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Travel Stories Chunking Campastrophy 2017
Sunshine, Scenery And Silly Motorcyclists
Ride Date - 9 April 2017
By Ren Withnell
Last night wasn't as cold as the night before and sleep was easier to find. However my bladder still needed emptying. Nature is cruel. When it is warm and dry the idea of wriggling out of the sleeping bag to go for a pee seems like a minor inconvenience and yet my body seems happy to fill its bladder slowly over the course of a night. When it is freezing cold and wet and the idea of getting out of the finally warm sleeping bag is akin to poking pins under my fingernails my body decides now is the time to shed every ounce of spare bodily fluid.
Why is tasty food bad for you? Why is it when you need to sleep you can't and yet when you need to be awake you're tired beyond hope? Why is it when you're finally old enough to buy and insure a fast motorcycle you're too sensible, frail and scared to ride it properly? Nature is cruel. Meh - anyhow I'm up and out of bed before anyone else seems to be. I retire to the warmth of the common room to read a little more.
After more pot porridge and lots of hugs all around the campers start drifting away. Sharon and I mount up and depart east bound in search of a little exploration before making the return journey. Today is warmer than yesterday already and the forecast is good so it would be a shame to go straight home.
Askrigg...that's the right direction if memory serves me well. The problem is by the time I see the Askrigg sign it's too late to slam on the brakes and indicate for Sharon to have a chance of making the turn too. It's safer to carry on, so I do. This is a recurring theme. Be it turnings for our destination, cafes to stop and have a brew and a rest or safe places to park and soak up the scenery, we pass all too many.
With views like this we do like to slow down and take it all in.
Imagine travelling at a safe and comfortable 50mph down a long gently winding country lane. Imagine you're looking for a cafe, a turning or even a petrol station. As you carve around a bend you see what you're looking for. It may be physically possible to slow enough to turn off the road - but not gently enough to be sure the vehicles behind you have had chance to notice your indicator and become aware of your intentions. Do you flick the indicator on, heave on the brakes and hope for the best or just pass by and re-think your next move safely? It can be frustrating but not nearly as frustrating as being rear-ended would be.
Having said all this - missing our turning has also lead us to some marvellous places we'd never have seen otherwise. From the wonders of the French Alps to back streets in Bolton there is a lot to be said for being lost.
A few miles later I spot another Askrigg sign in time to carry out a safe and predictable manoeuvre. This takes us onto a single track road more suited to the off-road pretensions of my CB500X rather than Sharon's road orientated Z250SL. There's gravel aplenty, pot holes, grass in the middle at times and steep inclines mixed among the sharp bends and muddy field entrances. Oh dear. I hope Sharon is going to be OK with all this. We both love our single trackers but this has more in common with a dirt track than a public road. I keep an eye on her in my my mirrors.
After a handful of gnarly miles the road softens out to merely just poor condition. I pull over and apologise to Sharon who merely states that I wasn't to know and it was worthwhile to see that which is before us. When the English countryside is combined with rare sunshine and an empty back lane it is easily comparable to anywhere in the world.
Yip - she's still there.
Back on the regular A roads we take a break at Hamilton's Tea Room in Aysgarth. We both have a sense of deja-vu, we must surely have been here before but neither of us can recall when, why or any other circumstance of our visit. Out in the sunshine the air is warming up as we travel past West Burton and on to Kettlewell. It is a good day to ride.
What I don't need to see as I roll through a gentle bend is a BMW GS1200 on my side of the road. The rider, complete with partner on the rear, high-end bike gear and the obligatory aluminium cases is overtaking 2 equally well specified adventure bikes, all travelling at a spirited pace. It's not so close as to cause me to panic but I need a dab of the brakes and a dive to left to be sure to miss them. I can see Chris Bell and Ian Soady stroking their respective chins and saying "...see, this is why we try to avoid riding on Sundays..."
I shake my head in despair after shaking my fist at the rider. We continue along and I am thankful to be stuck behind a car travelling at a progressive yet sensible pace. The thinking is if anyone else has a deathwish they'll hit the car before they hit Sharon and I. The experienced among you will have probably guessed what's coming next. Yes, attack from the rear. Mr Once-Piece Crotch Rocket tries to take Sharon out on one corner, passes me with a modicum of pace then hangs behind the car in front momentarily. I am impressed with the way he selects a straight on which to overtake, although the straight is but a few metres long and his motorcycle is perhaps not as fast as he thinks it is. As he disappears around the bend I wonder if I'm about to witness his mortal remains coming back at me on the front of a truck.
With these stomach churning thoughts in my head I ease back a few more meters from the car in front.
The only car to attack us on the way home was an impatient sporty Ford Focus. As Sharon and I were travelling at the legal speed limit this gentleman decided this wasn't enough and used the nearside lane of a roundabout to undertake is both. We both saw his evident frustration beforehand and we were both barely surprised by his actions. His wife had that look of embarrassed resignation upon her face as the kids in the back seat slid sideways due to centrifugal forces. Nothing new here.
Sharon decides to take a wrong turning at a roundabout. We know from experience what to do in this situation and following a quick phone call I collect her on the road to Bradford rather than the road to Clitheroe. We could turn around but fate is telling us to head in this direction. I lead us into Hebdon Bridge where I know we can get some more refreshments. I suppose this is the end of what has been a splendid weekend.
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Off To Muker
Despite what he'd like to think Ren is discovering technology is essential in his life and he still needs a better sleeping bag. At least he's in charming surroundings as he learns things the hard way as usual.
Sharon's Stunning Achievement
Sharon completes her own personal Mission Impossible much to the relief of Ren. As a reward the sun shines and the countryside is delightful.
Sunshine, Scenery And Silly Motorcyclists
Sunshine and suicidal motorcyclists. It's the return leg of the Chunky's Campastrophy and everything is hunky-dory save for a couple of buffoons.
Reader's Comments
Ian Soady said :-
Chin duly stroked.....
I took the opportunity to put another 50 miles or so on the Super Four today - bright and sunny but quite chilly. Popped into the National Motorcycle Museum to pick up a parts list for the Arrow which will be arriving later today and decided to indulge myself with a steak and kidney pie and chips, using the excuse that motorcycling is aerobic exercise (or something).
The Honda is now behaving itself very well; my ergonomic improvements are a big improvement although the bars are still a little on the low side leading to aching wrists. I am slowly getting used to it sounding as though it's in bottom gear all the time and have even taken it up to 11,000 rpm although TBH I couldn't quite see the point......
It handles very nicely and feels well planted on the road. Performance is quite enough for me. Controls are light and positive, brakes good, suspension seems quite supple although there are one or two nasty potholes where I was today, out Leamington Spa way and it was a bit discumbobulated on occasion.
I think it's growing on me.
19/04/2017 14:51:15 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
ps I was up that way a few years ago on my then Honda Dominator. There's a really nice (and easy) green lane striking south west from Bainbridge - marked on the OS map as a Roman Road. It would be manageable on the Honda or even your 125s although not sure about the Z250.
Lovely part of the world, but not on a Sunday!
19/04/2017 14:55:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Oooh Ian - send me a map or something to show me where the trail is.
Four cylinder motorcycles always sound like their bouncing off the rev limiter, even at 3,000 rpm. It makes sense though - at 3k the motor is producing the same number of "bangs" as a single cylinder model at 12k. I had the same sensation with both my Super Four and Fazer 600. Along the motorway at say 6 or 7 thousand revs the engine sounds like it ought to be in hyperspace by now.
Of course in the fullness of time your ear will adjust.
19/04/2017 15:49:43 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Cam High Road? That seems to be straight and roman road like...
19/04/2017 16:00:27 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Aaah, it seems Cam High Road has been "protected" by the hikers and the hippies. No legal riding there then.
19/04/2017 16:29:01 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
According to my OS map it's a BOAT but that's a few years out of date.
Is it possible to see ROW online somewhere?
My map:
20/04/2017 16:02:20 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I'll add a link to an article dated January '14. Basically the road was protected and there was a threat to use the road for lorries.
As for rights of way...don't get me started. There's some trails around where I live and I went to see the "Definitive Map" in Preston. Firstly no-one had even heard of it until I finally found a Rights Of Way officer. We got THE map out and he said the route I was interested was an "X" classification.
"What does X mean?" "
X means...erm...well there's nothing that says you CAN ride a motorcycle across it...but then there's nothing that says you CAN NOT ride a motorcycle across it."
"So what happens if the police pull me up?"
"Erm. I can't say really"
20/04/2017 16:33:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
LINK! I am my own worst enemy
www.yorkshirelife.co.uk/out-about/walks/the-fight-to-save-the-roman-cam-high-roa...
20/04/2017 16:34:26 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Of course you can then look at North Yokshire's OWN online map and this shows the route as a BOAT - Byway Open (to) All Traffic. However the map then claims this isn't the DEFINITIVE map.
maps.northyorks.gov.uk/connect/analyst/?mapcfg=Out_and_About...
20/04/2017 16:39:13 UTC
Borsuk said :-
I was looking at an anti wheels on tracks site yesterday and I believe it has a temporary road order on it banning Mechanically propelled vehicles.
20/04/2017 18:11:04 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I knew a chap who was the rights of way officer for the? Trail Riders Fellowship in the North West. I'm starting to understand why the voluntary task nearly drove him to insanity.
How the HELL is anyone supposed to know where they can or cannot ride legally? BOATs are legal but there might be a temporary order? Argh!!!
21/04/2017 06:48:05 UTC
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Travel Stories Chunking Campastrophy 2017