Why this ride
From Stromness it runs 457 km to Stromness; allow about 10 h 14 of riding. On the way it passes Munsary & Shielton, East Halladale, The Flow Country and back through East Halladale. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Maes Howe and The Flow Country
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 457 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 10 h 14
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Maes Howe
Maeshowe is a grass-covered mound in a field beside Loch Harray, about thirty-five metres across and encircled by a ditch, and inside it is the finest chambered tomb in northern Europe. Built around 2800 BC, it is entered by a long, low passage of huge single slabs, aligned so that around midwinter the setting sun shines straight down it and lights the back wall. The chamber itself is high and square, with corbelled walls that narrow towards the roof and side cells where the bones of the dead were laid. The precision of the masonry, with no mortar, is astonishing, and the stone slabs in the passage weigh several tonnes.
Read the complete Maes Howe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Maes Howe is where the day begins. Next is Munsary & Shielton.
2. Munsary & Shielton
Inland from Wick, in the far north-east of Scotland, the land flattens into a vast, rolling expanse of peat bog, brown and gold, dotted with pools and lochans that reflect the sky. Munsary and Shielton are areas of this blanket bog, part of the Flow Country, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2024 as the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. Here, sphagnum mosses have built up peat over thousands of years, storing vast amounts of carbon, and the bog teems with life: insect-eating sundews, cotton grass waving white in summer, and birds such as golden plover, greenshank and dunlin nesting among the hummocks.
Read the complete Munsary & Shielton write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Munsary & Shielton comes up 50 km in. Next is East Halladale.
3. East Halladale
Strath Halladale is one of the emptiest valleys in mainland Britain, and East Halladale is a scatter of crofts and sheep fields along it. The A897 runs up the strath from Helmsdale on the east coast to Melvich on the north coast, following the Halladale River for much of the way, and for long stretches you will see more deer than cars. It is single track with passing places, so the rules are simple: pull in to let faster traffic by, wave, and never park in a passing place.
Read the complete East Halladale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
100 km in you reach East Halladale. Next is The Flow Country.
4. The Flow Country
Most people who first see the Flow Country think it is empty. It is not; it is simply flat, wet and enormous, and it takes a while to understand what you are looking at. Spread across Caithness and Sutherland in the far north of Scotland, this is the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe, a landscape of peat built up over thousands of years, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2024. The surface is a patchwork of sphagnum mosses, cotton grass and heather, studded with countless small pools called dubh lochans that shine like broken mirrors when the sun comes out. Under your feet, the peat holds an extraordinary amount of carbon.
Read the complete The Flow Country write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Flow Country, about halfway. Next is back through East Halladale.
5. back through East Halladale
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete East Halladale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through East Halladale sits at 201 km, about halfway. Next is back through Munsary & Shielton.
6. back through Munsary & Shielton
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Munsary & Shielton write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Munsary & Shielton comes up 251 km in. Next is Maes Howe.
7. Maes Howe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Maes Howe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Maes Howe closes the day.
Leg by leg
Maes Howe to Munsary & Shielton
Maes Howe → Munsary & Shielton is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Munsary & Shielton to East Halladale
Munsary & Shielton → East Halladale is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
East Halladale to The Flow Country
East Halladale → The Flow Country is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Flow Country to back through East Halladale
The Flow Country → back through East Halladale is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through East Halladale to back through Munsary & Shielton
back through East Halladale → back through Munsary & Shielton is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Munsary & Shielton to Maes Howe
back through Munsary & Shielton → Maes Howe is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.