2009 - UK Tour
An Ace start, Sunday 28th June 2009
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London, England, to Borth, Wales; set off at 17:00 arrived 22:00...
Our rendezvous for this tour, sadly not the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, but the Ace Café on the North Circular Road in North London. We managed to meet up successfully and amazingly both of us were on time! We met some ‘old boys’ at the Ace, one of whom had an original Tiger. We could have stayed talking with them all afternoon but we needed to be on our way.
While we got ready, and entered the proposed route in to our Tom Toms, there was an idiot showing off to anyone stupid enough to watch, performing wheelies and racing up and down the road outside the Ace, on a Kawasaki ZX6. On one run he nearly crashed into a silver Vauxhall Vectra - sadly this is how bikers get a bad reputation…
From the Ace we joined the M40 at Hanger Lane and had a great run to Cheltenham. After that we took the M5, M50 and the A480 where we found an excellent pub for dinner - The Lion Inn - a very friendly and pro petrol head stop. Our food was excellent which made it even better. From there we had a great run over the Cambrian Mountains following the A44 to Aberystwyth and then a short run up the coast to Borth. We found the YHA at the far end of what is a pretty run down coastal town and after checking in sat with beers on the sea wall - a great first day and no rain either!
We returned to our room, a dorm to keep costs down and found Welsh David also in the room. He chatted endlessly. We eventually got to sleep to be woken up by David’s snoring. In addition to that the room was very warm and so we got little sleep; just as well that we weren’t on our usual late night run into northern France, arriving in the small hours…
Our rendezvous for this tour, sadly not the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, but the Ace Café on the North Circular Road in North London. We managed to meet up successfully and amazingly both of us were on time! We met some ‘old boys’ at the Ace, one of whom had an original Tiger. We could have stayed talking with them all afternoon but we needed to be on our way.
While we got ready, and entered the proposed route in to our Tom Toms, there was an idiot showing off to anyone stupid enough to watch, performing wheelies and racing up and down the road outside the Ace, on a Kawasaki ZX6. On one run he nearly crashed into a silver Vauxhall Vectra - sadly this is how bikers get a bad reputation…
From the Ace we joined the M40 at Hanger Lane and had a great run to Cheltenham. After that we took the M5, M50 and the A480 where we found an excellent pub for dinner - The Lion Inn - a very friendly and pro petrol head stop. Our food was excellent which made it even better. From there we had a great run over the Cambrian Mountains following the A44 to Aberystwyth and then a short run up the coast to Borth. We found the YHA at the far end of what is a pretty run down coastal town and after checking in sat with beers on the sea wall - a great first day and no rain either!
We returned to our room, a dorm to keep costs down and found Welsh David also in the room. He chatted endlessly. We eventually got to sleep to be woken up by David’s snoring. In addition to that the room was very warm and so we got little sleep; just as well that we weren’t on our usual late night run into northern France, arriving in the small hours…
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Statistics
Start - 1700hrs BST Finish - 0300hrs CET Miles covered - 230 miles Tour distance 230 miles |
Countries
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Passes
None |
Day one, Monday 29th June 2009
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Welsh mountains and coast, motorway, tiny and frustrating Lakeland passes, more motorway and a fantastically fast run across from Moffat to Edinburgh...
We rose early after a bad night’s sleep with too many varied interruptions from David’s many loud bodily functions. This was our first experience of a dorm after the Happy Inn in Interlaken on the 2006 tour and not one we will be repeating. We headed down for breakfast and were the first there. The YHA waiter/receptionist was very pleasant and served us breakfast gladly. Sadly his drink making skills were not great and we had cold coffee and tea; after sending it back twice we gave up and drank it cold.
The cooked breakfast was great though and set us up well for the long day ahead. On departure, we concluded that Borth is an unattractive, largely empty and run down town and not one we are likely to be returning to. A largely uneventful run up to Snowden. We stopped at the cafe at the bottom of the main route up which had great views of Snowden and Crib Goch, although the cafe was very poor and service was rubbish. Compare that to Café Tibet on the top of Stelvio. So far in the 100s of miles we had travelled from London we had still not managed to get served a cappuccino at any stop - not good.
From Snowden, we had a good run down the Llanberis pass and a brief visit to Anglessey to bag the first of the three islands off the UK coast. The coast road out of Wales had some great views, however sadly the skies were rather overcast and the road busy.
Further up the road, we happened upon a police car doing 75mph on the motorway and stayed with it for about 100miles, very tedious. Then we encountered a massive traffic jam on the M6; we eventually came across the reason - a completely burnt out car. Very slow going all round. Welcome to the UK!
North of Manchester, we had a steady journey in great heat to the Lake District. We stopped for a short break at Lancaster services on the M6 and ate our service station fare in the shade. Several bikers passed most notably a Suzuki Bandit with a tow bar, oddly without a trailer! It was then back on the motorway and into Lakes at J36 and a good route to Newby Bridge. From there, it was frustratingly slow to the charming chain pulled ferry crossing at Windermere.
Once over Windermere, we stopped at the excellent Sawrey Hotel and from there, Tom lost the plot and took us via gravel laden, wet narrow twisty roads to Langdale and the Wrynose and Hardknott passes. Both are very disappointing after the Alps, the road quality rivals the worst that Italy has to offer and they are just too narrow and twisty to enjoy riding. When we rode them on our first proper tour in 2005 it felt like an achievement; after 3 years in the Alps though, they are a very poor substitute. Even the health and safety mad road sign is ridiculous, none of the Alpine passes has anything so embarrassing and they are far more “dangerous”. The Kirkstone Pass proved to be the best of the Lakeland passes and the lakeside road around Ullswater was beautiful. It must be one of the most picturesque roads in Lake District.
We decided to exit the Lakes after Kirkstone and rejoined the M6 for a fast and steady ride, the two Tigers munching the miles with effortless ease. After a stop at Southwaite services for a very unhealthy Burger King and fuel we headed on up the M74 into Scotland and then off the motorway for the run across to Edinburgh. This proved to be spectacular with a truly awesome run up the A701 from Moffat to Leadburn. We managed 45 miles in 36 minutes on what is a truly spectacular road; the British route Napoleon perhaps! We only passed two cars and met very few coming the other way.
We hit major fog entering Edinburgh and had a very slow final stretch. Importantly though we beat Nick's previous car set time record (for the Moffat to Edinburgh stretch) by 2 mins including slowing down for the fog - result. We joined the A720, The City of Edinburgh Bypass, at Straiton and travelled east around the bypass over the Sheriffhall roundabout and to the A1 junction at Musselburgh where we stopped for the night at the Travelodge, moments before it closed.
We rose early after a bad night’s sleep with too many varied interruptions from David’s many loud bodily functions. This was our first experience of a dorm after the Happy Inn in Interlaken on the 2006 tour and not one we will be repeating. We headed down for breakfast and were the first there. The YHA waiter/receptionist was very pleasant and served us breakfast gladly. Sadly his drink making skills were not great and we had cold coffee and tea; after sending it back twice we gave up and drank it cold.
The cooked breakfast was great though and set us up well for the long day ahead. On departure, we concluded that Borth is an unattractive, largely empty and run down town and not one we are likely to be returning to. A largely uneventful run up to Snowden. We stopped at the cafe at the bottom of the main route up which had great views of Snowden and Crib Goch, although the cafe was very poor and service was rubbish. Compare that to Café Tibet on the top of Stelvio. So far in the 100s of miles we had travelled from London we had still not managed to get served a cappuccino at any stop - not good.
From Snowden, we had a good run down the Llanberis pass and a brief visit to Anglessey to bag the first of the three islands off the UK coast. The coast road out of Wales had some great views, however sadly the skies were rather overcast and the road busy.
Further up the road, we happened upon a police car doing 75mph on the motorway and stayed with it for about 100miles, very tedious. Then we encountered a massive traffic jam on the M6; we eventually came across the reason - a completely burnt out car. Very slow going all round. Welcome to the UK!
North of Manchester, we had a steady journey in great heat to the Lake District. We stopped for a short break at Lancaster services on the M6 and ate our service station fare in the shade. Several bikers passed most notably a Suzuki Bandit with a tow bar, oddly without a trailer! It was then back on the motorway and into Lakes at J36 and a good route to Newby Bridge. From there, it was frustratingly slow to the charming chain pulled ferry crossing at Windermere.
Once over Windermere, we stopped at the excellent Sawrey Hotel and from there, Tom lost the plot and took us via gravel laden, wet narrow twisty roads to Langdale and the Wrynose and Hardknott passes. Both are very disappointing after the Alps, the road quality rivals the worst that Italy has to offer and they are just too narrow and twisty to enjoy riding. When we rode them on our first proper tour in 2005 it felt like an achievement; after 3 years in the Alps though, they are a very poor substitute. Even the health and safety mad road sign is ridiculous, none of the Alpine passes has anything so embarrassing and they are far more “dangerous”. The Kirkstone Pass proved to be the best of the Lakeland passes and the lakeside road around Ullswater was beautiful. It must be one of the most picturesque roads in Lake District.
We decided to exit the Lakes after Kirkstone and rejoined the M6 for a fast and steady ride, the two Tigers munching the miles with effortless ease. After a stop at Southwaite services for a very unhealthy Burger King and fuel we headed on up the M74 into Scotland and then off the motorway for the run across to Edinburgh. This proved to be spectacular with a truly awesome run up the A701 from Moffat to Leadburn. We managed 45 miles in 36 minutes on what is a truly spectacular road; the British route Napoleon perhaps! We only passed two cars and met very few coming the other way.
We hit major fog entering Edinburgh and had a very slow final stretch. Importantly though we beat Nick's previous car set time record (for the Moffat to Edinburgh stretch) by 2 mins including slowing down for the fog - result. We joined the A720, The City of Edinburgh Bypass, at Straiton and travelled east around the bypass over the Sheriffhall roundabout and to the A1 junction at Musselburgh where we stopped for the night at the Travelodge, moments before it closed.
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Statistics
Start - 0900hrs Finish - 2150hrs Miles covered - 424 miles Tour distance 654 miles |
Countries
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Passes
None |
Day two, Tuesday 30th June 2009
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From a gentle start in Edinburgh, and a frustratingly slow run through the Trossachs, to a superb run to Sky and on to Achnasheen
Amazingly after the excitement of day one and the Andy Murray tennis match on the tv the night before, we managed to get a good night’s sleep in the Travelodge. We decided to stop the mile munching and focus more on the touring and sightseeing, albeit Nick kept forgetting to stop at viewpoints! This was a hard decision because we knew it would mean not getting to the top of Scotland. With hindsight we would have binned Wales and the Lakes and travelled straight to Scotland. This view would only get stronger the further north we rode where the roads just got better and better and the traffic lighter and lighter.
Once we set off from the Travelodge, we started the “sightseeing” at Nick's old houses in Musselburgh and then stopped at a Starbucks for breakfast at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park, such a classy joint! We then stopped by RBS’ World Headquarters at Gogarburn on the A8 west of Edinburgh to photograph the bikes in front of the RBS building.
It was then back on the road, and the M9 to the Callander turn off. Frustratingly on leaving the M9 we found heavy traffic and roadworks all the way to and passed Callender. We also got caught up in a wide vehicle convoy where we got stuck between the lorry being escorted and the police car. Eventually the police waved us by in Callender where things were going to get ugly; narrow streets lots of traffic and one of the widest vehicles and most panicky police escorts we’d ever seen!
The road opened up and we started to enjoy the riding, however, we received lots of flashing from oncoming cars and sure enough a few miles on there was a camera and van. After this the road was covered in gravel as it was being resurfacing the cheap way with wet tar and gravel. It was awful to ride on and seemed to go on for miles and miles.
We finally broke free of traffic (lots of lorries) and on to better roads at the Bridge of Orchy. Ranoch Moor and Glen Coe were awesome. Spectacular scenary, virtually no cars and really good roads with sweeping corners. At last it felt like a proper tour!
Then on to Fort William where we stopped in the car park for some photos and a route plan. Out of nowhere appeared a couple of old boys who told us their many biking stories, many of which seemed to involve crashing into picnickers. Once again, on a bike, anywhere in the world, and bikers will stop for a chat!
We diverted briefly up Glen Nevis to take a quick photo of the start of the walk up Ben Nevis (second mountain stop of the tour) and then struck out for Skye along the A87, as instructed by the old boys in the car park! A fantastic ride, one of the highlights of the tour so far. We rode over the Skye bridge and stopped on Skye at Harry's café, a very friendly stop and beautiful sitting out in the sun by the edge of the harbour. The second island of our tour. Whilst we were there a biker from Dumfries turned up on his R100 RT and also touring around the vicinity.
We decided to head for Achnasheen and followed A890 which was really picturesque and at times extremely fast. We stopped for the night at the Ledgowan Country Lodge where we received a wonderful friendly reception and at great value. Fantastic food and so Chris says, whisky!
Amazingly after the excitement of day one and the Andy Murray tennis match on the tv the night before, we managed to get a good night’s sleep in the Travelodge. We decided to stop the mile munching and focus more on the touring and sightseeing, albeit Nick kept forgetting to stop at viewpoints! This was a hard decision because we knew it would mean not getting to the top of Scotland. With hindsight we would have binned Wales and the Lakes and travelled straight to Scotland. This view would only get stronger the further north we rode where the roads just got better and better and the traffic lighter and lighter.
Once we set off from the Travelodge, we started the “sightseeing” at Nick's old houses in Musselburgh and then stopped at a Starbucks for breakfast at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park, such a classy joint! We then stopped by RBS’ World Headquarters at Gogarburn on the A8 west of Edinburgh to photograph the bikes in front of the RBS building.
It was then back on the road, and the M9 to the Callander turn off. Frustratingly on leaving the M9 we found heavy traffic and roadworks all the way to and passed Callender. We also got caught up in a wide vehicle convoy where we got stuck between the lorry being escorted and the police car. Eventually the police waved us by in Callender where things were going to get ugly; narrow streets lots of traffic and one of the widest vehicles and most panicky police escorts we’d ever seen!
The road opened up and we started to enjoy the riding, however, we received lots of flashing from oncoming cars and sure enough a few miles on there was a camera and van. After this the road was covered in gravel as it was being resurfacing the cheap way with wet tar and gravel. It was awful to ride on and seemed to go on for miles and miles.
We finally broke free of traffic (lots of lorries) and on to better roads at the Bridge of Orchy. Ranoch Moor and Glen Coe were awesome. Spectacular scenary, virtually no cars and really good roads with sweeping corners. At last it felt like a proper tour!
Then on to Fort William where we stopped in the car park for some photos and a route plan. Out of nowhere appeared a couple of old boys who told us their many biking stories, many of which seemed to involve crashing into picnickers. Once again, on a bike, anywhere in the world, and bikers will stop for a chat!
We diverted briefly up Glen Nevis to take a quick photo of the start of the walk up Ben Nevis (second mountain stop of the tour) and then struck out for Skye along the A87, as instructed by the old boys in the car park! A fantastic ride, one of the highlights of the tour so far. We rode over the Skye bridge and stopped on Skye at Harry's café, a very friendly stop and beautiful sitting out in the sun by the edge of the harbour. The second island of our tour. Whilst we were there a biker from Dumfries turned up on his R100 RT and also touring around the vicinity.
We decided to head for Achnasheen and followed A890 which was really picturesque and at times extremely fast. We stopped for the night at the Ledgowan Country Lodge where we received a wonderful friendly reception and at great value. Fantastic food and so Chris says, whisky!
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Statistics
Start - 1030hrs Finish - 1900hrs Miles covered - 273 miles Tour distance - 927 miles |
Countries
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Passes
None |
Day three, Wednesday 1st July 2009
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From hunting Nessie, to flying through the Cairngorms and riding through the sea to Holy Island! One of our best riding days so far...
We awoke after a great night’s sleep to glorious sunshine and blue skies. After packing up we headed downstairs for a fabulous full Scottish breakfast. The Ledgowan Lodge Hotel, was definitely one of our best stays. Good value, lovely location and really welcoming people, just a shame about the midges in the evening that you could almost feel drinking you…
We checked our oil before leaving to find that surprise surprise, Chris’ was down well below the minimum. We took it easy until the first garage, in Garve, where Chris’ bike swallowed a litre of oil. From here we followed the great roads from Achnasheen to Inverness and as we came into Inverness we stopped for a photo opportunity by the Caledonian canal. Tom then took us on a ridiculous loop of Inverness before leading us to a dead end, well it wouldn’t be a Passport Tour without some sat nav mishap or other! We set off on a loop from Inverness to Loch Ness and back. The roads were good but quite busy so whilst worth doing it was not the highlight of the day although we stopped at a Loch Ness tourist cafe and shop to take obligatory photos and purchase tacky Nessie gifts.
On returning to Inverness we took the A9 south towards Perth exiting at Duthill on the A938 and then onto the A939 and right at the A93. These two roads were absolutely awesome, very high, very bleak and very fast. There was next to no traffic which made the experience even better.
Our lunch stop was at a ski centre at Lecht in the middle of the Cairngorms, some 637m above sea level; nothing in Alpine terms, quite high for the UK. It was a bizarre place. It was a large facility but was more or less deserted and there was no obvious accommodation for skiers anywhere near. Back on to the roads and a new development. As well as stunning straights and sweeping corners one section had massive humps in it which threw us completely out of our seats, very disconcerting!
The roads continued to be stunning and we rode right past Balmoral. At first we wondered what the "police no stopping" signs were for and then we saw signs to Balmoral, which kind of gave it away! We continued south to Edinburgh where we searched for the bike shop from which Nick had ordered a new Scala rider headset. The traffic was heavy and frustrating with all the road works for the new Edinburgh tram system.
We then headed onto the A1 east out of Edinburgh. Once on the A1 we made good progress although significantly slowed by heavy rain; a complete downpour and we were forced to ride at 20mph down the A1! We exited the A1 at the Holy Island turn off and drove over the causeway which was another new experience; definitely one to time right if you don’t want to spend the night on the “island”! And so to our third island of the tour. After a few mandatory pictures of the Lindesfarne Castle we rode back across the causeway and headed for Bamburgh with the hope of a posh hotel and a good night’s stay. Sadly there was no room in any hotel in the town.
After some time and the use of all our technology we eventually tracked down a twin room in the Olde Ship Hotel in Seahouses a little further down the coast. This turned out to be very nice, the landlady finding us space in one of the outhouses for our bikes. We explored the harbour and had an excellent meal before turning in.
We awoke after a great night’s sleep to glorious sunshine and blue skies. After packing up we headed downstairs for a fabulous full Scottish breakfast. The Ledgowan Lodge Hotel, was definitely one of our best stays. Good value, lovely location and really welcoming people, just a shame about the midges in the evening that you could almost feel drinking you…
We checked our oil before leaving to find that surprise surprise, Chris’ was down well below the minimum. We took it easy until the first garage, in Garve, where Chris’ bike swallowed a litre of oil. From here we followed the great roads from Achnasheen to Inverness and as we came into Inverness we stopped for a photo opportunity by the Caledonian canal. Tom then took us on a ridiculous loop of Inverness before leading us to a dead end, well it wouldn’t be a Passport Tour without some sat nav mishap or other! We set off on a loop from Inverness to Loch Ness and back. The roads were good but quite busy so whilst worth doing it was not the highlight of the day although we stopped at a Loch Ness tourist cafe and shop to take obligatory photos and purchase tacky Nessie gifts.
On returning to Inverness we took the A9 south towards Perth exiting at Duthill on the A938 and then onto the A939 and right at the A93. These two roads were absolutely awesome, very high, very bleak and very fast. There was next to no traffic which made the experience even better.
Our lunch stop was at a ski centre at Lecht in the middle of the Cairngorms, some 637m above sea level; nothing in Alpine terms, quite high for the UK. It was a bizarre place. It was a large facility but was more or less deserted and there was no obvious accommodation for skiers anywhere near. Back on to the roads and a new development. As well as stunning straights and sweeping corners one section had massive humps in it which threw us completely out of our seats, very disconcerting!
The roads continued to be stunning and we rode right past Balmoral. At first we wondered what the "police no stopping" signs were for and then we saw signs to Balmoral, which kind of gave it away! We continued south to Edinburgh where we searched for the bike shop from which Nick had ordered a new Scala rider headset. The traffic was heavy and frustrating with all the road works for the new Edinburgh tram system.
We then headed onto the A1 east out of Edinburgh. Once on the A1 we made good progress although significantly slowed by heavy rain; a complete downpour and we were forced to ride at 20mph down the A1! We exited the A1 at the Holy Island turn off and drove over the causeway which was another new experience; definitely one to time right if you don’t want to spend the night on the “island”! And so to our third island of the tour. After a few mandatory pictures of the Lindesfarne Castle we rode back across the causeway and headed for Bamburgh with the hope of a posh hotel and a good night’s stay. Sadly there was no room in any hotel in the town.
After some time and the use of all our technology we eventually tracked down a twin room in the Olde Ship Hotel in Seahouses a little further down the coast. This turned out to be very nice, the landlady finding us space in one of the outhouses for our bikes. We explored the harbour and had an excellent meal before turning in.
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Statistics
Start - 0900hrs Finish - 1900hrs Miles covered - 363 miles Tour distance 1,290 miles |
Countries
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Passes
None |
Day four, Thursday 2nd July 2009
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The Angel of the North, a trip down memory lane in Durham, a brief courier run to York and then home sweet home...
We slept well albeit the morning was disturbed by lots of noise from the refuse collection activity, Thursday is clearly bin day in Seahouses! The breakfast was excellent and the sun was out as we set off on the quiet and peaceful roads heading towards the A1. Nick was seriously excited about his Scala Rider headset and spent much time on the phone to Chris telling him all about it!
Once on the A1 the traffic was heavy and so progress wasn't as quick as it could have been. However, we were chilled and not in any rush. Albeit Nick was in need of summer gloves and as the temperature soared to 28℃ his mid weight gloves got very sticky and unpleasant.
We exited the A1 and visited Durham to see some of the sights from Chris’ youth. First stop the Chorister School by the Cathedral. Second stop Durham School quad for a shot of the chapel, we did contemplate a splash in the swimming pool to cool off but thought better of it! We then headed to South Street to visit the Rectory, Chris’ home for 20 years, and take pictures of the Cathedral.
Given the heat and difficulty parking anywhere near a cafe or pub we headed off to York and stopped for a quick drinks break at the Durham service station on the A1, very classy.
York came after another busy section of the A1 with too many lorries trying to overtake each other and taking hours to do so. We headed straight for the Triumph dealership in York and Nick acquired some summer gloves. Next stop was to see Chris’ daughter Philly at the University and deliver urgently needed cash. Chris thought she was impressed that a voicemail to Dad saying she was short of cash resulted in him turning up out of nowhere on his bike!
Then a long slog in the extreme heat home. Lots of traffic and a badly timed visit to Hardwick Hall, the cafe had just shut! The traffic remained extremely heavy and the temperature very hot all the way down the A1 and then M1 to London.
We slept well albeit the morning was disturbed by lots of noise from the refuse collection activity, Thursday is clearly bin day in Seahouses! The breakfast was excellent and the sun was out as we set off on the quiet and peaceful roads heading towards the A1. Nick was seriously excited about his Scala Rider headset and spent much time on the phone to Chris telling him all about it!
Once on the A1 the traffic was heavy and so progress wasn't as quick as it could have been. However, we were chilled and not in any rush. Albeit Nick was in need of summer gloves and as the temperature soared to 28℃ his mid weight gloves got very sticky and unpleasant.
We exited the A1 and visited Durham to see some of the sights from Chris’ youth. First stop the Chorister School by the Cathedral. Second stop Durham School quad for a shot of the chapel, we did contemplate a splash in the swimming pool to cool off but thought better of it! We then headed to South Street to visit the Rectory, Chris’ home for 20 years, and take pictures of the Cathedral.
Given the heat and difficulty parking anywhere near a cafe or pub we headed off to York and stopped for a quick drinks break at the Durham service station on the A1, very classy.
York came after another busy section of the A1 with too many lorries trying to overtake each other and taking hours to do so. We headed straight for the Triumph dealership in York and Nick acquired some summer gloves. Next stop was to see Chris’ daughter Philly at the University and deliver urgently needed cash. Chris thought she was impressed that a voicemail to Dad saying she was short of cash resulted in him turning up out of nowhere on his bike!
Then a long slog in the extreme heat home. Lots of traffic and a badly timed visit to Hardwick Hall, the cafe had just shut! The traffic remained extremely heavy and the temperature very hot all the way down the A1 and then M1 to London.
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Statistics
Start - 0930hrs Finish - 1930hrs Miles covered - 382 miles Tour distance 1,672 miles |
Countries
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Passes
None |
