Tour 4.
Cruising to Orkney – 6 days/7 nights.
Dates: 21 June to 27 June 2015.
Prices:
Rider, Single room £835 ; Twin room £725 per person.
Rider and pillion, Double room £725 per person.
All prices quoted are inclusive of V.A.T.. Return ferry crossing to Orkney included.
Availability: Almost full, few remaining places.
This tour starts in Gretna Green, finish in Peebles covering 1300 miles riding at a pace that allows the scenery to be fully appreciated with frequent stops. I will be treating you to Scotlands most welcoming four star hotels who have some of the finest cuisine Scotland can offer.
From our base in Gretna Green, we head west through the wooded scenery of Dumfries and Galloway Forest Park. We stop at a lovely quiet fishing port on the Mull of Galloway then travel north following the coastline with sandy beeches and stunning red sunsets, Ailsa Craig and Arran in the foreground.
The first of many ferries takes us into Argyll Forest and the gigantic Redwood trees of Benmore for our second night. We then rejoin the coast for close up views of the islands of Jura, Scarba, Luing and Shuna, then up the Great Glen before arriving in Ullapool for our third evening of warm Scottish hospitality.
Heading north, island vistas, sandy beaches, cliffs and roads made for motorcycles. This is Gods country for us to fully enjoy with the changes in light impacting on the intensity and strength of colours every moment. The dark foreboding Suilven dominates well before it arrives, rightly rating as one of Scotland’s finest mountains.
The scenery changes markedly approaching Suilven and Canisp with the roads now sweeping across the high altitude terrain before we reach the top of Scotland and head east along best talked about roads towards Orkney. On Orkney we have two days to explore ancient civilisations at one of the best preserved Neolithic sites pre dating Stonehenge at Skara Brae; the Churchill Causway and Italian Chapel, many peoples favourite place. Our four star hotel in Kirkwall is in close proximity to the Highland Park distillery. Sweet dreams all round.
We then ride south, mountain scenery followed by coastal cliff roads, stopping for lunch at a whisky distillery near Tain then arriving at the Moray Firth town of Forres at our four star hotel in the town. A coastal walk in the evening at Findhorn is breathtaking with the 'big sky' and multicoloured pebbles that make up the long beach.
Our last days run south takes us to Grantown on Spey, then its over Grampians moutains and Strathdee, passing Breamar for Glenshee and Blairgowrie.
Onward around the capital Edinburgh, we finish this tour in a Borders town, a four star destination with culinary delights and relaxing facilities to finish this memorable trip.
