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Travel StoriesSkye AKA Bogger's Curse
Blood And Rain, Finger Pain, Improving Terrain
Ride Date - 2 Sep 2026
By Ren Withnell
Well that's odd. I have slept. Not quite the deep sleep of a comfy bed but I have slept and slept well. As my blurry eyes inspect the mobile it's already 0630, my normal waking time even though we went to sleep at 2200. That's over 8.5 hours sleep. Mind you I did get up 3 times for a pee.
I can hear rain, I release a sarcastic "wow..." I escape the sleeping bag, hoist on my pants, get up, then brew up. Oooh that's better a cuppa always hits the spot. Sharon is starting to stir too, I heroically make her a brew and cautiously pass it to her. After not rushing yesterday with 140 miles to ride, today we have about 115 miles to ride so there's even less rushing. We are required to be off the site by 1200 so even after a brew and a slow rise we've got a lazy 3 hours to pack up and hit the road. Boring? No, not really. Relaxing, calm, easy, they're the words I'd apply to this morning.
It's all good save for one problem. The rain keeps on coming and going and coming and going. We are going to be putting the tent away wet it seems. It's far from ideal but there's not a sausage we can do about it. The bag weighs a ton with the extra liquid as I heave it onto the bike. I blame Bogger.
My new flattened tin can puck doesn't quite fit into the lock bag on the side of the bike. "Gerrin ya swine!" I give it a shove. Ouch. I've sliced the tip of my middle finger on a sharp tin edge. Blood everywhere. I briefly have visions of my holiday being spent in A&E to have stitches. Dagnammit! I look at it, the finger is still there, I can't see bits hanging off or missing and it's just stinging a little.
By the time I've got the dangerous puck into the bag it looks like a scene from a Hammer Horror movie. Judging by my not feeling faint, the fact I've self inflicted this kind of injury many times in my life, and pure hope, I hope the rain is mixing with the blood and spreading it out making it look far worse than it really is. I hope that's the case otherwise I'm a gonner.
I rinse the finger under a tap. Phew. Just a thin slice I'm not going to die. It's going to sting while it heals though, it's like a deep paper cut that'll keep on opening at the most inconvenient moments. Sharon, ever prepared, applies a plaster so tightly I fear I'll lose the whole finger due to poor circulation. Bogger's fault, obviously.
It's raining, we'll be sticking to the motorways. We depart Bruce's Cave at 1145 and join the M74 at junction 20. My finger feels OK, the rain isn't so bad that we can't see, and the traffic is moving as you'd expect. I'm glad Sharon had plasters with her otherwise my finger would be congealing into the tip of the glove by now.
Last night I made a plan. By the power of Google maps I have sat-nav set to take us to the small town of Douglas wherein we shall find a small cafe called Douglas Deli. Douglas is indeed a small and presently very wet town, thankfully the deli is open. Within we have a brew and an affordable snack. The lady behind the counter is from the midlands, having moved here for a quieter life some 10 years since. We compare notes about The Galloway Coast where she has a static.
Good grub and hot tea at Douglas Deli. Look at Ren's poor bandaged finger.
Back on the motorway we are treated to a reduction in rain persistence. It's a good job - sat-nav does well to lead us but there are numerous junctions with numerous lanes from the M74 to M73 to M80 to M9. It's already confusing enough in the semi-dry, heavy rain would have been impossibly dangerous. The finger gives me a little sting to remind me, as does the hip although today a quick seat shuffle seems to help a lot.
At last the end of the motorway brings a refreshing change - and the return of the rain. Callander is one of several places that claim to be "The Gateway To The Highlands". As we get closer along the A84 there's trees and fields, but every now and then we are offered a brief view of a big hill, possibly a mountain? There's a tiny pep in my heartbeat, we are getting ever closer to The Highlands. Oh come to me my beauteous wonders!
We've been to Keltie Bridge before. It's slightly bittersweet, the first time Sharon and I were here was with Ian Walker back in 2012. That was a good trip, alas Ian died a few years later. There's no point being sad, I'd rather recall the laughs and rides we shared, the good times.
"Have you been with us before?" Oh yes. We're booked in and instructed to pitch down by the tables. "There's a couple of other bikers here, down by them." Oh goody, company. Sure enough there's a big Kwakker V-twin and a Triumph cruiser. A few cursory nods ensue as Sharon and I park up and begin to pitch.
Proper bikes and proper bikers.
"The inside of the tent is wet!"
"Yes, of course it is." I explain that no matter how it is done if you put a soggy mass of material into a big bag that sogginess will find it's way to the originally not so soggy bits. The impossible I do daily, miracles are still beyond my remit. Much grumbling and futile drying is attempted, then as it is not raining presently, the thing is left to air a little.
Our equally soggy camping companions are old skool biker types with "cuts" and cruisers. They appear suitably scary but we know better, this ain't our first rodeo. Firstly we're offered a coffee, I insist on tea which they don't have so I give them my cup with a teabag inside. While Sharon does all she can to get things dry I sit and chat.
They've been up and around The Highlands, now they're en route to Stormin' The Castle at Darlington. One of them is from The Wirral so not far from Sharon's, the other is from Hampshire so he's a long way from home. Apparently they're brothers, although I'd never have guessed. Tales of travels, mechanical issues, rallies, and other appropriate subjects ensue. Between all this they're getting ready to ride into Callander as Sharon and I get settled in.
After they've gone and we are fettled we decide we'll take a gentle stroll into Callander. We'll grab some food while stretching the legs. Hmmmm, it's a fair walk but I'll be fine, although I think it'll be prudent to take our waterproofs.
Personally as I walk by some very ordinary grey rendered council stock I reckon Callander is a fine if rather unimpressive place so far. Sharon's eye is firmly on the surrounding hillsides filled with dense woodlands which she loves, she seems quite enamored with the place. Despite the drizzle she's perky, my feet are already starting to ache.
Sharon is absolutely loving the dense woodland beside the road.
Callander promises more forest to explore all around the town.
This peculiar property in Callander is far from drab.
Food! There's a chippy open, we really ought to purchase something healthy and cook it ourselves back at site? Just the merest moment of persuasion from Sharon sees us ordering a large portion to share. Chips, sat on the bench outside what was the old church is now the Callander Visitor Information Centre. There's something special about chips out on a bench, tasty indeed, even better as it's not presently raining.
Chips with salt and vinegar and no rain. Yum!
We drop into the Co-op to acquire a few items for breakfast and perhaps a greedy snack later. Now I must bravely endure a long arduous amble all the way back to the campsite. Sharon is fine, her dinky size 4s give her no trouble at all. She leads me off the direct path to inspect some curious properties down a narrow street. Oooh me poor tootsies.
By the time we're walking past the Keltie Bridge sign I've gone past moaning to survival mode. Our camping compatriots laugh politely at my suffering, that's why they chose to ride into town. I muster enough willpower to make a brew so I can enjoy a well earned rest in my camping chair. My goodness that is a most welcome relief, to unfasten my boots and take the weight off.
The rain makes the evening cool, being September makes the cool not too cold. I grab a shower in the smart and functional rooms, pour over Google maps a while and chat a bit more with the bikers. Speaking of them I feared they'd be up partying till all hours, by 2000 as the darkness draws in all is quiet save for the shuffling of sleeping bags, they're not even snoring! Hardcore!!
I've brought 2 canisters of Campingaz, one mostly empty that needs finishing off, and a full one. As I make the last brew of the day the mostly empty canister splutters it's last. No problem, I swap canisters and boil the kettle.
Ideally I'd like to purchase another canister, I'm inexperienced with Campingaz and I've no idea how long a canister lasts. Fear not fear reader - Campingaz has a website that lists endless shops that will replenish all your cooking and heating needs! Hmmmm, their list is nowhere near as comprehensive as I'd hoped. There's 3 shops in Fort William, we'll stop there and get another canister tomorrow.
The rain is light then heavy then gone then back again. To sleep!
A guide to our route.
Publish your own travelog here - it's not difficult.
Prologue - Skye AKA Bogger's Curse
Excuses and complaining... that is all Ren has to offer. A truncated trip, the risk of bad weather, and bad timing. Awww poor poor Ren.
No Rain, Hip Pain, A Train, Rice Grain, Heavy Rain
The Batties are off to Skye! Today though they barely make it to Scotland. Ren expands his culinary expertise, forgets something, and looks happy as always.
Blood And Rain, Finger Pain, Improving Terrain
A short and simple if a little wet ride up to Callander is followed by a (not very) long and tiresome walk into Callander. No pain no gain Ren! There's new friends too.
Reader's Comments
Upt'North ยน said :-
Enough with the finger already.
It always rain in Callander. It only stops so it can start again.
Upt.
02/10/2026 16:10:52 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ren , so many comments , where will I start? Hopefully your finger is ok and you obviously didn't need a Tetanus jab! Just as well you didn't dip it in the salty chips , that would have stung a bit! While we're on food , tell me that's not a hot cross bun with a filling?
On the subject of sleep, having just finished reading the book entitled " The 8 hour sleep Paradox" The Author suggests that disturbed sleep suggests you are not getting uninterrupted deep sleep where the body secretes hormones that prevent you from needing to ahem urinate... Deep sleep apparently is still and silent, and barking dogs and flushing toilets don't wake you . There's an app you can download which records the number of interruptions during the night , most of which can be caused by airway restrictions causing you to move or open your mouth, basically repeatedly waking up your brain leading to poor restorative sleep quality. The book is well worth a read.
Camping wise it's great to be back to normal, cool damp and soggy conditions.
Nigel
02/10/2026 16:32:56 UTC
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Travel StoriesSkye AKA Bogger's Curse