Featured Touring Borders Mini Break

Discussion in 'Rideouts, Trackdays, Touring & Spotted' started by Dougie D, Aug 22, 2021.

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  1. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

    Jan 30, 2016
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    #1 Dougie D, Aug 22, 2021
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2021
    We had a hotel booked for 2 nights down the Borders as we were supposed to be going to a wedding nearby but it was postponed until next year (it was originally supposed to be 2020!) so we decided just to go and have a wee break anyway.
    We left home on Friday morning and once we got just outside Perth (about 18 miles) it was then a boring 80 miles on the motorway until we turned off at Abbington, we stopped of for a coffee and saw this car with a S&S motor in it
    20210820_152824.jpg
    From Abbington we took the B797 down to Wanlockhead we stopped off for a nice lunch at Wanlockhead Inn (The highest pub in Scotland)
    20210820_153154.jpg
    they have several small basic wooden chalets you can rent out, not much in them apart from a bed!
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    There is a lead mining museum nearby but we didn't go as the weather was looking dodgy, a miner carved into a tree trunk beside the Hotel
    20210820_211133.jpg

    After lunch we continued on the B797 down the Mennock pass where we stopped off to watch a guy pan for gold, there were several other folk doing the same
    20210820_211232.jpg
    the weather was threating rain but luckily it kept dry until we got near our hotel

    20210820_134445.jpg
    We then headed to Thornhill and took the A702 a great road with some lovely twisty bits to New Galloway then onto another good road the A762 to Twynholm where we stayed at the Star Hotel very reasonably priced and the breakfasts were great. we were able to park our bike right outside our room ( left the panniers off until it was time to go home on the Sunday)
    20210821_150646.jpg


    The next day we went to Crocketford and took the A712 to New Galloway a cracking road from there we took the Queens Way (still the A712) also a great bit of road, it takes you out near the town of Newton Stewart, i didn't want to stop and take pictures as it was misty and there was a bit of light rain. we then went down past Wigtown and up the coast road past Port William a road I'd never been on before, it was a nice road and i imagine if it was a clear sunny day the views would be great but as you can see it wasn't!
    20210821_113246.jpg

    From there we went to The Mull Of Galloway Scotland's most southerly point on a clear day you can see Ireland and the isle of Man, but not today
    Visitor centre
    20210821_200631.jpg

    View from the railings at the side of the visitor centre, it doesn't look high ,but it was!
    20210821_123623.jpg
     
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  2. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

    Jan 30, 2016
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    Fridays route down to the hotel (From Abbington)
    3547.PNG

    Saturday mornings route down to Mull Of Galloway (we went back to the hotel a slightly different way)
    45782.PNG

    The route home on the Sunday, we did the Dalveen Pass then on the motorway for a while then cut off after Glasgow to take a more scenic route home
    6548792.PNG
     
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  3. andyc1

    andyc1 Lunarville 7, Airlock 3

    Feb 4, 2017
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    I love hitting those roads anytime I come to Scotland :heart_eyes:
     
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  4. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

    Jan 30, 2016
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    The A712 could be up in the Cairngorms or over the west coast somewhere, quite a few cracking roads down there
     
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  5. andyc1

    andyc1 Lunarville 7, Airlock 3

    Feb 4, 2017
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    Thats the one up to Elvanfoot? Thats probably mt favourite :)
     
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  6. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

    Jan 30, 2016
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    Your thinking of the Dalveen Pass,I think that's the A702, that's a cracking road too
     
  7. Sprinter

    Sprinter Kinigit

    Aug 17, 2014
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    Always great to get on to different roads and explore, Im finding.
    Did the gold panners look like they where getting any, ( asking for a friend).
    Weather wasnt great eh, which is a shame considering the summer we had so far.
    Thanks for posting.
    Can I ask was the decision to take the BMW cos of the luggage capacity?
     
  8. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

    Jan 30, 2016
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    The guy i spoke to has found some in the past, but no luck so far that day, yeah the weather wasn't great James which was a pity, this is a picture when we got back into Perthshire :cool:
    P1020505.JPG

    The sun is to return all over Scotland next week though ;) :cool:. It was a no brainer taking the BM, far comfier for my Mrs on the back plus loads of room in the panniers and it's much better on wet roads than the Rocket!
     
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  9. Dartplayer

    Dartplayer Crème de la Crème

    Aug 8, 2018
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    Thanks @Dougie D enjoyed your trip report. Shame about the wedding delay again, nice to get away with the Mrs and even though the weather wasn’t tops, it still looked amazing :cool:
     
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  10. Vulpes

    Vulpes Confused Member

    Mar 14, 2018
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    Nice report, Dougie, shame about the weather though... sounds like you had a good time anyway!
     
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  11. Sandi T

    Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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    Dec 3, 2018
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    What a fun trip for you and Mrs. D, Dougie, and a fun ride report for us. Lovely and interesting photos (and that shot over the visitor center railing looks very high up to me!). I appreciated your maps, too, to have a general sense of your route even though I've not been to that part of the world (yet) . Thanks for the write up! :) How is Mrs. D liking her Rokker riding jeans, BTW?
     
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  12. steve lovatt

    steve lovatt Something else

    May 12, 2014
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    Nice write up and pics Dougie, shame about some of the weathet but looks like you two enjoyed it! :cool:
     
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  13. Markus

    Markus Crème de la Crème
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    Thanks for sharing your impressions with us!
     
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  14. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

    Jan 30, 2016
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    She thinks they are great Sandi,and for £50.00 they are a bargain ;):laughing:
     
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  15. andypandy

    andypandy Crème de la Crème

    Jan 10, 2016
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    Me, Steve @Wessa and Alan @Smilinjack went up the B797 back in June and we saw a couple of groups "messing around" in the stream (burn ?). It wasn't till later in the day when we stopped at a cafe that we learned that they would have been panning for gold. We did enjoy the road though.
     
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  16. andyc1

    andyc1 Lunarville 7, Airlock 3

    Feb 4, 2017
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    Bit like those exhausts then :joy:
     
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  17. Smilinjack

    Smilinjack Guest

    Nice one Dougie. Off to Mull on Friday, in the car mind. Thinking of Thursday night in Galloway, either Portpatrick or the Forest, to get us nearer to Glasgow. Picking my son and his partner up at the station Friday morning. Never done so much sailing, lsle of Man last week, just waiting to leave Guernsey, then Oban to Craignure Friday. Ha haarrr, me hearties! :grinning:
     
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  18. Dougie D

    Dougie D Crème de la Crème

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    The weathers looking good in Mull for the next couple of weeks :cool:
     
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  19. Sandi T

    Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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    Just don't let her read that thread you started about women's riding jeans, Dougie. ;):joy:
     
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