The Bald Journaller
- Sep 8, 2020
- 3 min read

The Self-Quarantine Motorbike Tour of GB - just 2 idiots, day 5

Where are we? Thurso, the very top of Scotland

Where should we be? Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain And the wavin' wheat, Can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain... (Oklahoma!)

Miles today: 197 (we aren't actually trying to be consistent)

Miles total: 989

We had a plan! We really had a plan!

Short day, get up early, maybe less than 150 miles (its only 140 from Inverness to Thurso via John o' Groats) and get to the hotel before the rain arriving from the west sets in.

Yes, we had a plan! So we arrived in Thurso, almost 200 miles later, in the pouring rain! Yep, we had a plan.

It first went wrong when we decided to go south first for a look at Urquhart castle (the get up early part went ok, we were on the bikes by 8am). And the bacon buttie at the post office (or something like that) in Drumnadrochit was perfect. But we still arrived at Urquhart almost an hour early - its about half way down Loch Ness. So we decided to head a bit further south and see if we could get a view point. Many, many miles later, with not the remotest chance of seeing the castle nor a parking lay-by in sight, we finally got the chance to turn around and head back, just in time for our entry at 9.30. Turns out there is a really good view point about 100 metres north!

Anyway, this being the umpteenth castle Eric has taken me to, it was of course the best yet (according to Eric). Actually it is pretty good and the setting is amazing. And we saw the Loch Ness Monster - I was just too slow to get the picture - damn! We had managed to add about 30 miles and 2 hours already to our plan!

So a very good coffee and cake stop in Dornoch followed by yet another castle (this one just a photo stop for the fairy tale place that is Dunrobin) and then, yes, another hour and half detour for Castle Sinclair, just outside Wick. Admittedly, some of that time was me taking us down a track to a farmyard, but Browett was supposed to be leading! And it is pretty unbelievable that there was not a solitary sign post from Wick for what is a building of historical significance (so Eric tells me).

Actually nothing about Wick was good - most of the centre is boarded up, so we were lucky to find Morag's, where as well as a decent toastie, we also finally got our coveted NC500 sticker for our top box. It will feature in a later blog picture (its not on the bike yet - its too damn wet!). Yes we know we are sad, but we don't care!

So it was we finally rolled into John o' Groats at about 4.30, which turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise. Unlike Land's End, where they have tackified the whole place and even charge you to take a picture at the finger post, JoG is actually quite a welcoming place, at which a local guide was even on hand to advise us against trying to kayak to Orkney. Because of course we were thinking about it!

It being roughly an hour and half after we had planned to be there, and an extra 50 miles, the heavens duly opened on schedule and we rode the last 20 miles or so into Thurso in the pouring rain. But who cares, another fabulous day in the saddle, on brilliant roads and somewhat surprisingly not mobbed by motorcyclists. Mostly we had the road to ourselves, with views to the left and right of us. And as it happens we have picked a belter of a hotel; great rooms, too much food and a small night cap, after a short walk along the esplanade (until it pissed it down again) while we looked out at the Orkney Islands in the twilight. But believe it or not I have just checked my "stepometer" and somehow I have managed 16000 steps (as well as 200 miles on a bike). This forthwith will be known as the Browett-Macgregor diet. Eat and drink as much as you like as long as you spend all day on a motorbike. It might just catch on!

Tomorrow we do most of the rest of the North Coast 500. The main concern is to make sure we know where to get petrol!

Rest of the sorry pics below...