OLD BOAT OF CAOL RUN………

— Creiff to Fort William… with a Giant Wasp, Rogue Sat Nav and Mobile Storage Solutions!
You just know it’s going to be a cracking day when you wake up to glorious blue skies. The bike was soon fired up and I headed down to Aberfeldy to meet up with some of the club members for a day’s ride, with Fort William as our destination.
Before we’d even turned a wheel, Mother Nature had already provided the day’s first talking point.
Gerti pulled up beside us with what appeared to be a hitchhiker sitting proudly on her fuel tank. We all gathered round for a closer inspection and couldn’t believe the size of the insect. It looked like something that had escaped from the set of Jurassic Park! Out came the phones and plenty of photos were taken so we could identify the beast later.
After a bit of Googling, it turned out to be a Giant Horntail Wasp. Quite an intimidating-looking creature, but apparently they’re harmless unless seriously provoked. That said, Gerti wasn’t overly enthusiastic about sharing the next hundred miles with it perched on her fuel tank.
Step forward our fearless hero… Ian McIntosh.
Without hesitation (or perhaps without fully thinking it through!), Ian calmly flicked the oversized passenger off the bike. A true act of bravery… or perhaps he just has a better life insurance policy than the rest of us!
With Gerti now considerably more relaxed, we headed off towards Trinafour along the wonderful single-track roads. Progress, however, was temporarily slowed by two rather large motorhomes.
It’s fair to say the drivers looked as though they were on their very first outing. Every bridge became a major engineering project as they cautiously tried to squeeze through without donating part of the bodywork to the Scottish Highlands. We concluded they were probably more worried about losing their hire deposit than delaying half of Scotland’s motorcyclists!
Eventually we escaped and made good progress along the A9, stopping at the Laggan Bothy near Dalwhinnie for a well-earned coffee.
Before anyone could even reach for their wallets, Ian McIntosh had disappeared into the café and returned carrying coffees for all five of us. A genuinely generous gesture that was very much appreciated. Cheers, Ian!
Coffees finished, we pointed the bikes towards Fort William.
As we entered the town, I noticed Ian confidently turning left. Naturally, the rest of us followed without question… because that’s what sensible riders do.
Seconds later I spotted a sign that read:
“IGNORE SAT NAV – NO ACCESS TO SHORE ROAD.”
Unfortunately, Ian’s sat nav clearly has a rebellious streak and wasn’t about to let a mere roadside sign tell it what to do. With absolute confidence, it led all five of us straight into a dead-end cul-de-sac.
Now, being loyal riding companions, not one of us questioned the route—we all followed like a line of well-trained ducklings. It was only when we ran out of road that the penny dropped.
Cue five motorcycles performing an elegant display of synchronised U-turns. If anyone had been judging, we’d probably have scored highly for teamwork but lost points for navigation. Judging by the muffled laughter coming from inside our helmets, I don’t think Ian’s sat nav will be getting a Christmas card this year!
After eventually finding the correct road, we stopped for lunch where Gerti entertained us with stories of her motorcycling adventures in India. Absolutely fascinating listening and a reminder that biking really is a universal language.
Next stop was the famous beached boat with Ben Nevis providing a spectacular backdrop. It really is one of those views that reminds you just how lucky we are to have this incredible scenery right on our doorstep. Scotland really does feed the soul.
Now, on to another important topic…
Ian McIntosh’s top box.
At some point I managed to offload my bottle of water, baseball cap and the inner liner from my jacket into Ian’s top box. It was less of a motorcycle luggage compartment and more of a mobile storage unit.
As we were leaving, Ian reminded me not to forget my jacket liner.
I replied, “If I do forget it, would you mind asking Sue to give it a wash… and maybe use some Lenor fabric conditioner so it smells nice?”
Ian’s response was immediate…
“Ooooh… I’m telling Sue!”
Now Sue, if by some chance you’re reading this, I was only being my usual cheeky self. I promise I wasn’t trying to create extra washing!
The weather certainly played its part too. We saw temperatures reaching around 29°C, so several of us were wearing vented jackets, and thank goodness we were. They kept us wonderfully cool.
The only slight downside by the end of the day the mesh panels looked like an insect graveyard. Somewhere there’s probably a fly family wondering why Uncle Barry never came home.
Of course, riding around all day in full biking gear in that sort of heat is never going to be a glamorous affair. I’m fairly certain my can of Lynx deodorant was working harder than the engine on the bike, putting in a championship-winning performance trying to keep the underarm perspiration under control. Whether it actually succeeded is another matter entirely—I suppose you’d have to ask the people standing downwind at the coffee stop! Let’s just say it earned its retirement by the end of the ride.
Today’s ride was enjoyed by Ian McIntosh, Ian Ness, Gerti Mantler-Mitchell, John (our new member—sorry John, I never caught your surname! and myself 
I forgot to mention John arrived on a beautiful Kawasaki GPZ900, a proper classic that was absolutely immaculate. It was a real pleasure to see one in such lovely condition.
A warm welcome to the club, John—we hope it’s the first of many rides with us.
Finally, a huge thank you to Ian McIntosh for organising today’s run and for keeping both the coffee and the entertainment flowing. Thanks also to Ian Ness for carrying out the important TEC (Tail End Charlie) duties and making sure nobody was left behind.
Great roads. Great weather. Great company. Great laughs And plenty of stories.
That’s exactly why we love riding motorcycles. Every run creates another story to tell, another laugh to share, and another excuse to start planning the next adventure.
Until next time…