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Haggis, Highlands and hurricanes...the Scotland ride report

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Very cool! My Mom went there for a few weeks some years ago and when I saw her pics, I knew it would be an awesome place to tour on a bike! I'm glad it all worked out so that you could go.
 
Incredible trip. What better place to have your flight delayed and a "local" tour guide as well. :thumb:
 
Awesome ride pics! What a beautiful country. The photographer is spot on professional. I now want to visit someday. Thanks for sharing.
 
Outstanding ride/travel report, Ana! Great pics!

We saw a lot of the restrooms with the unisex handwashing setup when we were in Mexico this summer. It did seem strange to be standing next to the ladies while they freshened their makeup and such.

I have to get to Scotland!
 
M38A1 said:
Ana,
Were you using the D80 for these shots? And was it set on Automatic?

Most, if not all are just amazing shots and the composition of a professional photographer.

What a trip!
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Scott,

not all photos are mine, most of the on-bike shots are Graeme's, he used a Canon Power shot. My on-bike and a couple of off-bike shots were shot with a Pentax Optio, the rest with the D-80 with the "P" program setting (sometimes "P*" as I wanted to force a different apperture/speed combination). Oh, and I followed Ken Rockwell's advice on the D-80 and set the exposure compensation to -0.7 step since the D-80 tends to overexpose the shots. Like he says, it's easier to brighten up a photo in post processing than trying to get back the lost highlights. Oh, and also applied other recommended settings by Ken (e.g. AutoIso, color mode, etc). So, I didn't have to waste time fiddling with the settings at every stop.


Thanks for the compliments!
 
Thanks Cindy! are you coming to bike night tonight? They have FIGS!!!
 
scot001.jpg


The whole Scotland trip was an amazing journey for all three of us as you can tell by the excellent ride report and pictures that Ana has posted but I have to mention Stewart from Scotland by Bike

One of the key factors to the success and overall enjoyment of this trip was Stewart from Scotland by Bike. From my initial contact until we returned bikes the exceptional level of service, assistance provided and just an overall feeling of nothing is too much trouble provided by Stewart was top shelf.

Stewart has over 20 bikes to choice from so all 3 of us were able to select a type or make of bike that we wanted to ride on the trip. I was amazed that with the exchange of a few emails and a couple of phone calls we were able to rent 3 motorcycles in Scotland. I have had more problems renting a car from my local Hertz dealer.

When we collected the bikes they were all in prime condition, cleaned and filled with Gas and each bike came with
  • full luggage
  • TomTom GPS
  • First Aid Kit
  • Disc Locks
  • Digital tire pressure gauge
  • Patch kits
Stewart had even taken the time to scrub in the new tires on Ana’s bike rather than sending her out on completely fresh and slippery rubber.

The lengths that Stewart went to ensure he catered to our every requirement was impressive. Even this short list shows how much Stewart was willing to ensure that our trip was everything we had hoped for
  • When I found out that all the bikes had GPS mounted on them I wanted to prove the routes to all of us. Stewart eagerly offered to load the GPX file onto all the machines if I emailed the file.
  • After looking at our planned routes Stewart provided us with his local knowledge and recommendations of better (more fun) roads
  • Prior to arriving in Scotland we had asked that the bikes be fitted with power outlets (BMW style) so that we could run our heated gear. It was not possible to hook up Ana’s bike in time with the right power outlet so Stewart went one step better and wired up then provided Ana with a heated vest
  • When WE decided to disable one of the bikes (long story), Stewart once again rose to the occasion . He allowed us to use another bike so we could continue on with our trip without delay, while he dealt with the stranded bike.

All three if us can not thank Stewart (aka Mr. Scotland by Bike) enough for making this such a memorable trip and look forward to seeing him again in May.

scot002.jpg



Thanks again for everything
Graeme, Skip and Ana
 
Okay, Graeme, I think you need to do another tour in a few years. (Hint, hint)
 
scot111a.jpg


I LOVE B&W pics! I only take half of my pics in color.

Thanks for taking us along on the trip. I enjoyed it. :clap:
 
Kidder said:
Okay, Graeme, I think you need to do another tour in a few years. (Hint, hint)
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Judd,

You do not have to wait for me. Stewart not only rents bikes but also provides guided tours. He was telling me he uses guys that are retired motorcycle LEOs, so you not only get great local guides but probably a few great riding tips.

When we dropped off the bikes most of the guys where gone to a refresher medical course. TI tought this was a great thing to have for the guides.
 
I really enjoyed this ride report. Great pictures by all. and yes, I wish I had been there. Congrats.
 
Just catching up with my reading.

WOW!

I know it has been said a few times, but those are truly wonderful pictures. You composition and eye are professional.

Two weeks vacation a year is killing me!
 
thestudent said:
Just catching up with my reading.

Two weeks vacation a year is killing me!
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I only have two weeks vacation a year, but the Scotland trip took only five working days (then again I get every other friday off, otherwise it would have been 6 days off work) except for the "bonus" days when Ike hit and we couldn't get back until a couple of days later (and the offices were closed due to the hurricane anywyas).
 
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