Touring UK Trip - August

Just been for a test run with her new screen and luggage on...

 

Already suggested this is a village called Staithes 10 miles north of Whitby on the north east coast. My daughter owns Dottys vintage tea room and B+B.I will get you a good deal if you want to stay there and we may be able to join you from north of the humber. Its a lovely ride north from there through the yorkshire wolds. If you want to discuss call me have a good trip anyway. Regards Dave

 

Wee suggestion for those posting mobile numbers. Bots trawl the internet looking for that sort of thing.
If you are passing on mobile numbers do it via pm rather than in a post.
Just put something along the lines pm me for my mobile number if interest ......

 

More than welcome to stay at Maison Ken & Sally for a night foc on the way up from Kent into Essex if you haven't already sorted accommodation. May not fit in with your daily mileage plans but if so let me know. Dartford Bridge free for motorcyclists. As an x teacher I am only too aware of the need to look after the pennies.

 

@David Ward @MattGaydon Can I also suggest you two edit your posts to remove the numbers

 

Thanks for the advice guys have done this now!

 

Awesome looking trip, ride safe and enjoy.
Wessa

 

How's it going Matt?

Curly

 

Really well thanks!!

Had a really wet day Wednesday and a long one Thursday but today was great! The north York moors are stunning!

Heading off West tomorrow towards Carlisle!

 

Glad to hear you're having a good time.
I agree those N. Yorks moors are something special.
I've done the Lyke Wake crossing a couple of times, great way to escape pretty much everything for a full day, or two.
Take care and hopefully you'll get to enjoy a bit of decent weather as well!
Curly

 

@MattGaydon Any feedback to the ride Matt?

 

Yep will be up soon! Been crazy at work since getting back but will hopefully put up a few bits tomorrow!

 

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay, I have been really busy since returning!!!

So...

Our trip was great!!! We really enjoyed the whole thing! We rode 2058 miles in two weeks through England, Scotland and Wales. The routes for Adventure Bike Magazine were amazing and I'd def recommend you ride some of them!

Sorry to Tigcraft for arranging to meet and not managing to...that was our 265 mile day and I underestimated how long that would take and how much it would take it out of us!!! Although riding over the Humber Bridge knowing we only had 7 miles left was a fantastic feeling!

There were so many highlights but the Lake District and Wales were fantastic! The roads were incredible and the scenery jaw dropping!

We rode over the Hardknott Pass which was tricky!!! Phoebe found it pretty tough on the way up (1/3 gradients were much harder than I'd imagined!!!) so once at the top a couple of nice GS riders offered to ride her down the next section, and then me back up so I could take her bike down. Once both bikes were down they then offered to ride with us out of the valley just incase we had any more issues! They were great guys and made both myself and Phoebe feel much more comfortable up there! She rode all of the next pass without any issues but it was nice having them there with us!

In hindsight, I don't think I would have taken us over the pass again. I found it tough so how Phoebe did as well as she did after only three months riding experience I don't know! Although she is now adamant that we have to go back so she can ride the whole thing herself!!!

After that, her confidence grew and grew and she (we) had no more problems!! We rode the Devil's Staircase in Wales, through Snowdonia and then along the Coast in Exmoor (1/4 gradients in and out of towns). We both forded a river for the first time in the Lake District and rode some amazing little lanes over the moors!!!

The bikes were fantastic! We had one little issue with the Street Twin...the clutch lever seized up in Brecon!!! But with the help of a friendly car mechanic we took it to pieces to find the bushel in the lever was jammed solid! It took a good ten minutes to free it! So after a VERY good clean we put it back together and it was all better!

They were more than comfortable for the milage we covered and so many people came up to talk to us about the bikes and then subsequently the trip!

We unfortunately had very British weather!! We had three TORRENTIAL days of rain...I really mean it didn't stop!!! But it wasn't an issue and the luggage kept everything dry!!! It brightened up towards the end and we rode the last four/five days in the dry!

The milage was also fine...we found the longest day (265 miles) long but the with an average of 150 miles it was good. We looked forward to setting off each morning and were thoroughly worn out by the evenings!

I can't recommend a trip like this enough! The UK is a beautiful country which I believe is hugely underrated! The scenery was amazing...as said the Lake District and Wales were stunning. But so was Exmoor, the Jurassic Coast and Kielder Forest. The Forest of Bowland blew us away as did the Lincolnshire Wolds!

Everyone we met were friendly, welcoming and happy to help if it was needed! We will definitely be heading back to some of the places we visited to explore some more...albeit on the bikes or not!

We have already started planning the next bike tour for next year...in fact there will be two...New Zealand and the Picos Mountains is the plan!!!

Whilst away I put up a pic a day on Instagram (@scramblermatt) but if you don't have access to that then here are just a few...

Thanks chaps...ride safe!

 

Last one...annoyingly I could only upload the first ten of eleven!

 

Brilliant Matt and well done to your wife.
That is a great British trip for the memories, I have been to most of the places you have mentioned over the years, and over Hardknott Pass in several cars and motor bikes, always a challenge, the worst experience being in a Vauxhall Viva HB having to reverse back downhill when the engine and clutch 'gave in' near the top.
Great pics, and write up, shame about the 'orrible' British weather.

 

What a trip, sounds like you had a great time with many fantastice memories to cherish..... I agree with you that 150 to 250 miles a day is a pefect balance allowing time to stop often for pictures and sight seeing, but getting you to your destination with time to enjoy what it has to offer. Thanks for sharing, and good luck with your next trip.
Wessa

 

Well done and although we didn't meet it's an excuse for summat in the future!!

 

Well done to both of you and thanks for the pics. Done some long days myself in the past, with SWMBO on the back, the longest being around the 500 miles mark in France. The roads are much quieter over there, so it is easier as a rule.
Here's to your next one!

 

Great stuff Matt and phoebe, something a lot of people think of doing but never do.

 

Well done to you both. Some great memories there.