After 8 solid weeks of work I have finally got some time off! Of course the first thing I did was waste two days recuperating and sleeping. So Wednesday dawned grey and not very promising but the weather forecast assured me that the best weather in the country would be North Yorkshire. Dithering and wondering if I should trust the forecast cost me about an hour and then I thought "bugger the weather , I need to get out and enjoy myself". I chucked some clean clothes into my tankbag, checked the i-pod was charged and got out my new "Skull-candy" earphones. Yorkshire here we come!
Predictably as I got the bike out and checked oil,tyre pressures and lubed chain it started to rain. I ignored the rain and pretended it was sunny and warm.Didn't even bother with the waterproofs and just saddled up and pushed on. I took a pretty indirect route down to Kendal by going down the A595 and turning of at Silecroft and going round to Coniston and then Ambleside and then Kendal. I was really looking forward to the A684 and I was not disappointed as the road was bone dry and the sun was shining. I really got a wriggle on and was in Sedburgh in no time only to find that the road to Hawes was closed. A diversion up the A683 to Kirby Stephen and back down the B6259 to Garsdale Head got me back on track. I did not realise that I had missed the famous Buttertubs Pass by a few miles. I cracked on along the A684 through Hawes and Wensleydale to Leyburn where my stomach reminded me that I was not part of a Honda and that it required sustenance. A lovely cup of coffee and a Masham Pork sausage butty refuelled me and I was off again towards Northallerton where I decided to go to Thirsk where I desperately had to refuel. That is the first time ever I've got 175 miles on one tank. The A170 and Sutton Bank were next and after negotiating that I decided to get onto the B1257 for Malton.
Malton to Pickering and on to the Hole of Horcum where I stopped for a photo or two and then a visit to Goathland. The scenery was stunning and the village is immaculate and there are even a couple of Ford Anglia police cars and a steam train! From Goathland I stayed on the minor roads to join the A171 for Whitby and after a quick visit there I got back on the 171 and continued down the coast to Scarborough where I had a coffee,fag and photo stop. I also had a chat with a chap on a Rizla liveried GSXR1000 who had a sticker on his bike that said he had been on the Timmelsjoch Pass between Italy and Austria. We had a reminisce about that as I have been over it too(2840m and snow flurries in August). He also told me where the Buttertubs Pass was and I new I wouldn't get to do that on this run. It was now about 6.30 pm and the clouds had come down and it was looking decidedly murky. Having put some clothes and a pair of trainers in the tankbag "just in case" I thought about looking for a B&B and staying over. I headed back along the A170 and down Sutton bank to Thirsk where it started to rain in earnest and I thought the B&B was a winning idea. I pulled in at a pub but they were full and so was the next, the Vale of York, but the manager phoned around and found me a room at the Poplars which was only 50yds down the road. Quick shower and shave(I always carry toiletries in my tankbag) and back to the Vale of York for tea and a few libations to cure the aches and pains. I was absolutely bushed and after my tea and drinks I headed back to the Poplars for a well earned kip. (Quick aside here; My mrs was not too chuffed with me, she was on a nightshift!)
Thursday dawned bright and sunny. No it bloody didn't! It was bloody pissing down and misty. After a quick fag (and nicoteen rush) I was provided with a sumptuous breakfast of finest Yorkshire produce and then I had to brave the Elements and don my waterproof jacket. Yes, its still too tight but the magic still works! As I motored along the A61 the sun broke through and I quickly re-evaluated my options and after reaching Ripon the Buttertubs Pass beckoned. Up the A6108 to Leyburn(quick stop for fuel, antacid tablets,water and fags) and then along to Hawes where I found the turnoff and ,with some trepidation, headed ove the pass. The Blackbird is probably not the best tool for this sort of road but it was still fun even with standing water and dubious road surface. I thoroughly recommend it , preferably in the dry.
By this time I was trying to think of ways to prolong my ride out and delay the homeward trail. From Thwaite along to Nateby and back down the B6259 to Garsdale Head and then back to Hawes for a trip down theB6255 and past the incredible Ribblehead Viaduct. Forgot to stop for a photo, Doh! This road took me onto the A65 to Kirby Lonsdale and Devil's Bridge where I stopped for a cup of tea and a chat with a chap on a BMW1150RT. Nice bloke and enjoyed the chat.
I put off going home by getting on the A583 back up to Sedburgh and then the A684 back to Kendal where it started raining but I kept going and soon ran out into sunshine again.The run to Windermere was uneventful and Ambleside came into view. Time for a pee stop and a decision on my route home. Ambleside to Workington via Keswick 38miles , Ambleside to Workington via Coniston, Broughton-in-Furness, Holmrook and Whitehaven 68miles. Coniston it is then!
On the way home just after Whitehaven it started to rain like it was trying to re-enact the Flood of Noah and I got thoroughly soaked in the last 8 miles of my nearly 600 mile journey! Still ,I will not complain and it was bloody brilliant. I am so glad I took the chance to get away , all that would have made it better would have been some company.
