Much
of my motivation for my BikeShare to Scotland came from the Scottish
folk singer Dougie MacLean. I had heard him several years ago
on public radio and soon found myself tinkering on the BMW motorcycle
in the garage for hours while I listened to him sing of his homeland.
One of my primary goals on my BikeShare was to hear Dougie MacLean.
With a couple of quick faxes to Dunkeld Records, his record company,
I was able to secure a schedule of appearances before leaving.
I was literally on my way to the airport and stopped at the mailbox
and there it was. "Thank you very much Jennifer MacLean!"
I rode through two days of rain and slept in a wet tent to hear
him in Greenock. If the rest of the trip was a disaster it would
have been fine by me. Several members have expressed an interest
in seeing Scotland. I wholeheartedly recommend it. If you want
to expand your Scottish experience, put Dougie MacLean on your
list. Pick up a CD or a schedule of performances here or in the
U.K. You will not regret it.
Or, contact me at Trans-Atlantic BikeShare, North America and
I'll send you any information you would like.
So what does this have to do with BikeSharing and touring by
motorcycle? For most of us an integral part of a trip is getting
a feel for the place we are riding, whether it be the land or
the people. This is not always an easy task. This is where a
TourShare member can be a big help.
As I mentioned earlier, I had a couple of basic goals when
I was in Scotland. One was to hear Dougie MacLean and the other
was to visit the Isle of Skye. Other than that, I would follow
where the R80RT took me. This is all well and good, but it does
not insure a good trip.
After a night's rest Tony got out a U.K. atlas and begin to
point out sights and roads worth seeing, along with a few worth
missing. I integrated these with my basic goals and off I went.
One of the roads of interest was the Applecross Road.
On the ferry from Skye to Kyle of Lochalsh I met two young
men on holiday from Aberdeen. I mentioned Tony's recommendation
to take the road to Applecross. Not that I didn't trust him
or anything, but it was a little out of the way... They rolled
their eyes back and began to describe it with classic Scottish
style. They detailed its formation by glaciers millions of years
ago and ended their geological dissertation by adding that it,
"looked like it had just had anor' roof' goin' or' las'
wek." As I left the palm trees of Plockton behind, I was
still undecided as to whether or not I would take Tony's advice
and take the road across Applecross Gap. As I approached the
turn off sign my question was answered.
Well you don't have to ask me twice!
The Road to Applecross is literally a cow trail. The Gaelic
name, "Bealach na Ba" means Pass of the Cattle. From
what I remember of my visit on the ferry, the gap has been used
for hundreds of years to take cattle over the mountain to the
town of Applecross which sits on the Inner Sound of Raasay.
Somebody got the wise idea to pave it and call it a road. The
road is probably the highest public road in the UK. The scenery
is rugged and not the type you'll ever forget. On a map it is
a small red line to, what appears as, nowhere. The road winds
and twists along the valley headwall, but it is very rideable.
From the higher points of the road you can see Skye as it sits
majestically in the distance.
