Vespa GTS: Riding the Outer Hebrides | FEATURE

Like most of us when we got our first scooters we all wanted to go off and ride and explore far-flung places. The excitement of youth, not a care in the world or any idea how these journeys were to be planned or even financed.

At sixteen I had my first scooter, a marine blue Vespa 50 and at the same time, I’d been given a Bartholomew Britain Roadfinder Atlas. I’m not sure whether by giving me the atlas my parents were promoting confidence, testing my abilities, or whether they wanted me out of the way. I suspect it was probably the latter, I’ll ask my Mum when I next pop around. 

I have always enjoyed looking at maps and dreaming of where to go, I haven’t changed at all over the years. The difference today is I can actually afford to go off travelling and in the modern age, we have the benefits of Google Earth and the many route-planning apps at our disposal. So much for the “good old days” when you followed the ‘Primary Routes’ until you got close to your destination and tried to remember what the map said, I couldn’t do that now! I go to another room and forget why I’ve gone there!

Pain-free adventure

From those early days of scouring my Britain Roadfinder Atlas looking for adventure to today at 58 years old exploring and riding is still there, just. As I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis every year I feel that bit older and the most mundane tasks can create swollen joints and the inevitable pain, its why for really long journeys like this one, a GTS was my Vespa of choice rather than my PX or T5. It’s at this point I’d like to put the “Uh it’s easy on a GTS, anyone can do that” argument in its place. Let’s look at that. 

Riding long distances just takes a fractionally longer time on geared rather than auto. My comfortable max a day is 250 miles whatever I am riding and I never use motorways, so apart from an extra fuel fill-up on the geared, time is not an issue for me.

• Comfort: Well maybe it’s my fat arse but I generally do not get arse ache, even after 513 miles in the saddle of a T5 in one day I was ok. The GTS has the edge though because getting back to arthritis the manual gear change usually buggers my left wrist up and after a few days it’s got to the point where it feels like it’s broken. I broke it years ago on a rear tyre blow-out with a T5, it’s never been right since. Another reason to take a GTS on this trip is because I had ferries booked and I couldn’t afford a day off waiting for my wrists to calm down.
• Reliability: Yep, we all know a GTS can break down just like geared scooters. But this is where it’s interesting. If your GTS breaks down what can you actually fix? If a relay has blown then ask why, if it just dies and won’t start what do you do? 99% of the time it’s a call to the man in a van and a bloody long wait in a possibly cold, hostile, windy, exposed and lonely environment. With respect to breaking down, I feel more confident with a geared scooter because there’s a high probability I can fix it and get going again unless it’s something terminal like a broken crank and it’s wrecked the casings. Even a hole in the piston can be fixed roadside, ask Duggie from the Modrapheniacs. When Dave Carey’s Vespa conked out on the A34. Apparently, Dave kept the self-tapper screwed into the top of his piston for many months after that roadside repair.
• Punctures: Yes they can be plugged on a GTS and you’d be mad not to ride without a tyre plug kit but sometimes they don’t work. Man in the van time again. Geared, well you put the spare on don’t you?                                                                                                                               I’m sure there are more pros and cons about the two distinct types of scooters we ride but the most important thing is to get out there and ride them, especially to all those places you always wanted to ride to before it’s too late.

Heading to the Hebrides

As you’ve guessed from the title my ride was to the Outer Hebrides, a long chain of islands off the west coast of Scotland. Ever since being a kid and looking at that Atlas, this was a place I needed to go to. A couple of big islands and lots of little islands where you travel between them all by ferry or island causeways that run across the water right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It was the remoteness of the area that appealed.

Mild camping

Of course, as a young man, I would have camped out, wild, just me and the elements. You can do this if you wish as wild camping is permitted in many parts of Scotland but today’s 58-year-old bloke likes the comfort of staying in hotels. Nothing better than after a cold wet ride getting your riding gear off, getting into a hot shower, drying, putting on a dry T-shirt and your fashion slacks and wandering down to the bar for a well-earned pint. Also, if it does rain and your riding gear is soaked it’ll dry in the hotel a lot easier than hanging it in a tent. It rains in Scotland, it rains a lot, also it snows a lot. I have been told many times by my Scottish friends rather proudly that they can experience all four seasons in one day. I believe them. Also, at certain times of the year, there are the midges, tiny black flies that will try to send you mad. Why would anyone want to go there?

Day one

I live in Bournemouth. Where it’s actually much nearer to France than it is to the Outer Hebrides! I planned a route using a planning program called MyRoute-App. It’s a great way to plot a route whilst sat at your PC, using maps and satellite views to make sure the roads you want to ride are suitable and also to check the locality of where I was to stay each night. Once plotted it’s a simple case of uploading the route to the satnav. The route I planned would take me right up through the centre of England via the Cotswolds and into the Peak District with a stopover at Buxton. (209 miles).

Day 2

I was up bright and breezy for the second day’s riding as I was off onto Moffat in the Scottish Lowlands. The day’s ride was to skirt East Manchester/Rochdale, Todmorden, Burnley and Settle. I stumbled across a great road to ride, the A683 Sedbergh to Kirkby Stephen and then onto Penrith, Carlisle and the last few miles to Moffat.

I know this trip is about riding the Outer Hebrides but the hotel in Moffat deserves a special mention. The Buccleuch Arms Hotel. It’s a proper bikers’ hotel. In fact, I would be bold enough to say it’s the best hotel I’ve ever used when riding. It has bike garages in the garden with all the equipment to wash your scooter or pump tyres, or check oil etc. The food and beers were superb, it was clean and comfortable and the host was magnificent.

NC500

The host, Dave is a really interesting guy he is responsible for many of the named routes in Scotland, although he won’t put his name to them because the routes (namely the NC500) have become a victim of their own success. If ever you stay here make sure you talk to him and you will see what I mean. Dave gave me a local route from the hotel that would encompass where eagles are spotted and also where Scotland’s highest village is. Who’d have guessed it would be in the lowlands? (202 miles).

Day 3

Day 2 in Scotland was to take me through Glasgow via the Clyde Tunnel, (I don’t do big bridges). Then along the northern side of the River Clyde past the submarine base and then into the mountains of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, with an overnight stay in a weird hotel in Tyndrum. (125 miles).

Glencoe

I’m into my third Scottish day and I still haven’t got to where I’m going yet. Today was a short ride from Tyndrum to Mallaig to get a ferry to the Isle of Skye. It was in this part of the country that I had a euphoric riding experience.

I rode into Glencoe from the south, the road was empty and the sun was shining. Words cannot explain how it felt, or how the view before me made me feel. Emotional I think is the best way to describe it.

Black 5

This was to be a fantastic riding day as after leaving Fort William whilst on the road to Mallaig I was riding side by side with the BR Black 5 Steam Locomotive – hauling the famous West Coast Railway’s tourist steam service.  I did ultimately beat the train into Mallaig. A short ferry crossing now onto Isle of Skye and a very pleasant scenic ride to the hotel in Portree (134 miles).

Isle of Harris

After a two-night stay on Skye, it was onto the ferry from Uig on Skye to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris. I am now at last on the Outer Hebrides, I have finally got here. 670 miles riding just to get here! All in all, I had three nights booked on the Outer Hebrides, two nights in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and a night’s stay in Castlebay on the Isle of Barra in the south. Once I had got off the ferry at Tarbert, rather than turning right to head North I was recommended a good road to ride, it was called the Golden Road, why it’s called that I did not know but it was a short circular route over good quality single track road with plenty of ups and downs whilst running past little ponds and glorious views out to sea.

Before I forget to mention it, there are two things to talk about here. Road conditions and the sea. The sea was always bright blue and crystal clear during my stay, you could quite easily mistake it for the Med although it’s very cold so don’t get any ideas about swimming in it.

“Roads. Frankly, on the whole, pretty rubbish. Skye was the worst with potholes that would actually kill you, with the other islands marginally better. It’s a great shame as where you’d like to glance at the scenery you daren’t in case you fell into a chasm.”

After my quick detour, I was now ready to head north. Riding out of Tarbert you ride amongst some incredible mountains and Sea Lochs on a wide fast road. The time of year I was travelling was just after the Easter schools break and the roads were quiet which made things very pleasant, no kids and few cars or dreaded campervans getting in the way. I hate following campervans and vans for that matter, you cannot see anything and it’s like being in an invisible void. Best remedied by some brisk overtaking with a left glance at the driver to affirm your previous thoughts about them. I was usually right.

Stornoway

I had arrived at Stornoway in good time but too early to check in, so thought I would get tomorrow’s leisure ride out the way today. This would give me a proper day off, where I could indulge in a pint or two and get a haircut. Part of my initial plan was to ride to the very top of the Isle of Lewis to the Butt of Lewis, the very top of the whole of the Outer Hebrides.

Bleak?

There is a stark difference between Harris in the south and Lewis in the north and that is the landscape, gone are the mountains, now it’s open moor and bog, beige in colour with very few interesting things to see. If you don’t like wide open spaces, stay away you’d hate it. A petrol station came into view so I stopped for a top-up just to be on the safe side, although I was carrying a spare 2 litres of petrol with me I didn’t want to take chances.

The Butt of Lewis lighthouse came into view, I stopped at the very point where I wanted to be, took some photos, a quick look about and that was it really. Stood with the sun on my back in the sunshine staring out into the calm and blue Atlantic Ocean. Phase 1 of the Outer Hebrides trip is complete.

Standing Stones of Callanish

There are few roads to ride on the islands but I did have the choice of a different way back to Stornoway via the coast and the standing stones at Callanish on the West coast. Now heading south, same landscape but with the sea to my right, passing through small gatherings of cottages. The locals make the most of the warm but slightly windy weather by having all their washing on their clotheslines. “A good drying day” as mum always says. I stopped at the standing stones to take a look and see what the fuss was about, what was pleasant was you could walk amongst them, unlike the famous standing stones nearer to where I live. The experts do not know how old they are. Sadly, the earthed me didn’t get any vibes from them, but I was still impressed, it’s an incredible piece of really ancient engineering. A must place to visit.

It was now teatime and I am at last now in the hotel, a rather nice hotel on the quayside in Stornoway, it was pricy but there’s so little choice on the islands so they’ve got you by the goolies.

Whisky sampling

Riding on your own can be a lonely old business at times. Fortunately, I’m content in my own company but there are times when human interaction other than saying ‘hello’ to the bloke in the petrol station is required. What I was doing on this trip to make things a bit more interesting was to do whisky sampling each night in Scotland. The rule was I had to drink a dram of whisky produced from the nearest distillery to where I was staying. I would then in turn video my review and post it on Facebook (if you’re friends with Gary you can see his entertaining videos on his profile). It sort of works with the interaction thing, I’m not great at striking up conversations with real people but the world of Facebook is different and fun, most of the time. If you saw the videos you will know that whisky is not my tipple, even after trying all the different types from most of the main whisky regions. I’m a beer man, simple.

Best beer of the trip?

Top beer of the trip? Cuillin Brewery, Skye Session Ale. Beautiful, in fact, all the real ales in Scotland were rather nice, it must be the water.

Day seven

This was a proper rest day, no riding at all. It did involve a haircut and some beer and that was it, very relaxing.

Thoughts on Gary’s new GTS 300

At this point, I will go through what I rode and what I took with me. My ride was a new 2023 GTS 300 SuperSport HPE RST22. When I left home it had about 600 miles on it, I was to make sure that soon changed. Overall, it’s a rather pleasant scooter to ride, the new improved forks with anti-dive are very noticeable. I also believe it was more fuel efficient than my previous GTS’. On the dash it has some new techy stuff. One bit I really found useful was the fuel range data. Useful on a ride like this where fuel could be difficult. When I did the initial route planning, on the program I put in petrol stops but the improved fuel economy threw these out a bit so now it was down to finding petrol when required. I had a fair idea where fuel was and at no point did I think I’d be stuck on the islands. The only refuel that confused me was a pay-by-card pump. It had presets of £20, £60 and £90 (I think) and I was concerned that if I pressed the £20 button that’s what you got, £20 pounds worth, not good on a small tank. Fortunately, a local arrived to fill up a can and I’m sure he thought I was a southern dimlo as he explained you just paid for what you put in and I would be fine with £6 worth.

A problem with the first HPE GTS’ is some burn oil. I did prepare for this by filling some 50ml whisky miniatures bottles with oil in case I needed to top up (perhaps they would have tasted better than the whisky?). I did regular engine oil checks and I am pleased to report that there was no drop in oil, I hope this continues.

Useful equipment

The equipment I took with me is worth a mention. 12v compressor (run off the 12v aux socket). As mentioned earlier, tyre plug kit. I think it’s worth having a crack at practising doing a repair with an old tyre and rim if you get the chance. Security devices. I took 2 disc locks, a LiteLok D lock and a length of security cable plus other security precautions.

I had a small Tupperware box with fuses, relays, spanners, screwdrivers etc. I took a filled 2-litre fuelfriend petrol can, which fits nicely under the seat amongst all the other stuff. A new bit of equipment I packed under the seat was a LOMO Emergency Storm Shelter – a 2-3 man bothy bag. I reckon this could be a lifesaver. Last year I broke down (GTS) in Wales in the middle of nowhere. I had a 5 to 6-hour wait for the actual recovery. I was fortunate it was September; it was warmish and it was dry. But consider if it was cold and wet, there was no shelter for miles, what would I have done? Where I was going on this trip is renowned for bad weather and remembering it’s a wild, lonely and unforgiving part of the world, then this £19.99 purchase might mean survival rather than exposure or hypothermia. A small price to pay. It is packed small and worth every penny. As for clothes, I packed a pair of jeans, t-shirts, socks, a few pairs of pants (let’s not get into that) and some warm items as I was expecting it to be cold, as it was we had a heatwave so I had rather overpacked somewhat. All of the clothes were packed into a 40-litre LOMO waterproof bag bungeed to the back rack. I travelled as light as I possibly could. Oh, I nearly forgot, I took a flask so I could have a warm drink when stopped admiring the many views.

North and South Uist

After my day off, it was time now to start heading south for the next part of the journey and the eventual ferry home. It was an early start as there was a ferry to catch at 11:00 to take me to the next islands, North and South Uist. Out through the moorland of Lewis into the mountains of Harris and into the small port of Leverburgh for the hour-long crossing to Berneray in North Uist.

As per usual I got there early, it’s a thing with me where I hate rushing for schedules of things, it’s easier to leave early and travel at leisure. Two good things were at Leverburgh – a tea/breakfast caravan and a warm waiting room. All the small ports I’d been at had small waiting rooms. Ideal if it’s cold or raining or both. Eventually, the small ferry came around the headland and myself, a few cars and campers were quickly boarded and we were off.

These CalMac ferries don’t hang about. It was a smooth crossing with me on the deck looking for dolphins, whales and sea eagles… I saw a seal. A bit like the previous evening when the Northern Lights were supposed to be really active… I saw a streetlight. Days previously whilst riding through eagle country, I saw a buzzard. Not much luck so far. If that sentence implies it got better, don’t worry it didn’t.

Isle of Barra

Once ashore at Berneray, it’s a steady ride south for the next ferry to the Isle of Barra (not to be confused with Barry Island). This whole trip is a question of ferries. Miss one and the whole schedule is blown out of the water, you might just as well go home. I asked at some ferries when I got there early (surprise surprise) if they could put me on and the answer was always no, as some crossings are car-only. Perhaps in the quieter months, they are more flexible.

This part of the journey was to ride down through the Uist islands. The Uists are lots of little islands interconnected with stone-built causeways across the shallow waters between them all. North Uist is a strange landscape, it’s quite flat with the odd small mountain here and there, oh and the wind picks up here a bit, straight off the Atlantic you see. It’s boggy and fairly uninhabited apart from those who like to live in solitude with the only shop a small Co-Op many miles away. I assume there are medical facilities somewhere on the islands.

Single track mind

From a rider’s perspective, the roads were good, mainly single-track with passing places. This style of road really needs to be ridden at a relaxed pace. One because of the occasional oncoming car and two because it’s nice to absorb the surroundings. A thing I noticed later was once I actually got off the islands I felt considerably more relaxed and my riding had slowed down and I adopted a ‘what’s the rush’ attitude. So far it’s still with me.

At lunchtime, I was rewarded by the sight of a food caravan by the side of the road with the most splendid view looking out over crystal clear sea and white sands. Perfect timing. A cheese and onion toastie and a mug of tea, superb, life is good.

Halfway through the Uists, there is a fairly long causeway that connects North and South. It was rather impressive as it appeared to float across a turquoise sea with white sands on either side, I really didn’t feel I was in the UK but somewhere tropical and warm. To be fair, although it had cooled it wasn’t cold or wet, it was pretty ok, you could say just right for riding. South Uist is a little more mountainous than the North and less inhabited, not the kind of place you want to break down, hence why I bought a survival bag thingy with me.

Beach landings

The Isle of Barra is a rather small island with a mountain in the middle of it. It is also unique in the fact it has an airport that uses the beach as its runways. I did go and have a quick look but nothing was flying, unfortunately. The hotel I was staying in was on the southern side of the island in a village called Castlebay. It’s where the old black and white film Whiskey Galore was filmed, I thought it looked familiar. I really could have done with an extra day on Barra and really this is where I mucked up. I did try to find accommodation on the Uists but had no luck so I ended up with a short stay on Barra. There was another island I could have ridden to, Vatersay but sadly time was not on my side.

Total mileage from the Butt of Lewis in the north to Castlebay in the south was 150 miles. The Outer Hebrides didn’t disappoint but the weather was on my side and that makes a big difference.

Back to the mainland

Sunday and another bloody early start to be at the ferry for 06:30 and the return crossing to the mainland at Oban. The weather was just starting to turn colder and windier now, so in hindsight, another day on Barra may have actually been quite miserable.

The crossing was good, a bit choppy at first in the open water but once the ferry gets near Mull it calms and it’s a pleasant run down the Sound of Mull to the port at Oban. Once on the mainland and it was another fairly short ride to start the journey south and home. I stopped in a small village called Drymen in The Trossachs National Park for the night. If anyone’s up this way it’s worth a visit as it has a few pubs and a couple of reasonable hotels.

Should have gone to Specsavers

The rest of the trip home was cold, I even had a bit of snow, but I still managed to take in some stunning scenery. The Borders National Park, Kielder Forest, Yorkshire Dales, Tan Hill Pub, Buttertubs Pass. I think I managed to bag most of the best rides the country has to offer us on the whole trip and I managed to stop in a few nice towns, Barnard Castle being one. Naturally, a visit to Specsavers was in order and the evening here ended up as a booze-up as I was met by two friends from Durham, Cookie and Andy, sorry I spilt the Sambuca, hic.

All in all a very pleasant trouble-free journey. The Vespa impeccably behaved. Comfortable, fast when required and fuel efficient.

Total mileage door-to-door 1839.4 miles. Average fuel economy 76.6 mpg.

Words and photos: Gary Robertson