Bradford to Canonbie on a 125
 

Hello all. A few days ago I posted a thread regarding a trip I was planning up to the Scottish border with a friend, here is the report. After a drunken conversation in the pub on Saturday night my friend Ben and myself decided to utilise his day off work and plan a long range bike ride. After a bit more talking we decided to set off Tuesday night and return Wednesday night, seeing how far we could get in 24 hours. Both of us were on 125cc motorcycles; a Derbi Cross City and a Honda CBR.

At approximately 1900 on Tuesday night we set off from Ben's house in Birkenshaw and rode through Bradford and up to the Skipton bypass. From here we connected with the A65. By this time it was pitch black, and the road was not lit which made the journey a very nervy one. We stopped off at the Wheatsheaf Inn in the small village of Ingleton in the Yorkshire Dales. We decided to stay at the Gale Green Cottage just outside of Ingleton, which turned out to be the best B&B I have ever stayed at; a very welcoming atmosphere with plenty to eat and drink, each room had an en suite and the breakfast in the morning was superb!

The following morning we set off at 0900 along the A683 to Kendal, via the village of Sedbergh. From here we took the A6 north to Penrith. A fantastic road with plenty of bends and an awe inspiring view of the eastern edge of the Lake District. Passing through the Village of Shap, Clifton and finally the town of Penrith. After a quick fill up on fuel we headed out again along the A6 to Carlisle, which was pretty grim, and then along the A7 to Longtown.

We hit the Scottish border at midday. For me the excitement of finally putting my wheels in another country was enough to keep me going, but as we stopped at Canonbie I was physically and mentally exhausted. It was now 1300 and he had 130 miles to go home, so after a brief wander around Canonbie we blasted back to Penrith for a bite to eat at a fantastic little cafe, the name of which escapes me!

From here it was a straight ride down to Kendal, a fuel stop and then back on the A65. By this time we were both aching all over but the afternoon sun, and twists and turns of the road kept our spirits up. Finally back though Bradford (in rush hour) and arriving home as 1730.

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The World
 

Well done, mate! It's a while coming - glad you enjoyed it and stayed safe!

Good on you Tommysmithfromleeds!

Looks like you have the bug. Be warned, once caught it will never go away.
Anyway, here's a blog/post for you to chew on. Hope it inspires you further.
Dempster Hwy - Page 1

Kindest regards

Nevil

Nevil | Nevil Stow | Travel Blog

Cheers guys, I think its safe to say the bug is caught; already planning a longer journey to somewhere (not sure where yet). Thanks for the link Nevil, a most enjoyable read!

Nice one :thumbup1:

How about trying for set? North/Mid Wales over the peaks is a nice ride and can be done in a similar time frame. Ireland is just a boat ride from Liverpool, but is actually probably the hardest trip on a small bike, everything round Manchester is trying to push you onto the M62 so navigation can be the challenge.

Andy
(Morley MZ rider, touring on a whopping 23 HP :rofl:)

All sounds good, glad you had this glorious spring weather, maybe a few more days next time?

Think thats the plan for next time (possibly even next week if the weather holds). Thinking about hitting Wales via the peaks as Andy mentioned. Gonna test out some camping gear too.

So glad I did this trip though; havnt been able to put down the road atlas since I got home, and spent the past two days cleaning the bike ready for the next one, even stripped the footpegs down and cleaned out the housing!

Edit: Just noticed this was my 200th post....waaaayyyy!!!

Sounds serious!!!!!!!!

Well done mate
A team of us are heading down your way on vintage Lambrettas from Scotland later this summer.. looking forward to that like.

Good start there lads.

Way back in 1978, when I was 16, I bought my first motorcycle. It was a blue Honda SS50, 1975 vintage!

So being young, stupid and with loads of enthusiasm, I bought a cheap tent, fabricated a bit of a rack and rode from Bolton (Lancashire) to a campsite at Shell Island, near Llanbedr. It felt like I was riding across the World!

I arrived, pitched the tent, warmed up a tin of Bangers n Beans by Heinz scoffed the lot and used my remaining bread to soak up the sauce.

Fast asleep until the next morning when I was awoken by an RAF Meteor taking off from the nearby airbase.

I was in heaven, I had my bike, a tent, watching classic jet aircraft in the circuit and not a care in the World.

Now I'm older, stupid and with loads of enthusiasm. My tents are more expensive, the bedding a bit more supportive, my bikes a little Yamaha XT225 and my food taste's are a little better but I still get that same feeling when setting off, with a well laden bike, ready for a camping trip!

Regards

Reggie

Cameraman,

Thanks for painting that picture of an early memory on your bike. I guess we're about the same age so it brought back a really fond memory of packing beans (canned ones with sausages in them) and bread on the bike and just heading off!
I used to camp close to LLanbedr too up in the Cwm Nantcol Valley (On a Farm near the end of the road). I remember the anticipation the night before setting out, fussing over the bike for the 250 mile trip from my home in south Devon and the joy of getting there and setting up camp. The gear I had was heavy, not waterproof and bulky but that was part of the learning curve right? The jets also used to reach us up the valley too......usually very early on a summer morning.

Tommysmithfromleeds,
Have you considered a trip into Devon & Cornwall on the bike? The moors and coastal roads are wonderful on a sunny day!
If any of you ever make it to Alberta Canada, please drop me a line, there's always a place to stay.

Kindest regards to all

Nevil

Very entertaining report and photos! Glad to read and see that you weren't too drunk beerto cancel the trip altogether!! :funmeteryes::mchappy:

cheers Nevil, once I have full bike license and can travel outside of the EU I will most certainly accept your offer as the roads up there look like my cup of tea! Devon/Cornwall sounds good; basically for the next few months I'm gonna get as much travelling experience here in the UK so there on the 'to do' list.

cheers simon, heading back up to the pub tonight so god knows what else will get planned for the upcoming weeks!

Make sure there are plenty of photos like the last trip wherever you end up going this time around!:Beach: And since your drinking time seems to be quite productive bier, perhaps you guys can go into business together?!