Wee Tour

[finniee]

Possibly in the summer time due to the Scottish Highlands being ball-shattering cold. This is the plan,

Stirling - Thurso

Stirling - Dunblane - past Perth - Pitlochry - around the Cairgorms/Aviemore - Inverness - Over the Kessock bridge - Tain - Over the Dornoch Bridge - Through Skelbo/Balvraid Wood - up and over The Mound - Glospie - Brora - Helmsdale - Latheron - Gillivoan - And finish in Thurso.

Basically Following the A9, but will be going into small towns for silly things like postcards, key-chains, food! (Important one).

According to route planner it is 263 miles and it should take 6 hours to get there straight route.

Was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing something like this?. More important what does everyone think of a run like this?.

* Must mention - I am on a 125 and L plates.

[radicalrabit]

Ambitious on a 125 but The Ord of Caithness, route is stunning been up there by car many times as my brother lives in Dunbeath.
but stuck at sub 55 mph on a 125 ? will take you for ever ,,,, Glasgow Sterling Perth , are long up hills thats why they call it THE HIGHLANDS

And loaded with any form of camping gear ? I think Bonar Bridge might be a bridge too far mate ....get a Bicycle and put it on the train?
SOUTHERLAND and CAITHNESS maybe you ought to leave till you have a bigger bike......? unless someone else is taking your camping gear up for you in a car or on a BiG BIKE ??
Where is your starting point? and how long do you think it will take you to get up there ? specially if you are doing it all none motorway ?

oh just re read the post and you are starting off in Sterling ... right then ... different take on the job ...... Do it in small stages, not a six hour sprint the scenery is way too good to waste like that , do it over a couple of days . and it would be a crackin trip......I was thinking you were starting off from down here ....Just pick any road north of inverness and you are in for a brilliant trip but watch the wind Caithness wind blows sideways...hard bringing the rain sideways too, and it changes bloody quick so do keep a watch on the weather forecasts..... I am tempted to meet up with you at Sterling though .... l fancy getting up to Dunnet Bay again
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VF1000 F2F, BLACKBIRD with carbs, 2nd VF1000F2F just need somewhere to go now..

[radicalrabit]

Ambitious on a 125 but The Ord of Caithness, route is stunning been up there by car many times as my brother lives in Dunbeath.
but stuck at sub 55 mph on a 125 ? will take you for ever ,,,, Glasgow Sterling Perth , are long up hills thats why they call it THE HIGHLANDS

And loaded with any form of camping gear ? I think Bonar Bridge might be a bridge too far mate ....get a Bicycle and put it on the train?
SOUTHERLAND and CAITHNESS maybe you ought to leave till you have a bigger bike......? unless someone else is taking your camping gear up for you in a car or on a BiG BIKE ??
Where is your starting point? and how long do you think it will take you to get up there ? specially if you are doing it all none motorway ?
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VF1000 F2F, BLACKBIRD with carbs, 2nd VF1000F2F just need somewhere to go now..

[finniee]

[Enduro Numpty]

If you're passing through Helmsdale I can't recommend La Mirage restaurant highly enough. Superb food and great value.

[Enduro Numpty]

If you're passing through Helmsdale I can't recommend La Mirage restaurant highly enough. Superb food and great value.

[Mark 37]

Sounds a nice wee trip.

Never mind the hilly parts, after an hour in the saddle your arse will be killing you. I ride a 125, longest distance covered before a stop was around 120 miles, after 80-90 my backside was killing me.

I'm planing on heading to Inverness next year to visit family but I'll do an overnight stop somewhere in the tent. I'd rather enjoy the experience instead of arriving like a cripple needing crowbarred off the bike.

Mark
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No matter how fast light travels, darkness was always their first.

[stinkwheel]

Don't listen to them. You'll do that no bother. Just stay hydrated and stop for a break if you're getting tired.

I did IJmuiden (near Amsterdam) to Crimmitchau (East Germany) in a day on my bullet earlier this year and it's making about 15bhp and tops out at 60mph. That's an even 450 miles.

I've done a weekend camping at Arisaig (near Mallaig) on it too which for me involves riding up there from near Carlisle and back in the same weekend. About 250 miles each way.

The trick is to get going early enough. Don't fanny about. Pack the night before and leave at 8.30-9am and you'll be there mid afternoon.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[pepperami]

Stinky`s right, you`ll be able to do it , just give yourself the time and make sure your bike is in good order.

I`ve just had a trip up north and into Scotland, and it was all done on a 250.
You don't need a big bike to travel far

Have a look at this
https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=278853
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[pepperami]

[finniee]

[sprintster]

Is there any particular reason why you want to go to Thurso? If you just want to experience great roads and scenery "head west,young man!" The coastal route is stunning from Kyle Of Lochalsh to Ullapool and you won't feel your holding up traffic at 50mph. And it will save you a few hundred miles.The roads up north are good and the scenery is spectacular in a bleak sort of way but I'd rather look at it at 80 mph!
Whatever you decide to do,avoid the A9 from Perth to Inverness at all costs.It's monotonous enough sitting at 90mph and at 55mph you'll have HGVs sitting on your back wheel all day long!
Head over Glenshee and the Lecht and I gaurantee you won't be able to get your helmet off by the time you reach Nairn for the size of grin you've got on you!

[pepperami]

[sprintster]

[pepperami]

[sprintster]

I'm just trying to give some advice but personally I wouldn't spend four days riding a 125 to get there.Wait until you've got a bigger bike and you can do it in a couple of days.There's a lot of better places and roads that would be better suited to riding on a 125.

[Enduro Numpty]

[pepperami]

In my own personal opinion and it is only my opinion, I disagree that you need or will get the best out of the Scottish roads only if you`re riding a bigger bike.

Agreed some of the roads up there are made for bigger? quicker? bikes, but there is plenty for the smaller bike also.

I was up there on a 250 this year and last year and I never felt hindered because I wasn't riding a 600 or a 1000.
There were many times were I was just as quick as the big boys.
Not because I`m a super rider or anything like that, but because in the twisties and turns they would have to scrub off so much more power/speed/momentum than me.
It doesn't have to be a race or a test of your riding prowess.
The only time I wished I had more power/speed was when I was being a boy-racer

125 the only bike you`ve got? , no problem just go!
Catch Scotyland on the right day on the right road and you`ll love it!

I`ve used 50`s for trips of 100/200 miles before now, ok that was a long time ago.
The same goes for 125`s.

If the only bike I owned was a 125, then as long as it was in good order, I`d still use it to go wherever I wanted.
Scotland Wales

Plan it , do it
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[sprintster]

Your missing my point Pepperami.I didn't say don't go to highlands unless you've got a big,fast bike!What I did say was don't go trundling up the A9 from Perth to Thurso on a 125 because there's a lot of better roads to ride.
I'll give you one for starters.If you want to tick a must do box why not ride to Applecross over the Bealach Na Ba pass then you can tell everyone you've ridden the highest road in Britain!

[pepperami]