Why this ride
550 km from Stromness to Stromness, about 11 h 50 of riding. On the way it passes Munsary & Shielton, East Halladale, The Flow Country and A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Skara Brae and A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 550 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 11 h 50
- 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. Skara Brae
Skara Brae is the oldest house you will ever walk past on a motorbike, or at least the oldest complete set of them. On the Bay of Skaill, on the west coast of Orkney's Mainland, a group of Neolithic stone houses lies half buried in the grassy dunes, built roughly five thousand years ago and lived in for several centuries. A great storm in the winter of 1850 stripped the turf from a mound and exposed the walls, and what was uncovered astonished everyone: stone beds, stone dressers, hearths, and cupboards still in their original places, because the settlers had built with slabs rather than timber, and there was no timber to rot. The site forms part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, along with the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness a few miles away.
Read the complete Skara Brae write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Skara Brae 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 47 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
95 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 A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal.
5. A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal
There is a particular silence on the A836 above Altnaharra, and this stretch of it is the best place to notice it. The road here is single track with passing places, running north from Lairg toward the Kyle of Tongue, with Loch Loyal laid out beside it and the four-peaked ridge of Ben Loyal standing over the water. Hope is the other half of the name, Ben Hope, the northernmost Munro, which you will have glimpsed already as a long flat-topped wall to the north-west.
Read the complete A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal sits at 189 km, about halfway. Next is back through The Flow Country.
6. back through The Flow Country
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through The Flow Country comes up 236 km in. Next is back through East Halladale.
7. 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
284 km in you reach back through East Halladale. Next is back through Munsary & Shielton.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Skara Brae.
9. Skara Brae
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Skara Brae write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 550 km.
Leg by leg
Skara Brae to Munsary & Shielton
Skara Brae → Munsary & Shielton is 98 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 A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal
The Flow Country → A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal to back through The Flow Country
A’Mhoine-Hope-Loyal → back through The Flow Country is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Flow Country to back through East Halladale
back through 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 Skara Brae
back through Munsary & Shielton → Skara Brae is 98 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.