A trip to Glencoe

[Highlander31]

Nice photos. Thanks for posting them.

[David Dalglish]

Great Photo's--It looked a cold run

[ForresterModern]

Thank you for the posting, for those of us who desired to remember the date, but could not be there ourselves to show our support personally.

[cessna152towser]

Lovely pics, though I am surprised there is not more snow there at this time of year.

[WARPIPER]

Very nice pids, Great bike.

[Highlander 578]

Smashing shots Lammy, and a good ride out on the Truiumph in that weather!
My BMW is shed-bound due to a lack of battery (on order) or I'd have joined you to see the memorial parade. Looks like a good turnout.
And you’re right about the Glencoe road; it’s fabulous on a bike. Great climbing there too, and I’ve had many a great days on the hills and cliffs around the area, so I know the place, and the road, pretty well and give due respect to hills and tarmac alike.
This cautionary tale I posted on the BMW website a while back might be of interest for those who think blasting through the Glen of Sorrow is without danger, but of a different kind.

I’ve travelled the road many a time in cars, trucks and on a few different bikes, ranging from a trials Tiger Cub to get to Fort William for the Six Days Trail, a very quick 8 valve Bonneville, a BSA B40, a CB500T and a SOHC Honda 750,
The B40 was in army trim, as I was then in the late 'sixties, as a DR with the old Fife & Forfar Yeomanry and we’d had an exercise on the West coast and ‘misplaced’ a four ton Bedford RL truck.
I was sent back from the RV near Onich to see where he’d gone, and took the Kinlochleven road to Glencoe to head back towards our previous location near Crainlarich. The old ferry had long gone by then, repalced by that ghastly bridge, which we had missed out on our route which took us via Kinlochleven.
I was dressed in Her Majesty’s finest kit; olive green combat suit, DR lace up boots and topped with an open face Cromwell helmet, and though issued as all DR’s were with ‘Jacket, Large, Foul Weather Wear’ and matching ‘Breeches, DR, Foul Weather Wear’, the panniers were full enough with daily requirements so the half hundredweight of ex WW2 waxed canvas waterproof gear was stowed safely in the rear of the recce Land Rover.
Well it was autumn wasn’t it, and we’d had weather dry for days, and it doesn't always rain in the highlands. Does it?
The twisting road along our designated route from Ballachullish to Kinlochleven is super biking territory, even with 350cc and minimal bhp and Dunlop Trials Universal tyres, but the tyres match the performance on these bikes and they can be ridden fairly hard, well enough to despatch most of the light traffic then.
Along past the Clachaig turnoff to Glencoe Village the BSA was cracking on, and up the wee rise overlooking Loch Atroichan I had a glance over my shoulder, and spied a bike way back. I managed to keep the BSA on the boil, which was essential as the bikes are geared for convoy work and although quick off their mark and great fun off road a maximum in top of 70ish was deemed good, and up to the wee twisty bends at the Meeting of the Three Waters I guess I’d be doing that.
I did a quick brake and down change and kept it wound on into the first bend, hoping to keep the throttle open all the way through, but the image of bike and rider louping the Armco barrier into the burn, to lie undiscovered until the wheeling buzzards alerted some passing motorist, made discretion seem more sensible, and I backed off fairly sharpish.
As anyone who has ridden on of these B40 will tell you, they cope with sudden line changes fairly well, being short and ‘cobby’ and I was, in my opinion, going quite quickly and just managed to stay on my 'safe' side of the road, so I was a wee bit surprised when a white BSA A65 twin went past me on the outside, a fair bit into the other lane and fully 10mph faster than I.
The rider was smartly dressed in blue, dark blue. With shiny buttons. And a white pudding bowl helmet with chequered tape around the rim and a red face, and he had a small white box on the rear of the bike where the dual seat should be which said, in red letters, "POLICE".
And he wisny’ pleased.

We had a chat when he flagged me down, seems he’d ‘noticed’ me when I’d passed Glencoe Village and had caught up “eventually” as he said, so I must have been going too quickly. He gave me the warning not to join the “list of the fallen” who rode too fast on these Highland roads, and “came to grief”. I thought that was rich coming from the man who was on the wrong side of the road and if I was going too fast what was he doing?
Unfortunately, I said it too.
He got a wee bit redder in the face, which I’d have done too if I’d been riding too close and had to take avoiding action when the rider in front backed off mid-bend, but I thought better of saying that.

He ‘escorted’ me, at 40 mph, to Tyndrum where again we had a chat, (well he did the talking) and I was sent off with the warning that he’d be watching for me. Aye, over the rim of a cup of tea probably.

The errant four tonner was found near our last location on the Loch Lomond road just outside Crainlarich, and REME was called to see to him. I cadged a top-up of fuel from his jerry can and set off to get back to Onich in gathering the gloom of this, by now chilly autumn evening and by the time I’d passed Tyndrum, at a sensible 40 mph just in case, the sky was looking a bit darker than it should for that time of the evening. The climb up by Loch Tulla and Achallader was done in drizzle, with the full force of a Scottish downpour running down my shuech by the time I reached Glencoe. For those who are unaware of what a shuech is, it’s the bit that gets the wettest first, stays that way for longest and is the most uncomfortable.
The drive past Glencoe village was miserable, not helped by the thought of that bobby on his bike, tucked up no doubt, nice and cosy in his wee Polis hoose in the main street.
By the time I’d reached Onich I had olive green underpants, and an olive green sheuch.

So, there are more dangers in Glencoe than one might imagine, and some might be dressed in dark blue. With shiny buttons.

[Erikm]

Great Pics! Glencoe one of my favorite places in Scotland, thanks for sharing.Brings back Memories of my trip there..