Triumphrat

09-22-2004

HI GUYS WERE BACK FROM SKYE LET ME FIRST SAY
GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT,GEL SEAT
RIGHT NOW IVE MENTIONED MY NEW GEL SEAT ENOUGH I WILL REGALE YOU A STORY OF HARDSHIP PHYSICAL ENDURANCE AND ACT OF EXTREME BRAVERY.
FIRSTLY THANK FOR THE WELL WISHES FOR THE WEDDING IT WAS A GOOD DAY FOR ALL MEERY MAKING AND FUN NERVES AND, ME DANCING!! (A ONCE IN A LIFE TIME HAPPENING SO IF YOU MISSED IT HARD LUCK IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN)
THEN ON SUNDAY WE SET OFF FOR SKYE WELL FIRSTLY LET ME TELL YOU TO GO AND BUY A NARDY MRC11 INTERCOM(WE USED BIKE TO BIKE) AND IT WAS FAULTLESS IT WAS £139.95 AND IT TOOK A HELL OF A POUNDING WEATHER WISE IT GOT SOAKED AND BLOWN AROUND SCOTLAND FOR 48 HOURS AND NEVER FAILED ONCE IT WAS GOOD UP SPEED(NOT THAT WE GOT MUCH OF THAT) OH YEAH GEL SEAT!!
WE SET OFF IN MODERATE RAIN BUT NOTHING TO SERIOUS AND GOT UPTO GLASGOW ABOUT 12:30 CROSSED THE IRSKINE BRIDGE AND THEN THE WIND PICKED UP A BIT. BUT STILL NO REAL HARDSHIP JUST A BIT NERVY EVERY NOW AND THEN
UNTIL WE REACHED LOCH LOMOND AND IT HAMMERED IT DOWN AND BLEW A GALE FOR THE REST OF OUR JOURNEY WE CHICKENED OUT AT CRIANLARICH AND STOPPED IN THE BEST B AND B IVE STAYED IN FOR A LONG TIME(DETAILS TO FOLLOW) MRS JUDGEGED WENT TO ASK IF THEY HAD A DOUBLE ROOM FOR THE NIGHT AND HOW MUCH AND DID THEY HAVE SECURE PARKING FOR US,COVERED IF POSSIBLE
WE WENT UNDER COVER AT ABOUT 2:30 ABSOLOUTELY SOAKED THROUGH TO THE SKINS AND GETTING COLDER BY THE MILE BUT BY TEA TIME WE WERE SHOWERED AND THE BIKES WERE LOCKED IN AN OUT BUILDING, SO THEY WERE OK. WE HAD A BREW AND WERE WATCHING TELLY LAY ON A BED(AH THE JOYS OF B & B)
THE EVENING MEAL WAS FANTASTIC AND ENOUGH FOR MRS JUDGEGED TO BE REFUSING TO EAT ALL HER APPLE PIE AND CUSTARD( TRUST ME THIS IS UNHEARD OF) HAD A SHOWER AND RETIRED EARLY KNACKERED FROM FIGHTING THE WIND.......OH WELL IT BE OK TOMORROW
GOT UP HAD A GREAT BREAKFAST (THANKS JAMIE)
AND SET OFF IN THE RAIN AGAIN BUT THIS TIME WE WERE HEADING UP TO RANNOCH MOR AND GLENCOE(THIS, I DISCOVERED LATER,WAS A BIG MISTAKE) THE GOING UPTO AND OVER THE MOOR AND GLENCOE WAS NOTHING SHORT OF TREACHEROUS WE WERE(AND IM NOT JOKING!!!)RIDING WITH FEET ON THE FLOOR AT 20 MILES AN HOUR IN GALE FORCE WINDS GUSTING AT (I LATER FOUND OUT) 50 TO 60 MILES PER HOUR AND IT WAS MAKING RIDING LILLY NEAR SUICIDAL IVE RIDDEN BIKE FOR 16 YEARS AND NOTHING PREPARED ME FOR THIS RIDE IVE DONE NUMEROUS DRAGON RALLIES IN FEBRUARY IN THE WELSH MOUNTAINS ,SNOW AND ALL BUT NOTHING FRIGHTENED ME MORE THAN THE RIDE ACCROSS THE MOORS AND GLENCOE,BUT THROUGH ALL THIS MRS JUDGEGED WAS SOLID AS A ROCK, SLIGHTLY UNNERVED BY THE WEATHER SHE WAS STEADFASTLY PLODDING ALONG BEHIND LIKE AN OLD PRO(SORRY LOVE!!) I MEAN AN OLD RIDING PRO(OOH SORRY LOVE!!)
NEVER MIND SHE DIDNT LOSE HER NERVE DISPITE THE FACT SHE HAS ONLY BEEN RIDING FOR 7 MONTHS SO HATS OFF TO MY MRS FOR A TRUELY BRAVE RIDE IN CONDITIONS THAT WOULD HAVE SCARED A SCOTSMAN
WE MANAGED TO GET DOWN TO DORNIE AND THE CASTLE ( YE KNOW THE EILEAN A DONAN CASTLE FROM HIGHLANDER) GOT SOME PICCIES AND SET OFF FOR SKYE THROUGH MORE GALES AND MORE DRIVING RAIN NOW SODDEN AGAIN WE WERE A BIT DOWN BY THE TIME WE REACHED SKYE.WE FOUND ANOTHER B&B NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS THE FIRST BUT STILL VERY NICE AND PLEASANT PEOPLE, BUT WE JUST CRASHED OUT PUT OUR GEAR TO DRY AND WENT TO THE PUB THEN COLLAPSED INTO BED AND SWORE THAT IF IT WAS STILL RAINING TUESDAY MORNING WE WOULD SET OFF A DAY EARLY AND GO HOME............ THIS WE DID
SKYE TO ROSSENDALE ONE DAY (11 AND A HALF HOURS TO BE EXACT)THE WIND BATTERED US INTO RETREAT ALL THE WAY HOME SO AFTER JET WASHING THE BIKES AND PUTTING THEM IN THE GARAGE WE FELL INTO OUR HOME BATERED BUT NEVER BEATEN
NOW FOR THE BIKES FIRSTLY TRISH'S BANDIT WAS GOING GREAT BUT ITS DEVELOPED A CRUNCHING NOISE ON THE FINAL DRIVE CHAIN SO I WILL REPLACE THAT WHEN WE FLY HOME FROM GERMANY. OTHER THAN THAT IT WAS FAULTLESS
NOW FOR THE NEWS.....WELL LILLY PERFORMED FAULTLESSLY OTHER THAN DEVELOPING A CLTUCH RATTLE (IT WASNT THERE WHWN SHE WAS NEW SO NOW IVE PUT ABOUT 5000 MILES ON IT I EXPECT I WILL HAVE GOT THE NORMAL BASKET RATTLE THAT MOST BIKES GET AFTER A WHILE SO NO WORRIES THERE THE MOST DEPRESSING THING IS THAT WE COVERED 800 MILES TOTAL IN 3 DAYS AND NONE OF IT OVER SIXTY ONCE I DONT THINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!SHAMEFULL
BUT THE BIG NEWS IS ME AND LILLY(MY BIKE) ARE NOT GOING TO R.E.L.A.T.E ANYMORE MY FAITH AND CONFIDENCE HAS RETURNED
I KNOW I SOUND A BIT FICKLE BUT BELIEVE THIS WHEN I SAY THAT THIS PAST 3 DAYS MY BIKE HAS TAKEN THE WORST WEATHER IN MY RIDING CAREER AND NEVER MISSED A BEAT,ALTHOUGH DUE TO HER HEIGHT SHE SUFFERS FROM CROSSWINDS MORE THAN THE SQUAT SHAPE OF THE BANDIT THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT ,JUST AN OBSERVATION
AND THROUGH ALL THIS WE NEVER SAW ANY HILL ABOVE FIFTY FOOT BECAUSE IT WAS SHROUDED IN RAIN/GALES/STAIRRODS ETC ETC ........BUT STILL WE WONT GIVE UP WE RETURN TO SKYE AT THE START OF NEXT SUMMER
NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT THE FANTASTIC B&B
IT IS CALLED EWICH HOUSE AND IS RUN BY JAMIE AND DEBBIE(A LOVELY COUPLE OF GENUINE PEOPLE) BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT IS THEY WELCOME MOTORCYCLISTS AND HAVE SECURE COVERED PARKING AND THE PRICE FOR ALL THIS, £25 EACH NOW THATS A BARGAIN.....
Ewich Guest House,
Strathfillan,
Crianlarich,
Perthshire,
SCOTLAND
FK20 8RU

tel./fax : +44 ( 0 ) 18 38 300 300

I MIGHT EVEN CONTACT THEM AGAIN AND SEE IF WE CAN ORGANISE A SMALL REDUCTION FOR RAT MEMBERS (THEY DO HAVE A WEB SITE) SO PAY THEM A VISIT BUT TAKE LOOSE CLOTHING SO YOU CAN WALK AWAY FROM THE DINNER TABLE WITH DIGNITY
SEE YA GUYS

[ This message was edited by: judgeged on 2004-09-28 12:44 ]

djr · 09-22-2004

Why are you shouting? :wink:

Glad the wedding went well. Pity the weather didnt hold for the trip but thats Scotland for you (4 seasons in one day!).
I am also glad that the trip restored your faith in the Tiger.

The Tiger is a big bike but if you think the wind catches her you should try riding a TT through the same wind

bigD · 09-22-2004

:blush: :blush: SORRY ABOUT OUR WEATHER. As it turns out last weekend was about the wettest & most miserable of the year, forecast midweek was reasonable too, just shows don't trust the bu**ers at the met office.Glad you got good digs, fairly consistent these days, don't believe the dismal Jimmies who constantly run down our landladies. only ever had one B & B I wouldn't return to in Scotland & that was run by a very inexperienced English couple (sold up down south and moved north out of the rat race, unfortunately , wrong people, wrong job. A little bit of Basil Faulty meets Dad's army, so bad it was funny). Glad you got on well with the hardware & didn't arrive home newly divorced.

We really should have warned you about Rannoch Moor though, can be really snotty even in the height of summer. I have come across there on the bike in driving rain & gale force winds when the rain was actually blowing back up off the road & visibility down to 40-50 yards only to get down into Glen Coe village in beautiful bright sun & no wind.

Haste ye back to west coast (but wait till its sunny) you won't regret it. Look on the bright side, at least the Midges wouldn't have had a chance to bother you. :razz:

D

09-22-2004

Judgeged, just a friendly note: typing in all caps in hard to read, and hard on our ears :-D
Cool story though. These tigers are MADE for bumpy B roads and that kind of weather.

KuzzinKenny · 09-22-2004

Now there`s a story you`ll be telling your kids someday. :wink:
glad to hear you and Mrs judgeged made it there and back without anything else going wrong. i think we`ve all been waiting with baited breath for your report of the Skye trip !! sorry about the weather, were just use to it i guess.

KK

tango · 09-23-2004

judgeged,

I take it it has wetted your appetite for another trip to Skye :razz:

The next time you go I do hope you get some decent weather. The A82 from Invergarry to Kyle of lochalsh is one of the best all round roads in the country.

If I could be so bold to ask, but, please could you put your caps lock off

09-26-2004

Sorry about the caps lock guys!!!

09-26-2004

Sorry about the caps lock guys!!!

harum-scarum · 09-26-2004

Hey, judgeged, great adventure. You must repeat the trip sometime in better weather - those are some great roads and great scenery you've been through there, and you've not been able to appreciate either of them!

harum-scarum · 09-26-2004

Hey, judgeged, great adventure. You must repeat the trip sometime in better weather - those are some great roads and great scenery you've been through there, and you've not been able to appreciate either of them!