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Walking, Eating, Drinking, And Riding (The Next Day)
Walk/Ride Date - April 2026
By Bogger
On Saturday we awoke to sunshine and showers. Breakfast was consumed, without any of the staff fighting! Apparently the last time the lads were here a couple of years ago the chef took umbrage at something the manager had said. It didn't end well. But today was fine, in fact it was all rather pleasant.
Some of the group wanted to ride out, which would have been nice except for my now lack of fuel. Others wanted to go for a walk. But it's very hilly and there's nowt around us. In fact I fancied doing absolutely nothing. However I was coerced into going for a walk. Yeah but where to? Back down to Salen 3 miles away. Harumph, OK then.
The walk to Salen was hard work for a man of my age as there were plenty of sharp steep hills. There were five of us. I was like a seven year old "are we there yet?" I was glad when we finally arrived, indeed so were the others.
Thankfully there was a tiny convenience store which doubled up as a cafe. A cafe with only two small tables and a total of seven seats. We plonked ourselves down and had a couple of coffees each and a nice slice of cake. None of which I paid for, despite my protestations. If someone was shopping you had to vacate your seat to let them past.
Oh Lordy, we've got to walk back now! We re-traced our steps as far as the Salen hotel, just three hundred metres away. I'd somehow missed the hotel on the walk down. Some of the other lads had been here on previous trips. The bar and restaurant area was very modern and well lit, a really nice place. Time for a drink then.
The owner was a lovely guy. We had a couple of drinks and I asked the owner if the hotel hired cycles out. No. Oh. I then enquired if he had a car, apparently so. OK mister is there any chance of a lift back to Acharacle when we've finished drinking? Surprisingly the answer was yes, I'll get my wife to give you all all a lift back. Splendid. So we did the only thing we could and drank some more and also had something to eat there. It was a very pleasant afternoon.
The allotted time to return to Acharacle was upon us, hic, burp. The ride back to Acharacle in the top of the range Range Rover just finished the afternoon off nicely. Remember, if you don't ask, you don't get.
We all convened in the hotel bar, along with, unfortunately, the completely and utterly English hating, not too strong a word, local who detested the very sight of us. In his local!! Get over it mate. We ordered our evening meal, I can't even remember what it was now and I only had had one more drink, there's a big ride home tomorrow. In the bar we exchanged the day's events as to who had done what etc. In fact everyone had had a good day.
It's nine thirty. Time for bed methinks.
Unfortunately the night's sleep was as bad as the first night was good. I was up, showered and packing away by seven AM, feeling really tired still. I opened the curtains and was greeted by a misty, drizzly panorama. Moaning won't change it, but I moaned anyway, just to cheer myself up. I had porridge for breakfast. It was awful. I should have had the full Scottish instead.
From a vague recollection we had all loaded up, paid our dues and were away by ten thirty AM. Into the gloom, mist, and drizzle, along the twisting winding roads of the 25 miles to the ferry. I needed fuel, not desperately, but I wanted to fill up as soon as possible. This feat was accomplished in Glencoe village at the foot of the pass.
A couple of miles into the Glencoe pass it started to lash it down and blow a gale. Visibility was down to 50mtrs. It was very cold and GRIM. It was some of the worst conditions I've ever ridden in. Frankly it was dangerous at times. After over an hour of dodging sheep, ramblers, cars and potholes we all, in dribs and drabs, pulled into the Green Welly stop. No one, was what you would call, happy with the situation.
Back down alongside the banks of Loch Lomond, the weather easing with each mile that passed beneath our wheels. The traffic was somewhat less congested than a couple of days previous. We refilled our tanks just before the Erskine bridge and set of to negotiate Glasgow and it's lovely road works. At the fuel stop it was agreed that we would all meet at the first of our fuel stops, at Gretna.
We got split into smaller groups going through the road works. As soon as we were through the taps were opened and the Bee Ems disappeared as quickly as on the first day. B******s.
Alas, when we arrived in Gretna the fuel station was closed. The consensus was to ride through the back roads to the next town and fill up there. I was really low on petrol and feared that I would not make it that far! I did a bit of Google mapping on the phone and set off for Todhills motorway services.
I was now riding alone and dropped the speed a bit. This allowed me to get all the way home without having to stop again. I arrived home at seven pm, having covered a total of 681 miles. I felt bit dazed and tired, but ok.
So dear readers, was it a good weekend? Yes, absolutely it was, apart from an NTV 750 landing on top of me in some remote part of Scotland. The Preston lads are a cracking, funny, hospitable bunch. They are definitely nuts, but aren't we all? The Loch Shiel hotel was clean, but, err, just OK. Nothing special. We all agreed it needed a bit of TLC. For a weekend the journey is doable, but it's a long way.
Now to the SH350. It acquitted itself very well, but as I mentioned before it is not a litre plus tourer. The main downside is the tank size/fuel range, particularly when it's being caned. Sorry ridden enthusiastically. I did build up the courage to check for damage once home. Thankfully there are only a couple of minor chips to the underside of the paintwork. There's a minor scratch, barely visible on the chrome bar end and the left side brake lever end ball had a minor scratch, which I've polished out. TFFT. It's a good job I'm fat and managed to cushion the tumble!
I'm away with the Preston boys again in September, on a 'Shed Run'. Wish me luck.
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From Bad, To Worse, To Awful
Bogger has an almost new SH350. And some friends, mostly on litre plus bikes. And a long ride ahead. There's buffoonery, worries, and finally good old incompetence to ensure Bogger has the best of times.
Walking, Eating, Drinking, And Riding (The Next Day)
Covering 2 days Bogger manages a little walk, an inordinate amount of dining, some alcohol, and a long ride (once sober). Contrary to Bogger's modus operandi all this is achieved without any disasters. Go figure.
Reader's Comments
ROD¹ said :-
Good write up. I am pleased that the SH is not damaged too much.
I always travel alone, but I do find the time from getting to the destination and time before bed can be a little boring without company.
It has been a year since I got away anywhere, for even an overnighter, life gets in the way!
09/09/2026 10:48:59 UTC
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