Huge thanks to Darren for the guide around the lakes and for sorting out the roads to take while up in Scotland, had a fantastic time and will be going back up again.H
Here is a report Christian done with a few pics and videos from me

Och aye

So here goes without putting on the old Scottish accent:

Will wee werny gonna be thinkin ov gunna tee old Scottish Lands for a holydee and chumped arooond the old subject with many a party residing around the old SWTRF table aboot the journt. Well Some of yas ended up crashin before hand and some of Irish contingencies ended up with too many commitments to commit at short notice.....

So’s Jason kept pluggin away at me when??? When??? when????...The answer would be short notice and only once i had applied sorted a new job out that i could provision for Ten days leave.....When??? when???.....Well the time came and we said lets go Friday...

We had several days planning....

o What time Friday?

o Early came the reply.

o Meet you in Senny Bridge for breakfast at 8am and we have the pleasure of a ride companion in the form of Moody Mike.

As for the rest of the planning it came in the form of a kit list four of everything seemingly and some camping gear such as tent etc......

So the build up to the off.......Well for me it was war. I had been attacked and infiltrated by a burgular. This imposter was creeping into my house eating my food and frightening my *****. Could be anyone of the SWTRF members i hear your thoughts but in fact was a ferrol cat. A huge wild beasty of thing rabid to the core.

I felt some empathy to the strong unhandsome scarred tom cat....He reminded me of my life in certain stages and thought i’d catch him before i left for Scotland and leave him on someone elses door....I set the cat flap trap to one-way, in only...alas four days and still no panther. So i de-alarmed and unshuttered the garage door and took out the bike for her 12000 mile service...The big one....i had stuck 6000 miles of pure pleasure on her in some four months. A third in only two days. Readily serviced and rearing to go i returned the bike to the safety of her compound. Scotland now ready new brakes and all.

The trap had been triggered with one day to go...i could finally snare the beast free for Scotland...I found him hidden under the kitchen cupboards...i removed the cupboard skirting and prized the beauty out, only to find he’d snook under the AGA. So i lit the aga no cat could survive that heat.....One hour of packing later i returned to not find the cat...so i removed the aga and could see he’d slipped into a hole in the chimney, quite safe and not too warm.

1am struck and the cat came out i tried to catch it as it headed upstairs to the bathroom. I cornered it and it snook under the bath...So i stripped off all the panelling and watch him run to the airing cupboard....I finally had Scotland looming so near... I made ready the sack of disposal to tie him up in ready for disposal. I picked him up cleanly by the scruff of the neck despite the devastation from the kitchen and bathroom it was a worthy prize of a weight. His howling and hissing no further concern as i awaited to get him in the hessian sac. Alas he sprang into action as his hind quarters felt the material he swung around and bit and scrammed at my paw....I immediately saw claret and many a score from his talons so i carefully prized him by the neck with my other hand and covered him in the sack.

I was dripping in blood as his fangs sank deep into my wrist between the wrist bones, i swelled up immediately and my Scottish trip looked doomed..Aye doomed i tell yah. Furious i drove the beast 2.5 miles and let him go. A kind gesture i thought after all i went through....Now My attention turned to Scotland again...Was i going to make it?.. My hand was already double the size and seizing up with pain.

I saw the doctor first thing who gave me a jab for lock jaw and such like plus antibionics and pain killers. He laughed at the thought of my riding a bike to Scotland. Oche what do Doctors know?I said i was hardy and from the SWTRF. He smiled and nodded knowingly. Aye off yah go.

Then some routes arrived in an unknown format the evening before 10 days of routes in ITN format....Eventually following the sneaky documentary that was given with these hieroglyphic routes i managed to convert to gpx format and upload to the satnav;one handed i must mention whilst washing and ironing my clothes....I nursed my swollen hand which could not pull in a clutch let alone get me to Scotland. I continued packing and swearing about cats and whistling bonny wee rhymes.

So

Day-1

dawned and i awoke at 5:30. I started loading the bike and taking my daily dose to keep the pain down. My glove just about fitted and i could not do up the strap. I left for Senny Bridge leaving the devastation behind. I Patch in day1 on the sat nav and whistled to Sennybride cafe. Shortly met by Mike of the Moody flown in on his CBR (???not sure what bike it was???). We ordered our breakfast and waited for the organised one. Jason rolled in his KTM adventured up to the max. We scoffed down our breaky fast and saddled up to head for North Wales three of us in tow. It reminded me of the film ...The good, The Bad and The Ugly...I will leave you to decide which characters are which.

The treck to North Wales was easy and painless apart from my wrist! Though i must note Jason did have a great yearning to visit each lay-by and playing with his bits! He kept complaining of discomfort and the direction being wrong. I was relieved to find him directing this at his satnav and Mike too grinned.

We arrived in North Wales and parted company with Mike. He headed to the bike shop to look at shiney shiney and we headed North to the lakes. We zig zagged our way up until evening fell we arrived at the campsite Day1 in the Cambrian mountains and what not a drop of rain. We demounted and pitched tents. Jason being slightly quicker with his two hands. A make safe wind break also adding to aid against the winds blow. We bivvied up our rations and fed till our bellies were fed. A good nights sleep and rest for my hand wore thin till early dawn.



Day 2

Yes Jason was up at 4:30am feck that he’s made tea at 4:40am a reminder of his army days i no doubt! I farmed and so snoozed till 5:30am and awoke gradually displeased with my hand still ballooned as much as before. We had our breakfast and packed away the tents and prepared the bikes ready to go.

At 9am Jasons mate Darren turned up with his 660 in tow. He greeted us with courtesy and pleasure for the days sun was also blessing us with its rigour. We left campsite again three in a flow. The XT660 at full throttle and Jason and my heavily laden packiderms following as quickly as we could. The kind XT man (Darren) stopping and pointing out certain sites and historical definitives. My arm ached and winced with pain and noticed the swelling increasing as we sped down lane after lane of winding and turning rigour. I was asked if i needed a break but was so numb by this stage i declared i was fine. There was no point as pain didn’t come into it i just had a limb which with at a push could pull the clutch lever succefully enough.

We went down to the lakes and all around. Round winding and twisty routes. Darren took us to the highest road in England i believe and i had difficulty in manouvering up its steep camber and around its tight bends....I noted Jason seemed to like my feet sticking out as my pain in clutching it around these painful bends was put to test.

Alas not to worry they found some off road to do. It was only stones and my wrist ached and ached and got number and number.

Darren had to leave back to his family duties. Off he went and Jason and we headed for more discovery down this pass and that pass heading West through Penrith as far as Haydoh Bridge going East again through Gretna and Annan to a beach campsite for the night. Only a mountain or so away from the last evenings retreat. We unpacked and setup camp my arm now aching even more. I grimaced with pain as this day’s ride took it out on my poor arm, big style.



Day 3

arrived and wow warm again and yes Jason still up at 4:30am. Breakfast came and we were saddled up again and alone for the rideouts from here. We satnaved day 3 up all carefully planned and headed North through wee Scotland. Keeping the coast to our left and the Dalbeattie forest and mountains to our right we meandered through the most scenic of lands. Passing back down to the coast and over to Kirkcudbright all along the mountain ranges through Glenquicken moor. We meandered passed Loch after Loch and right down to the Western tip of Mull of Galloway. We stopped for a coke and we had to stop as Jason had run out of fuel. Should have gone to BMW and purchased one of their fuel tanks!!!! I had loads. So a kind Scottish family well into their bikes ran off to get a fuel can and a siphoning tube. Cheers guys and sorry for thinking you were Scottish! We siphoned some fuel from mine and headed back inland over the Rhnes and inland as almost as far as Stranraer turning East again inland...Now i’m not sure what happened from here but we may have headed north and based at Airport or we may have gone east...can’t remember?

Day 4

Same old Scorchio day. Off we went on our wee voyage. Through Galloway forest park, the Glentrool forest and mountains around and around and landing up only as far as Prestwick. We camped by the airport and took a night out in Prestwick where we met some of the locals. We enjoyed their regale and took the piss, some liking it more than others. It was a strange land with accents thick and foreign. No butty or Dai but strange deep Oches and Ayes and weeell’s. We were finally foreign! We boozed as best we could and taxied back kebabed up to boot and slept till Jase woke up again but this time 5:30am...Hoora.

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