Tricky spots to negotiate

[chickenstrip]

Thunderguts' thread on that awkward junction got me to thinking about other places that can be tricky to deal with. I couldn't think of any junctions quite like his example, although one or two might come to me if I thought a bit longer. But one place that springs to mind as a bit of a challenge if you're not familiar with it is on the initial climb up The Struggle from Ambleside.

You're between houses, it's very steep; a blind, sharp corner, going to the left in this direction, you can't see what might be coming down the other way until it's right on top of you, and you have negligible choice of line to take - sometimes parked cars make it worse. Taken in first gear, bike seemingly pointing skywards, you power up through it from almost walking pace.

I actually enjoy tackling it now, but it would be so easy to get it wrong. And I think getting it wrong would almost inevitably mean dropping the bike, and perhaps tumbling back down the hill in a mess of metal, plastic and tender flesh!

Beat that one if you can!
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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!

[ThunderGuts]

I've driven up the Struggle; my Primera did struggle. It was peeing it down and the gradient turned the standing water into a torrent, complete with gravel and other debris, so much so it got washed into the brakes and made an awful sound until there was space to stop and reverse a bit to clear the calipers.

This is a local one to me; turning onto Lidgetts Lane (either way to be honest, although clearly one way is harder than the other!); very steep gradient again, it turns left just out of shot of this picture through 90 degrees with no visibility. It's singletrack and a "locals" road, so vans appear out of nowhere at speed. Nowhere to go at all and I reckon my back brake wouldn't hold the bike on that hill, at least not without superhuman pressure.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2732847,-2.0841415,3a,51.1y,26.08h,80.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6OdR2LWhPI0StDOIDZnoiw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
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TG.

[chickenstrip]

Yeah, looks like a similar thing to my example. Funny thing is, when you look at a picture of them on the screen, they look like nothing!
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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!

[Howling Terror]

[ThunderGuts]

Yep indeed. Streetview of Hardknott is probably a particularly good example of this - it looks like a gentle backlane.
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TG.

[ThunderGuts]

[chickenstrip]

I video'd a ride of the Hardknott (won't bore you with it here) where I think it almost captured how steep it was going downhill. Camera was mounted low on a crash bung.
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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!

[Freddyfruitba...]

[wr6133]

Magic Roundabout

[chickenstrip]

[Nobby the Bastard]

I tend to just shut my eyes there and hope for the best.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I used to travel frequently on the B1368 and there was a right-hander which looked like it ought to be a nice, fast sweeper but I always messed it up, straying to the kerb or the centreline. Google Maps satellite view showed it had a slight kink. Also the centre line wasn't in the centre throughout, one lane becoming wider then the other. It's worth sat-viewing large roundabouts too, they're never truly round.

The planning department allowed a house to be built on the inside of another long, fast bend which spoilt the fun there because of the blind driveway. There WILL be an accident there, sadly.

Finally there's another fast, open sweeper spoilt slightly by the quarry lorries which have rippled the tarmac.

I was told the police used to use the B1368 for driver training but stopped because there were too many incidents.

[Nobby the Bastard]

Going down brassknocker hill in bath. It's got bends like an alpine pass and everything is off camber.

Add in a very steep hill, a long queue of traffic that you just want to go round the outside of and then in winter you see a temporary sign warning you of ice in winter.....
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[ThatDippyTwat]

I've seen a few cop it on the bridge at the bottom of this pair of switchbacks, and I've had a close call. Mud likes to get on the road and it's ok from the Bala side, but the Llangynog side has you coming in blind. Luckily, you're going slow, so it's usually a scratch or two and a bruised ego.

https://goo.gl/maps/abAGDXhHDJLZ9ou18

PS - The road is amazeballs. Go ride it. I don't need an excuse, it's pretty much on my doorstep.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[Bhud]

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5769637,-0.6420297,3a,75y,74.06h,83.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syYfsoXoN9iQgFahdy_UO8A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This one will either catch you out the first time or it never will.

You've never been down this way before. You're heading down a nice, scenic, straight length of NSL road, you've overtaken a couple of slow-moving cars and you're doing about 60 at this point. You're getting ready to brake. You see there's a bend ahead, and then you see the road branches into two. You touch the front brake. Too late, you see that the road doesn't fork at all - it just bends to the left. To the right is a broken-up lane. OK, doesn't seem too bad... How sharp could it be? But when you actually get there you see it's a plain 90-degree angle (Google Maps doesn't show how acute it is), and it's narrow and covered with gravel. Now, better hang on and hold your line, because chances are there's a car coming the opposite direction.

In previous years, it wasn't unusual to see a car in the hedgerow opposite.

[chickenstrip]

[Bhud]

[chickenstrip]

[Bhud]

[Confusion]

Turning left at this junction.

https://goo.gl/maps/BpwRSFjzmLRG8dPn6

There is quite a steep ramp at the stop line, so putting a foot
down is not an option for anyone less than 7ft tall.

https://goo.gl/maps/1hDwd6a22vmnPVpd8
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Bandit 650SA, ZZ-R1100

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Turning right here.

Near A6024, Glossop SK13 1JD
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FeSDwEbDsk9oVk9h7

Looking left for traffic around the bend on the fast road means you need the neck of a barn owl. You can't see far round the bend either.

Then by the time you've double checked right is still clear and quickly double checked nothing appeared on the left again in the meantime means partial whiplash internal decapitation.

Still the rest of the ride is enjoyable.
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'81 CG125, '97 FZS600 : '99 CBR600F4, '09 KTM RC8

[ThunderGuts]