Princess Square Shopping Centre is hard to miss with its famous Art Nouveau, Peacock made from metalwork, built by Shepley Engineering in 1990,…


… and its glowing colors beckoning you to come inside for a closer look.


Princess Square Shopping Centre from the fourth floor.


Beautiful hard wood accents throughout.


All Saints clothing store with its unique design of glass walls and thousands of old sewing machines.


The equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington was created by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844. Ok, why does it have a traffic cone on its head?


It is believed that climbing the statue to place a cone on the head of the duke started in the 1980s and it’s been a part of the city ever since. It’s iconic and I don’t think the city would be the same without it.


How can you turn down a sign like this for ice-cream? Even if it is a bit chilly.

Definitely one of my favorite cities of this trip.

After leaving Glasgow we were making good time until a police officer, at the side of the highway, motioned for us to pull over. Both Chantil and I pulled over along with a vintage VW travel van. It turns out the travel van was speeding - not us! The police officer motioned for us to continue along our merry way. Not sure how a gutless VW van was speeding but we’re glad it wasn’t us.


Balloch Castle and Park offered a short walk and some rest from riding the mules.


Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park was nice but very foggy with misty rain.


Tarbet Isle lies on Loch Lomond. Locals refer to it as 'Honeymoon Island'. If newlyweds spend a week on the island without killing each other, it was deemed a sign that the marriage would be successful!


A map of Scotland at one of the rest areas.


North of Trossachs National Park you climb into the West Scottish Highlands.


Glencoe Mountain Resort was our first experience trying haggis. This double burger has a beef patty and a haggis patty. It wasn’t bad actually! I guess enough flavoring will make any sheep parts taste good.


I thought this flag was kinda cool looking until I researched it and realized it’s from Harry Potter? Still cool looking - just not as cool.


We’re both glad the weather lifted enough to enjoy…


… this beautiful valley pass. I’ve heard the views get even better as one continues north.


As we continued North along the A828, the evergreen trees started to return.


The Ballachulish Bridge crosses the narrows between Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe.


The second oldest operational cruise ship in the world, MV Astoria, cruises through the Loch Linnhe near Fort William.


We covered a lot of ground today. I was hoping to make it to Isle of Skye, but we would soon run out of daylight.


We found a secluded dirt lot and pitched our tent in the woods next to a beautiful view of Loch Garry.


*Image from WillCopestakeMedia.com

Side note: In Glencoe, we first noticed hikers with netting over their heads making them look like post-apocalyptic scarecrows. “Are the bugs here really that bad?”, we wondered. The answer – A RESOUNDING YES! THEY ARE THAT BAD!! Flying insects called Highland Midges are ruthless here! So far, they haven’t been more than just super obnoxious. I hope they don’t bite because I hear they are worse than mosquitoes.


Goodnight Scotland. I’ll dream of Scottish Highlands without midges. Until tomorrow…

300km of riding around the Isle of Skye today. Sites included Eilean Donan, Kilt Rock at Mealt Falls Viewpoint, and Duntulm Castle.


Already shaping up to be a wet morning and day. Currently, it’s only a drizzle.


We arrived at Eilean Donan before it was opened so unless we storm the castle, this is a close as were getting today.


Eilean Donan, which means simply "Island of Donnán" was founded in the thirteenth century and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan Macrae.


Fortunately, the sun started to pear thorough the clouds just as we were about to move on. An attractive castle especially with the arched bridge that was added in early 1900s to give easier access to the island


German motorcycles and Scottish castles!


On the road to Isle of Skye I spotted this sculpture in a yard of a small house. I think it caught my eye because it’s something my dad would have liked. I can hear him laughing “It’s cool, huh?” Mum tattoo and all.


Some other hearty motorcyclists on a Sunday morning ride. I’m still trying to figure out the wave thing with the left-sided roads. Many bikers just seem to kick out their right foot instead of using their hands.


Before long we were crossing the only bridge access to Isle of Skye via the aptly named Skye bridge. It was completed in 1995 allowing much easier access across the Loch Alsh.


Herds of cows and fleets of cars on a narrow road make for some interesting confrontations.


The Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls Viewpoint offered some great views of the Inner Seas.


The rocks and sea from the steep cliffs at Mealt Falls Viewpoint.


Mealt Falls (foreground) and Kilt Rock (background).


Looking south towards the Brother’s Point.


An old truck makes for a great mobile business selling afternoon tea and sandwiches.


Duntulm Castle Ruins, located on beautiful hilly cliff, was not accessible to the public.


The sheep roam pretty much anywhere here on the island, leaving their little round balls of poop wherever they go. It’s normally not an issue, unless it’s raining. It’s been raining almost all day.


It would have been a great place to fly the drone, but it was raining and blowing about 30 knots.


However, the rain seemed to let up just as we arrived to capture some beautiful views.


We didn’t go inside the Dunvegan Castle & Gardens but we did enjoy a nice ride on the roads to the north of the castle.


The Ferry Inn looks like a nice place to stay.


There were a few pockets of blue skies throughout the day.


Typical white cottage style homes and hills of green of the Isle of Skye.


By 3 PM, the rains returned and was heavy enough that it starting to seep through my gloves, and pants. My pants have a “waterproof” liner that just wasn’t making the grade. If anyone has rain gear that manages to keep you dry for an entire day of riding please let me know - I'll buy it!

An hour later, I just wanted to stop and dry out anywhere, so we stopped for the evening at a hostel called Saucy Mary’s. The hostel’s pizza restaurant was not very good. Wait, what?! Is there such a thing as “not very good” pizza? Yes, we found it at Saucy Mary's Pub. Pizza – 1.5 stars. On a positive note, the hostel had a private bunk room for us over the Scottish holiday and a friendly reception guy. He even dried a load of wet riding gear for us! Service – 5 stars.


The hostel had a few clocks showing different times. I got a laugh out of Trump time.

It’s funny how folks, nearly half a world away, care about an American president. A week ago, all the news was about Trump coming to Ireland. I don’t understand this fascination with politicians, movie stars, and sports figures.

The forecast is calling for solid rain the next four days, so we are rethinking our plans of riding the Scottish North Coast 500. The weather looks better to the east. We’ll see...

You are in the best touring area in Europe, in my opinion, the scenery is outstanding. Enjoy your tour around the highlands and don't dip out on the NC500, the coastal route is spectacular if you get the weather.

Wet weather gear, buy a Rukka suit would be my recommendation. In July 2002 I bought a suit, the cost brought tears to my eyes at the time but I have never regretted the expenditure. I still wear the suit every time I ride and it has never let water in. I normally do 8000 to 10000 miles per year. This summer I was touring in Cornwall and it started raining as I left the B&B, it rained heavily all day. My BMW succumbed to the rain late afternoon and had to be trailered home but the rider stayed warm and dry, both whilst riding and standing awaiting the breakdown. The only downside is that the suits lack good ventilation in hot weather (30 plus) but I and my wife have learned to cope with the high temperatures. Yes, we bought her a Rukka suit as well based on my experiences.

Thank you for making the effort to provide your ride report, it makes for great reading, I check every day to see if you have posted a new chapter.

200 km of riding today as we make our way east to the promise of better weather. Highlights include Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition, and the city of Elgin.

We abandoned our plans to see the Northern Highlands of Scotland because of the poor weather forecast over the next five days. This was a decision we did not make lightly; I knew we would be missing out on some of the best scenery of our entire three-week trip.
Although I was a bit bummed, there was also a concession plan to see a place I’ve wanted to visit ever since my childhood back in the USA. A mysterious place called Loch Ness and the dinosaur creature that lived within its depths – The elusive Loch Ness Monster!
The morning was already calling for rain. I hate loading my mule in the rain - Even more than actually riding in the rain. Fortunately, the rain stopped long enough for us to pack the mules. Unfortunately, as soon as we clicked our shift lever into first gear, the rain started once again and didn’t let up until late in the morning.


Leaving Isle of Skye to head east where better weather is promised by the weather guessers.


Curse you gray clouds with your cold and joy crushing rain!

Side rant: Our gear keeps us pretty dry until it rains hard or rains for more than a few hours. My “waterproof” boots start taking on water from all the spray that is kicked up the pavement and the front tire. Once the waterproof liner of my pants is saturated, it too starts leaking. Fortunately, we have heated jackets, gloves, and handlebar grips. Without the heated gear we would be downright miserable.

There was one particular section of the narrow, curved road where we had to follow a large RV. I imagined they were inside wearing flannel pajamas, listening to relaxing jazz, the passenger feeding cheese slices and grapes to the driver, all while they drove through rain that was isolated from them in their temperature controlled, cocooned, glass and steel, wheeled RV. Yes, I was admittedly jealous of the RVers. Riding for extended periods in moderate to heavy rain is no joy.
Moving on… First stop of the day was to Urquhart Castle located on the shores of Loch Ness. What, another castle? It turns out Scotland has over 115 castles! Yes, that’s A LOT of castles! No, we didn’t see them all.


Raining all morning was a bit of a bummer but not bad enough that our spirits couldn’t be lifted with a fresh baked raspberry and white chocolate muffin.


The visitors center at Urquhart Castle had this life-size statue of a deer.


The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though it was built on the site of an early medieval fortification.


Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle.


Lighting is used to show where the large fire pit was used for the kitchen area of the castle.


The Loch Ness. A bit bummed that we didn’t see even one monster!


The Scottish flag waves proudly overhead the castle ruins.


The castle was abandoned by the middle of the 17th century.




A ferry takes passengers to other piers located around the Lock Ness. Still no Nessie sightings!


If someone has what you want, and they think they can get it, then conflict will follow. The MacDonalds Clan raided the castle numerous times over a two-hundred-year period. Apparently, they also had a very accurate accountant who kept great records like there.






Moss covered tree near the banks of the Loch Ness.


The visitors center has a small museum showing a typical wooden shield covered in leather and studs from the Wars of Scottish Independence.


What the castle may have looked like during it most fortified and productive times.

Just a short ride from Urquhart Castle to the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition…


Along the road, Chantil heard a sudden pop sound and then something metallic falling and skipping along the pavement. We pulled over and I noticed she was missing the chain tension adjustment plate that fits on the back of the swingarm. The adjusting bolt ended up snapping in half. Unfortunately, the aluminum support plate, an $18 part, was missing.

We rode back and ended up finding the plate on the side of the road. Lucky us! Replacing a standard sized bolt will be much easier than finding a replacement for the BMW manufactured plate. Also, the broken part is only important for adjusting the chain; something we adjusted just a few days ago. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to mess with the adjustment for the rest of the trip.

Onward to Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition…

Our BMW G650GS mules parked next to BMW R1200GS clydesdales. Yikes they look heavy! I’ve never ridden on such a behemoth, but I hear they are like hippos in the water – heavy on the eyes but actually quite graceful once on the move.


The Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition is a great looking building...


...with stone headed statues!


The Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition takes you on a journey of discovery and ultimately lets you determine, for yourself, if the Loch Ness Monsters exists.


A Scottish design of the Loch Ness Monster.


This famous picture, known as the “Surgeon’s Photograph” inspired thousands of people to flock to Loch Ness. It was later determined to be a hoax.


A few, high profile, studies were done in the 1970s and 80s but nothing conclusive was found.


Many of the sightings, although real to the observes, were probably just water and wind effecting sticks, logs, animals or birds.


Does the Loch Ness Monster exist?...


...It clearly does!! Here is a plastic one…


…and an isle of stuffed ones! Yea, I’d say Nessie lives; even if he’s manufactured in China.

We continued along our planned route and made good time along the A96.


This was found on the side of a petrol (gas) station! Seriously, is gas theft that much of a problem that you need four cameras?


We made it to Elgin! This is where my mother-in-law served part of her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.


Riding through the streets of Elgin. Chantil is right behind me in the mirror!


German bikes next to a British jet. We’ve come a long way since the 1950s!


The Blackburn Buccaneer was used in the 60’s and 70’s as a carrier-based attack aircraft. Fly Navy!


These old jets have a history to tell, I’m sure.

We finished the day at the, nearby and nearly abandoned, Silver Sands Camping & Caravan Holidays. Tomorrow we continue our clockwise trip around Scotland…

Thank you for the comments and I appreciate the recommendation of Rukka. If it keeps me dry all day of riding then it's worth it. Unfortunately, we did "dip out" of the NC500. Totally bummed but the weather just wasn't going to make the 5 days enjoyable. We'll try again in 2020 for sure!

We will be quite busy over the next two weeks so updates may be a bit slow. Hang in there!

There will be a break in the ride report until after Christmas. Happy holidays to you all!

Wishing you both a great Christmas and I look forward to following you in the New Year.

Loving the ride report. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

I have a 10 year old Hein Gereke jacket that has never leaked. They key is the GoreTex lining, any top speck GoreTex gear should work well - Rukka is one of the best but also costs too $

Happy Christmas

250 km of riding today as we continued around Scotland on the east side from Elgin, to Dunnottar Castle, and ending the day at St. Andrews Holiday Park. BTW, the weather is much nicer here than in the Highlands.


Covesea Skerries Lighthouse overlooks the campground.


Covesea Skerries Lighthouse was built in 1846 and deactivated in 2012.


We enjoyed a good breakfast as the campground. The hostess was so nice we decided to leave a small tip. Does leaving two pounds as a tip negate the two pounds of breakfast we just ate?


Since the Scottish invented golf in the 15th century we decided it would be fitting to play a round of golf. Does mini-golf count?


Got to hit it through the yellow mountain. By the way, I boogered a hole so bad that Chantil won the match by four strokes.

On our way out of the town of Elgin we stopped by the Cathedral. It was a nice morning and a great time to take some great pictures of an interesting landmark.


Fragments are all that remain of the large rose window of the Elgin Cathedral.


A decorative metal fence surrounds the entire cathedral grounds.


The Elgin Cathedral was established in 1224, but multiple attacks and fires over three centuries have left it in ruins.


There is a fee to visit inside the fence, but we felt like we had seen enough from the outside.


Next door is a Biblical Garden with some nice tile mosaics.

Our next stop was Dunnottar Castle. Just before reaching the parking area, I noticed another fellow motorcyclist pulling out of the parking area and then riding on the right side of the road. No worries, except we are in the UK where you ride on the left! No drama, as I was slowing, he recognized he was on the wrong side and then quickly drifted back his side of the road on the left followed by a sorry gesture. He must be from mainland Europe.


Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, meaning "fort on the shelving slope") is on a rocky cliff overlooking the North Sea.


It was harvest season, so the fields were laden with golden wheat.


The ruins of Dunnottar Castle can be seen on the picturesque cliffs.


Fields of gold!


Some of the fields were freshly harvested with wheat straw still in bails.


The fields, sea cliffs, and sea breeze all created a memorable afternoon of hiking.


We hiked about 1.5 miles to the Stonehaven War Memorial which was designed by local architect John Ellis to look like an ancient structure.


The names of eight First World War battles are inscribed around the crown of the structure: Gallipoli, Jutland, Marne, Mons, Somne, Vimy, Ypres and Zeebrugge.


Looking back at the Dunnottar Castle.

This castle definitely has some incredible views!


Although it just ruins there is a certain beauty to these rock walls.




Squire, a UK based lock company had been in business since 1780.


Moss covers hard rock paths inside the castle walls.


A unique castle for sure and one of my favorites of the few we visited in Scotland.

In many ways this was my favorite castle of our trip. I think it was the lack of crowds, the walking trails around the castle, the incredible seaside views, and the great weather that all came together to make it one of my favorites.

We continued onward to the city of Saint Andrews…


A somewhat famous (does 5000 facebook followers make one famous?) cat named Hamish McHamish walked the streets of Saint Andrews. Hamish died on 11 September 2014 (oddly our visit was exactly four years later) but lives on through this statue dedicated to his life of wandering around a city who loved him.


We wandered around the streets as well looking for a place to eat.


We settled on a out-of-the-way restaurant called The Vine Leaf. It had a nice quite atmosphere with soft jazz music playing during the dinner hours.


The food was also presented well! I’ve never has Crab baked with cheddar served in a sea shell before. The seared salmon, chili, coconut milk, coriander, rice noodles, pakchoi was also well made. Unfortunately, we just didn’t think the food was that great tasting or flavorful.

After dinner, we rode though the medieval street of the city before rolling into camp at the St. Andrews Holiday Park.

Tomorrow, we continue our adventure south around the Firth of Forth with the forecast is calling for clear skies!...

Thanks for the great wishes. It was a warm and sunny Christmas for us in the Canary Islands! I hope you had a good holiday as well.

Glad you are enjoying it. Thanks also for the info; perhaps it's time I spring the cash for the GoreTex. If it keeps me dry after riding all day in the rain then it will be worth it. Hope you had a happy Christmas as well!

Only 170 km of pavement today; Mostly because we slept in and spent a good part of our day at the Kelpies (B) and (C) Edinburgh. We finished the day at Drummohr Holiday Park (D)

It felt good to sleep in today. The shower was especially nice this morning. We got on the road around 0930.


We enjoyed some of the less traveled roads this morning.

It wasn’t too long before we noticed a roadside place called Blacketside Farms. It looked inviting with plenty of people inside the restaurant and shop. Must be something good inside...


There were lots of fresh vegetables – fresh from the earth.


But we were most interested in the berries!


I ordered some french toast with fresh berries and powdered sugar along with an apple juice. First time I’ve gotten apple juice in a glass bottle.
Blacketside Farms was a great start to our day!

Our next stop was The Kelpies. If you don’t know what these are then you’re not alone – neither did we before planning this trip. Once you see pictures though you’ll want to see them for yourselves.


Crossing the Firth of Forth via the Kincardine Bridge.


For someone who loves modern architecture and sculpture, this was high on my list of things to see in Scotland.


The park where the Kelpies are located is quite relaxing with its large grass fields and nearby canals.


The Kelpies are a monument to horse powered heritage across Scotland. These Clydesdales are modeled after two horses named Duke and Baron. The final sculpture is 30-metre-high and was designed by sculpture Andy Scott.


A close-up of Duke’s eye and the stainless-steel cladding.


Looking from the inside out. You can see the steel frame and some of the 928 unique stainless-steel skin-plates.


Baron stretches his head up to the sun.


Duke bends down to the earth.


Close-up of the cladding plates.


The unique shadow of Baron that is cast against a grassy field.


The “sun” portion of a large stone and metal plaque which reads “Stretch up your long necks to face the sun.”


There is also an attached visitors center with the Kelpies modeled using Lego bricks.


The walls and a monitor tell a bit about the history of this region.


A drawing area for kids with coloring pages and crayons and colored pencils. I’m guessing Owen is probably Scottish!


A monitor displayed how the model and then life-sized structure was built and then fabricated on site. As you can imagine, something this large, takes time to build and assemble.


View of the Kelpies from the visitor’s center. As you can see, by way-too-many pictures, we enjoyed our time here.

We continued along our route and arrived at the city of Edinburg, where we spent the rest of the day.


The central part of Edinburgh is watched over by the Edinburgh Castle.


The oldest pub in town, the White Hart is located on Grassmarket and shares its Victorian architecture with other buildings in the area. Notice the hilarious sign in front of the pub.


West Bow just off the Royal Mile and it’s iconic colorful shops and restaurants.


John Kay’s Shop is a wonderful little store full of globes, airplanes, balloons, and...


...metal toys to remind you of the UK.


A bronze statue of Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry, stands above Parliament Square.


Tourists walk over the Heart of Midlothian - A heart-shaped mosaic, formed in colored granite sets. This area used to be the site of a prison where countless executions took place near the mosaic. Sometimes people spit on the heart to show their disdain for the executions that used to take place here.


This church has been the religious focal point of Edenburgh for over 900 years! The present church dates from the late 14th century, though it was restored in the 19th century.


The impressive 117-piece pipe-organ.


Two ornate unicorns, Scotland’s national animal, are depicted on this crest located in the Thistle Chapel.


Some of the ornate details of the cathedral.


The Robert Burns Memorial in stained glass designed by Icelandic artist Leifur Breidfjörd.




A bagpiper plays among the streets of the Royal Mile.


The Camera Obscura & World of Illusions seemed like an interesting place. Why not?

The Camera Obscura was built in 1835. There isn’t much to it really. It’s a dark room with a large table and a beam of light. But wait…

…An image of Edinburgh begins to appear on the table. It’s not a recording. It’s a real time projected image! By today’s standards (of GCI where anything you can imagine can happen on the big screen), it’s not incredible, but in the 19th century this was fascinating stuff.


The views from the Camera Obscura observation deck are pretty good…


The Hub, with its iconic gothic spire is the highest point in central Edinburgh.


Adding a bit of modern architecture to the old town.


The floors below Camera Obscura are where the World of Illusions are located. It was fun to walk around and participate in the interesting exhibits.


A black light made for some interesting photos.


Look closely. This image is actually two female models painted to look like a chameleon.


Illusion Chessboard by Maurits Cornelis Escher. You most likely know him better by his artist name of M. C. Escher.


Glow lamps were fun to interact with. Expect to get a little shock though!


Keith Newstead does some incredible automata all choreographed using a rotating wheel. Amazing! See a video of his sculptures here: https://www.keithnewsteadautomata.co...ree-bind-mice/


Hand with Reflecting Sphere Depiction by M. C. Escher.


Thermal image camera shows why Chantil is always cooler than me. Look how much cooler here face is than mine!