Scotland: North Coast 500, Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye Trip Report July 2023

SCOTLAND: NC500, EDINBURGH & THE ISLE OF SKYE – JULY 2023
Piers Hutchins & William Gillingham-Sutton guide a group of 12 riders, exploring the magical scenery of Scotland, the famous NC500, the glorious Isle of Skye and the National parks of North England.

Day 1
Anglesey to Keswick in the Lake District National Park.  Arriving here at the lovely Borrowdale Hotel gives us a glimpse of the beautiful countryside yet to come.  Smiles all around and some good miles under our belts.

Day 2
Keswick to Edinburgh, through Kielder National Park.  We had rain, we had sunshine and we loved it.  Was a chilled day’s ride with deep fried burgers and good company to match.  Chilled day off the bikes tomorrow in the historic city of Edinburgh.

Day 3
A day off to see the sights and take in some local culture. Boat rides, fantastic food, an underground walking tour at the Real Mary King’s close and of course a cheeky beer to celebrate the day

Day 4
After a very relaxing day out of the saddle In Edinburgh yesterday and ready to take on the highlands, we have arrived at The Loch Ness Clansman Hotel and what a lovely view for dinner.  Piers got a puncture and is now in Perth, while the rest of the crew rode through the beautiful Cairngorms National Park with some great photo opportunities and windy roads just made for cruising on a motorcycle… more please

Day 5
Waking up to a lovely, sunny day in Loch Ness, then visiting the beautiful Dunrobin castle (obligatory posey shot on bike ) and riding some twisty hill roads, it was another great day of riding.
After some heavy rain the sunshine greeted us at John o’Groats and saw us all way back to the hotel, with views of a distant thunder storm with lightning as we weaved our way through the mountains.  Time for a pint and enjoy the beautiful view from the hotel.

Day 6
After an early morning start we set off on the beautiful roads of the NC500.  There were panoramic views of mountains and lochs a-plenty and some rogue sheep .  A great morning’s ride and then we hit some gorgeous roads and scenery coming on to the Isle of Skye, arriving at the hotel in good time.

Day 7
It’s been a chilled day for with some stretching their legs in local countryside and small towns and others taking the Isle of Skye loop.  The weather was good (most of the time) the roads were dry (most of the time ), castles were visited and lunch was taken outside in the sun.  All batteries recharged ready for making our way back to Inverness and down to Loch Lomond.

Day 8
What can I say?!  It’s been a day of marvellous riding.  The sun was out, the roads were dry and the hills were alive with the sound of engines and the view of fighter jets on their practice runs… yes, something straight out of top gun, very cool   Our route took us from the Isle of Skye to Arrochar, Loch Lomond, through the fast twisty roads of the Great Glen that gave way to the sweeping bends of Glencoe, passing Ben Nevis on the way.  Visiting Eilean Donan Castle on the way, a picture straight out of the film Highlander.  There were more photo opportunities than you could shake a torch wrench at.  More please

Day 9
Departing Scotland through the Gretna Green border, avoiding marriage but not the rain.  We road south back toward the lovely Lake District and, happy to say, the sun.  We skirted around Glasgow and the roads opened up to lakes and hills once again.  It’s been a relaxed day’s riding with a relaxed sunny coffee stop in the village of Strathaven. Finished with a pint in the sunny gardens of the Borrowdale Hotel.

Day 10
Riding from Keswick to Draycott-in-the-Clay and along the Cat and Fiddle road, it would be an understatement to say these were nice roads.  We climbed through West Yorkshire and rode sweeping curves in Derbyshire.  Stopped and had tea and cake at the Cat and Fiddle cafe, while others visited the distillery.  The sun was out and the traffic cleared for some smooth cornering, with a balance of some farm track slow riding for the views.  This is sadly the last day of the North Coast 500 trip and the gang has really meshed.  Time for that last evening pint and banter together.  Till the next NC500 trip

We’re sure you will have been inspired by this trip report, so why not ask us about upcoming dates so that you can experience it first hand?