Bikieman

I’d been dreaming of a Scotland tour on the motorbike for years. The failed attempt on the CBF600 made this urge worse.
After I’d bought the Honda CB500X I was already planning the trip again and in 2019, I was off. I packed the Oxford roll bag to the brim and set off, camera in tow.

I’d really lucked out with the weather, it was pleasant the whole trip. Not boiling, but nice. Amazing for Scotland!

Day 1 consisted of just getting into Scotland, the long slog up the M6. I stayed in a place just outside of Glasgow, Dumbarton, and settled down with a nice pint for the evening. The room even had a view of the bike, the dream!
Day 1 was uneventful, but all was going to plan!

Da 2 arrives. The plan was to visit the shores of Loch Lomond, then trundle north through Glencoe, then back south via Oban & Arrochar.
And that we did, bike and I. Seeing the beautiful shores first, then a stop at the “Green Welly” for an Irn Bru.

Onwards we go, into the mountains. My jaw started dropping as I got nearer to Glencoe, the roads and scenery are sublime!
I stopped to take photos every few miles. I wasn’t covering much ground at this rate!

Then, Glencoe pops its head around the corner, the mighty Buachaille Etive Mòr asserting its dominance, that striking outline that looks like no other mountain around there… I stopped and stayed a while, drinking it all in and taking endless amounts of photos. Also secretly being proud that I had made it here, how good is that! This meant a whole lot to me, I’d made it!

Now, the road continued. The plan was to continue through Glencoe and then come south via Oban. I stopped for a picture of Ballachulish bridge on the way.

The route down towards Oban has some fantastic roads… They never seem to be straight, constantly flowing twists & turns (and inclines!). I had so much fun, burning as much rubber as the 500X could. This was the life!
Water crystal clear, skies blue…

Eventually I reached Arrochar, where I would stop for the evening. The weather continued to be glorious, so treated myself to an outdoor meal & pint. Later, the locals were enjoying their evening too and much fun was had.

This has been the best trip I had ever done on the motorcycle. I’d covered serious miles, in glorious weather, in a beautiful part of the world.
Day 3 meant it was time to leave for home. Another beautiful day was starting, so had to take a few more photos before officially leaving.

I came home via Duke’s Pass, just to make things a bit more fun before the long motorway journey home. I’m glad I did, what an amazing road! I remember leaving the ground at a certain point, thrilling!

This trip had officially confirmed that the little Honda had a lot going for it. I could pack up and just leave, without fear of what was around the corner.
If you haven’t taken a trip away (even just one or two nights) on your motorcycle yet, don’t be afraid to do it, it’s the most liberating experience going!