Today was everything we hoped for and much more besides! After finishing the last of the previous night’s pizza for breakfast, we rode to catch the ferry to the Isle of Arran which was sitting under ominous looking grey rain clouds.
On the boat, we talked with Pete from Kendal MRT and fellow bikers Clark and Alan who kindly donated to our cause. Disembarking in the rain, we could already see signs of it brightening up and through the day the weather became dry and at times sunny.
The only regret of this trip if any is the lack of time to spend in amazing places like Arran. The upside is that we’re getting a rapid overview of many of the best places in Scotland.
Bonus ball when we hit Brodick was a call from a close friend who’d just sailed his yacht into Lamlash, about 15 minutes down the coast. Buster and Vicky had two coffees ready for us at the slipway cafe and we had a quarter hour’s reminiscing before reluctantly leaving to ride the short distance to Arran MRT’s base at Brodick where we met two of their support staff.
Then it was time to ride the spectacular coastal and mountain road leading to the ferry to Kintyre at Lochranza. We had a bit of time before it left to explore the castle and take a peek at the famous distillery.
On board for the 30 minute crossing, a couple with a stunning border collie asked us which MR team we were with. After telling him, the gent introduced himself as Ed, a member of the fabled Glencoe team whose base we planned to visit later in the day. Turns out he’s also the owner of the famous Clachaig Inn, scene of many a big night out (or in!) for several of our team members…
We hit the first ‘proper’ Scottish single track road on Kintyre – always takes a while to get your head together for the best use of these. Luckily, the local fish farm lorry was ahead of us doing about 50mph and scattering all the oncoming traffic so we just tucked in behind!
The road up to Oban was fast, furious and surprisingly quiet. It’s obviously a biker’s favourite and we had a bit of chase with two local lads before they pulled over for a fag!
Oban MRT are located on the outskirts of town so we took the obligatory photos and headed on as time was tight. Glencoe was the next stop with a pause to check out the frightening looking tidal race at the Falls of Lora under the Connel bridge.
Glencoe MRT’s base is being extended so we took our photo of the only unscaffolded portion of the building and then headed up the valley to say a quick hello to our ex team mate Ron who works at the local campsite.
At Glencoe, we had our first encounter with that most reviled of Scottish creatures – the midge! Conditions were ideal for the micro-vampires as it was damp and warm with nil wind. Luckily, when I retired from the Mountainfeet shop, I took a part pension in the form of the gallons of Smidge we still had in stock…
We were too late to catch members at Lochaber MRT’s HQ at Fort William but got our photos and then contacted our host for the night Alasdair of Kintyre MRT to say we were on our way.
Couldn’t resist stopping off at the Commando memorial above Spean Bridge with its tremendous views of Ben Nevis but got back on the bikes quickly ‘cos the midges were ferocious!
The road to Alasdair’s from the memorial were fifty miles of biking heaven. We had to wind our necks in a bit after witnessing an accident where a car had plunged off a bridge near Loch Cluanie. After checking the occupants were fundamentally OK, we passed the iconic Eilean Donan castle in the dusk before arriving at the welcome sight of Alasdair and Kate’s stunning home on the shores of Loch Alsh after riding 250 miles.
A few beers and a chilli later, we enjoyed very convivial company till hitting the sack – tired after a long but incredibly rewarding day…
Arran MRT
Arran MRT are located on the beautiful and mountainous island of the same name, just over an hours ferry crossing from mainland Ayrshire in the Firth of Clyde. Team membership is made up from volunteers living all over the island with a wide range of skills and experience. Call outs are generally run from the team’s base at Brodick on the East of the island which is well placed for access to the mountains further inland.
Oban MRT
Oban MRT were formed in 2001 at the request of the Strathclyde Chief Constable as previously, rescue services were located well out of area. The team not only cover the mountainous mainland areas, but also the islands of the region such as Mull and Jura.
Strength of the team is just under forty active members, all of whom are experienced mountaineers.
Glencoe MRT
Glencoe MRT are famous in the search and rescue community and were formed in 1961. Instrumental to the formation were the legendary and much missed Hamish McInnes, fine climbers such as the late Ian Clough and three local shepherds.
The team’s purpose built base is located in Glencoe village which in turn lies at the foot of one of the most spectacular mountain regions in the world. Because of this, incidents are frequent and rescues often highly complex. There are around thirty active members, all highly skilled and often professional mountaineers. Amongst them are a doctor, two paramedics and several Cas Care qualified personnel who are trained to deal with mountain trauma and administering lifesaving drugs.
Lochaber MRT
Just North of Glencoe lies the breathtaking Ben Nevis, highest mountain in the UK and many spectacular surrounding peaks. Providing regularly needed rescue services from their base in Fort William are Lochaber MRT.
Working closely with neighbouring Glencoe MRT, the team cover not only the immediate Ben Nevis massif but out as far to the East as Creag Meagaidh, West to Knoydart, North to Fort Augustus and South past the Mamores.
Around forty active team members respond to 150 plus call outs per year and include doctors, professional mountaineers and rope technicians – all volunteers.