My First Tour of the UK + Continental Coastline "Surfin' Safari"

Hello Friendly GSers!

It's me, the Tall American (tosser). I've at last finished my work commitment here in the UK. Just in time for cold weather and short daylight hours, I am finally free to go out on my bike and play. And so, my immediate chosen order of business is to hit the road on my first GS tour of the UK.
I'm hoping to depart London around the 18th or 19th of October on the Platinum Pig. Thinking of tracing the eastern coastline of England all the way up to Northern Scotland, then loop down into the highlands. From there, down into the Republic of Ireland for a loop of that country. Finally, back into England to continue along the western coast south to Lands End (to drop in on Lady Tiffany?) before turning back toward London. What am I missing that I shouldn't leave out?
I'm hoping to cover only a modest amount each day, with emphasis on scenery and nice roads to ride. If the weather holds up, I'd like to do a bit of camping as I go along, punctuated with stays in small inns and B&Bs. Perhaps I can even bum some floor space with some of you?! Thinking of giving myself two or three weeks to do it all in.
If I like the experience of my UK trip, I'd like to follow this trip with a four week long "surfin' safari" following the Atlantic coastline of France into Spain and Portugal, ...and maybe even Morocco (if some of you are game to join me; I hear it's best not to do a Morocco ride alone). I'm a big surfing fan. Supposedly the southern coasts of France and Spain are fantastic surfing spots (no, I won't try to carry a surfboard on my BMW; I'll be hiring boards on site, with luck). I'd hope to commence this trip around the first of November.
Why am I bothering to mention my travel plans to you? To be honest, I've never toured this extensively by motorcycle before, except for the day trips I have taken since I bought my bike 6 weeks ago. In short, I have no idea what I'm doing. Every time I read a thread on this GSers website, I am reminded how little I know about motorcycle touring. And so, I humbly, anxiously solicit your comments and advice re. my above-mentioned travel plans. Any experiences or impressions you'd like to share with regard to my plans for touring the UK, Ireland, and the Atlantic coastline of Europe, I welcome with boundless enthusiasm and profound gratitude. Cheers!

Frank Gresham

PS: Perhaps I can even entice some of you to ride along with me for a mile or two, and/or turn me on to some of your favorite rides as I pass through your town.

Platinum Pig said:

I'd like to do a bit of camping as I go along, punctuated with stays in small inns and B&Bs. Perhaps I can even bum some floor space with some of you?!

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You could kip on my floor at the end of your trip. I'm a bit busy until then. I'm in Surrey, just SW of London. good luck as you go - keep us up-dated.

Frank, good to hear from you.
I am not exactly on the east coast, but the ride from Durham north through the Scottish Borders is best done avoiding the A1, 'cos its utterly boring.

Chuck

Frank as beutifull as the British iles are maybe you'd be better of heading down to the south, meaning italy france spain and portugal.

If you start soon do the UK but by November touring around the UK could be a cold and wet affair. Wheras in the south the weather will be nice.

I hear it's best not to do a Morocco ride alone


I'd do it alone... at it'll be warm... it was October when Greg and I went

PP & other UKGs'ers,

PP Good luck on your trip.

I'd be interested to hear more on your UK route plans, as I am in the early stages of planning an anticlockwise UK coastal trip from Portsmouth round and back, to take place next year. I have used Autoroute to map a route staying as close to the coast as possible visiting headlands and beaches and come up with 6,500 miles.

I want to use the trip to raise money for the RNLI (guys that are nuttier than motorcyclists), so I would expect to stop for a while at each of their sites.

Question is, what kind of daily average am I likely to achieve on the wiggly little roads I'll be using?

Any useful info would be gratefully received.
PB

if you want to stop and see stuff, i'd work on around 250 a day, if you just want the 'been there done it got the t shirt' approach then 400 a day should be possible. be carefull in the north of scotland as there are not a lot of petrol stations, especially on the far north west

Don`t forget www.burbidges.co.uk FREE COFFEE and DOUGHNUTS for dwarfs only.

Much of the West Coast of France isn't that interesting. I wouldn't go that way again.

wales

Frank if your planning to include Wales then I could give you a really good 250 mile day out.....................i'm in worcester and/or Wilmslow.............be glad to accommodate for a night
Dood' and Allison

Make sure you go to Durness , a great spot , and as you come down the North west scotland take in Torridon and then Strontian.........its worth it !!!
Any info. pm me
Dood'

schnauzer,

Cheers, that confirms what I was thinking. Looks like I'm going to go over my route planning again to aim for the best route going to all the visitable RNLI stations and see what mileage that comes up with. Ho hum. PB