| A Bum-Numbing Ride To Scotland
To Monte Carlo And Extremely Bust By The End Of It! To Newcastle via Manchester---the long way |
A Bum-Numbing Ride To Scotland
With the bikes loaded and fueled we set off to cheers and whoops from our respective families ,missing us already then! The first stop was planned some 130 miles up the road for fuel and a rest. So we laughed as we pulled up at Queenborough corner to reset our new and untried intercoms. VOX sensitivity had them permanently open. Right, off we go again...first layby on the A249 was our next stop. My earpiece was folding my right ear in half.. not comfy . This might take a bit longer than planned!!! The next 300 or so miles passed slowly as we pottered up the A1 , stopping only for fuel and coffee. At last... Scotch Corner , Junction 58 the A68 north across the Pennines . Time to explore the limits of my Avon Azoro. A quick tyre and chain inspection before the twisties and...oh crap!! Should have prepared a bit better. My chain was looser than a whores knicker elastic and the tyre, in the middle was asbald as I am! Still never mind , just have to keep the bike leaned over and the chain adjusted. So lets just crack on...The A68 , if you haven't tried it , is a must. Bends and blind crests that keep you well and truly on your toes. The border is marked by two large rocks with Scotland on one side and England on the other. Out came the camera and the obligatory " look at us prats" photo was taken accompanied by the sound of a big jock doing something shocking to a tartan octopus! Which we later found out was a bagpipe and was in fact quite legal!!! Jedburgh next. We pulled up in the grounds of the castle ruins ,(Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here apparently) food was taken along with a well deserved small bottle of beer. And then the sun came out. Yippie!!!! Off we set. Edinburgh then Perth came and went. From Perth we hit the A93 to Braemar and Ballmoral, a lovely twisting turning road with castles , rivers ,and trees . Very nice. The hills turned to mountains as we crossed the Grampians . The scenery changed once again as we climbed higher . The A939 to Grantown is another "must do" road. Watch out for the sheep!! My father joined us on this road , he lives there you see. The last 50 or so miles were a mixture of pleasure and pain . Pleasure in riding through some of the most beautiful countryside I know with my mate and my dad in close formation behind me. And pain , oh the pain. I had to ask Ty to check if my bum was still there , as it felt like it had fallen off and been replaced by a large spike. Still....we made it and in one piece, which was nice. The same couldn't be said for my tyre or chain. I would have to change them if this trip was going to continue. I'll tell you about that and the rest of the trip in the next news letter.... Happy riding Gavin (Picasso) |
5 am is a silly time to wake up!! But this early start was a necessary evil if we , Gavin and Ty were going to reach our destination before darkness reduced the oos and ahhhs as another amazing vista assaulted our senses. Today was the day that we undertook our bum numbing 1760 mile weekend trip to Scotland.