Where you been on your bike Today

[Pigeon]

Last weekend at Arry's. Some sweet back roads and lary overtakes.

250 miles

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[wr6133]

Left the house before 0800 and took a mostly B road route toward the coast. Arrived at Lepe 0930 to a quiet beach by 1100 it was packed and cars were queueing to get in. Took an indirect route home via Beualieu, Lyndhurst, Ringwood, Salisbury and then Andover because I was trying to find somewhere with a copy of Practical Sportsbikes.

Rode home in a T-Shirt, sunburned the hell out of my arms.

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[arry]

[om15]

Here is my new Interceptor 650 enjoying the sun this morning,
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Alcohol doesn't solve problems, but neither does milk

[arry]

Nice pussy

[recman]

[om15]

Had a run down the coast yesterday to look at the P&O boats parked up at Weymouth.
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Alcohol doesn't solve problems, but neither does milk

[wr6133]

[wr6133]

Decided to go to the Beacons. Well actually I walked out the house at 0900 with a vague thought of going to the Rhondda. Somehow that morphed in to a hateful ride up the M4 before making a break for the good roads through the Beacons.

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Back when I was a teenager this village was scruffy, it had a proper crappy farmers pub (that would serve alcohol to anyone), and a village shop like the one in the film Freebird. It appears it has since gentrified.
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Welsh Whisky. I think the planters ruin the marketing potiential of the feature wall.
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Came out of the Beacons via the Rhigos to drop me in the top end of the Rhondda.

The Rhigos is South Wales answer to the Stelvios Pass, well that is over egging it but it's a rapid climb that consists of a series of connected bends, with just enough straight to let you build the speed needed to fly off the side if you fuck up.

I had the good fortune to be in Pole position when the light went green. This gave me a clear run all the way up

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Rode through the Rhondda for a bit of nostalgia, before heading to Cardiff to get a free cup of Coffee from family and then a hateful journey back down the M4, though I got so bored I came of at Chippenham and took a more rural route home (in time for Dinner).
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[Pigeon]

Bit uncanny. But I spent last few days in Wales (inc Brecon) and Lepe

923 miles from Guildford to Bishops Castle and then around Wales and back. Once back home today, had time to kill, so then did 200 miles around new Forest, Lepe and back.

Monday, day 1
Stayed in Bishops Castle, because its got plenty of pubs and easy access to Wales

https://i.imgur.com/eALNCwF.jpg

Nice walk to the pub....not so nice on the way back. Steeper than it looks.

https://i.imgur.com/E1la3yf.jpg

Its been a year since last in Wales, grabbed a few days of mostly ok weather.

Day 2
Did a loop around Snowdonia. A5, A4086, A4085.
Thanks Arry for A4086 headsup. I didn't stop at Pen-y-Pass, was fairly busy. Actually, the whole area seemed very busy.
I couldn't get into Bodnant Gardens because you needed to book in advance apparently, and it was booked too far into the future.

Randomly stopped at a tiny car park. That turned out to be next to Lyn Cwellyn. Earliest known ascent of Snowdon apparently.
Only 8 miles there and back.......and 3000 feet ascent....maybe next time.

https://i.imgur.com/Bfjmoyl.jpg

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Day 3

Made it to Aberystwyth on A44, but upon arrival the 20% chance of rain became 100% and I got wet.

Decided on an 80 mile detour toward the sunnier Brecon Beacons.
Followed the rain out for 30 miles. Eventually mostly dried out about 4 hours later.

A4069 still good.

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A4067 had some awful pipe work the whole way. In the centre of the road it was washboard stuff, leaving 1 ft strip either side original and smooth(ish). A decent road, but now off the list.

A4059, I missed out this time.

B4520, still love it.

A470 from Capel Garmen to Merthyr Tydfil puts in a decent challenge for greatest piece of road. So many changes of scenery and type of road.

A44 from Worcester to Aberystwyth, particularly the latter end, is stunning. But 30mph in places! What the heck happened. I remember the 30 from last year, but still can't believe it.

But my favourite of the trip, was B4385 Bishops Castle to A489 Newtown to A483 to Llandovery. Brilliant little section.

Reward for decent work.

https://i.imgur.com/hON7J0G.jpg

Day 4

Did 190 miles to get home today......decided to head back out to Lepe + New Forest. Mega ride on the way home (another 200 miles).

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[chickenstrip]

I miss riding in Wales.
Who am I trying to kid? I miss riding.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[arry]

[wr6133]

Some stunning photos and a very nice looking few days.

Where was the Brownie from? I'm getting the munchies just looking at it.

[wr6133]

[chickenstrip]

[wr6133]

[chickenstrip]

Lack of dosh. But I have a cunning plan...
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[wr6133]

[chickenstrip]

Wales is a great place to ride a bike, isn't it?

Actually, I think it's much better than the alpine passes from a pure riding point of view.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[wr6133]

Wales can be soured by heavy policing. The best bits of the Beacons you need to be mid afternoon, mid week. That clear run I did up the Rhigos, on a Saturday will be queuing traffic and police cars.

On my GSXR I been pulled often when visiting family in South Wales. For no reason other than I look like I'm going to misbehave. I find constantly worrying about over zealous revenue collection kind of ruins things,(though not exclusive to Wales and why I think litre bikes are rapidly becoming irrelevant).

I actually think for just worry free biking Wiltshire is hard to beat. We may not have the best bits of road but no fixed camera's and in my experience Wilts Police are pretty chilled out when it comes to bikers taking the piss a little bit.

[chickenstrip]

I found the best roads were in the little policed and largely empty bit between the Brecons and Snowdonia. Been busted a couple of times for speeding in Wales, once over the Brecons, never in that middle bit. Been busted for speeding in plenty of other places too, all of which were far less interesting to ride in. Almost worth it in Wales. Feck 'em. It's always been a trade-off to me. How many points on my licence equates to how many more times I can afford to get busted until a long enough period to get it clean again
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Ayrton]

I live about 35 minutes from Rhigos, but the only time I've ever been there is in the passenger seat of a car to pick up my latest bike. I may head up there this weekend if I get my fork oil changed in time.

I did manage to take the bike out last weekend just to visit the missus and thought i'd see how well my GoPro works on my helmet and got some good footage of me running out of fuel Luckily the bike has a reserve and I was just about to turn off to get some.
https://imgur.com/OvFKAoI

[arry]

Down to Ide Hill to meet Pigeon then onwards and downwards from there to Dungeness for fish and chips.

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Wasn't the greatest today. Yesterday had a fair bit of rain and I'd worked a route out trying to keep the number of busy main roads in Kent to a minimum. Problem is the little village lanes were through the trees and the roads were still pretty damp in places and if not that, narrow and low speed bendy, and if not that - FECKING UP TO THE EYEBALLS WITH SHATTING PEUGEOTS DOING 12MPH

Average speeds were low until we hit Camber, which was also rammed busy but we did manage a relatively clear bit of racetrack through to Dungeness from there.

Old friend of mine (also biker) headed down in his Caterham.

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Ended up following him back up through the lanes via Tenterden whilst Pigeon headed off through Rye and west along the coast. Better speeds on the way back but still not exactly cooking on gas. Everywhere so busy.

Did the last 15 miles (including through the Dartford Tunnel and part of the M25 on the fuel light playing roulette, and got a little wet about 10 minutes before getting home. Ah well, some seat time better than no seat time even if it wasn't the best

162 miles total.

[Pigeon]

[Nobby the Bastard]

Ended up at camber with mrs bastard and (then) the two little bastards cause she booked a sun cheap holiday.

Said ' oh, that's by Dungeness where the nuclear power stations are'. I'd been there when I was about 12 on a school trip.

So I took them there when as soon as we arrived. They found it quite intimidating when we first got there but ended up loving the place.

I still want to get up close and try out one of the 'listening ears'.
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050