Straight back onto the horse

I am visiting Percy in the morning  ( typing this 31st May) I've been told the farmer had strimmed near Percy and covered the boat in grass cuttings which I'm not best pleased about bit serves me right for not getting over there sooner to 'do the gardening' Times like this I am tempted by marina mooring but I know when we get there and have the 'garden' sorted all will be well and we will enjoy watching the boats cruise by.... hopefully !

Back on the horse refers to more motorcycling... I got back from my Lejog on Thursday then Friday I/we were off again on the bigger bike to a three day meet with friends.... this time as it was in my backyard (Chesterfield) I set the routes and led the four bike convoy ! 

Saturday was over to the National Arboretum via a fly past to show friends where I lived for a couple of years at Fradley Junction. Sunday I took the group over to the Anderton boat lift. A lovely couple of days to complete 15 straight days of glorious motorcycling that made well over 3,000 miles in May.

Boat focus now - Percy needs some TLC for sure !!

For my memories.

Lejog day 10 and 11 back to home

 Lejog Days 10 and 11 and  a summary of the trip and my thoughts on the Himalayan.

The penultimate day saw me doing the biggest daily mileage of the trip  - 350 from John O’Grotes to Moffat. The east coast being the dowdy cousin of the oil painting that is the  Scottish west coast. Good roads lots of long straights until Inverness. The Cairngorms provided some interest but I was on the A9 so good for making progress not so for wow factor.

I even stopped at the Falkirk wheel  - no boats and very quiet. Nice restaurant 

The following day  was different again, Moffat to home on the Staffordshire moorlands. About 235 miles ( all done on a tank of fuel with the F flashing for the last 50 miles.) A couple of friends met me on the way back down and from Moffat they were heading back east via the M6 A66 A1….. I took a route back on the ‘logging roads’ of the Scottish borders, the B roads into the Yorkshire Dales and threaded my route into the Peak district them home. Left at 9.45 am and got back at 6.15 pm. My mate had washed his bike and his clothes and packed for another trip we have this weekend …. I rolled Anode into the garage patted the tank and went for a bath ! 

Another stop off at Hebden Bridge to say hello the the Rochdale canal 

I did 2210 miles in 11 days. The average MPH for the trip according the trip A on the dash was 34 MPH so by my calculation 65 hours of riding. Over 11 days that’s just under 201 miles per day average and  6 hours a day riding average ….and for interest the top speed I obtained was 83 mph on the GPS but that was on the A9 in Aviemore  ! 

The bike - for this type of ‘adventure’ it was imho spot on. Nothing broke or needed adjustment. The Tutoro chain oiler was perfect  - turning it up for the 170 mile day in the rain, turning it back down a little the next day. The only issue was the tickover that was a little erratic. I had one day of stalls rolling off for junctions, maybe a dozen times in one day…. other days not once. It’s in for a service in a week or so ( 6,000 mile) so I’ll get them to look at the TPS voltage as others have mentioned that. It just chugged and chugged got lots of interest, took all the weather and road conditions. Gave me great confidence on some of the muckier roads. Only had the ABS active twice, once in Glossop when a car pulled out of a side road, and yesterday when an errant lamb appeared from the undergrowth.

I did take a windshield extender for the motorway trip from home to Penzance on day 1 and I used it again for the A9 350 mile trip on the penultimate day, The rest of the time I took it off and stowed it in the pannier. 

Lomo dry bags front and 40 litre hold-all were spot on. I made coffee from the hotel supplies each day and put it in a flask in the front with snacks and other bits. Clothes in the 40 litre holdall. Only used my tools and spares pannier for waterproofs. 

So my reflections…. yesterday was a great ride home from Moffat. I did it as described above while my friends blasted back on main roads… and there is the thing about this bike. It’s all about the journey as well as the destination. In life we risk blasting through each day to achieve ‘something’ but in doing so disregard the minutes and hours of that day…. I think they call it ‘mindfulness’ or being ‘in the moment’. Well that is what the Himalayan does…. it puts you in the moment you enjoy every beat of the engine, every curve of the road, every open vista, every small country lane….. every everything !!  They say its built like a gun… a bike for all roads and no roads…. they are spot on. Make life the journey not the destination, make life an adventure not a chore, make life worth living.

Final statement I have my Himalayan and my RT. If I could only have one bike…. can you guess which it would be ? 

LEJOG day 9 - what a ride and I arrived at John O'Grotes

I waited long enough to get some sun in the highlands and today despite a spitty windy Ullapool start, Scotland delivered.

I have put in a lazy start as it was only 160 miles today…. but then people wanted to talk bikes, and who am I to not engage on that subject.

Eventually we were off out of Ullapool on the A835…. a perfect twisty road. I’d convinced myself I’d keep riding today and not be stopping taking roads of photos and drone shots…. that didn’t work. Round every bend I found myself saying out loud my my what beauty…. or just wow. Unless you come here yourself, my words will not come anywhere close to describing the scale age and grandness of the Highlands. 

I stopped and stopped flew the drone took some shots drank coffee rode my bike…. why would anyone want much more ? 

Problem is I am struggling to remember what I saw where but one thing will stay with me for a long while ( looking at google street view for location….) I came into what I can only describe as a scoop out of the earth - mountain on my right and a single width road with passing places on the left but a massive glen (valley?) in-between Simply stunning and made all the better by having to stop every now and again in a passing place where I soaked in the views. 

Then it was Keoldale where you can catch a ferry and bus to Cape Wrath  - had a chat with a fella who was basically living out go his van retired early and was loving it. Impromptu chats like this are great, expands the mind and horizons ! 

Over the top on towards  my target destination on plenty of single track roads with everyone being sensible. Some of the beaches on the top are stunning… more stops.

Then the single tracks opened up to normal NSL roads and again the Himalayan swept through them with ease  - keeping the momentum was enjoyable and before I knew it I was heading up to Dunnet head for the furthest point on the mainland of Great Britain. Snaps and chats again  then onto John O’Groats and credit to the Scottish tourist board you can ( I did) ride right up to the sign for end of challenge photograph.

Filled up at John O’Grotes garage …over £1.40 a litre… and found my sumptuous B&B for the penultimate night. The Anchorage B&B - a friendlier place you could not find and the best stay by far of my trip. Gail even offered me an evening meal and beer so I did not have to go back into JOG. 

A cuckoo woke me at 3am !!

So done that …. and I’ve had time to think of other ‘challenges….’ but that's for later.

Tomorrow the longest day of the trip so far when I’ll basically ride from the top to the bottom of Scotland down the east side this time !

Thanks for all the encouragement  - now start planning your adventure !! 

Lejog day 8 rained all day 170 miles of it

My ultra wet Lejog day 8..... but I still enjoyed it.

I was woken at 3am by someone knocking on my door ! Seems someone got confused in the night. I was then woken by my alarm then the rain hitting the hotel room window at 7am…. The rain has not stopped all day  - in my hotel room now in Ullapool and it's still raining. 

Waterproofs on waterproofs and liners in  - Mid May ! 

Whilst the rain was a dampener today it could only give this part of Scotland a different costume to wear, moody grey but still quite stunning in and out of the misty veils.

I had planned two routes one that took my over the Bealach na Ba  - Pass of the cattle to Applecross and one that missed that pass and peninsula out  - As the Beach na Ba is considered a right of passage for motorcyclists I took the pass and wow what an experience. It goes up to over 2,000 feet in 5 miles with switchback and blind bends with passing places ! It was an unforgettable experience and I will do it again when the weather is more forgiving but wind and rain tested me and the bike - but we arrived at the top to misty views all around.

The other jewel on this route was the road around the peninsular a 25 mile up and a dower to Sheildaig, again mainly on single width roads with passing placed. 

Then is got a bit surreal  - the road A896 goes through what is like a moonscape with massive mountains on each side - very very desolate. I had to stop and send the drone up despite it still raining hard. You can see the rain on the drone video…. sent it up to over 400 feet this time, and it still was being scored on by the mountains. One looked like a volcano with mist hovering over its crown and scree slopes like molten lava. Weirdest thing was there was a small copse of pine trees and there was a cuckoo calling loud and clear ! 

Then I had the best luck of the trip…. rode off after packing up and about a mile down the road I suddenly could not remember putting my phone back in my jacket…. frantic jacket tapping - no phone. I stopped and the phone was still on the top of the right hand pannier lid !! I suspect capillary attraction has ‘stuck it there’ I did say a little thank you !

Then onto the A832 with a stop at Loch Maree for coffee and food…. The weather then got mean with more rain, the sort you hear hitting your visor and wind…. for some reason the wind picked up and made riding hard …. I didn’t enjoy the section and only when I dropped away from the coast in ever heavier rain did the wind ease and the roads got super curvy  - the sort of curvy the Himalayan at 50-60 throbbed along at - I got behind a Jag XJR ( I think ) he was keeping to the speed limits but gunning it every now and again - lovely sound.

Arrived in Ullapool to the most expensive hotel of the trip - lovely sea views, just watched the ferry come in  - but I’m worth it, better I spend it now than the care homes get it later ! 

Rain in the morning then hopefully should brighten up as I get to the other end of Britain…. not looked at that route yet but it’s pretty prescribed.

Another 175 miles today rained every one of them but still brilliant …. Struggling for internet again... may get this one video up. .... I was worried about midges not storms !