Fair play to her - mini Scotland tour

[tommyardin]

My wife's best mate (the one I tried to hook you 'orrible lot up with a while back) passed her bike test the other week.  At present she's still got her 125 Varadero but is going "big bike" shopping soon - and yes, I've mentioned a Fazer to her....... LOTS


Anyway, I digress, work has been tough recently so she's taken some leave and has ridden to Skye from South London on her 125  :eek


First day she rode to Glasgow and stayed over.
Second day she rode to Skye via Loch Lomand and For William, she's now spending some time bimbling about in very mixed weather.  Says she's loving it.


Blooming fair play to her, all that way, on her own, on a 125!  I'm not envious at all, honest!

As you said fair play to her, not easy on a small bike .


I did a similar trip in 1966 on a BSA Bantam 175cc single pot stroker.
From Fernhurst in Sussex to Portmaharmack in the North West coast of Scotland 703 miles, the biggest killer was not being allowed on the motorways as I was a learner.
The old Billy Bantam had a top speed of about 58 MPH with everything in your favour, but in reality suitcase on a rear carrier,you had a job to average 35 mph, slight incline and the old Bantam was down to 27-28 mph.
I had no bikers clothes, I wore baseball boots with plastic bread bags over them, a pac-a-mac, some big old fashioned leather gauntlets and a scarf, no crash helmet, could not afford one and it wasn't law therefore not fashionable. I rode for about 20 hours and slept for about 6 hours in a lay-bye in a pile of granite chippings with my mac over me just outside Galashiels, the following day rode on for another 6 hours to Kircaldy and the following day completed my journey. I wanted to die, no really I was so tired that I could hardly keep my eyes open, I was soaking wet, freezing cold and very, very miserable.
Fernhurst to Galashiels 421 miles that's an avarage of 21 MPH metering in stops for a pee and a cafe stop.
Galashiels to  Portmaharmack 282 miles (With an overnight stop) that is an average riding speed of 18 mph, them focking mountains and and windy terrain make one hell of a difference especially with bloody great trucks going by you, although the worse bit was feeling them up behind you waiting to overtake you, make me feel very small and insignificant :eek The other thing I noticed was that it hardly ever stops raining on the North West coast of Scotland, and the temperature is not exactly Mediterranean. So as I said at the beginning of my ramblings FAIR PLAY to her, she has balls.
There is no way on earth would I ever think about a journey like that again, not even on my Fazer.
I drive up to The Lake District in my car and that's enough for me.