Touring in the UK

[carlnicholson...]

I'm making some plans to do a bit of a touring trip when the weather picks up.

I'm on a '05 KLE 500, so it's pretty comfy for a bit of mileage, only let down by a 100 to 150 mile tank range, and I only have 2 to 3 days to get it done. I intend to camp and carry everything I need with me.

Now, living just outside Manchester, Wales ane The Lakes are the most obvious choices, but does anyone have any other ideas? Could the centre of England have something to offer? Or the Pennines?

Anybody done a trip of a similar timescale and have a route to offer? Let me know.

All personal recommendations gratefully received!
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"THOSE WHO RISK NOTHING, DO NOTHING, ACHIEVE NOTHING, BECOME NOTHING."

[EuropeanNC30R...]

If I was you I'd do a lap of Wales, I'll give you some route recommendations for North Wales if you decide to go that way.

[AceRimmer]

The Cotswolds is a nice place to visit, mainly for its village's though. Cornwall has some great coast to see and nice scenery. The North Yorkshire Moors have some nice roads and good scenery to drive through.

All depends on what you want to see, the lakes and Wales are definately worth seeing, havent had chance to visit Wales myself recently but might go this year.

[carlnicholson...]

Wales is definitely whetting the whistle.

I know the very top of north Wales isn't particularly spectacular, how far south do you thing I'ld need to venture to get the views?

A route, or known places to visit along the way would be really good if you could mate.

I'm getting all excited, seems a little more real now!
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"THOSE WHO RISK NOTHING, DO NOTHING, ACHIEVE NOTHING, BECOME NOTHING."

[EuropeanNC30R...]

Starting from Llangollen, you could go up the Horseshoe pass-

https://www.walesbikers.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/MauPics/rideouts/normal_4.jpg

Then down to Bala-

https://www.walesbikers.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/MauPics/zxr400flip/normal_Bala%20006.jpg

Then turning right, go across a really twisty, up and down road to Trawsfynydd. (Main attraction there is the hydro-electric power station built inside a mountain).

Then go South through Dolgellau to Aberystwyth

https://www.walesbikers.co.uk/camp/TwynCamping026m.jpg

Route map-

https://www.walesbikers.co.uk/routes/nwales1.JPG

I've never ridden in the South-West, if you were coming back from the South-East Wales, from Abergavenny, I'd recommend:

Abergavenny > Builth Wells > Llandrindod Wells > Newtown > Welshpool > Oswestry. This would put you not far from Llangollen again.

[Dave_ZedDragen]

Youve got quite a few options north of you. There's lots to see, do and ride in the Lake district. Give the hardnott pass and wrynose pass a try, tricky, winding single track roads.

Theres the A592 running along Ulswater to Penrith, then A686 taking you over to the North east along a fantastic road with a stop off at the Hartside cafe. I think it's the A684 that is another fantastic road that carves from the Yorkshire dales on the east side to the Lakes on the west side. Heading from the Lakes this road will take you over to Whitby, Scarborough etc.

If you do get to the hardnott pass, at one end is a nice campsite called eskdale.

Good luck and have a nice time.

If your interested i can give you a lot more information if your interested, including photo's from one of my trips and some weblinks including accomodation/campsites.

[Nath]

My favourite method of finding good roads is to get a decent map, find a mountainous area, then look for the smallest most twisty line running across it.

If you are spending several days in a fairly small area (and Wales is fairly small in the grand scheme of things), you should be able to ride around as you please. A whole day spent riding your bike is actually quite a long time. No need to make detailed plans then, just pick out interesting looking places and go check them out. If they turn out to be boring you can always go elsewhere.
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Hard livin', hard luck.

[EuropeanNC30R...]

[Mister James]

[mchaggis]

Don't forget the West coast and Northwest of Scotland. There are some fantastic roads and scenery to blow your mind away there. To get to Wales you first have to get through Manchester and Liverpool, which are hardly attractive.

Mind you, the Cat and Fiddle, Snake Pass and the rest of the Peak District are fantastic fun, just I would think that's all stuff you can do in a day.
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[EuropeanNC30R...]

[nrml76]

[mchaggis]

[EuropeanNC30R...]

[carlnicholson...]

All good stuff guys thanks for that.

I used to commute from my house down the A49 and A41 from Warrington to Wolverhampton, and on a NSR 125.

It is a great road, even though my fairing chewed the tarmac twice over the year I did it!

I've done some long riding on the KLE near home and have decided to make some changes to the bike before I go anywhere. The gearing needs raising a little, I now have the heated grips working, and I need to design some sort of weather protection for my legs. Sticky back plastic and pva glue to the ready!

I think a couple of trips will be in order. One for Wales, and one for the Lakes. The idea of 'just go' and make it up as I go along is probably the best option, you know what they say about the best laid plans anyway!!!

Really thanks for all that guys, no conclusive answer, but more than enough inspiration to make a seriously top trip. Expect details and maybe some pics when it happens. Looking at the weather, don't hold your breath though!
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"THOSE WHO RISK NOTHING, DO NOTHING, ACHIEVE NOTHING, BECOME NOTHING."

[greatmoorred]

Anglesey is nice run.
I know you have probably done it a million times, but its great for a weekend.Parking up and having a pint outside the kinmel in moelfre on a friday night
i like the south of the island best though.

[carlnicholson...]

I went to Anglesea when I was a kid, and I remember it being really gorgeous. It's a bit strange, just a big grassy rock basically, but the views everywhere are outstanding.

There was a lovely little camp site that we stayed on, it was full of natural 'coves' into the rocks and was quite hilly and it was only about 5 mins walk from a gorgeous beach carved in to the cliff coast line. The cliff had a stone building built into it, obviously not used for a looooong time.

I think that would be a great idea, not too far to ride, but far enough to be a good run.
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"THOSE WHO RISK NOTHING, DO NOTHING, ACHIEVE NOTHING, BECOME NOTHING."

[stinkwheel]

The A470 down through Wales is worth a whang along, well suited to the KLE too.

I've been fiddling with mine, bunged a spare pair of GPZ500 carbs on it just now to see what happens. Result, pulls like a train up to 8k then totally dies. I suspect this is probably more to do with the carbs having been sat in a box for two years, if it delivers the power it feels like it should, I will be very pleased.

Just run some red-ex through it, I'll leave it to soak for a bit and try again tomorrow. If it is no better I'll pull them apart and give them a proper clean. Report to follow.
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