Day 9, August 20, 2007

Our tour today was to take us to Glencoe, from Edinbane via Sligachan – Kylerhea – Armadale (ferry) – Mallaig – Fort William to Ballachulish and Glencoe. We covered 270 km.

After breakfast, we explored the area around the B&B a bit and spotted some native animals (Galloway cattle). They seem to be very active, though we're not sure if they prefer daytime or nighttime activity. One actually took a whole step forward.
We briefly wondered if and how these animals can see. Perhaps the fringes of hair in front of their eyes explain the Galloways' calm demeanor.

We soon said goodbye to our hosts and set off for the southern part of the island to catch the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig, which would take us back to the Scottish mainland. The route there was once again filled with fantastic roads and beautiful views of the Cuillin Hills.

Before Skulamus, we turned onto the A851 towards Armadale. Initially, the road resembled an American highway; almost no curves, but overtaking was easy. Shortly before Armadale, the highway reverted to a winding single track.

The ferry from Armadale to Mallaig wasn't exactly cheap. We were somewhat (or perhaps very) surprised to find that it cost 25 GBP for two bikes and two people. The bikes were securely fastened on board, and you could relax on deck, at least for a while. We got our cameras out, took some nice pictures, and after less than 15 minutes, it was time to return to our bikes. For this route, we felt the price was outrageous; we've certainly seen much higher fares. Next time we visit Skye, we'll definitely take the Skye Bridge route back, which has been toll-free since the end of 2004.

Arriving in Mallaig, we immediately set off for Fort William via the A830, which, like the A87, is also known as the "Road to the Isles" and leads to Lochaber, an area renowned for its magnificent landscapes and historical significance in Scotland. Shortly after Mallaig, an oncoming driver frantically flashed his headlights to warn us of sheep on the roadside. And sure enough, less than a hundred meters further on, a sheep stood on the left-hand side of the road, clearly about to cross, where two other sheep were "waiting." Phew, that was a close call. We hadn't encountered any sheep on the wide main roads so far, so we weren't expecting to see any larger animals on this road.

We approached Fort William and could already see Ben Nevis in the distance, at 1343 meters the highest mountain in Great Britain. There's a visitor center for this mountain too, but due to limited time, we decided against visiting it. In Fort William, we switched to the A82 towards Glencoe. Just before Glencoe lies the village of Ballachulish, where we had booked the first and only guesthouse, Dorrington Lodge.

In Ballachulish, we only briefly looked for the guesthouse, as it's located directly on the A82. We were deeply impressed by the scenery surrounding Ballachulish and Glencoe; it was simply breathtaking. After leaving our things in the room and memorizing the local restaurants from the information folder provided, we set out to find one and discovered a bistro just around the corner from the guesthouse.

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to park on the street and would have had to use the establishment's parking lot. Like in many places, this large parking lot is covered with a lot of coarse gravel. So there was no way to park the motorcycles even remotely safely. The side stand was useless, and the center stand immediately dug in. Well, they just didn't want us.

We left the parking lot with some acrobatic maneuvers but without damaging our bikes, and in Glencoe we turned left off the A82, following the "Visitor Information" sign. This beautiful road took us on a nearly 30 km loop around Loch Leven – absolutely worthwhile. Halfway through, we found a nice restaurant in Kinlochleven where we could satisfy our hunger.

We went inside and studied the menu that was already on the table. After a few minutes, we spotted a cute little sign on the wall saying that you had to order at the counter. A nice change for a restaurant. Now we understand why we looked at the counter and nothing happened, and why the server behind the counter looked at us and nothing happened. In any case, everything worked out in the end, and we didn't starve.

After the beautiful ride around Loch Leven, we finally arrived at the guesthouse, where we could park our bikes under cover behind the house – very nice. Oh yes, the main car park was made of pebbles…

We settled into our small room and devoured the instant coffee, then indulged in some Scottish sports. Anyone who wanted to could sit in the lounge with the fireplace and spend the evening there until 10 p.m. But we preferred to stay upstairs and prepare for the next day.