Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Get on yer bike and lets rumble!!

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AMCQ46
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

All back home now other than Tony who is still on his holiday visiting friends with a wet bike in the back of his van and a few bottles of siloth ale, and Mick, who is on an epic adventure ride round Scotland.

Was a small group of us, 8 in the hotel, (PeteL, GrumpyFrog, Budd, Little Chris, HuskyJames, Kermetlefrog, Edward, Tony.mon) me in the van, Mick Curley (a new mate of Budd &Chris, on a big BMW GS) in a tent, and well groomed Andy in a B&B a mile down the road.

The drive up on Friday was bad for most of us, combination of heavy rain and volume of traffic on the M6 made my trip a nightmare, and took about 2 hrs longer than usual. PeteL did come past me on his bike, but this year I didn't feel jealous , as the rain and standing water was unbelievable, and in the end I got there before him as he had to stop to shelter and recover, and even he gave up on M6.
Some of the others coming over from the east and west, like James coming over from Ireland and the tynedale & Yorkshire lot faired better but Stuart and Tony driving down from the north also had similarly sh1t and slow journeys, and arrived much later.

I collected the BBQ And beer supplies at the supermarket in Dumfries, and got the van set up with an awning to shelter under, and Tony also provided a nice red gazebo to increase the rain cover.
Sister Liz also showed up and Alan also made it across from his holiday in NewGalloway so we all had a great catch up over burgers and beer and music, With Stuart providing a bottle of whiskey as a night cap (you left it in my van, so I will bring it to Wales for you).

Weather radar was consulted in the morning over a full Scottish fry up, and it was looking better if we went west, but we could see by afternoon it was going to get evil, So it was declared a wet race 8O
Up to this point I was the only firestorm, with 3 BMWs, 3 KTMs, 2 Aprilias, 1 husky, 1 Suzuki, but just As we were just finishing breakfast, a new form member (ItsaKeeper) Jim turned up on a nice dark blue Storm. Jim was from Ayr, and had ridden down this morning to join us.

So we donned our rain gear and got on the bikes in a bit of medium rain and headed off to make the most of the great roads, and after about 30mins, the rain eased right off, and the roads were getting a lot dryer, so we were now smiling and made great progress from New Galloway to Newton Stewart, and then from NS to Girvan even better :D .

Decided to grab a coffee in Girvan and then the heavy rain caught us. We sheltered in various doorways, but after consulting the weather radar again it became clear that the rain was staying here and our only solution was to start riding east to get away from it, so off we set onto some new B roads I had spotted as an option to cut out a busy boring section.
These roads turned out to be gems (well some bits needed resurfaced, but others had been, and they were great), and would have been great fun in the dry, but in the wet conditions were deserving of smooth Riding and lots of concentration, and unfortunately Jim had a low side off on a tight right hander, which scuffed up the right side of his bike, and the shoulder of his jacket :( .
Jim was OK, but said his shoulder was very sore and as he only lived about 12 miles away, he would go home, so I told him to message me when he did, and we reluctantly set off into lighter rain.

A quick petrol stop in Dalmellinton and then onto another B road that I only discovered last year. this year I went the opposite direction, and we all were shocked to find that in this direction it is booby trapped!!!!!
Our side of the road was blighted with manhole covers on the apex of every bend, not just one cover, but usually a pair which were laid out so if you sat up to avoid the 1st one it would send you to the 2nd one and if you sat the bike up to avoid that one you were on the verge...... In the dry it would have been a bit of a worry, but in the rain it was like a minefield, but in the opposite direction it is fine!!! And I have no idea what needs so many steel covers, it's in the middle of nowhere.

From there we did a bit of main road, then another new B road to get me to the top of the world famous Dalveen Pass. Prior to getting on the main road, Kermetlefrog had swapped bikes with HuskyJames, so James is on the mighty V4 Tuono, and Ian is on the big SuperMoto, and when we get on the B road, which is fully dry, it's clear that Ian is on the best bike for this road.. He is having so much fun and apart from the suicdal sheep, we have added another great new road to my list.

Now we are at the furthest north part of my loop and it's time to turn south into what is looking like ominous clouds, but first it's the Dalveen Pass and it looks like if we hurry :biggrin , we will get to ride down it in the dry...... So as we leave the 30 limit and hit the national speed limit, I look at James (now back in his Husky) and I drop my arm as the start flag for our high speed decent of this thread of tar clinging to the hills. It's like skiing, just continuous left then right, then left, then a bit of a straight then more left, right. We don't see a car for 20 miles, and when we get to the bottom we pull over and high 5 like a pair of kids, then when we look at James rear tyre its steaming!!! the water he has just ridden through as we stopped in the lay-by is turning to steam with the heat in the rubber, that says it all.
Pete, who had been acting as backmarker for the ride (thanks Pete) let loose on the pass too, and although riding solo says he has never had such a buzz on a bike in a long time..... Stuart on the other hand realised he was getting tired and and losing is rhythm , so at the bottom of the pass took the main road back to hotel.

We took the narrowest A road in the world south towards Dalry, and despite the sun showing its face for a couple of miles, the rain returned with a vengeance and that tight twisty road was like a river, and frankly not too much fun.

We filled the bikes up in Dalry and set off in the wet for the final section of great A roads from Balmaclellan to Corsock to Crocketford. And this was fun for a bit, light rain and nice bends, but then they sky opens and it's not rain like I have ever seen before, it is hitting so hard, and the drops are so big it hurts! I look to see if there is anywhere to stop and shelter, but it is the middle of nowhere, and short of riding up a track to a farm and hiding in his hayshed, there is nothing. So I push on to the church passing cars who have stopped because they can't see, and go and visit Normans grave. He must have been laughing at the state of us as water pours out of our gloves every time we clench our fist.
Only 6 miles to go, we are all soaked and the rain is easing back to a more normal heavy rain, so we set off on the last leg back to the Inn on the loch, where beer is opened even before wet clothes are removed.

Epic day with more good weather than we thought we would get, but the last drowning made us look at the people jet skiing on the loch and think they looked dryer than us, and we still didn't know if Jim had got home.
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AMCQ46
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

So thanks all for joining this rain soaked ride, I didn't envy any of you who had to put on wet gear on Sunday and ride home, it was bad enough having to sort the van and get all the wet awnings, seats, bbqs, bikes, riding gear and poptops all stowed away to drive home in the dry and warm heated seat :D .

I think James , JSt on here but huskyjames on my phone :D , summed it up perfectly in his post this morning, we had as much fun off the bikes chatting as we did on the bikes riding, and it was a cracking weekend on both counts.

It is special for me for a number of reasons,
1) it's where I grew up, and even though I left there over 30 years ago, it's a special part of the world for me, so I get great satisfaction sharing this with others.
2) I get to ride my bike on these great roads with the company of like minded lunatics...... and that is why we ride bikes, solo is ok, but in a group, talking about it after ..... That is best.
3) it makes me find new roads that I never knew about, so it's the gift that just keeps giving.
4) is where a lot of you first met Norman, and we get a chance to remember him in the way he would most appreciate.


Back to the cliffhanger about Jim. No message on Saturday night and I am getting a bit worried, and on Sunday morning I check the private messages on the forum, where I sent him my mobile number, and it still isn't opened.... sh1t, I am getting a bit worried, I don't have his number, I can only message him via the forum.
Thankfully just as I am getting my bike up the ramp into the van, I get a text from jim saying he did get back ok, but when the adrenalin wore off he was in a lot more pain, so his wife took him to A&E, and after that he was too shattered to look on the forum to find my number..
I ask him if A&E found anything, and if his wife gave him a hard time, and he answered with "yes and yes"!!!!!

Turns out he had a suspected C5 fracture and a torn shoulder ligament 8O 8O , so not good! Hindsight says we should have ignored the adrenaline fuelled "I'm OK" that we would all do, and have phoned his wife, or at least escorted him home, so I am putting that in my lessons learned.

Jim I hope you are taking it easy and doing ok. macV2, when he is up and out at his bike, he might be in touch for the usual parts on the right hand side.


Get well soon Jim, it was nice to have met you and hope you will be back next year....
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

On my wayImage
Stuck In traffic for hours
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Set up camp and drinking
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And more drinking
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And moreImage
Bikes stored by bins. Just for Mac
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Lunch before the rain
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Image

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My patented glove and boot drying stand.
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Yes indeed.
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AMCQ46
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

Not many photos of the scenery when out riding as
A) I didn’t give them any breaks
B) it was so wet nobody wanted to fight their gloves off just to get their phone out from 7 layers of waterproof clothing and the zip lock bag.


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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by tony.mon »

We found Scotland's only active volcano...
PXL_20210807_113110267.jpg
I left my friend's house in Scotland this morning and made it home around half six this afternoon.
Two and a half weeks, England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Ireland again, Wales again, England again, Scotland, The Outer Hebrides, mainland Scotland again, England and home.
Not all on the bike, but I did a fair few miles!

Great write-up, I was pleased to be part of it all.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
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ItsaKeeper
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by ItsaKeeper »

Thanks for the well wishes Al, both my pride and my pride of joy took a bump on Saturday but got to keep smiling as I am hearing Tony's immortal line "it is an upgrade opportunity" that he said to me shortly before I headed home. I had a great time and what a fantastic bunch of folk there were in the group, I was made to feel so welcome despite being a "day tripper" (or half a day tripper as it worked out!). Hope to catch up with everyone again next time, once I'm fully mended :D
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

ItsaKeeper wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 1:50 pm Thanks for the well wishes Al, both my pride and my pride of joy took a bump on Saturday but got to keep smiling as I am hearing Tony's immortal line "it is an upgrade opportunity" that he said to me shortly before I headed home. I had a great time and what a fantastic bunch of folk there were in the group, I was made to feel so welcome despite being a "day tripper" (or half a day tripper as it worked out!). Hope to catch up with everyone again next time, once I'm fully mended :D
No problem Jim, it is always good to have some new blood join the rides, so having you and Mick there brings a fresh eye and keeps us on our best behavior :lol:

it is always a big step turning up to one of these events on your own, as it seams like everybody knows each other and you might be an outsider, but we all started that way, and the great thing about the people I have met through this forum is that they are very inclusive, and you dont feel a stranger for long.

hope to see you back next year with your bike suitably upgraded. and contact @macV2 for any spares you need, he might be able to help although the common parts that get scratched on a low side are usually also damaged on the bikes mac buys.
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by sirch345 »

Thanks for the great write-up Al, I really enjoyed reading all of it (1st and 2nd part) and for posting up the photo's :thumbup:

Even though the weather wasn't great at times, it sounds like you all (except for Jim of course) had an amazing time.

Jim, wishing you a speedy recovery,

Chris.
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AMCQ46
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

thanks Chris,

with the advent of group chats and WhatsApp, a lot of the banter and photos from the weekend meets disappears off the forum. Which is a big loss to the energy levels on the Forum, so i decided to make the extra effort to grab the photos others had put on WhatsApp and share them here along with a bit of a write up.

I am one of the moderators for this section of the forum, so I need to try and keep it active otherwise I am out of a job :lol:
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Jamoi
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by Jamoi »

Thanks for the write up Al. It was a great read and sounds like everyone had an epic weekend!

I'm sorry to hear about Jim's mishap, fingers crossed for a speedy recovery dude.

Nice to hear you tried some new roads and it rewarded you with a decent ride.

I'll be there next year for sure. (With some decent waterproof kit!)
Jamie :wave:
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by alanfjones1411 »

It was good to have a catch up with faces old and new (although i was in my car)
SO WHEN DOES THIS OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER KICK IN
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by neil »

Good photos & read Al. Rain as usual on Scotland trip but still worth it. Had a look back to when Helen & I joined you, it was 2013 how time flys.
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

neil wrote: Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:08 am Good photos & read Al. Rain as usual on Scotland trip but still worth it. Had a look back to when Helen & I joined you, it was 2013 how time flys.
Neil,
I was trying to work out when we started it, and you were at the first one, so looks like 2013 was the inaugural Scotland Storm meeting, and yes it was also very, very wet for the 1st half of the day. I can remember when we met up with some of the Forum members local to Ayr that we went into Dobbies Garden center and just covered the floor in the cafe with water, dont think the staff were too happy :D

but I remember that the sun came out after lunch, and the rest of teh day was good.

was talking to PeteL about it, and checking who attended that 1st time.

I think it was.... you & Helen in a B&B and MiztaZiggy, Grumpyfrog, and me camping, We met up with matster and Gordie up near Ayr, but they only rode with us down to Girvan.

for some reason I thought Pete was there too, but looks like he started coming in 2014
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by Pete.L »

AMCQ46 wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 5:52 pm thanks Chris,

so i decided to make the extra effort to grab the photos others had put on WhatsApp and share them here along with a bit of a write up.

I am one of the moderators for this section of the forum, so I need to try and keep it active otherwise I am out of a job :lol:
Well done Al. Excellent effort!
I shall file this weekend under "Miles of smiles and soggy underpants". Another epic weekend not to be forgotten :D
My new ride is a bit of a Howler and I love to make her Squeal
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Re: Scotland 2021 6th, 7th & 8th Aug

Post by AMCQ46 »

my gloves and boots only just fully dried out yesterday .... thats 3 days it took!
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