Saturday: Left home at 7, and battled with the TdF road closures, before getting on the M4 West. M4/M25/M3/M27, then off into the New Forest. Very pleasant so early in the morning - no traffic, except for the odd pony. Found the landmark, then off into Dorset. The GPS is set to "shortest distance" rather than "quickest time" which leads to some interesting routes. Tiny roads, rather than dual carriageways. Luckily, the centre of Sherborne doesn't go "pedestrianised" until 11am, and I arrive at 10:30, which makes finding the next landmark a lot easier. A bite to eat, and a quick drink, then off to the next landmark: Chysauster ancient village, at the arse-end of Cornwall. Onto the A303/M5/A30, and all was well until the area around Temple, where it becomes single carriageway for a couple of miles. Needless to say, the droves of holiday makers couldn't cope with the change, leading to a 5 mile tailback. A spot of determined filtering, and I emerged onto a near empty dual carriageway nearly all the way to Penzance. Then it was off into tiny hedge-bound lanes, with a "vanishing point" often no further than 20 yards away. The car park was easily located, had a clean loo, and then I endured the hike up hill to the village. £2 to get in, to see half a dozen stone houses - well, the remains of them, anyway. Now, the journey home begins - off to Perranporth to find a giant sundial. This is actually visible in GoogleEarth, so at least I knew where to go. Perranporth was packed with people, plenty in the sea, surfing and otherwise enjoying themselves. The sundial it self is set to Cornish time, being some 20 minutes late compared to GMT. From there it was back onto the A30, now empty, then into Devon to find the marker stone for Hatherleigh Moor. Easy. Next landmark was in Minehead - and the run across Exmoor was through some of tiniest, most convoluted, lanes, with almost no forward visibility. just to compound problem, I encountered a ford in quite a state of flow. I dismounted, and tested the surface on foot. At this point I decided that trainers were not the best footwear for the task. Anyway, the surface appeared treacherously slippery, so I decided that the little footbridge was the best option. I had around an inch of clearance on either side, but the crossing was dispatched with ease. At Minehead, I found the landmark - the start of the South West Path - and decided to phone home. I took out my phone, and dialled. Linda answered, and I couldn't hear a thing. Of course, I'd paired it to the headset, and was now some 25 yards away from the bike. By the time I'd got back, she'd hung up. Turning the GPS off enabled a second call to be made, and I set off for home, at around 18:45. If you're having trouble locating any white paint, I know why: it's been applied to the A39. 50 limits, and double whites, along almost the entire route to Bridgewater. At this point I decided that I might as well pick up the landmark at Mells - the 14th century tithe barn. A quick squirt up the A38/M5 then more tiny lanes, and I arrived at the barn, which was hosting a wedding reception. Oddly, for deepest rural Somerset, almost all the guests smoking outside appeared to be French. Last landmark of the day was the memorial pillar at Maud Heath's Causeway at Kellaways. Flash was needed for the picture, as it was gone nine, but not dark, though I did feel obliged to ditch my sunglasses at last. From there it was a gentle trundle following a milk tanker, back to the M4, then a long slog home. Eight landmarks, 185 points, 691 miles, and four and a half tanks of fuel. Not a bad day out. -- | ___ Salad Dodger |/ \ _/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z |_\_____/_| ..90668../..24701.../..31928. (>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG* |__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5 \ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4 \|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11 '^' RBR Clues: 26 Pts:0500 Miles:1739
There's a few bikes that don't make sense to me, and one of them was the Goldwing. Reading your RBR tales puts paid to that. Thanks for the writeup.
AOL. It's good to know others are out there enjoying themselves, while I'm sweating my balls off in the garage wrestling with U-Joints. -- Krusty www.MuddyStuff.co.uk Off-Road Classifieds '02 MV Senna '03 Tigtona 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250
Ahem! -- | ___ Salad Dodger |/ \ _/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z |_\_____/_| ..90668../..24701.../..31928. (>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG* |__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5 \ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4 \|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11 '^' RBR Clues: 26 Pts:0500 Miles:1739
Before anyone decides to call you a TC, I shall invite you to inspect my sig. -- | ___ Salad Dodger |/ \ _/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z |_\_____/_| ..90668../..24701.../..31928. (>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG* |__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5 \ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4 \|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11 '^' RBR Clues: 26 Pts:0500 Miles:1739
Again, I always enjoy the reports. We just did 680 miles in 3 days using 5 tanks of petrol on the V-Strom. Temps ranged from 48C to 10C. We're fecking exhausted.
I can't imagine it, to be honest - the hotest I've ever ridden in was around 35C, in Tuscany, and that was bloody uncomfortable (of course, I was wearing leathers, which didn't help).
I know - it hadn't been nearly that hot when we'd left the Cote d'Azur first thing in the morning, but by the time we'd got to Tuscay we were absolutely melting - even with the jacket fully open, I was sweating like a rapist. no gloves is the one area where I come across all safety-nazi - too many years spent picking gravel out of my palms as a BMX rider as a kid, I guess.
I see HG selling aero type clothing. A modicum of protection but mesh style fully ventilated. Are they any good?
AOL - I'll ride all day in tee-shirt and jeans, but it feels "wrong" without gloves. -- | ___ Salad Dodger |/ \ _/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z |_\_____/_| ..90668../..24701.../..31928. (>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG* |__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5 \ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4 \|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11 '^' RBR Clues: 26 Pts:0500 Miles:1739
Ditto. Even on the R90/6 in France during the summer of '76 I still wore gloves. We (with first, Kiki Dee look-a-likeish wife ) ended up strapping our leathers on the back of the Beemer. We stayed at two 'Canvas Holidays' sites. It was so hot in the Vendee that one day we just soaked towels in cold water and draped them over ourselves whilst sitting in the shade all day. Even by evening when we went out on the bike to St Gilles or St Hilaire it was still stiflingly hot. -- +-------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: | | Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z | | Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 | +-------------------------------------------------------------+
that's it - I've ridden at silly speeds wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops, but I've always insisted on a lid and gloves.
