallaig to catch the ferry over to Skye but the high winds we had been experiencing has stopped the service, we’d seen a spot a few miles outside of the port and pitched up for a wild camp, hoping the service would be running in the morning. It wasn’t, well it was, just not for motorbikes. We had discussed a contingency plan and that was quickly adopted, the road to Fort Bill beckoned, as did fuel and a breakfast at Morrisons
Scotland does campsites, Lairg.
After leaving Lairg we head to Thurso for the tour Jenga championship, taking in some epic scenery along the way.
Jack was really pulling the campsites out of the hat on this trip, our Thurso stay couldn’t have been better with beer and food on site, all served up in the old bus.
Just round the corner from Dunnet head, this slipway was put in back in the day to offload all the materials for the nearby lighthouse, the only place for miles when the coastline isn’t cliffed out.
Leaving Thurso we head west, for once, the weather has been keeping us over to the east away from all the good stuff the West Coast has to offer. Durness, to the one big campsite and fuel. The road across is the longest stretch of singletrack and whilst a couple of camper vans did pull over, as directed by the road signs to let faster traffic pass, a couple of cars did not and we were well and truly stuck behind them for a long stretch before managing to sneak past when they pulled over for on coming traffic.
Peter Andrew Brown 11.06.1967 – 02.02.2025
The forecast in the west is still not good, we head out from Durness, climbing up into the mountains on the A838, heading for Laxford bridge when we turn off the traditional NC500 route, back towards Lairg, the traffic, such as it was completely disappears and we have the road to ourselves.
I covered 1986 miles in the two or so weeks and really only wanted a faster bike for 20 of those miles, that was on the flowing A939 from Nairn to Grantown. Battling a vicious headwind all the way we have the throttles pinned, to the extent we drop the fuel economy for the day to 66 from the trip average of 75mpgs, oh for a GSXR on this afternoon…… The road narrows after Grantown until we head over the Lecht, wild, open, spectacular, bleak.
The last couple of days are a blur of miles, cups of tea and more miles, the weather could have been better, by the same token it could be a lot worse, we’ve had one day with no rain, we’ve not had a real soaking but its been consistently moist on and off the bikes, packing and unpacking wet tents.
Enfield review.
It’s good.
Remarkably capable bike, its not going to light any fires, but it does everything well, handling is great, but it should be, Lester Harris designed the frame, brakes are good, could always be better cos there’s no such thing as too much braking. The engine, now that is a gem, so easy, lazy to ride, with enough grunt pretty much everywhere, starts running out of steam at 80 or so, a bit left, but that’s not the point of the bike, my only criticism is weight, but its cheap motoring so whatdoyouexpect.
Scotland, done, well part of it, so much more to do, another trip you cry, well, go on then.