motorcycle parked overlooking Talla reservoir

Making use of the recent great weather I tried the short Three Lochs Run described on the motorcyclescotland.com site riding my newly acquired 650 Bandit. Traveling from Broughton, I joined the route at Tweedsmuir. I continued along the A701 towards Moffat stopping briefly at Ericstane to take in the view. It’s nearly a year since I moved to Scotland and I still can’t get over the roads and scenery.

Suzuki GSF650 parked overlooking the devils beef tub during the three lochs run
A short break to take in the view at the Devils Beef Tub near Ericstane.
The Grey Mares Tail.
The Grey Mares Tail. Walkers on the horizon give a sense of scale.

Passing through Moffat, I followed the signs for the Grey Mares Tail (A708). Quite a few sheep were on the road which were obviously used to traffic and they don’t move. It’s up to you to drive around them and the road is fairly narrow too. Further on, the road widens, undulates and twists between the hills for a great ride.

A708 Moffat Waters
A708 Moffat Waters

Further along the road is the biker friendly Glen Cafe, opposite St Marys Loch. I carried on, turning off onto the Tweedsmuir road a little further on. This road is single track for much of the way with lots of passing points. There were quite a few sheep by the roadside. These sheep were quite skittish. I had a near miss when one ran out directly in front of me. The road takes you past Megget and Talla reservoirs to Tweedsmuir.

megget reservoir
Megget reservoir, largest earth dam in Scotland
Descent to talla reservoir nearing the end of the three lochs run
Before the steep decent to Talla Reservoir.

The view approaching Talla is worth the trip alone and the best part of the Three Lochs Run. There’s a small lay-by at the top to take in the surroundings. The descent to Talla is steep (much steeper than the photo suggests) and narrow but easy on a bike.

In addition to the motorcyclescotland site there’s some good information at livefastdieold and the Breathtaking Roads video on YouTube (you might want to hit the mute button though!)

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