April 2010 and the Ariel owners club had arranged a meet up at Newtonmore. I was recently single, the winter had been a brute and this was the first decent weather we'd had since the previous summer. I took the Friday off with a plan to get round the North coast before the meet up on Saturday evening. Much fast road work (as 'The Motorcycle' used to describe it) followed.
As well as many fast A roads, the North also offers this gem - a narrow strip of tarmac which is nearly a track in places - a fine test of the bikes versatility.
After a couple of damp trips on the MZ to this part of the world 2008 saw my first time in the dry and it became a regular destination. April was a good time to go as it was before the tourist season, you often got good weather and the midges were still dormant. I'd camp in either Applecross or Gairloch as both sites were a good run up from home and had a good pub. Next day would be a mad thrash round to Ullapool and up the infamous A835. Home would be via many different routes, usually finishing up with the A939 and A93. No pillion, no cares, empty roads and no Police meant traffic laws became guidelines and the Big GS's handling and performance got used and (sometimes) abused.
2011 was particularly fine as April became five weeks of continuous sunshine. I did my usual with a camp in Gairloch, followed by a run north and west. In the 70 miles between Ullapool and Durness I only overtook one car, despite speeds well in the overdraft zone. Altnaharra on the singletrack A836 stuck in my memory as the temps hit 30 degrees. That January this wild and remote place saw the lowest temperature recorded in the British isles - minus 30!
The voluminous rain of 2012 did curtail things somewhat. I got lucky with my April trip (actually the end of March...) with a few days of glorious sunshine in amongst weeks of rain. The highlight was crossing Loch Carron on the old Kylrea boat, pressed into service as the main road had been closed by a landslide.
I'd often passed the sign on the A890 - "Strome Ferry, No Ferry." Well this time there was!
The Applecross road before it became famous (and crowded)
In the years that followed, iffy weather in April curtailed my annual thrashes up here. I grabbed an odd trip but things were changing. By the power of the internet many more people were heading for the North West to experience the empty roads and scenery. So the roads weren't empty any more and the Police were taking an interest. Then a group of local business owners, seeing their north Highland hotels decline year on year, had the bright idea of promoting a driving route round these roads in order to drum up business. What seemed like a colossal white elephant blossomed into a tourist phenomena. Crowds headed up to my favourite roads, in Morris minors, Beford rascals, 2CV's and worst of all Campervans. Once empty roads saw holiday traffic levels grow by alarming amounts. Numerous single track roads became mexican standoffs as people who had never experienced such things (at least in a house on wheels) struggled to cope. The locals sharpened their sticks and tourist businesses reaped the rewards.
I stayed well out of it. My now sporadic trips were focused on 'Not the North Coast 500;' seeking out roads that this route missed and were still quiet as a result. I guess my main disappointment was that my favourite campsites were suddenly full. In September 2019 I did this to perfection only using the NC route a few times and during the evenings when the tourists were tucking into their main meal.
I stayed well out of it. My now sporadic trips were focused on 'Not the North Coast 500;' seeking out roads that this route missed and were still quiet as a result. I guess my main disappointment was that my favourite campsites were suddenly full. In September 2019 I did this to perfection only using the NC route a few times and during the evenings when the tourists were tucking into their main meal.
I was also planning a further change to my motorcycling - a new bike! Or rather an old one. The big GS was getting a bit long in the tooth and manoeuvering quarter a tone of machine over narrow single track roads was becoming a chore. High speeds were also no longer of interest and finding the limits of cornering likewise. I still had the Ariels and these would be brought out to play once more but I had a hankering for something that was a bit more of a road burner than a forties plodder. Enter another 1970 Triumph Trophy 650.....
More on this later!
