You brute! 
We were anchored there once on the way to Orkney - pretty bleak…
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Loch Eriboll was used as a naval anchorage during WW2. Being pretty dreich most of the time, I believe it was generally known as Loch Orrible.
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I’m not completely heartless, he did later get a Magnum Utopia Double Cherry ice-cream. 
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Great photos!
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Thanks. After putting the writeup together I thought everything look a bit samey. Guess that’s partly true, but also where I chose to take photos. But with nice weather and big scenery I’d never get bored.
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Yup, I can relate. I was aware of the history, not really a place for "shore leave… " 
Certainly true up there!
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My dad was still in the navy when I was learning to speak. When we were going out, he always said we were ‘going for a run ashore’, so one of my first words was ‘shore’.
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Day Seven
Going to be a bit more tense than usual, been a long day…
According to weather forecast it was 1°C when I went for a walk to get my bacon butty in the mist.
And when I left my digs in the mist it was a full 5°C. Was difficult to see road in the mist, with mist also on inside and outside of visor, so rode with it up on the single tack road until it occurred to me that 4 days ago I came in on a propper road. Doh! Turned around to head back to Lairg and get on correct lane-each-way road. Still difficult going with visibility and when satnav led me up road with a warning sign saying ‘Subject To Icing’ I thought ‘great, just what I need’. Actually it was, icing risk was because of altitude and it led me into the sun above the mist.
It now felt warm and had a pleasant ride until the A9.
The clouds came as I headed to and past Inverness, and I was getting cold enough for my teeth to start chattering.
Eventually turned of A9 to head towards the Cairngorms.
The promise of blue skies faded as I rode up to a ski place and down the other side.
Had lunch at a large, cafe/gift shop.
After this the Old Military Road heads due south towards Braemar.
The road south into Braemar is a fast A road through forest, and cruising along at 60 starts to feel a lot faster when the rows of trees at the roadside flash by.
Managed to fuel up at Braemar after a minor worry when half the pumps had labels for no fuel on, and the other pumps didn’t seem to want to pump.
The road south of Braemar is again a fast sweeping road, this time down valleys, and there are several roadsigns warning of low flying motorcycles, (I think that’s what they mean 
)
By now I was realising that I didn’t have time to dawdle if I was to get to my scheduled tyre fitting in Crieff. So only photo is a quick snap when adding an extra buff to my neck and putting in the chin curtain to my helmet in an effort to keep out the cold.
A bit after Blairgowrie it started to rain, so the last hour before Crieff was even more miserable than the day’s grey coldness.
Got to tyre place ten minutes before my 4pm appointment and it stopped raining as I arrived, so could remove all my luggage in dry before they got to work. I was watching them through a window and could tell they were having a bit of trouble getting wheel off then back on again. I know it’s really awkward, have to do it myself normally twice a year.
Afterwards I checked bike over to make sure tyre was on correct way and rim undamaged. Wheel and brake looked fitted correctly so I put luggage on bike and riding clobber on me and prepared to set off, giving the rear brake a good pump to make sure it was fine. Nope, it wasn’t. They’d got the steel thrust plate the pads sit on incorrect, blocking the pads from sliding. He went at it with a big lever to get it into place and I squealed loudly, so they got it back onto lift and undid caliper bolts to do it correctly.
All this added a half hour delay and I still had about an hour to get to the place I was staying. Someone there told me there was a petrol pump on the way so I decided not to detour to the other end of the busy town and back. I wished I had as the only petrol I passed was a single pump at a tiny garage that was closed and a big self service place that has all pumps out of action, possibly permanently by the looks of it.
If I wasn’t stressed and tired the ride along Loch Earn then Loch Tay would have been very pleasant.
Anyway, now at my hotel and had three course meal to console myself. Other diners are having wine but I’ve got lager, (they don’t have decent beer). I’m sure lager goes with the smoked salmon and beetroot starter and the braised lamb main? The little one was only interested in the third course.
And the beer I brought with me that we had in our room with a glass borrowed from the restaurant.
Got to now plan a route tomorrow that I’m confident will take me past a working petrol pump within 50 miles, without adding too much to my day.
Guess this post didn’t turn out very terse after all…
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First ski place will have been The Lecht? Coming down to Braemar, and then on to Blairgowrie along Glen Shee is brilliant riding…
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You’re right on both counts 
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Another couple of great write ups @BrownMouse . There is no doubt that that sickening feeling when you need fuel and the garage is closed.
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Day Eight
After a cooked breakfast I left the hotel and Loch Tay behind, seemed a shame I didn’t get to enjoy the area a little more.
Retracing the end of yesterday’s ride I got to the little garage that was closed yesterday and filled up. More relaxed now that worry was over I started on the route south. Across the hills and moors to the A9 and after a short blast east on that turned south again at Gleneagles.
There was a group of half a dozen birds circling overhead as I took the picture, I fancy they be eagles guarding the valley entrance Got caught in some friendly (I hope) fire a minute later when visor got splatted with poo.
After travelling the valley I followed satnav to get across the Forth at Falkirk. This necessitated a bit of motorway riding and when I passed The Kelpies thought it a good point for a rest and lunch.
After a bit more motorway I was once again heading cross country on empty fast roads through open countryside. When I got past Biggar the sky gave me hope of some decent weather.
But a short while later when I got to the A701 things were decidedly dark, then drizzly. So when I turned off to go by Talla reservoir I had to put on the waterproof over trousers I’d taken off at The Kelpies.
Rode the length of the reservoir to go up the steep single track at the end, in the process going up to meet those drizzly clouds, didn’t seem particularly wise.
Anyway got a snap of the view back.
And the moors I was joining.
Passed the next reservoir.
To come down to St Mary’s Loch.
The weather here didn’t seem too bad as I rode in the direction of Selkirk before turning south once more to head into the hills.
I soon found myself going into drizzly clouds again, this time the sort that also causes visor to mist on inside. It soon got tiresome having to wipe outside of visor every 10 seconds and cracking visor open regularly to clear the inside. Because of the conditions it probably took well over an hour to do the ‘scenic’ route through the hills to get to Langholm.
I made use of the petrol station there and popped to the Coop for an extra beer that I had room for now that I was wearing waterproofs.
Not many more miles got me to my B&B for the night. I’m now ensconced in a rather nice isolated place.
With supplies for tonight.
Bit of a comedown from yesterday’s 3 course meal. Still, Mrs Mouse has cooked a hearty soup from home grown ingredients which I shall be eating tomorrow. 
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You should be sponsored by the Scottish Tourist Board for this write-up and photos.
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Pretty impressive, we thought…
Is that little person eyeing up your beer? 
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He only likes the dark stuff. (The cider was my first purchase from a garage that only had lager and cider.)
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Day Nine
I stayed overnight near Newcastleton and my original plan for the last day was to head west to the Kielder forest and ride through it to Hexham then down the east side of the Pennines. However, the weather forecast was for the north to be wet so decided it wasn’t worth going out my way to get home. So after breakfast, and a bit of dawdling and chatting with B&B host, I set off over the wet hills towards Brampton then proceeded to retrace my route of the first day.
It stopped raining when I entered the Pennines and as I neared Alston I decided to pay a visit to The Nook cafe I remember passing several times but have never visited. After all, it was about time for Lemonsies.
I was the only one there.
After passing through Alston it got a lot greyer and the road was leading up to the cloud deck that cut a neat line off the top of the hills. By the time the road sprouted snow poles at it’s side I was also riding through those clouds. It wasn’t raining but water was coating my visor and the misty visibility required a much reduced speed. When the road descended again I came out of the mist, but also into the rain which persisted until I got to Scotch Corner.
I used the expensive petrol station at those services this time, to make use of their large canopy to shelter whilst I re-attached my fly screen and got my visor and clothing sorted. Petrol station also has it’s own toilets, which double up as a place to wash mucky hands after bike fiddling.
By now the rain had mostly stopped, which made the remaining 3 hour slog on motorway and dual-carriage home slightly more bearable, but I was still totally frazzled by the time I got home.
Total mileage for the 9 days was 1700 miles.
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Well done dude great job
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Brilliant trip! Thanks for the reports! 
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