I rode 1320 miles for a hangover
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:02 am
Morning all,
well i made it home last night after 12 hours in the saddle and 640 miles. I feel like i've been kicked about like a football but it was an adventure.
Firstly thanks to Craig LWR) for setting it up and his good lady for putting up with me being drunk on Friday night.
So was it worth doing 1320 miles there and back...a big yes but a little no.
Let me explain the good bits. I set off from southampton on Thursday lunch tiem and all was well. Got to carlisle around 7pm and settled down for the night.
Set off again at 8am on the Friday morning and again all was well. Got to Glasgow and the sky opened..the M8 is not nice in the rain...actually is it ever nice.
As i had more time on the way up i decided to go the A82 route from the Erskine bridge.
All teh way until about half way up the side of loch lomand it rained so i couldn't see anything apart clouds, rain and the back of a lorry...not great but i was happy because i was not at work.
Then the rain stopped and it warmed up...the traffic died off and the road was great.
I can carry a good mental picture of maps in my head and i remembered that i was nearing Glencoe and just about everybody that has ever been there has said how great it is.....well a fine mins later i was riding through sweeping corners thinking ..WOW..what a road and what a view. I can confirm that thsi should be a must on every bikers list to ride.
So on to Fort William and a lunch stop. Had a quick look at Ben Nevis....wow thats a big pointy bstard. Again a great road and great views.
About 10 miles norht of Fort William there was road works that closed the road for 10 mins while big trees were being cut down. I got to the front of the queue and waited. When the green light came i was off and i didn't have a singel car or anything in front of me for about 25 miles.....again a perfect road with fast sweeping corners. Then off to Inverness..stop for fuel and then the last hour to Ullapool.
Every single person that arrived in Ullapool said the same thing...wow that last 30 miles was fantastic. Endless fast smooth sweeping corners with perfect tarmac...the best road i have ever ridden in my life.
So got there about 16:30..set my tent up..met some new people and then it started to go wrong for me....i am sure it was the curry i had and not the 7 pints of different beer that made me ill....but i was very unwell....i will say big sorry to all of you who heard or had the pleasure of seeing me not at my best.
Felt better by mid afternoon so sat around enjoying the views and chatting.
Now the nto good parts..for me anyway...some theiving git stole the top off of my trangia burner. It was outside my tent and stolen sometime mid PM on the Saturday...i had expected better but i guess people will be people wherever they are.
Now as bike riders we get a bad press and it does not take much for people to find a reason not to have us around. On Friday night there was no noise..just chatting and people being good and respecting where they were. Saturday night was different...at 01:00 in the morning i was woken by shouting and a lot of men being very drunk and acting like prats. This went on for about an hour.
Firstly gents....not in a campsite where people are trying to sleep and not near homes...would you do that outside your front door? I stopped doing that sort of thing when i was 20!
Anyway enough of that...so up and off at 8am Yesterday..13 hours in todat and 12 hours in the seat..640 miles with 4 stops. Got home at 9pm feelign a bit battered.
Despite what some may say i can now fully confimr that a Tenere will sit for hours at 85mph and is very comfy with no issues at all.
So finally two things. A big hello to all the new peeps i met. I hope to see you all again somewhere.
And the highlight was watching the local copper driving up and down trying to find a bike to stop and nick. I walked past him and the look he gave me...he drove up and down the sea front road about 15 times following bikes..so i hope we all behaved ourselves.
Mike
well i made it home last night after 12 hours in the saddle and 640 miles. I feel like i've been kicked about like a football but it was an adventure.
Firstly thanks to Craig LWR) for setting it up and his good lady for putting up with me being drunk on Friday night.
So was it worth doing 1320 miles there and back...a big yes but a little no.
Let me explain the good bits. I set off from southampton on Thursday lunch tiem and all was well. Got to carlisle around 7pm and settled down for the night.
Set off again at 8am on the Friday morning and again all was well. Got to Glasgow and the sky opened..the M8 is not nice in the rain...actually is it ever nice.
As i had more time on the way up i decided to go the A82 route from the Erskine bridge.
All teh way until about half way up the side of loch lomand it rained so i couldn't see anything apart clouds, rain and the back of a lorry...not great but i was happy because i was not at work.
Then the rain stopped and it warmed up...the traffic died off and the road was great.
I can carry a good mental picture of maps in my head and i remembered that i was nearing Glencoe and just about everybody that has ever been there has said how great it is.....well a fine mins later i was riding through sweeping corners thinking ..WOW..what a road and what a view. I can confirm that thsi should be a must on every bikers list to ride.
So on to Fort William and a lunch stop. Had a quick look at Ben Nevis....wow thats a big pointy bstard. Again a great road and great views.
About 10 miles norht of Fort William there was road works that closed the road for 10 mins while big trees were being cut down. I got to the front of the queue and waited. When the green light came i was off and i didn't have a singel car or anything in front of me for about 25 miles.....again a perfect road with fast sweeping corners. Then off to Inverness..stop for fuel and then the last hour to Ullapool.
Every single person that arrived in Ullapool said the same thing...wow that last 30 miles was fantastic. Endless fast smooth sweeping corners with perfect tarmac...the best road i have ever ridden in my life.
So got there about 16:30..set my tent up..met some new people and then it started to go wrong for me....i am sure it was the curry i had and not the 7 pints of different beer that made me ill....but i was very unwell....i will say big sorry to all of you who heard or had the pleasure of seeing me not at my best.
Felt better by mid afternoon so sat around enjoying the views and chatting.
Now the nto good parts..for me anyway...some theiving git stole the top off of my trangia burner. It was outside my tent and stolen sometime mid PM on the Saturday...i had expected better but i guess people will be people wherever they are.
Now as bike riders we get a bad press and it does not take much for people to find a reason not to have us around. On Friday night there was no noise..just chatting and people being good and respecting where they were. Saturday night was different...at 01:00 in the morning i was woken by shouting and a lot of men being very drunk and acting like prats. This went on for about an hour.
Firstly gents....not in a campsite where people are trying to sleep and not near homes...would you do that outside your front door? I stopped doing that sort of thing when i was 20!
Anyway enough of that...so up and off at 8am Yesterday..13 hours in todat and 12 hours in the seat..640 miles with 4 stops. Got home at 9pm feelign a bit battered.
Despite what some may say i can now fully confimr that a Tenere will sit for hours at 85mph and is very comfy with no issues at all.
So finally two things. A big hello to all the new peeps i met. I hope to see you all again somewhere.
And the highlight was watching the local copper driving up and down trying to find a bike to stop and nick. I walked past him and the look he gave me...he drove up and down the sea front road about 15 times following bikes..so i hope we all behaved ourselves.
Mike