First stop, should have been another 'emergency' fuel stop for Grizzly, only that fuel station didn't exist, like yesterday's! Grizzly managed to coax the Shadslow to Thurso, where we both filled up. 172 miles he'd done. Pushing the boundaries 😆
After the fuel, our first proper stop was Dunnet Head, the UK's most northely point on the mainland.
Snaps taken it was time for the big one, John O'Groats. Grizzly got so excited he even bought 2 postcards, and then paid £3.40 for the privilege of sending them back to Ireland. We arrived before most of the bikers on the road, so managed to get some reasonable photos. Only the brave will run their bike up the gravel path to the signpost and only then if it's not too busy. One guy on a Honda Fireblade did, just as we were leaving.
A short hop took us to Duncansby Head and its lighthouse, the most north easterly point on the UK mainland. What a trio that completed.
From leaving Duncansby Head, it's a fairly straightforward and reasonably fast ride down to Inverness. We had another fuel/coffee stop at Brora but that was it and we arrived at the Chieftain Hotel around 14:15. As check in was 14:00, that was just perfect. Getting some time back in the day has allowed me to catch up with some admin, the most important task being, arranging to get some new tyres fitted. I had hoped, somewhat optimistically, that they would get me round the entire tour but with 8k miles already on them before we set off I was clearly deluded. 2k clocked up today and it is clear I need new rubber. They will have to last another week, when I will stop off in Sittingbourne, to get them swapped. Lucky that the tour takes us right by Sittingbourne anyway, Day 17
Pic below shows the Shetland Islands ferry in John O'Groats harbour.
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