sam anon
22-09-10, 10:19 PM
Hi all, just a little write up of my superb little England and Wales tour.
Sort of inspired by Nick Sanders' “Parallel Coast”, it totalled 1599 miles all in! I don't have an issue with going abroad and riding on the continent, but I'm very wary I haven't seen much of the UK, so a week away with the bike seemed like a good idea to me. I was pretty lucky with the weather, and very lucky with the roads, so here are the highlights. Due to an unfortunate chain of events I only had my mobile camera with me, so these photos are the best I could manage I'm afraid! Thanks to those who offered suggestions to my route before I left, your input was invaluable.
Not many photos from Saturday I'm afraid, I left late so spent more time than planned on the A12 and A140 up through Essex and Norfolk.
Here's my first view of the sea at Cromer,
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0030.jpg
and Sheringham.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0031.jpg
On Sunday I did the great A149 from Sheringham to Kings Lynn, popping down to various beaches along the way.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0043.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0041.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0036.jpg
I came across a Norton owners club annual meet in Hunstanton, so popped in for a look and a cup of coffee.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0047.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0046.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0050.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0056.jpg
Blue Curvy anyone?
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0055.jpg
After Kings Lynn I then headed to Spalding, Bourne and Colsterworth on the A151, which is a great road. It starts with long straights with the odd fast corner thrown in, followed by a brand new and perfectly smooth by-pass type section around the village of Bourne, and then gets a lot twistier before Colsterworth. I then took the B676 to Melton Mowbray, which was brilliant.
From Belper I then took the A517 to Ashbourne (OK), followed by the A515/B5056 and B6012, which were all superb.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0066.jpg
On Monday I was heading North East towards the Humber Bridge. The A362/A616/road past Thoresby Park/A614/A620/B1403 and the A161 are all superb. After S****horpe I took the A1077 to Barton which was also brilliant. Ha ha, the spell-checker has starred out the word "****" in S****horpe! I wonder if some teenagers have changed any local signs!?
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0078.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0081.jpg
North of the Humber I took the A1034/A1079/A614/A163 and the B1228 to York, which were pretty good. I visited Fountains Abbey while in the York area, which was pretty cool and well worth the visit. Loads of photos from here, it's a very photogenic place with great shapes and shadows. The B6265 from the A1M is a great road too.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0096.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0095.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0097.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0093.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0092.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0109.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0117.jpg
Tuesday was a dash from York to North Wales. The A162 through Ferrybridge was a good road, but I then jumped onto the M62 to Wakefield.
The route through the Peak District after Wakefield was all on brilliant roads. I ran into some bad weather on the A628, so stopped to put the waterproof jacket on. It wasn't raining hard, but the visibility was pretty bad!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0154.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0156.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0160.jpg
The Snake Pass is near here, but I was a little concerned about the mileage today, so gave it a miss. One for the next trip!
I was planning on doing the Cat and Fiddle, but the road to Macclesfield was shut. I headed south on the great A5004 to Buxton, then did the superb A54 down into Cheshire to Congleton.
The A5004.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/peakdistrict01small.jpg
After Wrexham, I took the A525 to Pen-y-Stryt and on to Ruthin, the weather getting better the further west I went. I hadn't ridden North Wales before, the roads were amazing, with very little traffic.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/wales01small.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0171.jpg
The B5105 to Cerrigydrudion.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0179.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0182.jpg
The B4391 to Ffestiniog. (3rd favourite road of the trip!)
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0186.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0190.jpg
The B4410, A4085 and the A498 to Beddgelert were very thin and twisty, but beautifully surfaced, and the sun was out in full force by now!
A pint (one of two to be honest, though can't remember which one this is!) in Beddgelert. Cheers!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0194.jpg
From here it was the A498 and the A4086 to Penn-y-Pass.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0198.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0195.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0200.jpg
On Wednesday I was off to the Peak district, so started with a quick blast along the A4086 to Capel Curig, a short stint on the A5 (to put the other roads into perspective, this “main” road is still incredible!).
The A4086 to Capel Curig.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0202.jpg
Next was North East up the A543 to Bylchau. (my 2nd favourite road of the trip!).
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0203.jpg
From here I headed East and jumped onto the M6 to get through the Manchester/Liverpool/Preston etc area. I felt a bit guilty and bored on the M6, so came off early and headed to Lancaster.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0207.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0210.jpg
After the superb A5092 to Broughton-in-Furness I was due to trace some of my route I took when cycling the coast to coast a few years ago, but had to take a little detour due to another road closure. I had initially thought about doing the Hard Knott Pass, but decided not to. Now it was the Pass or all the way back to the coast road!
Tiny lanes weave their way through the Lake District, so getting places takes a while!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0219.jpg
I approached Hard Knott Pass the “wrong” way (east to west) and it wasn't ideal on a fully-laden sportsbike, lots of clutch slipping and leaning forward (I felt like the bike was due to wheelie at any point, but in reality was probably far from doing so!) I even counted on the way down the other side to alternate my time on the front and back brake!
The bottom of the pass.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0220.jpg
The top (with the bike turned around to face the way I'd come). I put a teeny little stone on top of the cairn.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0221.jpg
After descending the other side it was a few more miles of lanes before I arrived at Was****er YHA. The hostel was right on the lake, with great cliffs rising out of the other side! This is the road approaching the Was****er valley.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0222.jpg
And the YHA and lake itself.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0223.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0226.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0230.jpg
On Friday I was off North East to Newcastle. I was initially supposed to retrace my steps back to Broughton, but due to yesterday's road closure I took the direct route from Was****er to the small seaside village of Seascale (unfortunately far more well known these days after the shootings there), and made a donation to their memorial fund.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0233.jpg
I wanted to crouch down in front of my bike in this photo and do a hip-hop stylee “eastside” type hand gesture, but felt a bit of an idiot!
The upside of the road closure meant I had to ride the brilliant A595 South to Broughton. From Broughton I then road the fabulously twisty and challenging A593 to Ambleside, which is far smaller, twistier and inconsistently surfaced than it's “A” number would suggest!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0238.jpg
Ambleside was a bit of a nightmare due to it's popularity and the fact it was a Friday, so it was a relief to leave over the A592, the Kirkstone Pass.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0239.jpg
Unknown to me, a work colleague's mate runs the pub at the top, so I had to forego my undoubtedly free beer. The A592 continues to Penrith, and although is a good road all the way, gets a little busy as it runs along the northern edge of Ullswater.
From Penrith it was the A686 and the superb Hartside Pass (my favourite part of the journey). You pass a twisty road sign at the bottom of the hill, which I think read 6 miles! Some of the road is quite open with great visibility up the road ahead, with some tighter hairpin bends thrown in for good measure.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/hartsidepass02small.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0247.jpg
I then headed north up the A689 to Brampton, which again was superb, but a bit of an anti-climax after the Hartside Pass.
I then headed East on the B6318, with it's dead straight, um, straights I suppose, no doubt something to do with it's proximity to Hadrian's Wall. Not the most interesting road, but great views North and South, and some worryingly deep dips in the road. You can't see the bottom of these for what feels like eternity, before nailing it into the bottom, compressing the suspension and bouncing out the other side!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0248.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0249.jpg
I then did one little dash North to up the mileage to decent amount. The A68 was OK, with great views and huge skies, before I then headed South East towards Newcastle on the surprisingly good A696.
The A68,
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0257.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0252.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0255.jpg
and the A696 to Newcastle,
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0259.jpg
Newcastle! My most Northerly stop over. (And the furthest North I've been in the UK ever for that matter!)
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0261.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0263.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0275.jpg
I was now a long way from home, so decided to call into my Aunt's on the way home again. After brief stops at The Angel of the North and Durham, I headed south on fairly main roads to get it over and done with.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0279.jpg
Shortly after joining a dual-carriageway that led to the A1 I felt the tell-tale wobble of a rear puncture, which I just managed to seal at the side of the road using my Cargol Turn and Go set.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0291.jpg
I limped down the A1 to Boroughbridge and tried to get the tyre up to pressure at the services but 42psi was a little too much for it, and had to be recovered back to Sheffield.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0293.jpg
Bit of a downer to end the trip, but I got a new rear tyre fitted the following morning. I was going to change it when I got home, so it just meant the tyre guys in Sheffield got my money rather than Spannerman, sorry!
Sort of inspired by Nick Sanders' “Parallel Coast”, it totalled 1599 miles all in! I don't have an issue with going abroad and riding on the continent, but I'm very wary I haven't seen much of the UK, so a week away with the bike seemed like a good idea to me. I was pretty lucky with the weather, and very lucky with the roads, so here are the highlights. Due to an unfortunate chain of events I only had my mobile camera with me, so these photos are the best I could manage I'm afraid! Thanks to those who offered suggestions to my route before I left, your input was invaluable.
Not many photos from Saturday I'm afraid, I left late so spent more time than planned on the A12 and A140 up through Essex and Norfolk.
Here's my first view of the sea at Cromer,
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0030.jpg
and Sheringham.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0031.jpg
On Sunday I did the great A149 from Sheringham to Kings Lynn, popping down to various beaches along the way.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0043.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0041.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0036.jpg
I came across a Norton owners club annual meet in Hunstanton, so popped in for a look and a cup of coffee.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0047.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0046.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0050.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0056.jpg
Blue Curvy anyone?
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0055.jpg
After Kings Lynn I then headed to Spalding, Bourne and Colsterworth on the A151, which is a great road. It starts with long straights with the odd fast corner thrown in, followed by a brand new and perfectly smooth by-pass type section around the village of Bourne, and then gets a lot twistier before Colsterworth. I then took the B676 to Melton Mowbray, which was brilliant.
From Belper I then took the A517 to Ashbourne (OK), followed by the A515/B5056 and B6012, which were all superb.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0066.jpg
On Monday I was heading North East towards the Humber Bridge. The A362/A616/road past Thoresby Park/A614/A620/B1403 and the A161 are all superb. After S****horpe I took the A1077 to Barton which was also brilliant. Ha ha, the spell-checker has starred out the word "****" in S****horpe! I wonder if some teenagers have changed any local signs!?
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0078.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0081.jpg
North of the Humber I took the A1034/A1079/A614/A163 and the B1228 to York, which were pretty good. I visited Fountains Abbey while in the York area, which was pretty cool and well worth the visit. Loads of photos from here, it's a very photogenic place with great shapes and shadows. The B6265 from the A1M is a great road too.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0096.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0095.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0097.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0093.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0092.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0109.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0117.jpg
Tuesday was a dash from York to North Wales. The A162 through Ferrybridge was a good road, but I then jumped onto the M62 to Wakefield.
The route through the Peak District after Wakefield was all on brilliant roads. I ran into some bad weather on the A628, so stopped to put the waterproof jacket on. It wasn't raining hard, but the visibility was pretty bad!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0154.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0156.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0160.jpg
The Snake Pass is near here, but I was a little concerned about the mileage today, so gave it a miss. One for the next trip!
I was planning on doing the Cat and Fiddle, but the road to Macclesfield was shut. I headed south on the great A5004 to Buxton, then did the superb A54 down into Cheshire to Congleton.
The A5004.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/peakdistrict01small.jpg
After Wrexham, I took the A525 to Pen-y-Stryt and on to Ruthin, the weather getting better the further west I went. I hadn't ridden North Wales before, the roads were amazing, with very little traffic.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/wales01small.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0171.jpg
The B5105 to Cerrigydrudion.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0179.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0182.jpg
The B4391 to Ffestiniog. (3rd favourite road of the trip!)
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0186.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0190.jpg
The B4410, A4085 and the A498 to Beddgelert were very thin and twisty, but beautifully surfaced, and the sun was out in full force by now!
A pint (one of two to be honest, though can't remember which one this is!) in Beddgelert. Cheers!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0194.jpg
From here it was the A498 and the A4086 to Penn-y-Pass.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0198.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0195.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0200.jpg
On Wednesday I was off to the Peak district, so started with a quick blast along the A4086 to Capel Curig, a short stint on the A5 (to put the other roads into perspective, this “main” road is still incredible!).
The A4086 to Capel Curig.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0202.jpg
Next was North East up the A543 to Bylchau. (my 2nd favourite road of the trip!).
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0203.jpg
From here I headed East and jumped onto the M6 to get through the Manchester/Liverpool/Preston etc area. I felt a bit guilty and bored on the M6, so came off early and headed to Lancaster.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0207.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0210.jpg
After the superb A5092 to Broughton-in-Furness I was due to trace some of my route I took when cycling the coast to coast a few years ago, but had to take a little detour due to another road closure. I had initially thought about doing the Hard Knott Pass, but decided not to. Now it was the Pass or all the way back to the coast road!
Tiny lanes weave their way through the Lake District, so getting places takes a while!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0219.jpg
I approached Hard Knott Pass the “wrong” way (east to west) and it wasn't ideal on a fully-laden sportsbike, lots of clutch slipping and leaning forward (I felt like the bike was due to wheelie at any point, but in reality was probably far from doing so!) I even counted on the way down the other side to alternate my time on the front and back brake!
The bottom of the pass.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0220.jpg
The top (with the bike turned around to face the way I'd come). I put a teeny little stone on top of the cairn.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0221.jpg
After descending the other side it was a few more miles of lanes before I arrived at Was****er YHA. The hostel was right on the lake, with great cliffs rising out of the other side! This is the road approaching the Was****er valley.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0222.jpg
And the YHA and lake itself.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0223.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0226.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0230.jpg
On Friday I was off North East to Newcastle. I was initially supposed to retrace my steps back to Broughton, but due to yesterday's road closure I took the direct route from Was****er to the small seaside village of Seascale (unfortunately far more well known these days after the shootings there), and made a donation to their memorial fund.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0233.jpg
I wanted to crouch down in front of my bike in this photo and do a hip-hop stylee “eastside” type hand gesture, but felt a bit of an idiot!
The upside of the road closure meant I had to ride the brilliant A595 South to Broughton. From Broughton I then road the fabulously twisty and challenging A593 to Ambleside, which is far smaller, twistier and inconsistently surfaced than it's “A” number would suggest!
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0238.jpg
Ambleside was a bit of a nightmare due to it's popularity and the fact it was a Friday, so it was a relief to leave over the A592, the Kirkstone Pass.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/samhagger/bike%20tour%202010/IMAG0239.jpg
Unknown to me, a work colleague's mate runs the pub at the top, so I had to forego my undoubtedly free beer. The A592 continues to Penrith, and although is a good road all the way, gets a little busy as it runs along the northern edge of Ullswater.
From Penrith it was the A686 and the superb Hartside Pass (my favourite part of the journey). You pass a twisty road sign at the bottom of the hill, which I think read 6 miles! Some of the road is quite open with great visibility up the road ahead, with some tighter hairpin bends thrown in for good measure.
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I then headed north up the A689 to Brampton, which again was superb, but a bit of an anti-climax after the Hartside Pass.
I then headed East on the B6318, with it's dead straight, um, straights I suppose, no doubt something to do with it's proximity to Hadrian's Wall. Not the most interesting road, but great views North and South, and some worryingly deep dips in the road. You can't see the bottom of these for what feels like eternity, before nailing it into the bottom, compressing the suspension and bouncing out the other side!
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I then did one little dash North to up the mileage to decent amount. The A68 was OK, with great views and huge skies, before I then headed South East towards Newcastle on the surprisingly good A696.
The A68,
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and the A696 to Newcastle,
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Newcastle! My most Northerly stop over. (And the furthest North I've been in the UK ever for that matter!)
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I was now a long way from home, so decided to call into my Aunt's on the way home again. After brief stops at The Angel of the North and Durham, I headed south on fairly main roads to get it over and done with.
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Shortly after joining a dual-carriageway that led to the A1 I felt the tell-tale wobble of a rear puncture, which I just managed to seal at the side of the road using my Cargol Turn and Go set.
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I limped down the A1 to Boroughbridge and tried to get the tyre up to pressure at the services but 42psi was a little too much for it, and had to be recovered back to Sheffield.
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Bit of a downer to end the trip, but I got a new rear tyre fitted the following morning. I was going to change it when I got home, so it just meant the tyre guys in Sheffield got my money rather than Spannerman, sorry!