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Next month Andy (AKA Roadcraft Rider) will be taking 8 friends on a 5 night 6 day tour of Scotland using some of my favourite roads and chance came for Andy and I to have a quck blast up and check out the route conditions and one of the Hotels we will be using that we have not used before. That was my excuse and I am sticking to it 
This chance came as my mum had some spare room in her holiday home in Dunkeld for the night so free digs for the night. So routes loaded into the NAV 5 on saturday and ready to go but Owing to the unique way in which some Audi's are driven Andy had to pull out at the last minute.
No problem I will go it alone but a little upset for Andy as he would be missing out.
I had a packing dillema, should i put the full set of boxes on for the rufty tufty look or pack light and go with just the top box and tank bag ?
I ummed and Arred for a few minutes and went for the tank bag option which made me do something i have been meaning to do for a while now and that was to sort out and tidy up all the shit that seems to have accumulated in my top box. Any way Jeans, clean skiddies and socks chucked in the box, spare gloves and camera in the tank bag ( the tank bag for the LC is not very big) and jobs a good un. I like to have lots of gloves with me but not BMW ones
So up bright and early Sunday morning (six o fucking clock) and the weather from Saturday has changed and it is chilly and gloomy but pre ride checks of looking at the oil window and kicking the tyres complete and its off as far as the petrol station fill up and then it really is on the way. Now my route up to Dunkeld is as mad as box of frogs for anyone without a GS ( and indeed some with a GS) but i love it
First part of the journey is about 40 miles up the A1 which at that time on a sunday i had almost to my self so i could stretch the bikes legs a bit and warm it up for the spanking it was going to have later then off and over to Skipton on the B651 which is nice enough and the A59 which is just a fast road with some nice enough scenery but a utility road and no more, for the first stop at the layby to the east of Skipton
A bacon bap and a mug of tea was consumed, the tea was fine the bacon bap nothing to write home about I changed my gloves as it was way too cold for the summer ones i was wearing and i also put my PCM jacket on.
Any way from there it was along the A59 a bit more to Coniston Cold and a right to Malham and over the Malham Tarn road to join the B6479 and then the B6255 at the Ribble head Viaduct and onto Hawes
Malham tarn and the surrounding area is spectacular and well worth seeing if you haen't already, Interesting little roads too. Now i stopped for a fag and a photo opportunity and discovered that the camera battery was flat ( iwould have packed the spares had i put the panniers on !) any way to give you a feel for it here is one i took the week before when the weather was better.
The road to Hawes is famous and well used but at that time in the morning it was quiet so engaging dynamic mode the beans were applied and tyres and engines worked hard all within the limits of the law you understand.
It was my intention to stop in Hawes but i was having so much fun i kept going through Out gill, Kirby Stephen to brough where there is a toilet and a cafe. The cafe was shut but the bog wasnt thank goodness as by now the old chap was a small blue accorn an much undressing was needed to find him and have a piss. Then onwards to Middleton in Teesdale, another brilliant and famous road and more fun had but it was in the lower clouds so vis was bad and the temp dropping and i was pleased to see Middleton at a lower altitude and slightly( just) warmer.
Onwards, upwards and then downwards over the moor to Stanhope, now it really was cold with the temp guage readin between 2.5 and 3 degrees but it was so peacefull up there and i was so enjoying the ride on my own and the solitary feeling appart from hundreds of suicidal sheep.
Stanhope to Hexham on the B3061 which is brilliant road and gets a mention on the Bike 8 trip then to the A68 on the equally great B6320. and onto Jedburg fro refreshment
As i joined the A68 there was a whole load of bikes ,about 20, obviously out on a sunday club ride out or the like and in my mind they could not be allowed to get to Jedburgh before me or i would be waiting hours to get a brew so I set about despatching them and for the most part it was easy apprt from a K16 which put up a reasonable defence but as he had a pillion he too was passed on the way up to the border point, probably more down to his pillion whinging than my riding !
|It started to bloody rain and interestingly the road down from the border with the good bends ha been resurfaced and the Shell grip is gone ! Happy days at too fast !
Hot chocalate and a tunnocks wafer was the order of the day at Jedburgh then on ward forever north ish
I allways chose to travel the A7 from here as its a pretty decent and fast road oft overlooked by holiday makers and caravanists and then a quick blat round the bypass over the Forth bridge and then off at junction 4 to Knockhill
Then onwards through Gleneagles an crieff down into Dunkeld
Anyone heading North in this vicinity should use this route over the easier A9 as the scenery is gorgeous and the roads fantastic.
Tea consisted of home made meat pie and jacket spud courtesy of my dear old mum then a hot bath to de frost as the temp never got above 8 all day and into the Hotel for a Murphys or 3
On examining the Stats of the day i was suprised to see an average of 50 mph but the fuel consumption was well down ! cant have it all. 324 good miles done and a good nights sleep on it.
Episode 2 will follow shortly with pictures of bikes and mountains and lochs.
It was Micky's idea to do this so if you dont like it blame him
This chance came as my mum had some spare room in her holiday home in Dunkeld for the night so free digs for the night. So routes loaded into the NAV 5 on saturday and ready to go but Owing to the unique way in which some Audi's are driven Andy had to pull out at the last minute.
No problem I will go it alone but a little upset for Andy as he would be missing out.
I had a packing dillema, should i put the full set of boxes on for the rufty tufty look or pack light and go with just the top box and tank bag ?
I ummed and Arred for a few minutes and went for the tank bag option which made me do something i have been meaning to do for a while now and that was to sort out and tidy up all the shit that seems to have accumulated in my top box. Any way Jeans, clean skiddies and socks chucked in the box, spare gloves and camera in the tank bag ( the tank bag for the LC is not very big) and jobs a good un. I like to have lots of gloves with me but not BMW ones
So up bright and early Sunday morning (six o fucking clock) and the weather from Saturday has changed and it is chilly and gloomy but pre ride checks of looking at the oil window and kicking the tyres complete and its off as far as the petrol station fill up and then it really is on the way. Now my route up to Dunkeld is as mad as box of frogs for anyone without a GS ( and indeed some with a GS) but i love it
First part of the journey is about 40 miles up the A1 which at that time on a sunday i had almost to my self so i could stretch the bikes legs a bit and warm it up for the spanking it was going to have later then off and over to Skipton on the B651 which is nice enough and the A59 which is just a fast road with some nice enough scenery but a utility road and no more, for the first stop at the layby to the east of Skipton
A bacon bap and a mug of tea was consumed, the tea was fine the bacon bap nothing to write home about I changed my gloves as it was way too cold for the summer ones i was wearing and i also put my PCM jacket on.
Any way from there it was along the A59 a bit more to Coniston Cold and a right to Malham and over the Malham Tarn road to join the B6479 and then the B6255 at the Ribble head Viaduct and onto Hawes
Malham tarn and the surrounding area is spectacular and well worth seeing if you haen't already, Interesting little roads too. Now i stopped for a fag and a photo opportunity and discovered that the camera battery was flat ( iwould have packed the spares had i put the panniers on !) any way to give you a feel for it here is one i took the week before when the weather was better.
The road to Hawes is famous and well used but at that time in the morning it was quiet so engaging dynamic mode the beans were applied and tyres and engines worked hard all within the limits of the law you understand.
It was my intention to stop in Hawes but i was having so much fun i kept going through Out gill, Kirby Stephen to brough where there is a toilet and a cafe. The cafe was shut but the bog wasnt thank goodness as by now the old chap was a small blue accorn an much undressing was needed to find him and have a piss. Then onwards to Middleton in Teesdale, another brilliant and famous road and more fun had but it was in the lower clouds so vis was bad and the temp dropping and i was pleased to see Middleton at a lower altitude and slightly( just) warmer.
Onwards, upwards and then downwards over the moor to Stanhope, now it really was cold with the temp guage readin between 2.5 and 3 degrees but it was so peacefull up there and i was so enjoying the ride on my own and the solitary feeling appart from hundreds of suicidal sheep.
Stanhope to Hexham on the B3061 which is brilliant road and gets a mention on the Bike 8 trip then to the A68 on the equally great B6320. and onto Jedburg fro refreshment
As i joined the A68 there was a whole load of bikes ,about 20, obviously out on a sunday club ride out or the like and in my mind they could not be allowed to get to Jedburgh before me or i would be waiting hours to get a brew so I set about despatching them and for the most part it was easy apprt from a K16 which put up a reasonable defence but as he had a pillion he too was passed on the way up to the border point, probably more down to his pillion whinging than my riding !
|It started to bloody rain and interestingly the road down from the border with the good bends ha been resurfaced and the Shell grip is gone ! Happy days at too fast !
Hot chocalate and a tunnocks wafer was the order of the day at Jedburgh then on ward forever north ish
I allways chose to travel the A7 from here as its a pretty decent and fast road oft overlooked by holiday makers and caravanists and then a quick blat round the bypass over the Forth bridge and then off at junction 4 to Knockhill
Then onwards through Gleneagles an crieff down into Dunkeld
Anyone heading North in this vicinity should use this route over the easier A9 as the scenery is gorgeous and the roads fantastic.
Tea consisted of home made meat pie and jacket spud courtesy of my dear old mum then a hot bath to de frost as the temp never got above 8 all day and into the Hotel for a Murphys or 3
On examining the Stats of the day i was suprised to see an average of 50 mph but the fuel consumption was well down ! cant have it all. 324 good miles done and a good nights sleep on it.
Episode 2 will follow shortly with pictures of bikes and mountains and lochs.
It was Micky's idea to do this so if you dont like it blame him
