Featured Touring Scotland Here We Come

Great roads and scenery, but that sky looks ominous





Don't be fooled by the blue bits

 

And here we are, after ten miles or so of absolutely monsoon, or some would say " biblical" conditions, arriving at the Italian Chapel. The roads were running rivers and with the StreetTwin's short (useless) front mudguard and non-existent rear the water came up and down at the same time
The Richa goretex gear worked well and coped admirably under the circumstances.

The Italian Chapel.

 

They look like wave breakers, usually placed at the shore to dissipate the waves' energy and limit erosion, similar to the Stabits used around the IOM harbour entrance.

http://manxscenes.com/Aug 03/Stabits.htm

 

The monsoon rain should clean the mud off the bike.
I got my R1 covered in mud, parking in a field at the NW200 one year. The following day I rode the 300 or so miles home in a perpetual cloudburst and all the mud had disappeared. The bike just looked a bit dull. Mind you, I'd have settled for a ride home in Sunshine on a muddy bike.

 

Just catching up on this trip @Eldon
Looks a good adventure, keep the updates coming

 

Look at this, all looking quite civilised despite my " Bear Grylls" title

Chilli con carne, extra spice satchet, with boiled rice



Oh, and did I mention the view?

 

Brilliant!

 

As a washing line and a gentle breeze aired a few things off, so I deserved a reward for a hard day

 

Well, actually I took x2 of these for a walk....



And visited an old concrete war lookout post

 

Then had a gentle stroll back as the light was fading and to get ready for bed.

 

Monday morning I awoke quite early and although overcast there appeared no rain in sight.
At times I could maybe be a vegetarian .... but not for long , why penalise and limit yourself as we're not here for long are we?

Porridge made with warm milk for starters and then a full tin of bacon grill to myself



I had a visitor, but she had other ideas for breakfast so we got along fine.
( I know it's a "she" as my bird spotter wife informed me) " oh yes its a female diddly doo da that"
wow!



Full, I'm now ready for todays challenges
Did I mentioned it rained, very hard and in vast quantities yesterday......

 

Good explanation, i was thinking they were a part of the construction of a causeway

 

@Eldon: Your photos are amazing!!!

 

I recharged my headtorch overnight from my powerbank - tick
Put my phone onto the powerbank and...... bing bong bing bong...... what's going on here?
Notice comes up, moisture or obstruction sensed in the charging port and may take a few hours to clear blah blah blah

Umm this could cause problems as its only on 19% and I cant charge it
Additionally I haven't booked a return ferry ticket yet and it appears to be all online.
No phone, what happens there then!!!

Maybe a blast on the road with the charging part open might blow dry it

Yes, let's try it and charge the powerbank up at the same time.
Umm powerbank not showing life

USB port obviously drowned yesterday maybe shorted it and blown the fuse, thinks I.
A local advised the mot station might have parts.

Asks the young helpful mechanic for a couple of fuses and whats the price?
Here you go a couple for nothing.

Unbelievable, a Scotsman giving something away for free
That can only be trumped by a Yorkshireman, surely?


I gave him £2.

Seat off, fuses checked (still ok ), removed the port, borrowed a squirt of wd40 to flush the port out and a couple of cable ties to reattach it after copious flooding with the aerosol.
Even cadged a squirt of oil for the chain, not bad all for £2, proper Yorkshireman value for money

 

Problem sorted and now I needed some time/miles to recharge everything.
I had a run up to Earls Palace, didn't look like much of a palace to me

This is the Estate Agents brochure







And this is the reality
A renovation project, ideal for diy'ers

 

I'm sure there's likely to be a more technical name for this, but I'd call it a confluence.
The open sea on the left of the pic is flowing left to right.
The body of water between the two land masses on the right of the pic, is flowing right to left.
The choppy bit in the middle is where they meet.

 

It looks like you're having a great time of it. I too am up in Scotland for the week but with work so no bike but I did pop in to the Green Welly today Enjoy the rest of your trip

 

Is that the entrance to a Sea Loch?
You get a similar turbulance at the Falls of Lora at the entrance to loch Etive, pretty spectacular when the tide is turning either way with a slack period pof relative calm water inbetween.

 

It is here @Pegscraper

 

I then, still trying to recharge the phone so not using Google maps, went to Twatt and totally missed it as some twxt has nicked the signs!
Maybe in this modern woke pc world its now not acceptable or something
After a futile search I decided the only evidence left maybe at the church.



I do have a 1990's pic of me stood next to the usual road sign, so if I think on, and find it, I'll post it up.
It is a paper picture, do you remember those?
Take x24 pictures, eagerly await their developing, then promptly throw half of them in the bin for fingers in the way, camera shake or other