Dales Loop Run
The only Ferrets that were able to respond to this extremely short notice run were those who proposed it, that's Clive & Kit.
This was a last minute run on the back of a need to test out some bodywork repairs to Clive's bike, decided as late as over Saturday's supper. The route was specifically arranged to make an easy short day combining the scenic with the exhilarating, and throwing in the picturesque and downright dramatic. Not surprisingly, given that most people will have decided Sunday's plan by late Saturday evening, no other Ferrets put their names down, which is a shame as it was just about a perfect day for a Dales run. The weather was ideal, extremely clear for those surreally sharp distant views, the Dales thrown into sharp three dimensional relief by the contrast of the shadows of the fluffy clouds across the hills and moors, but not overly hot and clammy.
The day started at a late hour for Clive & Kit, with the 'Bird basking in the morning sun at 08:00, in time for the short run down to the Trafford Retail Park meet-up at 08:45, just in case another Ferret had picked up on the event that morning.
Illustrating how good the 'pheasant plug' is, cosmetically, the left hand shot below proves that it's just not that obvious really. What was important for the run out, was to prove that it would stand up to the rigours of a varied run without failing - both vibrationally and from wind-pressure! This interim solution is going to have to last for the four or five weeks until the replacement upper cowl arrives through David Silver's Honda Parts operation. Considering the savings being made over a UK Honda dealer, this wait is a small inconvenience!
The right hand shot shows the replacement second-hand lower right hand fairing panel obtained through Part Finder, from GP Motorcycles in Wales, whose service couldn't have been bettered. This was to replace the panel damaged when Clive hit the leaf litter on his drive that he should have cleared up at the end of the Autumn!!! So, newly togged-out in repaired and replaced clothing, the bike was ready to whisk us away for the two advertised meet-ups. As it turned out, neither the M60 nor Skipton venues disclosed any late decision Ferrets, so Clive & Kit, and the one bike set off for the day.
The route out, west from Skipton, into the Trough of Bowland to Slaidburn for breakfast was a joy. Nicely warm but not stifling, startlingly clear, the somewhat torturous roads led us presently down the infamous hairpins into Slaidburn where we had bacon & egg butties, tea and coffee, and a long chat with a biker couple, each on their own mounts, from Preston. A lovely relaxed start to the day, before we turned north and over the Trough towards the three peaks of Penyghent, Ingleborough and Whernside, all of whom stood out clear and stark along the horizon, as shown in the shots above, taken from along the road to Bentham.
The light was just so perfect that we couldn't resist taking shots of the shining mount, which just happened to have Clive in-shot, so naturally it was only fair to include one of Kit and the ever-present sheep hazards that lay in wait to create even more bodywork damage ... is there scope for a phobia in here somewhere, d'ya reckon?
Dropping down and out of the Trough, it was through Ingleton and out onto the Hawes road for a very pacey, swift dart onto the tops and deep into the Yorkshire Dales. An ideal opportunity to test out the wind pressure resistance ability of the 'pheasant plug' that was taken with gusto. And before long, hardly any time at all as it happened, we were dropping down into Hawes to be confronted by the ever increasing hordes of bikes that gather there these days. Having eaten in Slaidburn, we were in two minds about stopping, but instead, carried on through the village to the eastern end where we parked up in the old station car park in splendid motorcycle isolation.
At the entrance to the car park, just by the Thwaite road junction, there's an attractive cafe. Whatever you do, avoid it!!! Service is atrocious, and was not just slow but actually non-existent, so much so that we cut our losses, replaced the items we were trying to buy, and left.
A pleasant walk up through the main part of the village revealed plenty of adequate retail outlets, where a couple of cans of drink and a choccy bar could efficiently be bought, and even plenty of other cafes that looked as though they'd be more inclined to provide fare in exchange for money. Having had a bit of a wander, a sit and a drink of pop, it was back to the bike and out onto the Thwaite road north across Buttertubs Pass, where the 'spectacular', mentioned earlier, comes in.
But, on the rise up towards Buttertubs, it's well worth the stop to turn back and take in the view of Hawes from this less frequented angle, as seen in the above left shot. The above right photo illustrates the massive rise of the moor land as it ascends towards the Pass. And below we have the intrepid Kit, with a beaming grin that's plenty evident even from within her helmet, an excellent illustration of the simple joy being had from the day.
Once over the impressive Buttertubs, we were then down into Swaledale, with its picturesque run east through Muker towards Leyburn. However, the plan had been to enjoy the clarity of the weather, and so we followed the planned route south at Grinton up onto the tops again for the wonderful views and a splendid run down to Redmire. The original plan included Redmire as a break, but upon discovering that the only thing open was the church, we carried on through and further south into the lower Dales with the intention of waiting until Buckden, Kettlewell and the Kilnsey Crags had been enjoyed, and we were at Burnsall, and its riverside cafe, before taking our next break.
On the way down Wharefdale, from Grassington, we picked up with a K1200S rider, and his BMW mounted friend who obviously knew the roads even better than Clive, and perhaps with somewhat less respect for them, quickly passed and were gone until met up with again in Burnsall, where a bit of chat and banter was had. However, the opportunity for a light snack and a bit of sun bathing was what had been looked forward to, and was thoroughly enjoyed, for an hour or so before the day had to be drawn to a close with the final leg from Burnsall to home in Manchester.
And what an unusual sight, deep in the depths of a Dales summer, but the bronzened body of a young tyke on the baked dry banks of a warm River Wharfe, in which the kids, and their families, were happy and more than comfortable fishing with nets, paddling inflatables, chasing the ducks and generally having a very non-British relaxed and enjoyable time.
And yes! The 'pheasant plug' and new lower fairing did indeed fare perfectly well, and passed with literally 'flying' colours!
Photographs courtesy of Clive
Page Updated
28/06/2008 23:54