Seeking info for two-up UK trip 2013

[TanMcG]

Hi,
My husband and I are planning a motorbike trip to the UK next year and I'm hoping for advice as have not planned an overseas trip like this before.

We would be looking at approx. 4-5 weeks which would have to fit around my university timetable so either mid year or end of the year. As it is a fairly short time I was thinking that hiring a bike would probably be easier than shipping my bike (Triumph Tiger 800). While we both ride, I think it would be more cost effective to go on one bike, so am thinking something like the Tiger 800 (yes, I am biased!) or Suzuki V-strom 650, or something similar, though happy to take on advice of those with experience!

I've never been to the Uk before so have no idea where to go what to do.

Any help or advice appreciated

[IainHarper]

Originally Posted by TanMcG

We would be looking at approx. 4-5 weeks which would have to fit around my university timetable so either mid year or end of the year.

Would the end of May/beginning of June be too early for you? If not, perhaps you'd be interested in starting your trip at the HUBB UK event?

That aside, mid-year will give you a much better chance of reasonable weather.

What sort of things are you hoping to do/see? Give us more of a steer and I'm sure you'll get plenty of suggestions and recommendations.

[TanMcG]

Thanks for the link, it looks like fun, but unfortunately I just checked exam/semester dates and would be looking at about mid June to end of July. What season would that be over there? This side of the world (Australia) it's quite wintry!

I'm not a real fan of busy touristy places, love the countryside and the coast, oh and would love to soak up some history with old buildings/castles, etc. My husband is a big fan of 'Time Team' so something archeological would be good to see. I really want to see a squirrel, but I get the impression that is probably not hard to do...? I don't know what the roads are like, but we have mainly ridden on sealed roads with a smattering of gravel so nothing too far off the beaten track would probably be better for us.

Any suggestions of good places to pick up a reliable bike at a reasonable price would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[IainHarper]

That's a shame, but not to worry. Just a thought

June/July is mid-summer over here, although bear in mind that it'll still be a lot cooler (and potentially wetter) than your summers.

Unless you go seeking some off-road riding you won't have to worry about the roads. Tarmac all the way.

You'll find things of historical interest almost everywhere you go, but for the best of the medieval castles head for Wales and Scotland. I expect the Time Team website will give you lots of specific details on archaeological sites, many of which are open to the public.

With 4-5 weeks to play with, you'll have plenty of time to tour the whole of mainland Britain and maybe enough to see some of Ireland too.

I don't know of any motorcycle hire places from personal experience, but here's an illustration of how much a Triumph Tiger 800 might cost to hire. Not suggesting you necessarily use this company by the way - they're about 100 miles from London Heathrow airport.

Hope that helps.

[oldbmw]

best place to see a squirrel would be Isle of Wight, most of the rest of England is infested with tree rats.

There are some in pine forests in Scotland.but not easy to see.

regards

[Milimut1]

Archeology head to The Orkney Islands way up north. Coast line the west coast of Scotland is as good as it gets. Castle dotted around Scotland.
A touch biased to Scotland in this post its where I live, and I love it.
Roads are less busy, a nice mix of single track roads in the highlands and in the south the motorways to get you there.
Orkney is the home to SKarra Brae a neolithic settlement. Maes Howe probably a burial chamber but I cant remember. Lots of underground chambers you can get into and explore. There has been a dig taking place for the past couple of summers near The Stennes Standing Stones and Ring of Brodgar but you would need to check the actual dates.
Whisky tour in Scotland is great for the pillion but not so good for the rider.
What ever you decide its a great place.

[HarryM]

Iron Butt Association UK

Try the link above, although you may not be here to get the miles in it does give some good routes and locations.

[HarryM]

Just seen this in another thread, apparently it is up and running now. As others have said it is worth going to Ireland when you've come this far.

Motorcycle storage/rental/buying in Ireland

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He all.
I am presently in San Francisco, moving back to Ireland in 6 weeks.
As soon as I get back, I am starting a small side business, along with the running of a small farm close to Cork city.
Here are the details of the business I am setting up.
Accommodation:
I will supply moto travelers with motorcycle friendly accommodation with either a room or a campsite with kitchen and showers. I will also have a complete workshop for servicing or repairing motorcycles including welding equipment.

Motorcycle sales and buy back.
I will have bikes on hand, set up for moto traveling for people coming on short visits.
You buy the bike for an agreed price and I will buy back the bike for an agreed price depending on how long you need the bike. As this is not a rental per say, I will need you to keep the bike for a period of at least 2 weeks.
It should work out as low as US$50/day for a 650cc vstrom.
Green card insurance is easily obtainable as long as the bike is transferred to your name.

Motorcycle storage.
I will store bikes or any vehicle in secure storage, connected to a battery tender with regular starts for a very affordable fee. Also help with motorcycle/car/camper purchase if you need a local address or local bargaining power.

I will have maps with recommended routes, GPS way points, spare parts and even local tour guiding if you need it.

I also plan to host a HU meeting on the farm in the near future. With ferry ports from France and England only 15 miles from my place, it should be easily accessible and a large barn to camp in, just in case the weather turns nasty.

Look forward to seeing you in Ireland next summer.

I can be reached directly at

sfadvmoto@gmail.com

[TanMcG]

Thanks so much for all your replies

IainHarper Am glad to hear we will be able to see a lot of the place in the relatively short time we'll have, Australia is so big 4 weeks isn't long enough to get too far! Thanks for the links.

I would love to explore Scotland milimut1 so thank you for the recommended places, gives me a starting point for some research! And will keep my eyes peeled for squirrel while there too oldbmw, though the Isle of Wight sounds like it will be worth seeing too

Thanks HarryM, will check out the link and thread you suggest.

Very excited, the plans are starting to take a little bit of shape from the vague idea I started with when I first put the post up! Will have to get cracking now checking out your suggestions

Please keep ideas and suggestions coming as I am a total novice at this planning thing! If you need more info from me please ask, I wasn't really sure where to start!

[SarahJ]

If you can make it over in time and like partying as well as riding, I can recommend the Simmer Dim Rally on Shetland in the middle of June - lots of info about it here: SIMMER DIM RALLY

We went a couple of years ago and it was great, mind you we were incredibly spoilt as we had sunshine for most of the rally, which is virtually unheard of! We went on to tour more of Shetland, then took the ferry to Orkney, then back to the mainland to ride back down mostly the coast. Scotland is beautiful with lots of standing stones, archaeological sites and castles, as well as stunning scenery and some amazing roads. The weather is unpredictable and is frequently horizontal, but then it is unpredictable for the whole of the UK - bring waterproofs and thermals!

Also agree re getting over to Ireland - have only toured the very South, but again is beautiful and we were lucky with the weather both times we went there.

And hey, England and Wales are lovely too - if you want historical sites, the whole of the UK is littered with them - enjoy

[Endurodude]

You could consider the lake district in the North West of England, which is lovely and has good riding roads. If you were to go there from Scotland, you could then head to North Wales and travel to Ireland via Anglesey. A lovely part of the UK.

History wise, there's so much to see. The UK's not huge compared to other countries (yes, I know the UK's not a country!) so there's lots of choice.

Enjoy the search!

[Davelee99]

End of May every year NW200 road racing in Northern Ireland, a 10/10 event.
Last year there were about 100 Australians at the event all on bikes, and it's free!

[mark manley]

Originally Posted by oldbmw

best place to see a squirrel would be Isle of Wight, most of the rest of England is infested with tree rats.

There are some in pine forests in Scotland.but not easy to see.

regards

Not the only place, there is a red squirrel that comes past the caravan I am staying in near Alston in Cumbria, it is the first I have ever seen in England and yes they are much nicer than the grey tree rats usually seen.

The roads and scenery are fantastic around here to boot.

Originally Posted by Endurodude

You could consider the lake district in the North West of England, which is lovely and has good riding roads. If you were to go there from Scotland, you could then head to North Wales and travel to Ireland via Anglesey. A lovely part of the UK.

History wise, there's so much to see. The UK's not huge compared to other countries (yes, I know the UK's not a country!) so there's lots of choice.

I agree with this completely and would suggest using Mitchelin maps and following the green, scenic routes.

The one sticking point could be motorcycle insurance as I get the impression it is difficult for non-EU citizens to get it in the UK, I am sure it is possible but look into it first. You might also want to consider a plan B if the summer is as bad as this year which could involve a trip to Europe which is only a short hop away where it has been a lot nicer.

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by TanMcG

Hi,
We would be looking at approx. 4-5 weeks

You will need to prioritise what you really, really want to do, and see - the UK is not big compared with many other places, but it has a lot to offer.

Originally Posted by TanMcG

about mid June to end of July. What season would that be over there? This side of the world (Australia) it's quite wintry!

so nothing too far off the beaten track would probably be better for us.

Any suggestions of good places to pick up a reliable bike at a reasonable price would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Think of it as the exact opposite, but still cooler and wetter than Australia (although you have had your own flooding issues on the East side).

Remote = stay away from the SE of England which is very developed; as others say, head toward the country areas of England, Wales, Scotland. Any map will indicate those.

For bike purchase issues have a look in the "trip paperwork" forum - it gives a load of information about insurance (just to mention one consideration). You have a good offer from Ireland for buying and that would involve another country to visit.

Originally Posted by Endurodude

You could consider the lake district in the North West of England, which is lovely and has good riding roads. If you were to go there from Scotland, you could then head to North Wales and travel to Ireland via Anglesey. A lovely part of the UK.

History wise, there's so much to see. The UK's not huge compared to other countries (yes, I know the UK's not a country!) so there's lots of choice.

Enjoy the search!

Originally Posted by mark manley

Not the only place, there is a red squirrel that comes past the caravan I am staying in near Alston in Cumbria, it is the first I have ever seen in England and yes they are much nicer than the grey tree rats usually seen.

The roads and scenery are fantastic around here to boot.



I agree with this completely and would suggest using Mitchelin maps and following the green, scenic routes.

The one sticking point could be motorcycle insurance as I get the impression it is difficult for non-EU citizens to get it in the UK, I am sure it is possible but look into it first. You might also want to consider a plan B if the summer is as bad as this year which could involve a trip to Europe which is only a short hop away where it has been a lot nicer.

I don't agree with the Lake District for bike riding; it is great scenery, hill walking etc but the roads are very channeled by the mountains and they are over-crowded with tourist traffic, farm vehicles etc.
Nearby to that area are far better roads for motorbikes - one of those regions is certainly Alston which is the highest market town in England.
The Yorkshire Dales have lots of roads known to riders for their quality.
To the north, just over the border, are the Scottish lowlands, including the Galloway forest, which are often overlooked for the highlands.

Just some thoughts

[pheonix]

Hi Tan - brilliant idea to ride around the UK

The organisation "English Heritage" which maintains many of our historic monuments and ruins offers a temporary pass for overseas visitors. If you plan to visit several locations you could save quite a bit (entry is normally £5-10 per person). However, do a pre-check on their web site as some places are free.

Overseas Visitor Pass Prices and Ordering Information | English Heritage

You don't have to order or decide now, simply buy on arrival or at one of the main heritage centres.

Petrol costs are soaring here - currently £1.40 per litre, so 1 bike will be cheaper but 2 will be easier (luggage etc). I'm used to riding my own bike so I know what I'd prefer