Stuey's Mid Life Crisis Run
Those Ferrets helping Stuey through his mid life crisis, were (L-R) Martin, Clive, Lainey, Stuey himself, Garf & Sue. Not pictured here, and who were sadly missed were Rob & Julie who got stuck at a campsite in Settle the night before the meet-up due to Rob coming down with a bug that meant he couldn't even get on their bike, never mind ride it. Your company was missed, and what was worse was that the excellent roads enjoyed over the run were just the type so loved by you. We're pleased to report that they're both back home and Rob's 70% on the way to being well again.
Saturday Meet-Up in Kendal
A rather overcast day heralded the start of this long weekend run up into the Scottish Borderlands, with a shower as welcoming party in Kendal for the 10:30 meet-up at the Union Jack Cafe. However, despite Garf and Clive both donning oversuits (or perhaps as a result of this) the threat of rain evaporated bar another slight shower as we left the Tushielaw Inn not far from Galashiels. Thereafter the weather was just about perfect, with blue skies for the rest of the weekend. In fact, it was so perfectly timed that it was only as Clive was putting his bike away in Manchester on the Monday that rain was seen again.
Clive had picked up an email from Rob & Julie's son before he had left home, passing on the bad news he'd received by text from his dad that the Canaries wouldn't be able to join us due to Rob having been taken ill at the campsite in Settle. They had purposely got to Settle the day before to make it easier to get to the Kendal meet-up on time. Clive passed on this news to the disappointment of the rest of the group.
A small repast was taken at the cafe to last us out until an early lunch in Brampton! It was then out and ready for the off bang on 11:00.
The Dash up Shap and on to Lunch in Brampton
The A6 from Kendal up to Penrith, through the village of Shap, is always a joy and despite the damp roads it proved to be just that again, and it wasn't long at all before we were dropping down towards Penrith with the usual big grins on our faces. Usually it's more of the A6 when pressing on north for Scotland, but this time we were heading east of Carlisle for the beautiful market town of Brampton for our lunch stop, so a devious route through the back roads of Penrith slowly brought us out onto the road for Lazonby and a wealth of different and wonderful roads packed into the twenty or so miles to Brampton, where we found space to park up hugely happy with ourselves, the bikes tinkling merrily to themselves as they cooled happily.
Brampton is a beautiful little place and has plenty of scope for eating out, so it wasn't long before we found a suitable cafe for an early lunch.
Eskdalemuir Loop via Tushielaw Inn
It was a simple case of just cutting across to Longtown to pick up the glorious A7, and some of the best bits of it up to our turn off in Langholm, but we were thwarted in our enjoyment of this superlative road as it swoops its wooded way through the Esk Valley by extensive road works that appears to be removing the great bends and replacing them with long straight stretches across higher ground. For our run we were limited to 30 mph along temporary surfaces awash with mud, with only the odd return to the old route to remind us of what was being missed. What a real shame!
So, when we finally got to our turn off in Langholm we were hoping for something better on the loop through Eskdalemuir. What we got was in fact a range of roads conditions, some absolutely belting and some in a parlous state, but all set amidst the grandest of scenery. And where the shortness of the good stretches was cause for disappointment, the same brevity before the change from poor back to good added a certain ying and yang to the whole exercise, heightening the enjoyment of the views and deepening the tantric mesmerism of navigating the best line through the gravel and overbanding.
As we rolled over the high ground of Nether Cassock this see-sawing from good to bad and back finally started to abate, and we commenced the rapid descent into the forest along Glen Kerry on smooth perfect fast swooping bends until levelling out in the Ettrick Water valley, on generally good lanes, for our next break at Tushielaw Inn.
Our stay here was relatively brief as the pub was less than enticing and the tea and coffee dire! So it wasn't long before we spilled out back onto the bikes as the last of the two spells of showers the weekend would offer wet our departure on the twenty five or so miles to our destination in Galashiels.
The Short Run to Galashiels
As the shower abated, and the road dried quickly, we were presented with a continuous series of wonderful bends along the gently flattening valley until after fifteen miles of it we entered Stirling.
The rest of the run across to Galashiels from Stirling was businesslike and un-noteworthy, and we pulled up outside our guest house at around 4 pm, with plenty of time to get ourselves settled in, showered and ready for the evening on the town.....
The owners of the guest house (the Craigielea Guest House) very kindly allowed us to use their jet-wash to get rid of some of that muck picked up on the sections of wet road we'd encountered, especially the road works on the A7. So, the bikes were much more pristine for their run out under the blue skies and in the lovely heat of the sun the following day.
Martin had been unable to book in as the rest of us had taken all available rooms, but he was conveniently lodged at a guest house just around the corner, and was able to leave his bike with the rest locked in the Craigielea's garage.
Saturday Night Out in Galashiels
Freshened up and changed (and in Gareth's case rested) we were all ready to search out a suitable Indian restaurant in town, and at about 6:30 we were all together walking the short distance into the town centre, past the municipal building opposite the guest house with its clock tower that chimed every quarter!
On the advice of the guest house owners we searched out the Shish Tandoori Restaurant on the High Street, where we had a pretty good meal, and got some interesting pointers on good roads in the area from the bike owning waiter. A few beers, and the like, washed down this fare setting everyone up nicely for finding a suitable pub or bar once we'd finished.
And just around the corner there was a rather trendy but somewhat characterless bar come pub, that sufficed to provide a corner out of the way of the local youngsters and quiet enough for us to chin-wag and generally take the piss out of each other over various topics :-)
One such topic briefly involved Stuey's handbag (above right) but generally anything or anyone was fair game.
The night-life of Galashiels is somewhat interesting, in that despite every establishment having perfectly adequate toilet facilities, it does appear to be the custom of the town (if not the area) to leave the premises that you're currently drinking in and find a nearby alleyway to piss in! This is obviously not an illegal activity as the gentleman pictured above left is a local policeman.
Sunday's Borderlands Run Out to the Coast
Up for breakfast at 8:00, we were fed and watered in time to be leaving for our circuit of the Borders by 9:00, consisting mainly of the Tweed valley and the North Sea coastline. Martin joined the group from his own breakfast at his guesthouse and it wasn't long before we were off and meandering around Galashiels trying to find a petrol station! After a while Clive decided to use his GPS to forestall the aimless wandering and we were all taken on an odd route through town to a suitable garage.
Here we see Garf & Sue's brand new Kawasaki ZZR1400, a lovely bike and a real lure for those thinking of replacing their 'Birds, as it appears to be based largely on Honda's now discontinued model. Stuey and Clive, who have now both ridden Garf's machine, agreed that it is a fine machine aimed squarely at soaking up the disenfranchised Blackbird devotees. It's only a shame that the build quality doesn't match, but as a ride it's certainly very attractive and spookily feels so much like the 'Bird that it's uncanny. Mind you, there's certainly even more power on hand than the 'Bird although this doesn't give much advantage in the real world. Delivery is very smooth although there is an annoying high frequency vibe that can be felt in the left hand.
The run started by following the River Tweed upstream, west out of Galashiels to Peebles, along roads that were to typify the whole day - excellent. The originally planned route was purposely made short at about 120 miles so that time could be spent in Berwick, and so that the day could be generally laid back and open to dictates of whim.
At Peebles we turned north on the fast A703 and then onto a selection of roads to Bonnyrigg, just south of Edinburgh where we turned east on the new by-pass until, after skirting Dalkeith, we pulled in for our first break at the Fordel Mill Cafe - which was closed! Fortunately it was next door to an Esso station.
The next section took us on eastwards, following the Firth of Forth shoreline inland by a few miles, off the beaten track and along some wonderful roads amidst beautiful and at times spectacular scenery, past Whiteadder Reservoir to the village of Preston where a turn north took us onto the coast road near Cockburnspath. It wasn't then long before we dropped into the port of Eyemouth for our next break.....
Break at Eyemouth
Eyemouth is a very odd place! Its heart is a pretty and long established harbour and it has beautiful beaches stretching around the bay, but hemming all this in is the ugliest and weirdest new housing estate you'd only ever expect in a David Lynch film. However, the sun shone hotly down on us and the bikes as we took our break, the air being still and hot. Jacket liners were removed as it became obvious that the rest of the day was going to be a scorcher.
It wasn't long after leaving Eyemouth, along pretty unremarkable A-roads, that we came into Berwick upon Tweed where we were stopping for lunch and a bit of a wander .... or, some shopping for Sue and Lainey!!!
Lunch in Berwick Upon Tweed.... and Some Shopping
We parked the bikes below the old Quay Walls and ventured back into the centre of town where we found a very nice cafe for lunch. The place didn't feel that busy so we had no problems getting room for us all, or delays in service, so it wasn't that long before we'd finished and were back out onto the town's streets. On the amble around town and back towards the bikes, Lainey and Sue were irresistibly drawn into a shop and compelled to purchase things!
A walk along the Quay Wall top brought us to a path down the side and eventually back to the bikes where we re-mounted for the afternoon sections.
The Return to Galashiels
We were in need of fuel when we got into Coldstream, after a lovely fast section of A-roads west out of Berwick, and it was whilst we were having ice-creams after filling up that we decided to take advantage of being well ahead of schedule. The remainder of the planned route would have got us back to Galashiels after only another 45 miles, and with the weather being so fantastic, and the local roads excellent biking heavens, we agreed that we'd extend our time out by adding impromptu sections, which Stuey did excellently for the rest of the ride.
From Coldstream we turned south-east to get to the B-roads that bordered Kielder and along which, at Stuey's whim and following his excellent nose, we zigzagged along empty roads and through empty villages overdosing on ace bends and exhilarating straights all under a clear blue sky. The only downside to the whole day was the heavily warm air that seemed stuffed full of flies. At times it felt as though we were being machine-gunned, and the bikes were liberally splattered with the blighters.
Our next break came in the out of the way place of Yetholm, a sleepy village where we were happy enough just to lay on the grass verge for a while chatting, before moving on again to lap up many miles more of wonderful bends. Periodically we'd emerge yet again onto the A698, bob along it for a short distance and then dive once more into the back lanes and quiet places of this beautiful Northumbrian countryside. Increasingly we would find ourselves just a few miles from Galashiels before darting off again into lush biking heaven until, as we hit the A72 we decided that we were overdosing on wonderful roads and a close ought to be called to the day.
And within minutes we were dropping back down into Galashiels in good time for a rest, a shower, or a snooze before once more going out on the town.
Sunday Night Out in Galashiels
As on the Saturday night, we sought out a suitable restaurant, but this time for a Chinese meal and an excellent establishment was found in the form of The Silver Star Chinese Restaurant that we'd noticed earlier whilst wandering around looking for fuel on the bikes.
The food was pretty good and the service excellent and once fuelled up we again sought out a pub, but this time one that offered a little more character and friendliness, and this we found not far away in a traditional pub. On the way there Stu found a golf shop displaying a golf shoe in the window that was of an inordinate size. Compare it with his own size 12, below right.
As we settled in to the pub it became apparent that they were holding a pub-quiz, so we entered ourselves as the 'Flying Ferrets', coming fifth out of about ten teams. We were lying second after the first couple of rounds but we eventually crashed and burned.
Monday's Return Via Kielder
Another fine breakfast at 8:00 meant that we were all ready for the return journey well before 9:00, allowing us to leave and keep ahead of our schedule for the rest of the day. The run down the A68 to Jedburgh was infested with speed cameras, but once off the main road and out towards Kielder Forest we were once more back on quiet lanes and roads, somewhat mixed in quality until we were properly into the National Park. The run on those surprisingly well laid and excellently surfaced fast roads that sweep you down and along the edge of Kielder Water is exhilarating to say the least, the more so against the gorgeous views and the absence of any other road users bar the odd few cyclists.
At the very south east end of the Water we turned in to the high standard Kielder Visitor Centre where we were to take our first break.
Out of Kielder & Over the Tops to Lunch in Alston
We had left refuelling until after Kielder so that we could finish the day without further need to fill up, but were taken by surprise by the dearth of filling stations to be found out in the sticks south of the Park. This was a particular concern for Martin's Aprilia, with its small tank, so we diverted from the planned route towards Hexham finding a station at Chollerford from where we were easily able to turn back west and shortly pick up the original route again for Haydon Bridge. Whichever way we went though, the roads were invariably perfect for biking and the weather just kept on being hot and sunny with almost no wind.
But little did we know that it would actually get better - by a long chalk - as we headed further south from Haydon Bridge on the A686! This road is a dream, with all manner of features thrown together into a smorgasbord of biking joy. Bend after bend along a sharp and torturous valley with plenty of hairpin bends and wooded stretches adding their variety of shadow and light effects. And then, suddenly, you're thrown out into the bright light and open vistas of the moors and hills along the fast section across the hill before the steep and twisty descent into Alston, where we stopped for a well earned lunch break.
Parking on the flat Station Road, we walked up into the village and found a cafe on the market square run be a seemingly taciturn and grumpy woman, who took it as a personal affront if you moved so much as a stick of furniture! Still, the food and drink were fine, and there was just enough room for us all despite the village being very busy but it was getting so hot that we were glad to get back out into the cooler air, and the walk back down the hill to the bikes.
Whilst we were mounting up again a bike pulled up and the rider and pillion warned us that there was an unmarked police bike in the area, and that if we were planning on going over the tops to Barnard Castle then we would be well advised to keep the speed down.
The Return to Kendal via Shap
Although we weren't planning on taking that route, instead travelling south-west through Melmerby to Penrith, we took the warning to heart and moderated our speed along what we know is an oft-monitored stretch of road. So it was that we 'pootled' over Hartside - past the famous bikers' cafe - and down the hairpin descent into Melmerby and the long straight normally fast sections down to Penrith at a more sedate pace. However, the switch-back descent above Melmerby if a pure joy along which it would be impossible to break the speed limit and survive, so this section lived up to its promise at least.
A planned stop at the Red Rooster Truck Stop in Penrith was dropped, on the fly, in favour of getting back in good time, so at Penrith we took the A6 route south for the Shap run, finishing the event as we started with a blast of high speed exhilaration tempered a little in contrast with the fine standard of roads we'd got used to throughout the weekend.
Before we knew it, it was just after 3:00 and we were slowing for the Kendal speed limit and the gentle meander through the town to the riverside car park and the end of our long weekend's ride.
Unfortunately the ice-cream van that has always been parked there was on this occasion absent, so we took the time just having a rest and a natter before going our separate ways.
The Parting of the Ways
We thought it fitting to have Precious Metal's new Kwaka as the final photo - a fine tribute to the 'Bird and a sad reminder of what has now passed into history. But whatever bikes we have or will have, there'll always be the joy of riding them together, of enjoying the company of fellow Ferrets on yet more trips like this one.
And with that thought, and the memories of so many wonderful roads, chin-wags, banter and the many things that go to make up a Ferrets event, we shook hands, embraced and said our farewells before all setting off on our separate ways home.
Photographs courtesy of Martin & Clive
Page Updated
27/05/2009 10:29