Hauptkatalog 2009 - Touratech Nordic

358
Movies, Books
DVD
Back to SCOTLAND
Retracing the tracks of my first motorcycle tour
“And then, halfway round a bend, there was a beam of wood
in the road - the Scottish way of warning traffic about a ‚sheep
crossing‘. I hit the brakes too late. The farmer had probably
only just got his sheep across, because in front of this timber
beam the road was covered in fresh sheep s***. My motorbike,
with my sister on the back, slipped on the mess
and skidded out of control. I didn‘t know what
was happening! My left knee landed right on
the beam. Back then you couldn‘t get the really
safe, high-tech clothing that exists now. I was
wearing leathers and my sister had a denim
suit on. It was a miracle that we weren‘t more
badly injured. A car stopped by chance, it was
a friendly nurse who was going on holiday
with her family. She drove us to the nearest
hospital where they gave me a few stitches
in the open wound on my knee. The village
policeman stayed up half the night to take
care of my damaged motorbike. We glued old
carrier bags over the holes in our waterproofs.
The next day, with a few improvised spares, we
were able to continue our journey.”
Herbert Schwarz tells his wife Ramona this story one evening at home, a glass of whisky in hand, as they sit by the campfire. As
is the way with travellers‘ tales, the wanderlust sets in, and there‘s only one remedy: to get back on the road. In August 2009,
the couple set off for Scotland to retrace the tracks of Herbert‘s first motorcycle tour thirty years ago. Mainly on narrow singletrack
roads, they experience 8,050 kilometres of riding enjoyment on the new revised BMW R 1200 RT.
Their experiences offer a fascinating portrait: Scottish hospitality, the spectacular Glenfinnan Highland Games, freak weather
conditions, Carlos the ghost who haunts Eilean Donan Castle, the Glen Ord distillery where they find out what makes a good
whisky, the historic National Wallace Monument in Stirling and the eerie catacombs in Edinburgh, and breathtaking and varied
scenery from the lowlands with their gently rolling hills, to the solitude and calm of the Inner Hebrides (Isle of Arran, the Kintyre
peninsula, Isle of Mull, Isle of Skye), to the highlands with their rugged and wild west coast and peaceful east coast, and the
Grampian Mountains.
Curious? If you feel wanderlust too from time to time, this film will inspire you to pack your motorbike panniers and head out
on the road. Scotland‘s not far away…
091-0193 (English/German)