Two mates, two KTM's and a small amount of luggage! This is a trip that we completed a little while ago now, but only just got the time to write it up... It's the whole two week trip in one post, so get a cuppa!
So, we met up in Keswick after travelling from three different parts of the UK. JP and Kelvyn set off from Haggs Bank Bunkhouse near Alston and rode through to me at Keswick via a few river crossings and some good lanes over at the northern start of the UK TET .around Newcastle.
I was supposed to meet them there but had a couple of bike set up things that hadn't been delivered and so had to wait for them and then get them installed before I could start the engine and head out.
Kelvyn turned around at Keswick and headed home, so JP & I set off into the Lakes to ride that section. As this area is my backyard, we had little trouble with the navigation and so could relax and enjoy the ride. The weather was a little gray, but it's not called the Lake District for no reason!
We packed up and set off way before the pub opened up, just down the road was a roadside cafe that was a very welcome sight. Some gossip and we were off into the heart of the Lakes.
A brilliant day, some tough trails but always a backdrop that had both of us stopping to just enjoy the view and soak up the atmosphere. The rain yesterday had turn to snow at higher altitudes, so all the summits had turned white.
We finished the day camped out at an old ruin in the bottom of a valley. we were both a little tired but loving the riding so far!
Brrr. We woke to snow on the tents, after cooking up in the ruin and packing up we set off. The riding was less technical but somehow felt more because of the conditions. JP needed a couple of things for his bike, so we called into see Martin at MHB Motorcycles in Kirkby Stephen, hot coffee and a few added bits to the bike made JP a happy man!
After a hot food stop in Hawes, we had to climb to the tops and face the snow properly, this slowed us down but was brilliant fun.
We completed the Dales part and tracked south into Lancashire, lots of good lanes criss crossing the hillsides and dropping into valleys. We had a lovely chat with an old farmer for half an hour and generally just enjoyed the ride! A Youth Hostel called for the night as it was wet and windy plus the pub next door!
The next day didn't start well. My bike wouldn't run and as we were in a tiny village in the Pennines, there was nowhere to fix it, so we resorted to towing my bike to Clitheroe, the nearest place with a bike shop, (Ribble Valley Motorcycles). No parts available but problem resolved by removing parts! So back on the road again with some timely help from a friend and a friendly mechanic!
We set off with an extra person today, Anthony, very new to trail riding but extremely enthusiastic. Plenty of good trails followed and even with the odd 'off' by Anthony and a few grumpy people in the Peak, we had a fabulous ride. The trails are all hard surfaced and they do test out the suspension on a bike, (just like the Lakes and Dales green roads), but now the sun is shining and the temperature has gone up which makes a difference to the riders!
Anthony left us around midday, so we just followed the gps line which took us to all of our favourite places with a great little motorbike friendly cafe thrown in for good measure.
We continued on through the Peak and across the Cheshire Plain to stop at a mate's house, Gary, where we did an oil change and grabbed some food. Then it was on into Wales and a very 'wild' camp on the side of a lane just off the TET route, hiding in some trees to escape the rain and wind, it was also dark by the time we pitched up and we'd been riding for well over 12 hours.
Wales started out wet and windy, normal then! JP lives near here, so this was his home patch, again without having to navigate to much we just rode and enjoyed the long flowing lanes. We barely saw anybody on the trails, left a note in the box on one of the lanes, had lunch with a great couple renovating an old hotel near Betws y Coed and generally had a lark about on our bikes!
Another night of camping saw us with nice wine and some kind of rice dish, overlooking the valleys from a vantage point. Warm sunshine and great views, now this is what trail riding is all about!
We set off the next morning bright and early, straight into the long lanes, fuel was becoming an issue so we had to detour a little to find somewhere and then was back on the trails. Then continued following the TET with a few additions here and there as we knew the area well.
The next day was more of the same, with some mud thrown in for good measure and low cloud on the higher sections. We seem to be encountering a few fallen trees, we've usually managed to get under/over them so far and even had to cut away a few bits to achieve this with a trusty hand chainsaw cutter. We're cutting down into South Wales now, it's an area I barely know at all, so a lot of the lanes are new to me which adds a spice as I love exploring new areas.
We left South Wales after Monmouth and a night in a hotel, the weather was starting to warm up again and the Cotswolds were calling. This was an area I've not ridden in at all and was surprised by the clay type mud and the hard going because of the wet weather recently.
We met up with Jimmy, the UK Linesman for the TET and also a member of the Trail Riders Fellowship, he was on a little scooter and was such a stark contrast to our fully laden, posh kit that it made us all laugh!
Jimmy rode with us for a fair bit of the day, with a lunch stop in a beautiful little town. He's got lots of stories about the lanes down there and the continual fight to keep them open. I do detest the very narrow minded and selfish attitudes of a large group of people in the UK, but I'll save that little discussion for another day!
Jimmy took us to apub where we camped and had food, the weather was fantastic and the trails really good and bonus, hardly any of the gates that are so prevalent in the northern parts of the UK.
My poor old gloves are starting to show the strain of too much trail riding, they are falling apart! Still onwards we go, the end is in sight now and the south coast looming. TET HQ just released an additional 800 miles of UK TET thqat loops through the south western part of the UK. JP and I discussed whether we had the time to add it in but we don't so we're continuing on with the original plan to finish in Dover.
It's getting flatter and more sunny, the lanes are still beautiful but somehow less wild. There are more people around in the areas and on the sealed roads, yet the lanes are still just as empty as the northern lanes with us never actually seeing another trail rider,
Down a small lane we bumped into two old boys on their diesel bikes, they were out doing a ride around with a pub lunch in the planning. Two beautiful bikes and two proper characters, so a good gossip and exchange of brief histories followed. Love the randomness of these encounters!
We made it down to Dover with both bikes on fumes. Dithering around looking for a garage and JP's 300 ran out of fuel 200m from a garage! We stayed in a pub in East Dean called the Tiger Inn, don't go there. We were messed around a lot by the manager, the prices were high and the palce was badly run. The two girls behind the bar were lovely but we were left with a very sour taste from the poor treatment by the senior staff.
So, a mini epic at the end and then it was off to Folkstone to collect a hire van and drive north. What a great trip, so much variety in both the landscapes, the people and the ambience of the UK. I want to add in the new 'Great Western Trail' at some point and complete the whole thing, then that will be country number 11 ridden and only another 22 left to ride!
