What I did in my Holidays

[stinkwheel]

Right, just to give some of you an idea of another aspect to biking other than trackdays and sunny sunday thrashes, here is how I spent my summer holidays.

I am a member(ish haven't paid a sub. in years) of the Edinburgh University Motorcyle Club (EUMCC) which has been running since 1974 (and still has some original members). It is a loose assortment of students, graduates and hangers-on. Every year at midsummer we have a club run. General agreement is achieved as to where a good place to go would be and a Tinpot Diktator is nominated who decides where everyone will stay, when to catch ferries and such then tells us (organisation by comittee doesn't work).

This year we decided that we would go to the Orkney Isles, the TD decided we should stay in a hostel on the isle of Westray and told us which ferries to book.

As we live all over the place, it was decided we should all meet up just North of Inverness, this gave me the oppertunity to take a full day to get up there, via the Spittal of Glenshee road to Braemar and have an overnight stop. We duly met up in a lay-bye and headed up the A9 to John o' Groats. It is a very twisty road and some bikes were faster than others, everyone sets their own pace but waits for the next rider to come along before turning off a road (just means the faster riders get an extra tab stop). Everyone embarked the ferry accross to Orkney mainland from where the run proper started as all twelve bikes roared off the ferry ramp and crossed the Churchill Barriers at Scappa Flow in line astern, first stop was Kirkwall. An overnight stop in the Kirkwall youth hostel (not very nice!) and all off to the pub (very much better) that night to sample the delights of the local Orkney Breweries ales and a stumble home via the kebab shop.

Early doors the next morning to catch the eight o clock ferry to Westray, they had no idea how to secure twelve bikes on the ferry so we jammed them all into some cattle pens and ran a rope round the back of them. Two hours later and we were on Orkney. Poor planning meant we had to have a fuel stop, the only pump on the island is in someones front yard, you knock on their front door if you want to be served. Carried on up to our five-star hostel Bis Geos Hostel (only a tenner a night!) and unloaded the gear.

No police on the island so off with the helmets for a 'wind in the hair' bimble down the the shop and the off licence. Spent the day making ourselves comfortable and catching up with any news before riding down to the pub/hotel/chipshop/bank (all one place) and parking the bikes in a row outside (instant talking point). They do fish and chips with TWELVE diferent sorts of fish, I had a battered Megrim (a flatfish, had to look it up) and chips and we got down to a good few beers. The locals want to know all about everybody so the talk went on well into the wee small hours before a very much slower ride back to the hostel (about three miles).

Spent the next couple of days exploring the island, there are viking settlements, all the seabirds you could hope to see, wale spotting, balance of the time spent fishing off the rocks. Fresh fish for tea them back to the pub for a showing of an amateur film some of the lads had made "Fowl Play at Midnite" (a riot of chickens, drunks, explosions and comedy motorbike chases), went down well, home late again.

Next night was midsummer so BEACH PARTY! drag racing bikes up and down the beach, big fire, lots of booze and a group of American students who randomly turned up to watch the sun just dipping below the horizon. Fairly certain I was in bed for half four.

Quick riding next morning, two ferries saw us back at John o Groats for about noon. Work commitments meant splitting up but I had a few more days so my mate and I went on a tour of some of the very fine, car-less, wide open twisties in that area, Al learned where the power in the GPZ is kept and we made rapid progress for an overnight stop in Aberdeenshire. Back along the Glenshee road again (dry this time, Ooooh Yeah!) and headed home.

Only thing that spoiled the trip was the MZ blowing its engine about an hour from home.

Total mileage covered: 1153 miles.
Bikes on run: 2x Mz baghira, GPZ500s, CB1 (400), GSXR1100, Honda H100, 600 bandit, 2x SV650, Guzzi 1000 cafe racer, 650 Bonneville (a proper one) and MZ 250.

some video grabs , you'll have to excuse Olly (photographer), he gets a bit artsy-fartsy sometimes but his SV won the straightliners 10.50 (I think) class last year!.

How's that strike you for a trip then?

I have been nominated as next years Tinpot Diktator for next years run to Shetland, gonna take quite a bit of organising that one.

(sorry about the length, I am on call and the TV is rubbish)
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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.

[Bendy]

Cool.

I'm going to be attempting to rustle up interest for a trip to Skye next spring.

[Fallen Angel]

Excellent post Stinkywheely - that sounds like great fun - we live in such a beautiful country don't we!
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I have an asshole tolerance level of -10
www.cliqueyclanmcc.co.uk
www.bebo.com/fallenangelfran

[Fallen Angel]

Bendy, that would be an awesome idea!!!
____________________
I have an asshole tolerance level of -10
www.cliqueyclanmcc.co.uk
www.bebo.com/fallenangelfran

[stinkwheel]

[Bendy]

Would be planning to go in May, the weather's almost always good up there at that time of year and yes, bit easier on the midges.

Hadn't really thought too much about the accommodation yet, there's always Slig, or I might see if Flodigarry Hotel has fallen into the sea yet (was always fun propping your plate up with a wodge of cardboard cos the whole dining room was on a slope). I think the people who bought our old place turned it into a guesthouse, but that would be a bit weird.

The essential road has to be from Portree out to Staffin, via Brother's Point, break for lunch on the beach then up the evil hairpins of the Quirang and across the top to come back down in Uig. Blast back down through Kensalyre and the epic twisty bit just outside Portree on the way back. I can remember it like it was yesterday, be interesting to see if I still know where all the corners are.

It's a bugger it's so far away from Slough.

[Fallen Angel]

Bendy can we not do it this year??? Sounds like so much fun I don't know if I can wait to next year
____________________
I have an asshole tolerance level of -10
www.cliqueyclanmcc.co.uk
www.bebo.com/fallenangelfran

[stinkwheel]

I followed my mate (who had done them before) into those hairpins (I think I know the ones you are talking about)...we were both on identical MZ supermotos when to my horror he did something unspeakable to the clutch and back brake and proceeded to 'Back it in' like a professional supermoto rider (he does a lot of trials riding).

I ain't quite got the hang of that but was carrying the same speed into the first corner as him, got round that OK and landed up with the pegs down (12" ground clearance!) as I bounced the thing over onto the other side to take the next corner using a big massive swing of opposite lock and trailing the front brake to tuck the front in (ONLY do this on big enduro bikes!). Shat myself good and proper.

Lessons learned, don't follow someone into a corner, judge it yourself. Your bike leans WAY further than you thought it could.
____________________
“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.

[Major_Grooves]

Sounds like a good holiday.

Like I always say I would love to ride my bike back home in Scotland so I may be up for a trip up that way sometime.
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