How to spend 10hrs on a GS from Dorset

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DorsetRider

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I have a rare opportunity to spend 10hrs free time alone on Monday. I've been building up miles on my GS. Covering just shy of 3,000 miles since I bought it in November.

Many of you will know this is essentially my first bike and I'm working hard to build competence all round (but not off road yet).

I mostly travel throughout Dorset covering 2-3hrs at a time but would like to venture further afield for a real road trip feel, but I'm not certain where to go.

I'm heart of Dorset so could probably hit Dartmoor, Exmoor, perhaps even Isle of Wight or many other options in this allotted time.

Does anybody have a favourite haunt, series of roads or a GPX file they would share for my consideration?

Please and thank you.
 
DorsetRider said:
I have a rare opportunity to spend 10hrs free time alone on Monday. I've been building up miles on my GS. Covering just shy of 3,000 miles since I bought it in November.

Many of you will know this is essentially my first bike and I'm working hard to build competence all round (but not off road yet).

I mostly travel throughout Dorset covering 2-3hrs at a time but would like to venture further afield for a real road trip feel, but I'm not certain where to go.

I'm heart of Dorset so could probably hit Dartmoor, Exmoor, perhaps even Isle of Wight or many other options in this allotted time.

Does anybody have a favourite haunt, series of roads or a GPX file they would share for my consideration?

Please and thank you.
Click to expand...
Do a search for ride magazine tour routes. There's a whole load of them you can download as GPX files.
 
If the BBC & Windy weather predictions are to be believed, Wales and SW England will be cloudier. Better looking weather is north of you over the Wiltshire Downs into the Cotswolds. Stick to B roads and single tracks. A roads can be busy. Then head east towards Oxford, Wantage and Vale of the White Horse. Back home via the Hampshire Downs.
No, I do not have a GPX for you. I just turn left and right in this area on impulse as eventually you pop out onto a familiar road like the A4, A40 or A34.
 
DorsetRider said:
I have a rare opportunity to spend 10hrs free time alone on Monday. I've been building up miles on my GS. Covering just shy of 3,000 miles since I bought it in November.

Many of you will know this is essentially my first bike and I'm working hard to build competence all round (but not off road yet).

I mostly travel throughout Dorset covering 2-3hrs at a time but would like to venture further afield for a real road trip feel, but I'm not certain where to go.

I'm heart of Dorset so could probably hit Dartmoor, Exmoor, perhaps even Isle of Wight or many other options in this allotted time.

Does anybody have a favourite haunt, series of roads or a GPX file they would share for my consideration?

Please and thank you.
Click to expand...
Be bold.
Take your passport and book the Chunnel. Go somewhere like Wimereux for lunch/afternoon coffee and then head back.
If you’ve barely left Dorset, surprise your nearest and dearest by telling them you went to France and back 😜

IMG_5513.jpeg


Too bold ?

Nip over Severn Bridge and head to Brecon Beacons 🤔
 
Come to Yorkshire
You may like it
Do you like proper pork pies or fish & chips ?
We have it all - good food/Muslim enclaves/good roads in 2 National parks/potholes and criminals
What’s not to like
Yorkshire will deliver it all
 
Bloody love some of these ideas. Wantage is a lovely market town and not too far from Leamington Spa. France indeed, maybe not enough time - I have date night at 7pm in Blandford. Brecon sounds great, so too a Penzance pasty! Yorkshire may be a stretch. Quieter B Road Twisties preferred.
 
This,
"Be bold.
Take your passport and book the Chunnel. Go somewhere like Wimereux for lunch/afternoon coffee and then head back.
If you’ve barely left Dorset, surprise your nearest and dearest by telling them you went to France and back 😜"

I did it years ago - started with France and then went further afield - and never stopped. I am currently in Japan touring on a rented VStrom and loving it.
 
richardgore said:
This,
"Be bold.
Take your passport and book the Chunnel. Go somewhere like Wimereux for lunch/afternoon coffee and then head back.
If you’ve barely left Dorset, surprise your nearest and dearest by telling them you went to France and back 😜"

I did it years ago - started with France and then went further afield - and never stopped. I am currently in Japan touring on a rented VStrom and loving it.
Click to expand...
Wow! My wife would kill me and I'd like to think the kids would miss me..... Fair play though 👍
 
Across Dorset from your home to the New Forest ..

Pick up A272 at Winchester across to Eastbourne - take the view at Beachy head - divert to Sykes Harley for a coffee on the A24 - then reverse the ride back to Winchester, new Forest and home
 
There's such a lot of lovely riding for us in Dorset and around you won't go far wrong if you just pick a destination and get get their and back via the B roads and bigger lanes, even my Himalayan and I could manage Ilfracombe and back twice in that time :) or be brave and just pick a direction :)

If you'd made it to West Bay for Tuesday's coffee you'd have had no end of suggestions.

Enjoy the ride :D
 
JohnnyBoxer said:
Come to Yorkshire
You may like it
Do you like proper pork pies or fish & chips ?
We have it all - good food/Muslim enclaves/good roads in 2 National parks/potholes and criminals
What’s not to like
Yorkshire will deliver it all
Click to expand...
I say, steady on. You’ll have all and sundry coming here if you carry on like this.
Yorkshire is terrible, honest. 😂😂
 
Start the bike, put it in gear, ride for four hours with no particular destination.

Stop for an hour for coffee and a spot of lunch.

Ride home four hours.

Spend an hour washing the bike and put it away again.
 
richardgore said:
This,
"Be bold.
Take your passport and book the Chunnel. Go somewhere like Wimereux for lunch/afternoon coffee and then head back.
If you’ve barely left Dorset, surprise your nearest and dearest by telling them you went to France and back 😜"

I did it years ago - started with France and then went further afield - and never stopped. I am currently in Japan touring on a rented VStrom and loving it.
Click to expand...
Wow. Would love hear more about your Japan trip…..👍👍👍
 
Fireflyer said:
So where’d you end up?
Oh, and pictures are mandatory or it didn’t happen 🙂
Click to expand...
I did this route from Dorset, through Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Entering Dartmoor near Ashburton, Dartmeet, Two Bridges, Postbridge, Widecombe in the Moor, Moreton Hampstead, Chagford, Dulverton, Exford, Lynton, Simonsbath, Bishops Lydeard, and back.

I much preferred the open expanse and wilderness of Dartmoor though the coastal scenery in the north was beautiful but much more like home on the Jurassic coast, so it was nice to have the difference of Dartmoor.

I was alone and on schedule to get back so I didn't bother much with the faff of photos but took this one as the sun was rising.

It ended up about 8hrs riding in all with a quick pitstop.

Next time I'd do a more leisurely tour of the moor over a couple of days and enjoy some walking too.

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Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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