Friday, August 24, 2012
Mont St Michael
Even Mike said it was worth the trek to the top. What a maze of passages. I was most impressed with the wheel that pulled the sled up the outside bringing supplies to the Abbey. Took a while to click there was no water, and too big for hamsters, people walked around it to turn it and bring the goodies up. The sled was about 6' in length and very solid
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Normandy coast France
Headed to Honfleur on the Normandy coast on Tuesday. The town centre is beautiful, lots of restaurants around the old enclosed harbour, and to our delight all offering moules frittes, and cheapish house wine. It was decided over dinner we will be staying here for 2 nights.
Mike conquered his fear of bridges, or was it because the long way round would have taken another hour, he crossed the Normandy bridge. Even me who adores bridges will admit to some trepidation when faced with the hill ascending to the middle of the bridge. When we got to the top of the first one that was scary enough, we were then faced with the actual bridge and it looked even worse than the first.
We might head back to the bridge to get some photos and have a quick blast over it, don't they say familiarisation de-sensitises you and fears can be overcome.
Mike conquered his fear of bridges, or was it because the long way round would have taken another hour, he crossed the Normandy bridge. Even me who adores bridges will admit to some trepidation when faced with the hill ascending to the middle of the bridge. When we got to the top of the first one that was scary enough, we were then faced with the actual bridge and it looked even worse than the first.
We might head back to the bridge to get some photos and have a quick blast over it, don't they say familiarisation de-sensitises you and fears can be overcome.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
On board
Oh how I hate the ramp on the ferry but we are on, bikes tied down cabin located. Now will it be steak or buffet. 
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Updated Shire list and filled in map
| # on map | Counties of Scotland | Date Visited | Where | Landmark visited |
| 8 | Aberdeenshire | 10.4.11 | Cruden Bay | Aviators Memorial |
| Angus | ||||
| 12 | Argyll | 3.7.11 | Appin | Castle Stalker |
| Ayrshire | ||||
| 7 | Banffshire | 5.6.11 | Dufftown | Clock Tower |
| 27 | Berwickshire | 8.5.11 | Coldstream & Greenlaw | Bridge, Marriage House, Town Hall & War Memorial |
| Bute | ||||
| 1 | Caithness | 12.6.11 | Scrabster | Ferry terminal for Orkney |
| Clackmannanshire | ||||
| Dumfriesshire | ||||
| Dunbartonshire | ||||
| East Lothian | ||||
| Fife | ||||
| 4 | Inverness-shire | 15.5.11 | Carrbridge | The Old Packhorse bridge |
| Kincardineshire | ||||
| Kinross-shire | ||||
| Kirkcudbrightshire | ||||
| Lanarkshire | ||||
| Midlothian | ||||
| Moray | ||||
| Nairnshire | ||||
| X | Orkney | 12.6.11 | Orkney Mainland | Orkney Wine Company |
| Peeblesshire | ||||
| Perthshire | ||||
| Renfrewshire | ||||
| Ross & Cromarty | ||||
| Roxburghshire | ||||
| Selkirkshire | ||||
| Stirlingshire | ||||
| 2 | Sutherland | 12.6.11 | Helmsdale | The Emigrants Statue |
| West Lothian | ||||
| Wigtownshire | ||||
| X | Zetland | 15.6.11 | Unst, Yell & Mainland | Most Northerly road & bus shelter Shetland Bus memorial |
Its a slow process when you have to work for a living.
Another Shire Ticked
2nd & 3rd July 2011
Saturday morning and I have to go to work, but the panniers were loaded up last night and are ready to click onto the bikes when we roll them out the shed. Now is the time to ask, Why didn't we make the gate that wee bit wider?
Mike got the choice of roads I got the choice of where we headed.
Aviemore for coffee & cake well we would have had cake if I had ordered as it was we had posh coffee with a free refill at Pappa Rock its at the north end of the town.
Laggan where we turned of the main roads and headed inland as far as the tar would go, this is Mikes first night "wild camping"
and as wild camp sites goes this one is WILD and REMOTE.
BBQ & wine and only a few midgies to share it with. It stayed light for what seemed like hours but that could have been the result of my early start.
Being as there was no telly or midgies to swat Mike decided it would be a good idea to take a wee wander have a poke about in the nearby ruins which we think could have been part of General Wades barracks, followed the track into the woods we came across a fantastic wee bridge.
This bridge was built around 1750 and restored in 1984, according to the nearby sign, a wee hidden gem like this makes the end to a perfect day. Well to be precise the glass of river chilled white wine we had back at the tent was the perfect end to the day but this bridge just made us stand and think of all those that went before us along this scenic route thru Scotland.
Sunday morning we were packed up reasonably early had a few miles to cover today. Today's thrill was being able to ride the bike for the first 4 miles of the day without the need to wear a helmet, well it seemed pointless we wont see anyone else, well not until we get further down the glen and the farms and fishery areas on the Spey.
A quick stop in Fort William for fuel then we head south towards Glencoe, one of our favourite places in Scotland, but this time we kept going bypassing it and heading towards Appin and Castle Stalker.
Castle Stalker and a wee bit of trivia
Local legend has it that
In around 1620 the Castle passed into the hands of the Campbells of Airds as a result of a drunken wager by the 7th Stewart Chief, Duncan, in exchange for an eight-oared wherry
Its now time to turn the bikes round and start the long ride home, its only the 2nd time we have been along the A85 from Connel ~ Tyndrum a bikers paradise, as is The Green Welly our next stop in Tyndrum. The 3rd posh coffee of the trip and a browse in the shop then its on the bikes for the long 125 ride home.
Not only did we get to add another shire to the list visited, but we got to ride on a few of our favourite roads
Well that was another perfect biking weekend, the scenery on the West coast of Scotland is hard to beat and we just happen to be lucky enough to live close enough to it to get there in a couple of hours.
Going to spend the next few weeks pouring over maps hunting for another perfect wild camping destination.
Saturday morning and I have to go to work, but the panniers were loaded up last night and are ready to click onto the bikes when we roll them out the shed. Now is the time to ask, Why didn't we make the gate that wee bit wider?
Mike got the choice of roads I got the choice of where we headed.
Aviemore for coffee & cake well we would have had cake if I had ordered as it was we had posh coffee with a free refill at Pappa Rock its at the north end of the town.
Laggan where we turned of the main roads and headed inland as far as the tar would go, this is Mikes first night "wild camping"
 |
| Wild camp site at Corrieyairack Pass |
BBQ & wine and only a few midgies to share it with. It stayed light for what seemed like hours but that could have been the result of my early start.
Being as there was no telly or midgies to swat Mike decided it would be a good idea to take a wee wander have a poke about in the nearby ruins which we think could have been part of General Wades barracks, followed the track into the woods we came across a fantastic wee bridge.
 |
| Melgarve East Bridge |
This bridge was built around 1750 and restored in 1984, according to the nearby sign, a wee hidden gem like this makes the end to a perfect day. Well to be precise the glass of river chilled white wine we had back at the tent was the perfect end to the day but this bridge just made us stand and think of all those that went before us along this scenic route thru Scotland.
Sunday morning we were packed up reasonably early had a few miles to cover today. Today's thrill was being able to ride the bike for the first 4 miles of the day without the need to wear a helmet, well it seemed pointless we wont see anyone else, well not until we get further down the glen and the farms and fishery areas on the Spey.
A quick stop in Fort William for fuel then we head south towards Glencoe, one of our favourite places in Scotland, but this time we kept going bypassing it and heading towards Appin and Castle Stalker.
 |
| Castle Stalker |
Castle Stalker and a wee bit of trivia
Local legend has it that
In around 1620 the Castle passed into the hands of the Campbells of Airds as a result of a drunken wager by the 7th Stewart Chief, Duncan, in exchange for an eight-oared wherry
Its now time to turn the bikes round and start the long ride home, its only the 2nd time we have been along the A85 from Connel ~ Tyndrum a bikers paradise, as is The Green Welly our next stop in Tyndrum. The 3rd posh coffee of the trip and a browse in the shop then its on the bikes for the long 125 ride home.
Not only did we get to add another shire to the list visited, but we got to ride on a few of our favourite roads
A920 Huntly - Dufftown
A95 Aberlour - Grantown on Spey
A89 by Loch Laggan
A828 along the shores of Loch Linnhe
A85 Connel - Tyndrum
A85 Thru Glen Ogle the bikes always sound great going thru here :-)
Going to spend the next few weeks pouring over maps hunting for another perfect wild camping destination.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Another Shire visited
19th June 2011
Shetland the destination for our summer holiday, although the weather was far from summery, but then again what more can you expect when you are THIS far north.
 |
| Can we look for Polar Bears now |
We did get much further north than here but this is just to prove we made it to this latitude. There was a lot of rain, what felt like hurricanes, but the locals probably refer to them as a "few gusts", there was a night we feared for the tent, but with us and our luggage inside it it would have had to been mighty powerful to get us airborne. We also had a few days with sunshine to rival any Mediterranean resort :-).
We rode the bikes to the most northerly point we could on a road.
 |
| Saxa Vord |
From here we walked around the fence and got a good view of Muckle Flugga. Some day I will return and get a closer up view, just have to pick a day with less wind.
Muckle Flugga in the distance, photo taken the day after the proposed boat trip, yesterday the sea resembled a bubbling pot of blueberry jam.
Muckle Flugga in the distance, photo taken the day after the proposed boat trip, yesterday the sea resembled a bubbling pot of blueberry jam.
 |
| Muckle Flugga |
 |
| Caution may contain a geocache |
When you visit Unst you by default visit a few of the Most Northerly icons in the British Isles, bus shelter, brewery, house & Post Office. The post office hand franks all the post cards sent from there, when we arrived home we saw the special frank mark is a couple of cute puffins.
My official photo for my 2011 challenge is The Shetland Bus Memorial in Scalloway. The memorial is constructed from stone from both Shetland & Norway which in my opinion is a fitting tribute to all those brave seamen who operated "this service"
 |
| Shetland Bus memorial Scalloway |
My photo for my challenge, couldn't get Mikes bike in cos he didn't want to have it in the same frame as a wee learners bike
 |
| The "Bus" |
Detail on the top of the memorial.
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