Random pics from a ride up north.

[rictus01]

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Cheers Mark

[BanannaMan]

Wow great pics there Mark!
Stunning scenery!
Thanks for sharing!

[timwilky]

Damm you Mark

don't go showing people why we live up here, we will be over run by you shandy suppers

Devils looked empty apart from kids/parents after a bacon butty. I have yet to get up there this year. And no queue of 50+ bikes at Settle for fuel. (It was Settle?)

[Paul the 6th]

Yeah defo settle.

[markc123]

Nice photos. Really want to ride now, bring on the weekend when I get enough daylight to fix the damn bike.

[Owenski]

Nice little picture bio of some of the routes/stops up here.

[missyburd]

Nice snaps Mark, looking forward to the Filling Station writeup....although it looked shut the first time you got there on your trip, were you very early or late? :-)

[andrewsmith]

You wouldn't think that its winter looking at the pics
Defo like to see a write up of the routes.

Tim that was Settle

Nice snaps Mark, looking forward to the Filling Station writeup....although it looked shut the first time you got there on your trip, were you very early or late? :-)

Yep same here!

[rictus01]

review already done Maria it's here (http://forums.sv650.org/showpost.php?p=2663419&postcount=1).

was a good trip, the friday was quite mild although I did the 408 miles in the daylight, it was about freezing temp, but not much snow on the roads, I got to Newcastle just as the light began to fade, but my layers/heated grips and insoles did a marvelous job and I can honestly say I wasn't cold.

I had more of a tight schedule on the Saturday, so I came out of the premier Inn at 05.08am, it was bitterly cold, real cut through you stuff, dark and ice don't really go together that well and it made the going tough, but made it to Whitby, then down the coast road cutting in to the moors, here it just froze, the ambient temp re ading dropped to -11.4 and I was riding on sheet ice for a good while, the white of the snow on the moors and the ice on the road made it hard to differentiate between them at times, not to mention the buildup of ice both on the outside and inside of the visor, each time I removed my left hand from the bar muff to wipe the visor it was like holding a wet hand in the airflow, all my layers and electrics were at best just holding their own, at one point I hit a small bump at couldn't tell if the handlebar movement was from that or from me shivering!

I caught the start of daylight just coming off the moors and stopped for a while, grateful for the two flasks of coffee I had brought with me, just stopping out of the wind had me warm again in 15 minutes, so set off for York, pushing on I was trying to make Allerton Park (my appointment that morning) by 08.30am, but it'd been a hard morning already, so just coming out of York I found a little cafe and stopped for a fryup, recharged the batteries and ready to go again, got to the weight pull (Sam's dogs) at around 09.15am, the road to the farm was ice covered and that require a little concentration, turned off the engine and rolled down the hill the last 5-600 yards (didn't know if they had started yet and my engine noise could have put the dogs off), weird rolling over ice on the bike with no power, anyway got there and parked up.

Great morning watching Malamutes do what they are supposed to do, with a lovely couple of cups of tea thrown in to keep the chills at bay.

I write up some more a bit later.

Cheers Mark.

[Paul the 6th]

Are you sure you're not from Yorkshire Mark? You 'ard bastid.

[timwilky]

Are you sure you're not from Yorkshire Mark? You 'ard bastid.

Nah, he wastes his brass in caffs. Definitely no tyke genes there.

[rictus01]

After leaving the weight pull I made my way up to Ripon on the B6265, mostly clear of ice as the traffic had been running for a while now and the mid day sun had done it's job, from Ripon up to Leyburn, whipperdale bank up to Tan hill, down buttertubs/ Hawes, then doubling back towards Bishopsdale and coming out the bottom at Skipton, most of it was snow clear roads, but virtually all the puddles were frozen, which made it interesting in some of the corners, but fun none the less.

Nothing to exciting after that, a quick run down the A629 to Halifax, my stop for that evening, an evening with friends and a good curry saw the day out, it'd been hard work, but all the more rewarding for it.

Cheers Mark.

[rictus01]

Sunday was a slow start, I was paying for the previous two days of hard work, but Pete made a welcome sausage and egg bap for breakfast and with the copious amount of tea I finally got into gear, although reluctant as always to leave good company it was time to go, a shake of the hand from Pete and a quick grope and cuddle from Lou and I jumped on the bike and was away.

It was mild, surprisingly ice free, as the top of that hill seems normally to attract that kind of thing ( I've slid of the top there a couple of times before), but I made it out to Cold edge rd, a little tricky but a concentrated effort saw me avoid the iced puddles and get through to the A629 just below Skipton and onto the main road, a quick blat up the A65 and into settle for a fuelup.

Stopped at devils bridge for a brew and to fill my flasks, only a couple of bikes there and they hadn't come far, but turning into a nice riding day, back on the 65 up to Kendal and a stop for a bit of mint cake. Then out on Underbarrow rd and up Jinny hill making my way to the B5284 and towards ambleside, a bit early to stop at the backpackers, so when passed and on up the A591, called in on the Filling station, but it was closed, a few little roads to eat up some time and back down to Ambleside for tea.

dumped my stuff at the backpackers and had a shower, off down the town for a steak pie meal, it was most welcome, didn't stay long as I knew I had a long day tomorrow and was tired, back brew and bed were the order of events after that.

The following day I woke early and as the light came up I was on the bike ready to go well before 7am, I shot off from Ambleside to do both Hardknott and wrynoise, it was foggy up there, but at least not freezing fog, but I kept the pace up and had a beautifully traffic free run to the end, then turned around and did it all again backwards....:), got back to amble side in time for everyone else getting breakfast, just had a brew myself and loaded the bike up, off to Grassmere and a required gingerbread collection, then on to braithewaite and buttermere, borrowdale valley and Honister, finally calling into the filling station once again to catch it open, follow my fryup there I headed back on some different roads just going down the back of Ambleside and through Kirkstone, I followed a rough compass bearing on back roads that eventually bought me out near Levens, I was tired again, it seemed age and aliment were catching up with me, but the A6 made a nice flowing route to follow; so that's just what I did, turning onto the M6 just before Carnforth and then straight down to Preston.

Called up Mrs giggles to see what time she was home then off just up the road to see my son for a while, returned to the "Prestons" to be met by the ray of sunshine coming out to meet me, before long I was with brew in hand and chatting in comfort, before to long the big man arrived home, along with a lovely roast chicken dinner we chatted the night away.

Cheers Mark.

[rictus01]

The morning saw me on my way, down to Glossop where I grabbed a late fried breakfast, across the A57 and cutting down to come out the Peaks around Chesterfield area, across to Lincoln and cross country on a rough bearing to get to Boston, the A16 took me to Spalding where I grabbed some lunch, the day had been slightly overcast, but otherwise good riding weather, I phoned a friend and arranged to have a coffee in Peterborough in an hours time, then made my way down there, I had one last stop planned, but didn't get to Cambridge until the light had faded, so rather than push on home that night I crashed on a mates sofa for the evening.

the following morning I was awake and up with the household, said my goodbyes and on the road again, cut over to the A10 and took a gentle ride back down to London and back home lunchtime, tired and aching, but a well worthwhile trip.

the bike gave me not a single problem and worked faultlessly, £300 odd in fuel and a couple more in spending, saw 1481 miles pass beneath the bikes wheels, the traffic was all but nonexistent as I'd hoped for, a marvelous time was had just me and my bike.

Cheers Mark.

[Quiff Wichard]

very good Mark

I do believe I have been to all those places..

that is Richies favourite road down to Ambleside.

and the lake one opposite the pub on car park Scoobs got told off by the landlord there for parking on the grass to take a pic.. ha !

[rictus01]

yeah Dave, most are well known, but generally far from traffic free one of the major benefits of going this time of year.

[wattyfred89]

great writeup , nice pics

[The Idle Biker]

Hardcore biking. You wouldn't get me doing that if you paid me. Fantastic scenery, great pics.