Table of contents

• Motorcycle tour in Scotland Whiskey, bagpipes, haggis & Co.
• Rough, mysterious, slightly crazy, but spicy and funny
• Via Dalmally to Oban
• Roads can hardly be made narrower
• The coast at Loch Alsh is reminiscent of Canada
• The pursuit of independence
• No room free in any of the villages around Peebles
• information
• Generally
• Arrival / travel time
• Road conditions / motorcycling
• Overnight stays
• Motorbike rentals / organized trips
• Addresses / cards

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22nd pictures

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Island happiness: The slender streets of the Isle of Mull enchant especially around the highest mountain Ben More with pristine nature.

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Missed the ferry: From Onich to Clovulin at Loch Linnhe you could jump with a run if necessary.

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Eilean Donan Castle near Lochalsh.

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She is an icon of the Scottish castles.

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Two Way Roads can hardly be built narrower than on Ardnamurchan.

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The country is made up of the bold mix of mountains and lakes.

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Guided tour of the Tomatin whiskey distillery with Fiona.

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Housewares, groceries, tea rooms, reading rooms – all-in-one shop at Onich.

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Legal off-road passage in the Monadhliath Mountains.

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The Scottish air must contain an unknown drug.

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The artist Mark Rogers created the fisherman memorial in Mallaig.

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Mull again: on the way from Salen to Tobermory, picturesque fishing cutter wrecks are rotting away.

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The “Old man of Storr” in the north of the Isle of Skye with a view of Loch Leathan.

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Lambs unterwebs – please watch out!

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This brave mixture of mountains and lakes leaves no one indifferent. If then another three-cylinder from British production hoarsely from the
Exhaust hisses, the world is fine.

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Scottish highland cattle are robust and frugal.

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Should the sun come out, the wild beauty of the landscape will make you shiver.

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Rough, mysterious, slightly crazy, but spicy and funny, that’s life here.

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Arrived at Oban port.

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In the port of Oban, island-hungry bikers wait for ferries.

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Atmospheric: Lismore lighthouse.

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Celestial moods on Mull between Gribun and Achronich.

to travel

Motorcycle tour in Scotland

Motorcycle tour in Scotland
Whiskey, bagpipes, haggis & Co.

Scotland is known for fickle weather and whiskey. For bizarre things like kilts, bagpipes, haggis and single track roads. Motorcyclists love the country, with its rugged coastlines, mysterious mountains and lakes it blows every frustration out of their souls.

Markus Biebricher

07/17/2014

The Scottish air must contain an unknown drug. Because while heavy rain showers cause frustration elsewhere, motorcyclists here in the Highlands can easily withstand ten times the amount of rainfall before real displeasure sets in. You drive through the wet, fog hangs low, drops splash on the visor, but the sun is shining under the helmet.

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The cold eats its way through the station wagon, you catch yourself singing. On the one-lane single track roads, local delivery vans come towards you at a murderous pace, you don’t get upset. During the breaks, nasty mini mosquitos pester you, smiling you ignore the pests. If the road leads through forests, deer like to jump in front of the front wheel. It doesn’t matter, your attitude towards life changes, even as a less security-conscious European you develop from a realist to a fatalist to an optimist.

Rough, mysterious, slightly crazy, but spicy and funny

Should the sun come out, the wild beauty of the landscape will make you shiver. This brave mixture of mountains and lakes leaves no one indifferent. If then a three-cylinder from British production hisses hoarse from the exhaust, the world is all right. Rough, mysterious, slightly crazy, but spicy and funny, that’s life here. In a completely sober state you somehow constantly have the feeling of sniffing a delicious whiskey. The tiger is also running like doped. Sweeps through handy curves on the A 83 to Inverary.

Brian and his wife Mairearad walk the dog at the pier. They point us to the town’s award-winning whiskey shop and tell us that they used to work in Swabia for many years. Back then, a Swabian colleague always made fun of the Scots’ stinginess and asked Brian if he knew how copper wire was made. No? So: one Scot pulls on one side of a penny, another Scot pulls the other. Brian then asked the Swabian if he knew what Scots were. Answer: Swabians who emigrated.

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Long-distance travel with the MOTORRAD action team

Via Dalmally to Oban

Up and down, right and left, the Triumph carries us through the boisterous landscape over Dalmally to Oban. A bunch of British superbikers is waiting here for the ferry to the Isle of Mull, and the sun comes out promptly. That’s another attraction about Scotland. You exchange ideas with other people in a good mood.

The ferry pulls past lonely islands and majestic lighthouses, then it releases all motorbikes onto the incredibly narrow streets of the Mull. From Garmony we take a beautiful lap south around the Ben More. Pass Loch na Keal and find us again on a coastal road like on the first day of creation.

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Eilean Donan Castle near Lochalsh.

Time seems to have stood still 200 years ago, motorbikes are tolerated foreign bodies from a distant future. This is the island of eagles, otters, seals, dolphins, sheep, cows and laid-back farmers. Some sit at dinner in front of the farmer’s cottage and toast us. Then the port town of Tobermory appears. Now it would be good to find somewhere to stay.

The younger looking 83 year old Alistair doesn’t immediately answer our question. First he has to sing an ode to English motorcycles. His wife confirms that he cleans his beloved Norton Commando every day, but unfortunately can no longer drive, no matter how much he wishes. Then Alistair wants to hear the triple before he sends the tigers to the Western Isles hotel. Delightfully high above the colorful harbor, where freshly caught fish is landed late at night.

Roads can hardly be made narrower

In the morning. Rain showers lash across the sea, a tiny ferry takes us to the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Roads can hardly be made narrower. For the cost of the thousands of “passing places”, you could have paid a little more, right? But strictly rational or logical thinking is less of interest in Scotland, everything is different here.

If the temperature rises above 15 degrees, the Scots walk around in T-shirts and shorts, put on sunglasses. The landscape is also different, it never ceases to amaze you. You can make a mistake with the big cats range. Of course, the reserve lamp has been lit a little longer, there will be another tank. Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that.

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Should the sun come out, the wild beauty of the landscape will make you shiver.

Suddenly only fuel for eleven miles and terrific solitude. It seems as if the lane wants to disappear into nowhere. Then it winds steeply up mountains, which gives the triumph the chance to roll into the next valley without driving and to save fuel. Seven miles to go. Far and wide no dwelling, just wild nature, now and then a lake, a red mailbox, then the little road leads back along the rugged coast. Five more miles. The throttle is hardly turned, the wind falls asleep, the rain stops. Three miles to go.

Suddenly out of nowhere at the edge of the forest a house with a well-tended front garden. The Triumph rolls out, the landlord asks: “Didn’t see the petrol station on the ferry?” No, there wasn’t one, at least none as we know it. Raising awareness, even for little things, that is now the order of the day. His wife is buying diesel in Fort William, the man says. Almost a day’s journey there and back on these little streets. After a long search, the social Scot actually finds a ten-liter canister with fuel for the lawnmower. For a few pounds 120 more miles of independence from gas pumps.

The coast at Loch Alsh is reminiscent of Canada

The tiger moves relaxed through the Scottish wilderness to Mallaig, where it is swallowed by a huge ferry that goes to the Isle of Skye. The pattering rain accompanies the songs sung in the helmet up to the Eilean Donan Castle. The sky stages the famous castle gloomily.

The coast at Loch Alsh is reminiscent of Canada. Anyone who would write “ship reports” here would have plenty to do. Every ornithologist armed with binoculars too. Even the tiger trainer cannot complain about a lack of stimuli when the “Bealach na Bá” pass to the lonely Applecross peninsula appears in front of the handlebars. Until the 20th century, this wild area was only accessible by boat. Today, in the best sense of the word, a ribbon of asphalt almost as wide as a car winds over barren mountains and plateaus with views that the sky graciously allows for a few photos. The Tiger is not alone: ​​the pass is repeatedly struggled by the drivers of big enduro bikes. Only after the Applecross settlement, when the street disappears like a roller coaster into the coastal cliffs, does the rush subside.

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In the port of Oban, island-hungry bikers wait for ferries.

Countless turns later, the fishing village of Shieldaig, with a population of 100, appears in sight. Pier, small houses, hanging clouds. The pretty bartender serves a freshly caught salmon from Loch Torridon. There is also herring, because shieldaig is a Viking word and means “herring hole”.

Triumph comes to another herring port: Ullapool was founded in 1788 specifically for herring fishing. Even today, the harbor, which is surrounded by numerous pubs, is the focal point of the 1500-inhabitant nest. Point of contact for fishing boats, yachts and the Caledonian-MacBrayne ferries that sail to the Outer Hebrides. During the Second World War, the painter Oskar Kokoschka chose the place for his summer retreat. The annual Loopallu music festival and the UK’s smallest radio station show that there is a creative flavor in the air here at Loch Broom.

The pursuit of independence

Tomatin also smells spicy. In the local distillery, Fiona gives international visitors a dedicated introduction to the complex secrets of whiskey production. At the end of the 1970s, the company was almost bankrupt, then it was rescued by wealthy Japanese, was able to rely on its traditions and is now back in the flourishing whiskey market. And then you will find this tiny little road. From Tomatin it leads along the Findhorn in the direction of Dalberg, later as the even smaller B 851 over the wild heights of Glen Kyllachy to Errogie.

A dream, you drive and drive. Loch Ness, Fort Augustus, on and on. Today the tigers will only come to rest many miles to the south in the shadow of the 1,344 meter high Ben Nevis in Fort William. Anyone who comes to Scotland must also expect unrest. At the weekend all hell breaks loose along Loch Linnhe and on the A82 over Glen Coe. Motorcyclists, cyclists and motorhome enthusiasts all want to move. So you have to turn the triple really high in order to be ahead in the seemingly endless expanse of the plateau. Real driving pleasure will only come up again on the A 821 and the Duke’s Pass. Jonny from Northern Ireland is waiting at Loch Venachar, who wants to improve his driving skills at the pass and soon wants to switch from the Hornet 600 to a powerful KTM.

No room free in any of the villages around Peebles

The sun gives a farewell performance, you are tired, do you want to sleep soon? No chance. There are no vacancies in any of the villages around Peebles. Everything “fully booked”. In the also overcrowded “County Hotel” in Selkirk, receptionist Kelly thankfully telephones to all houses within a 50-kilometer radius. After an hour she finds out that “Gino’s Guest House” in Hawick still has one bed free. Hawick, stopped 200 years ago.

Another 30 kilometers through the rain that started again. Gino will tell you later that he fell madly in love with Scotland 30 years ago, although as an Italian he really appreciates the sun. That he likes Scottish history, Wiliam Wallace, who became immortal in Braveheart. From kilt to cult. The constant pursuit of independence. This sniffing at the whiskey, this pure nature. And that Gino knows it: this drug in the Scottish atmosphere that can transform rain, cold and other hardships into inner sun.

information

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Celestial moods on Mull between Gribun and Achronich.

Scotland has many faces. Oddities and surprises are normal in the north of the UK. 100 kilometers can therefore take a whole day. Enjoy Scotland at your own pace on one main route and three side routes.

Generally

Scotland is bigger than Bavaria, but smaller than Austria. In contrast to these comparisons, it offers over 10,000 kilometers of coastline (including exciting coastal roads) and boasts of the fact that no place is further than 40 miles from the sea. There are around 800 islands in Scotland, 130 of which are inhabited. Motorcyclists can look forward to numerous mountains that are more than 1,000 meters high (the highest point, the Ben Nevis near Fort William, measures 1,344 meters). Two thirds of Scotland are hill country, officially there are over 6,600 rivers, and the busy Scot has up to 1,700 lochs (the Gaelic name for lake). Because ice age glaciers have dug into the earth high in the north, the deepest inland waters of the island are under the lochs (Loch Morar is over 300 meters deep).

For all whiskey connoisseurs among the readers: Scotland has 230 traditional distilleries, of which around 90 are still in production. The official language is English (although sometimes difficult to understand). Payment is in pounds sterling, even if some banknotes have a different look than in the rest of Great Britain (at the moment you get around 1.23 euros for 1 pound), and as everywhere on the island, left-hand traffic applies. The long history of Scotland is extremely exciting. Numerous sights along the route testify to this. Many castles and palaces can be visited (the most famous castle is the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle – www.eileandonancastle.com).

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Guided tour of the Tomatin whiskey distillery with Fiona.

Scottish peculiarities are the kilt (folded woolen skirt for men), the bagpipes (traditional bagpipe with air supply from a leather sack), customs such as tree trunk throwing, hammer throwing, kilt dances, bagpipe competitions etc. in numerous “Highland Games”. A national dish is haggis: sheep stomach with heart, liver, lungs, kidney fat from sheep, with onions, oatmeal and pepper. The typical highland cattle are best able to withstand the harsh, cold climate and the barren plateaus.

Subject whiskey: One of many informative sites is this: www.whisky.de. Subject of independence: The struggle to break away from England runs through Scottish history to this day. Scotland has abundant natural gas and oil reserves off the coast from which England benefits greatly. These could ensure economic independence. The currently existing limited self-government of Scotland within Great Britain is not sufficient for the SNP (Scottish National Party). She succeeded in holding another independence referendum in autumn 2014.

Arrival / travel time

With your own motorcycle, the journey from Germany, including the ferry passage from Calais to Dover, takes a good two days (from Frankfurt to Glasgow it is 1400 kilometers). Alternatives are offered by the three larger airports in Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen), which are regularly served by well-known airlines (Lufthansa, German Wings, NIKI, Easy Jet or Ryanair) from German-speaking countries.

The cities are good starting points for trips to Scotland. (In June, the flight prices for the Frankfurt – Aberdeen route are around 300 euros per person, tickets for early bookers are cheaper).

MAIRDUMONT / Claudia Werel

Duration of the red tour: minimum five days; Distance covered: 1900 kilometers; Green tour: an additional two days; Distance covered: 420 kilometers; Orange Tour: an additional day; Distance covered: 260 kilometers.

Those who opt for a night cruise should look at the following ferry companies: Stena Line and P&O Ferries offer the Zeebrugge – Hull connection. The Norfolkline takes you from Zeebrugge to Rosyth below Edinburgh. DFDS Seaways also operates from Ijmuiden (near Amsterdam) to Newcastle. According to statistics, May is still the month with the lowest rainfall. However, according to our own experience, it can be quite cold (10–12 ° C), and cold water from above is always to be expected. But the weather changes quickly.

It is not uncommon for it to rain heavily in Fort Augustus and the sun has been shining for hours 50 kilometers further in Fort William. From October it can already snow at high altitudes, and snow fields often persist into April. Important: One should inquire about Scottish holidays when planning the trip (Www. W e b – c a l e n d a r. O r g / d e / h o l i d a y s / s c o t l a n d / 2 0 1 4). If you come across a “bank holiday”, booking in advance is essential, because on these days accommodations are usually completely booked.

Road conditions / motorcycling

The roads away from the larger towns are mostly narrow and quite winding, which increases the enjoyment of driving, but delays getting ahead quickly. Often you drive on so-called single tracks, which measure only one car width. If there is oncoming traffic, you have to use the innumerable “passing places”. There are also many dangerous peaks that are marked with signs (Blind Summit). Caution is indeed required here, as there are often four-legged friends on the asphalt. 

Fast driving is not advisable, especially in May, the time of the lambs. Most of the larger roads are well developed and in good condition. Detours have to be accepted if lakes or inlets have to be bypassed. In many places there are smaller ferry connections to shorten routes. Motorcyclists are taken along without prior notification. The page gives information about the ferry connections www. v i s i t s c o t l a n d. c o m / t r a v e l / A r o u n d – s c o t l a n d / f e r r yA u s k u n f t. T r o t z Left-hand traffic applies: right before left! One mile is equal to 1.609 kilometers. The speed limit is 70 mph on motorways and 30 mph in built-up areas.

Overnight stays

Almost every place has “bed and breakfast” providers. The “B and Bs” often have the advantage that both beds and sanitary facilities are in better condition than those in “cheap” hotels. Not that much is really cheap in Scotland. A reasonable room standard is often only offered from 80 pounds upwards for the double room.

Two hotels should be recommended here: On the trip north, the “Best Western Moffat House Hotel” in Moffat (single room from approx. 70 pounds), www. b e s t w e s t e r n. c o. u k, And on the Isle of Mull the hotel “Western Isles” above the port of Tobermory (single room from about 100 pounds) with a view over the bay, www. w e s t e r n i s l e s h o t e l. c o. u k

Motorbike rentals / organized trips

An example: Seven days of BMW F 800 GS cost at www. r e n t a m o t o r c y c l e. c o. u k. 510 euros. Further address: www. r e n t a l m o t o r b i k e. c o m(BMW F 800 GT for 110 pounds / day). The MOTORRAD action team is offering a well-run Scotland tour in June 2015 (date: 13.06. To 27.06; prices: 2690 euros / driver, 2350 euros / passenger).

Other providers include:

www. e d e l w e i s s b i k e. c o m
www. a l m o t o. d e
www. r m – m o t o r r a d r e i s e n. d e

Addresses / cards

Other useful information:

www. a c t i o n t e a m. d e
www. m o t o r c y c l e s c o t l a n d. c o m
www. t h e b i k e r g u i d e. c o. u k
www. scho t t l a n d – g u i d e. c o m
www. s c h o t t l a n d – t i p p s. d e
Specifics of road transport in the UK (VisitBritain.com)

Scotland Maps:

• Michelin 501, 1: 400,000, 8.99 euros
• KuF, 1: 2750000, 11.95 euros 
• Marco Polo, 1: 300000, 8.99 euros

Travel Guide:

• Stefan Loose, 14.99 euros
• DuMont, 16.99 euros

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