36 hours to do Cumbria/D&G/Scottish Borders & North Pennines ….!!

[JohnnyBoxer]

Just had a whirlwind trip over the last day & a half in some of the North’s finest motorcycling areas, with @ikkje

Just one night in Moffat - enough to get a quick scenic tour

490 miles covered mainly on B roads & minor roads

We met at Kirkby Stephen at 10am & then ventured up over Selset to Middleton in Teasdale for a late brunch
Then onto Alston & Brampton to Gretna & over to Dumfries area


Quick stop at Maben for an authentic gelato ice cream from a business established in 1915


Then onto Sanquar for fuel and over Wanlockhead (looked like Scottish fortnight camp out with hordes of city campers) to Leadhills
Tracked the M74 down to Moffat and made a quick detour up to see the views at Devil’s Beef Tub





Stayed at the Balmoral hotel at Moffat and ate out in the excellent Claudio’s Italian as it was Gala day

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Bright, dry & sunny this morning, so had a wander around Moffat and found the Spitfire, after breakfast

Time to pay the hotel and saddle up
We headed up over the Beeftub again and onto the Talla & Megget reservoirs - some my favourite vistas in the world and today would a special day, in this sunshine

The road past Talla and at the head of the reservoir makes for stunning vistas


However you only see the real beauty from above the water, the steep sides perfectly encompassing the water

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

From Talla - you then are greeted by the larger Megget reservoir

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

From there it was down to St Mary’s Loch and over to Innerleithen for a coffee

Then we took backroad on the opposite side of the valley to the main A72 to Selkirk and superb it was


From Selkirk it was over Ettrick Bridge on another superb road and then over towards Hawick, which we circumvented on the south side on very minor roads to Bonchester Bridge which was an excellent choice from @ikkje
He does have a very good knowledge of the areas and the ability to pick some of the best goat tracks available-roads to be savoured
He pointed out this landmark, a former volcano (now plugged) from 330 million years ago…. Known as Ruberslaw

Rubers Law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

From there we had a late lunch at Rochester on the A68, south of Carter Bar

Then it was homeward bound via Bellingham and Fuel in Hexham, Blanchland and Stanhope, where we went our separate ways

Another cracking trip, in good company

With weather like this, it has to be enjoyed and snatch a night away to explore not too far away

Trips don’t have to be long and elaborate - we only decided last Thursday and booked the hotel for just Sunday night

Try the roads less travelled

 

[Tinytim]

From there it was down to St Mary’s Loch and over to Innerleithen for a coffee

Then we took backroad on the opposite side of the valley to the main A72 to Selkirk and superb it was
View attachment 522660

From Selkirk it was over Ettrick Bridge on another superb road and then over towards Hawick, which we circumvented on the south side on very minor roads to Bonchester Bridge which was an excellent choice from @ikkje
He does have a very good knowledge of the areas and the ability to pick some of the best goat tracks available-roads to be savoured
He pointed out this landmark, a former volcano (now plugged) from 330 million years ago Ruberslaw

View attachment 522661

Rubers Law - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

From there we had a late lunch at Rochester on the A68, south of Carter Bar

Then it was homeward bound via Bellingham and Fuel in Hexham, Blanchland and Stanhope, where we went out separate ways

Another cracking trip, in good company

With weather like this, it has to be enjoyed and snatch a night away to explore not too far away

Trips don’t have to long and elaborate - we only decided last Thursday and booked Sunday night hotel

Try the roads less travelled

Cracking little trip JB and great pics

 

[Doc]

Nice one JB. Cracking pics.

 

[Oldrat]

Fabulous. Nice one JB

 

[MartinK]

Looks fabulous,! Thanks for sharing

 

[Mad Hatter]

You've found some really great locations there!

 

[ikkje]

And for those who fancy camping, i can absolutely recommend Ruberslaw Wild Camping. It’s on the other side of the fell from JB’s photo, but is great for exploring the area and i camped in the Old Walled Garden on a previous trip. Perhaps best to avoid school holidays mind

Ruberslaw Wild Woods Camping on the Scottish Borders

Our 500 acres of unspoilt upland set in the heart of the Teviot Valley's Special Landscape Area in the Scottish Borders. Each one of our wonderful camping or glamping options will give you a memorable camping experience!

www.ruberslaw.co.uk

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

And for those who fancy camping, i can absolutely recommend Ruberslaw Wild Camping. It’s on the other side of the fell from JB’s photo, but is great for exploring the area and i camped in the Old Walled Garden on a previous trip. Perhaps best to avoid school holidays mind

Ruberslaw Wild Woods Camping on the Scottish Borders

Our 500 acres of unspoilt upland set in the heart of the Teviot Valley's Special Landscape Area in the Scottish Borders. Each one of our wonderful camping or glamping options will give you a memorable camping experience!

www.ruberslaw.co.uk

Cheers for the tip, a really lovely area and your knowledge of the Borders/Northumbria/Cheviots certainly gives a trip an extra dimension

 

[Northern jock]

Looks like a great couple of days in perfect weather and avoiding the crowds, good choice

 

[Barnoe]

Looks like you took a great route

fancy not sharing a gpx or MRA link ya lousy bastid

 

[Davey B]

Careful who you tell what's on the doorstep JB.....a great little trip

 

[EVskiy]

Looks like you took a great route

fancy not sharing a gpx or MRA link ya lousy bastid

Secrets are best kept, once shared they aren’t secrets anymore. Although, plenty of clues to go by.

 

[EVskiy]

Great write up JB. Quick and pleasant. Something to consider for next year.

 

[ikkje]

Looks like you took a great route

fancy not sharing a gpx or MRA link ya lousy bastid

That’s probably because JB didn’t do the GPX

 

[Udders]

Excellent mini trip.
Great weather too!

 

[Posh Pete]

Thanks JB. I was planning a birl up to Buchan or maybe down to Englandshire but I think i'll try out the Ruberslaw spot for a Borders bimble.

 

[AustinW]

We did a borders Coast to Coast last week. After a family visit in Northumberland we stayed in Eyemouth - excellent fishing town. We went via the Lammermuir Hills then on many of the roads JB and Ikkje used all the way to Portpatrick - also a really nice harbour village. Mostly B roads or minor A roads. About 200miles.

Apart from a short stretch of A75 at Newton Stewart (which is avoidable if you really want to) it is all world class motorcycling. Highly recommended, and there’s countless options for routes. All of which are good.

No pics though.