What a fantastic day i have just had! Myself and Mayhem decided to make a day of it and set off this morning at 9.30 to get over to the East coast and enjoy the Yorkshire Moors. We set off from Workington and got to Keswick in short order. We got onto the A591 and enjoyed the ride down to Kendal and then onto the A684. What an absolute treat this road is,twisty and challenging. I had never been this way before and was blown away by the road and the scenery .I will definitely be doing this road again although I hope the stretches of Tar-and-chipping resurfacing will have a bit less loose gravel next time!
We stopped at Leyburn for a smoke and a drink and then carried on to Northallerton,Brompton and A19. A quick blast up to the A172 and Stokesly where we turned onto the B1257. Although this is classed as a B road it is a two carriageway road and is really good. It does have the obligatory "number of Motorcyclist casualty" signs as do most of the roads in this area. This does cause me to wonder why there aren't signs saying how many four wheeled accidents there have been as well. Surely someone must realise that roads like this attracts bikers so there are likely to be more accidents, probably not helped by the number of car drivers that don't know what mirrors are for!
I decided to follow the B1257 all the way down to Malton and then turn onto the A169 and go up to Pickering and over the Goathland Moor. What an incredible experience it was with the sun shining on the heather and a very enjoyable road. I hope to do this route again very soon.
Arriving in Whitby we quickly found the famous Whistlestop Cafe. I was looking forward to some Whitby Scampi and chips but it turned out we were too late and I settled for a bit of Quiche and the biggest slice of chocolate cake I have ever seen. Mayhem went over the road to a chippy and got fish and chips(smartarse). After refreshments and ciggies it was time to head for home and as I was in charge of navigation I got on the A171 and then over to Darlington. I then got onto the A68 and followed this until I could get onto the A689 for Alston and over Hartside to Penrith.This stretch of road from the cafe down to Melmerby was as demanding as ever with its tight hairpins,blind corners and the usual traffic.You just have to relax and take it steady. A quick blast along the A66 saw us arrive home at 8pm having completed over 360 bloody great miles,two tanks of fuel and some fantastic Yorkshire scenery. I still have a stupid big grin as I write this!
Mayhem had enjoyed himself as much as I did and we both hope to do it again in the company of Mr.Bungle,Zippy and crew. Hope to see you soon guys!
