I took a detour on the way to Skye to visit the imposing castle Stalker on Loch Laich.
The VW Syncro didn't miss a beat during the 1500 mile round trip.
One of the groundsman invited me to try my hand at archery...If you look carefully you can actually see the arrow in mid-flight.
The truly incredible Trekkertent Phreeranger.
Duntulm Castle...possibly the windiest place in the world.
....Duntulm in film.
The Carradice Super C saddle bag was expectantly superb. I've been using the brand's Longflap Camper for years and was looking forward to road testing another saddlebag from the range. The Super C kept my belongings bone dry despite constant torrential rain and offered a slightly modernised/compact alternative to the Longflap.
The magical Castle Ewen at the Fairy Glen.
Reach for the Skye
Happy New Year and welcome back to another adventure with me, the two-wheeled Beelzebub. In this entry I head to the incredible Isle of Skye and tick yet another destination off the ‘ Big Bad Bloomin Bonkers Bikepacking Bucket List ’.
Now, for all you naysayers, you critics, non believers and…like…loving family & friends, who told me that riding Skye in December was madness…that I’d be facing absolutely savage weather…that the wind and rain would literally rip my face to shribbons…well guess what?!? Ok, I’m not sure where I’m going with this, each and every one of you were on the money. Skye was tough. I don’t think I’ve ever had to consider getting off the bike in order to push it downhill, but the headwinds were just hilarious. Nevertheless, Skye was as wonderful as it was challenging and that, my friends, is a recipe for an epic adventure.
The drive from Kent to the North of Skye in the Syncro took eighteen hours, cost about a million pounds in fuel ( the Syncro is about as economical as a Challenger Tank ) and so many espressos that I actually understood the universe, solved climate change and had a conversation with Jesus & Blackbeard. In other words it was a bloody long way. Fortunately, the campervan made the journey super comfortable and I was able to sleep snug in the high top, whilst the Instigator laid sprawled out on the Rock ‘ n ’ Roll bed usually shouting obscenities and drinking Stella.
My starting position was the beautiful Flodigarry Hotel located five miles north of the popular coastal village of Staffin ( known for its impressive array of prehistoric remains…try and find the 165 million year old dinosaur footprints on the beach! ). Of course, I wasn’t actually staying at the hotel, instead the manager had very kindly offered to store my van. Nevertheless, I did get a quick tour and was seriously blown away by the amalgamation of traditional Scottish manor and contemporary interior design, it’s stunning. ( check out the website for more: www.hotelintheskye.co.uk ).
The Flodigarry Hotel.
I spent the first night plotting my route in the van and marking key destinations I wanted to visit. Fortunately, a great deal of the castles and areas of outstanding beauty are located along Skye’s breath taking coastline, allowing me to draft a route that almost circled the entire isle. Annoyingly, I had to make the decision to head back a little early after my DSLR died of suspected water damage ( I needed my full-frame up and running for work ).
Busy planning world domination....and the route.
The wind and rain may have been a constant challenge, but the biggest hurdle by far was the lack of daylight. In December the sun rises at 8.15am and sets around 3.30pm making mile munching incredibly difficult. Moreover, the combination of bad weather and low light meant photography & videography was challenging, whilst ultimately the conditions proved too much for my trusty Canon 6D. As a result you’ll notice the Skye blog is largely through the lens of my beat up Canon AE-1 35mm, which is just fine with me. I’ve said it time and time again, you just cannot beat shooting on film and if I were to choose a single ride to showcase the magic of 35mm perspective it would be this one. I lost the lens cap, the camera was dropped multiple times, it was battered by constant wind/rain and despite all this my twenty-pound charity shop camera captured the very essence of Skye.
So without further ado, buckle up, forget everything you know about professional exploration and enjoy a complete halfwit attempt to summit the Old Man of Storr on a loaded bikepacking rig. Yep, my body hates me.
T-Shirts coming soon!!!
The Wildcat Gear Leopard frame bag was fantastic. Slightly slacker straps allowed for greatly improved capacity, whilst the brand's new cut out top-tube straps make additional bags a breeze.
The Car Sick Designs Handee Randee has to be the best handlebar bag I've ever had the pleasure of using. A few bags didn't arrive in time for the ride so the H R was over stuffed with food/gear to make up for the reduced load capacity. Nevertheless, it performed flawlessly against the elements and I completely fell in love with the design. A full review will be published in the coming weeks!
The stunning Fairy Glen...
A tourist made Fairy circle...
The original fairy circle. Follow the spirals round to the centre, leave a gift for the fairies and make a wish ( not money, fairies have no need for that, a small token that means something to you ). Apparently as you focus on the spiral maze you forget the world around you.
They say this cave leads to the fairy kingdom.
I only had a couple of days to prep for Skye after returning from five weeks on the road and thus didn't have time to inspect all my new gear. However, this proved somewhat disastrous when I tried to pitch my new Trekkertent in the pouring rain on the first night and realised it doesn't come with tent pegs ( this was entirely my oversight ). Consequently, I had to pack everything away and cycle through the night to find the next small village. I tried numerous hotels, pubs and campsites in the hope I could find some floor space for the night...garage, shed, outhouse...anything with a roof. Unfortunately, everywhere was closed and I had almost given up before coming across the Shorefield House B & B. I explained my situation to the owners who not only offered me some floorspace, but opened up their guest house for the night. Peter and Hilary Prall brought me food, let me use the shower and invited me to breakfast. Once again, I was completely overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. Shorefield house is only ten miles from the beautiful Dunvegan castle so if you're looking for a lovely place to stay, in a prime location ( overlooking Loch Greshornish ), with some amazing people check out their website: www.bedandbreakfast-skye.com or call: +44 ( 0 ) 1470 582 444.
...possibly the cutest Post Office.
Sky in Skye.
If you look carefully you might spot a Surly...
Dun Beag is an Iron Age broch with stunning views.
I was incredibly pleased with my new Instigator set-up, a full review coming soon.
The Instigator's FOX forks performed superbly on Skye's challenging singletrack.
Surly Dirt Wizard tyres....no punctures & grip for days...nuff said.
I was kindly given a tour of the Cuillin Brewery & Sligachan Hotel.
The beginning of the 250m climb to Old Man of Storr.
I always like to challenge myself physically and thus decided to carry my bike to the top!
I celebrated my summit with two Wayfayrer food packs and a breath taking view!
My Wildcat Gear Leopard frame bag was flawless.
The Car Sick Designs Handee Randee.
Best pie I've ever had....like seriously...best EVER.
Not sure who lives here...but can we be friends?!?
Staffin dinosaur museum.
Looking for the legendary dinosaur footprints on Staffin beach.
The go anywhere Berghaus Explorer Active GTX shoes, a perfect fit for bikepacking.
Skye is a bikepackers paradise and a landscape I will be revisiting very soon! If you get the opportunity to visit you will NOT regret it. As you may already know, I have a few spokes loose and enjoy physical torture so chose to explore in December, but I would recommend the warmer months if you have any sense ( the cold's actually not too bad, but the lack of daylight can be frustrating ). As always thank you for reading and thus supporting my adventures. This is Bicycle Touring Apocalypse, Checking in, Checking out & completely in love with Scotland.