A Very Special Thank You!!!!

As I was writing the last post of the blog I received a very important phone call from an old friend and contact in the industry. Peter Beckitt has been running a very special event for a number of years, The Pink Elephant Party. It is an event that is run every November in the City of London and brings together all the characters of the structured cabling industry. Thanks to his efforts it has raised tens of thousands of pounds for various charities.

This year there is a special effort to raise funds for Children with Leukaemia as a reflection of Mark Bonner’s efforts in running this year’s London Marathon, however in line with previous years activities, there will be another recipient of funds. I am extremely proud to say that Peter informed me that my efforts would be recognised with, what to me, is a substantial donation. You can find all the details at the following.

http://www.pinkelephantparty.com/

Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop riding to support the PINK ELEPHANTS’

Sunday 22nd March Wow!!! Shame you missed it, The one day run to The IOW

As my friend Ettore said on our return to Portsmouth, we’ve got to tell the rest of the guys who failed to show up for the ride as soon as they hear how great it was they are certain to come out and ride other sections with me.

I jumped out of bed in a blind panic early on Sunday morning. I have a fairly advanced watch with dual time and somehow during the night I must have pressed ‘the mode’ button and it had fast forwarded by an hour. So instead of showing 8.30 and it appeared to be 9.30 and I was originally hoping to get on the road by this time. I was booked on the 11.00 ferry and was meant to check in by 10.30 as it was close to 50 miles to the ferry terminal, I really had to get my skates on to even be late. Thankfully I doubled checked with my Blackberry and then my Computer before twigging what might have happened

Having got my gear ready the night before, all I really needed was a shower and a shave, a bit over the top when you consider I was going to get grubby and sweaty on the ride, however I have found that the strap on my helmet really chafes on my stubble, that and the shower wakes me up. I finally got the bike started up and under way by 9.10 and the first surprise was the roads were fairly empty and I actually arrived in Portsmouth just after 10.00 well earlier than planned or needed, it was a beautiful morning and I noticed a missed call from Ettore to say he was on his way.

Just after 10.30 Ettore , Paul and Ronnie turned up, it was a really good feeling to have some company for the day.

Also on the ferry were a couple of other bikes as well as the Scooter you can see, one was a guy on a CBR600f whilst it was a few years old it was in pristine condition. The other one was a guy on a 1963 TriBSA. Basically a BSA Goldstar frame with the original Triumph Bonneville engine. The bike was absolutely ‘mint’ including a Goodwood Speed Festival badge from last year.

Thankfully the weathermen had got it wrong again, they had forecast a grey start that would then brighten up by late morning and then get increasingly cloudy as the afternoon wore on. The last thing it was, was grey. And leaving harbour I was able to take a couple of photos of the tall ships in dock. The nearest is the Tall Ships Youth’s Trust Brig, The Prince William and despite how she looks, she was actually built in 2001. at the Appledore Shipyard in Devon. The others are. HMS Warrior which was Queen Victoria’s first iron hulled warship and then beyond that is the famous flagship of Nelson, HMS Victory, Yes amongst all the masts there are 3 ships there.

Going out through the harbour you start to see the amount of fortifications that protected this famous Naval Port over the years, including 3 Forts built in Napoleonic times out in the Solent itself, on land there are 25 surrounding the whole area and I could spend a few weeks writing about them alone, however this is meant to be about the journey, this said I came across 3 castles in this group so I am now up to 9.

After arriving at Fishbourne we were quickly unloaded and we headed away up the ramp and turning right towards Wooton Bridge, turning right shortly after going over Wooton Creek on to New Road keeping close to the side of the creek we found the surface of the road got increasingly poor, in fact it showed speed restrictions not because it was built up but due to the natural bumps on the road, when we got to the end and the junction with Woodside Road, signposted towards a Caravan site we headed straight on and around a 3-4 mile off road loop before coming back out on Palmers Road and then back on to the A3054 before taking a right at the roundabout on the A3021.

Then the first missed turning of the day, I was looking down at the map when the turning I was looking for came up quicker than I thought and I overshot it and obviously so did Ettore and Paul, in fact it happened quite a few times in the day and I am more than grateful that they were extremely patient with me. We set off down Alverstone Road with the view of taking Mount Road then The Avenue before finding our way blocked by signs announcing private road and no through road. So we headed back onto the A3021 for a couple miles before taking New Barn Road and Old Road down on to the Esplanade at East Cowes where we pulled over to take a few photos and allow me the opportunity to remove the inner lining from my suit. Yes the Forecasters really had got it wrong I was starting to sweat, it was most certainly the hottest day of the year and the extra work involved in the off-road section had got me really hot,. This said after the photos and a cup of coffee I notice that it was now almost 12.30 and we had only just begun and if we wanted to complete the whole island we had to get a move on.

After getting sorted we set off but soon came across a couple of road closures and diversions we soon brought us back onto the A3021 through Whippingham before taking the A3054 Racecourse road towards Newport and then out on the A3020 passing Albany Prison on the road to Cowes. When we got into Cowes itself once again road closures and diversions meant that we had to double back on ourselves before taking Park Road and into the old part of Cowes, leading to Queens Road, Egypt Esplanade and Prince’s Esplanade which go right around the seafront and offer some stunning views of the yachts out on The Solent and the views back across to Calshot.

I didn’t take any photos along this section as I was determined to push on and cover as much of the coast as I could before out next stop, somewhere beyond Yarmouth. This did lead to some great riding for the next 40 mins to an hour. From Gurnard we took the back lanes around the back of Parkhurst Forrest, which was a major task of trying to read the map on my tankbag and then referencing the SatNav on my handlebars. Through Porchfield and Newtown before getting back on to the A3054 at Shalfeet, after a quick loop to Cranmore we entered Yarmouth.

Once again we didn’t stop but pushed on to Fort Victoria Country Park, just a little further down the road. Fort Victoria was built in 1855, Fort Victoria was built within 18 months, partly because the 350 workmen were allowed to stay on H.M.S. Talbot, moored near the site, by the Admiralty. Fort Victoria never had to resist enemy warships, but probably could have repelled them in the days before the introduction of ironclad battleships firing elongated, masonry shattering shells. In 1891 the Submarine Mining Company came to Fort Victoria to lay a coastal minefield. Two types of mines were available at the time, mechanical mines which were dangerous to friend and foe alike, and electrical mines which were controllable from the shore. At Fort Victoria electrical contact mines were used. Each was moored by chain to a heavy weight called a sinker, so as to float just below the surface. When a vessel struck a mine a signal would be sent to an operator who would either detonate the mine, or in the case of friendly contact, cancel the detonation. During the two World Wars the fort was used for various purposes, mainly as a landing point and for storage. Fixed torpedo tubes were also fitted to Fort Victoria pier. It was used as a training base several times during its existence. In 1962 the fort lost its status as a military garrison.

After an extended stop to use the conveniences as limited as they were, the Café was closed and only the Model Railway open we consumed the sandwiches and coffee I had left along with a bottle of Gatorade. We had been riding for almost 2 hours in fairly hot conditions so I had been getting cramp in my upper thighs for the last couple of miles, so I had to get the blood flowing and the fluid levels sorted, I am the world’s worst for not drinking enough water.

After about 25-30 minutes we got back under way and headed towards Totland diverting again due to road works and off around Granville Rd and Cliff Rd before the B3322 to The Needles, unfortunately the park and the viewing area there is very commercialised so it was quick ride into the car park and then back on the road before taking the Alum Bay Old Rd and Moons Hill before it finally brought us on to Military Road all the way to Blackgang and Niton. I have taken some video footage of this run and with the help of my Daughter I am hoping to get something up this weekend finally.

Before we got to Niton we stopped off at Blackgang Chime for a cup of tea and Ice Cream with all the bikers that stop at the Car Park, I won’t bore you with yet another picture of me taken by Ettore but this time the view looking back to where we had come from.

There were some a interesting bikes in the car park, including a few we saw later in the day on the ferry back to Portsmouth, after the requisite trawl of the car park by the local Police patrol car we got back under way before turning off at Niton down Undercliff Drive into Ventor, the only problem being all the roads closest to the coast seemed to run in the opposite direction to the way we were going so after a couple of attempts we pushed on to Madeira Rd and the Bonchurch Village Rd and Bonchurch Shute, which as I have mentioned in earlier posts, looking at a 2D map gives you no idea of some of the gradients, we were taking 180 degree turns that had us climbing up a 25% gradient at times, in fact the turning back on to the A3055 was so steep I was dragging my clutch massively and thankfully a kind woman driver let us go.

We headed back out and on to Shanklin and Sandown before trying to turn off down on to the Sea front and the Esplanade. One tip I have for anyone trying this in the future DO IT CLOCKWISE, each time we had come against a diversion or a redirection was because the route was going in the other direction. We finally stopped off at Culver Parade right on the sea front again, again because I wanted to use the conveniences and the park at the back of the front seemed to have one, that and looking out to sea there were yet more ships moored up due to the recession. A bulk carrier and a few other vessels, particularly two car transporters. Before you think it, No I don’t have a weak bladder, it was now almost 2 hours since the last opportunity and I had, had a large mug of tea an hour ago. I was also taking the opportunity before it was desperate. It was going to get desperate as they were locked up. It seemed the whole island, hotels, campsites and now toilets were closed until April 4th.

Thankfully we could see the end in sight, looking at the map we didn’t have so far to go, just a run uo through Yaverland and then into Bembridge, which lead to I nice little off-road piece as well as a missed off-road section. It appeared to be a little housing estate but once in there it was an estate I would have loved to live on. Hillway Road, leads on to Howgate Road before Foreland Farm Lane, coming off there onto Lane End Rd I missed the turning on to Swains Ln, which was another cycle route and off-road section, in the end we went down Swains Road Meadow Drive before coming back onto the B3395 around Bembridge Harbour and then the B3330 towards Ryde.

Again back lane and one way streets in the opposite direction meant we again did a double loop around the town centre, past the pier and on to Fishbourne. This lead to the final run along Binstead Hill, Quarr Road and then Fishbourne. Now the fun, we arrive at 16.45, 15 mins before the 17.00 ferry. We were all booked on the 19.00 ferry 2 hrs later, however the guys in Portsmouth had told us turn up when you can and they will always try and get the bikes on as soon as possible and so it turned out. Pulling into the Ferry Port we were waved down to an area right near the front when the 5.00pm ferry was ready to load our tickets were taken and we were waved on board. All the bikes were crammed into one side on the lower deck that would have been taken up with 4-5 cars. So in the end 12 bikes more than paid for the space taken up, no wonder they wanted to get us all in.

We went up to one of the upper decks for a quick cup of tea and I went outside to take a couple of last photos, one of Fishbourne and the then I spotted the 5.30 sailing coming in the St Helen.

We were due to get into Portsmouth around 5.40pm so we were particularly keen to get away as soon as we could, I had the added reason of still having my dark visor fitted to my helmet, so if I was really lucky I could get home or nearly home before I needed to change it. We therefore said our goodbyes as we got back on our bikes as we docked. Back on the M275 out of Portsmouth I waved the others goodbye as they were headed east and up the A3 and I was going west to the M3, shortly after getting on to the M27 the distinct loss of power due to the fuel running out was felt and I switched over on to reserve, looking at the trip computer I worked out I could just about make it to the Winchester Services if I didn’t go too mad.

In fact I reached the services and after refuelling I found I had just over a Litre left (about 8 miles) so I wouldn’t have got home for sure. At Winchester Services I met the one and only ignorant git of the day. After paying for fuel and getting back to my bike, I decided I wouldn’t make it home with the Dark Visor in place, so I got my goggles out of the tankbag and put them on. As I was putting my gloves back on a woman and her husband started beeping there horn to get me to move out their way, they had been so impatient that they had pushed past the rest of the queue and were sat between the two lanes of pumps trying to muscle in on the particular pump I was on. Finding me getting ready to get back on my bike was obviously putting them and their plan of getting one over the others at risk. Guess what happened next?

Yep you’ve got it, I became a right sod and slowed down as much as I could, as well as going up to them and asking them what their problem was, initially with total feigned innocence, which had a number of the other waiting drivers grinning their heads off. It got them even more wound up, and they started shouting and waving their arms about. When I was finally ready I started up and got under way. Getting back home half an hour before the ferry I was booked on was due to sail, so the tip is, if you are on a bike, don’t worry about your booked time, if you are polite and turn up early they will usually try and get you on your way.

Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop riding when you run out of road’

Change of Plans!!

Well rather than Lymington to Yarmouth I am now taking the 11.00am Portsmouth to Fishbourne ferry, returning on the 18.00pm.

Basically a couple of friends from the 'Southern Softies' ( a long story ) are planning to join me and as they are coming from the London area I thought I would make it easier for them to come down the A3 to Portsmouth.

Anyway if any one else is interested in joining me you know where I'll be.

Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop riding when you come to the sea'

Yet More Maintenance!

I think work has finally decided the route for the coming weekend, I am pretty much certain that it will be the one day blast around the Isle of Wight. Two reasons for this, I have a meeting late on Friday afternoon, which means I probably won’t get home until well gone 5pm, so a Friday start is out of the question. Also as I have mentioned before my front tyre is getting very low on tread and is only just above the legal limit so the ride around the Isle of Wight should finish it off.

I am therefore planning to head off on the Sunday morning ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth, I’ll know more once I have made the booking. I am hoping to convince Wightlink to give me a cut price deal, it’s not much but everything helps. I am thinking that if I can get the Ferry before 11.00 am I should be coming back across by about 4.30-5.00pm and at least I can check that one off the list.

The list of maintenance chores on the bike were pretty much ticked off with one exception, the wash and polish and to be frank she needs it, to get the salt off the aluminium even in a week I could see evidence of how it was attacking the sump guard and wheels.

I did however get the other jobs sorted. I re-adjusted the chain again, this time giving it a bit more slack. I checked the oil, the tyres the brake fluid etc, all spot on.

I then sorted out my chainoiler, I have a Scotoiler and it is a brilliant device but I don’t think mine was set up correctly, I had that done by the dealers who did the major service late last year and I don’t think the outlet pipes were sited correctly or the pump adjusted to deliver at the right flow rate. So I have gone back over everything and installed the twin outlet conversion.

I also took my sidestand off and made up a new foot plate, 3 times the normal size and welded that on, it means that the bike will not be in danger of toppling over as the side stand digs in, in future.

Finally as mentioned in my last post I checked out the back brakes, they were adjusted correctly and the pads had plenty of life in them, however they had become glazed and needed to be filed down to remove this shiny layer and allow them to bite on the discs again.
So with that I am off and all plans of removing the internal thermal layer has been put off as it is forecast to get colder by the weekend, sods law. If you ever want to meet up and accompany me at any time, give me a call, I don’t promise the most exciting riding at times, but it is probably places you haven’t even thought about going.

Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop riding when you don’t look after your bike’

Friday 6th of March Bridport and Beyond!

Sitting in the bar of the Eype’s Mouth Hotel I started to work out some of the mileages so far. To date I had covered 653 miles of which 251 had been getting to and fro to the start points. I decided to have a quick Bar Meal before heading off for a fairly early night I wanted to get cracking as early as possible on Saturday morning as I wanted to get as many miles under my belt as during the day as possible. The reasons were two-fold, firstly the weather on Sunday looked as if it was going to be a bit rough to say the least. Secondly I had taken a call from my Daughter on Thursday with a cry for help. She was booked into an event on the Sunday afternoon and the woman who she rides for, who was going to take her, had blown the engine on her Land Rover so Dad had been called to the rescue. There was also an added bonus if I got back in time, that being the quarter final between Everton and Middlesbrough. I arrived just before the sunset on Friday night but I was able to get an idea of the view before it finally went down. Although when I have re-visited the photo a couple of times it looks like it was taken in the early morning, when in fact the time was actually closer to 6pm in the evening.

I had booked and paid for another small Guest House in Brixham for Saturday night so I was committed and had to have a real long run on the Saturday with a small number of breaks.

The food in the Eype’s Mouth was really good and beer wasn’t bad either. The hosts Kevin and Glennis, are really welcoming they have been working really hard to refurbish this small Country House Hotel since they took over 5 years ago, their efforts are really starting to show and if they maintain the level of food they produce (the breakfast was first rate and kept me going all day)they are on to a winner. Okay the en-suite facilities in my room were on the snug side, as it had been partitioned from main room but I have to say the highlight was the bed. I stay in hotel rooms on average about 50-70 times a year at least and this was the best bed I have ever slept in and when I come to change mine I want one just like it. If you are thinking about a quiet weekend walking the South West Coast and want a nice relaxing base, you will have to travel a long way to find many better for the money.

I was quite surprised the following morning when loading the bike before Breakfast, as it was only served between 8.30 and 9.30, and it was nowhere near as cold as the forecast and I took what turned out to be the wise move of removing one layer of clothing, It also surprised me given the amount of snow that was still lying around in the edges of the fields and side lanes. It had dawned grey but dry.

As you can see from the above pictures it is a very flat light from the early morning.

Pulling back onto the A35 to head west on the Saturday morning that snow still hadn’t thawed out and was in fact still there when I turned off some of the side lanes to investigate possible routes. The first 3 I tried all proved to be non viable so I pushed on to Charmouth and then to Lyme Regis. I remember coming through here a couple of years ago and was confronted with a lot of road works or I should say diversions because of works on the breakwater and sea defences, this time they were genuine diversions due to work on gas mains on the High Street, it did mean that the diversion through to the main car park on the front and then the Harbour meant I was able to witness the Gigg team coming back from some early morning training.

I then went up into town and around another way back down in to the Harbour. It is a very, very steep road to say the least and it was at this point that I realised that I have to check my back brakes as they were not as they should, in fact they appeared to be fading. Anyone that rides motorbikes knows, the rules that you learnt when riding a push bike change with a motorbike If you are just braking to reduce speed for a corner the ‘bulk’ of it comes from the front brake, in fact when taking your practical test, when doing your emergency stop 70% plus should come from the front brake, in fact if you lock the back it could be a reason for failure. The only caveat to this is; all front wheel braking should be done on the level, don’t do it on the turn especially in the wet as the front end will just wash away (Yep I learnt that lesson years ago and has bitten me in the ass everytime I chose to forget it)

I didn’t stay long as I was determined to get as many miles as possible under my belt. Thankfully as I left Lyme Regis, the sun started to come out and I was able to pick up some speed on the A3052, it was still fairly early so there wasn’t much traffic about which meant I was making good progress I then turned off through Downlands and into Axmouth by the back road then into Seaton along the Esplanade.
After a quick cup of coffee from my flask I got under way again fairly quickly and took the B3174 up through Beer and onto Vicarage and Branscombe where there is the large Donkey Sanctuary. I’m not a religious person in fact quite the opposite, however I was very impressed by the Church in Branscombe especially with it’s semi-turret on the top.

Taking these roads, I noticed loads of signs for the following day when the famous Grizzly Run was due to take place, having looked at what is involved, they are welcome to it. The Grizzly Run is organised by the Axe Valley Runners and is one of the toughest multi terrain races in the world. The 20 miles route takes in hills, a bog and stretches of shingle beach as well as roads.

I bypassed Salcombe Regis and took the back lanes down towards Sidmouth. Part of the research showed that there was an interesting way into town by going through a Ford, which turned out to be great fun.

There is a sign which states ‘Not suitable for Cyclists’ I took that as a green light for me on a Motorbike. As you may have seen from earlier posts I am no stranger to Fords, so I know the best way of tackling them and thank god I do. It is all about a constant speed and not getting over excited, as I came up out of the water the ramp was slightly steeper than expected and very wet and slick, okay I’ll cut to the chase, as I squeezed the power on the back wheel started to spin up and I ended up going up the ramp sideways in a nice graceful power slide which caused the eyes on driver at the far end to come out on stalks, mainly out of fear for the front of his car I expect. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and it had me whooping, so much so I had to stop and have another drink from my flask and take a deep breath, I also had to search out a petrol station and the public conveniences, as all this coffee was having an effect.

After the brief stop it was time to head off further West, through Otterton and Budleigh Salterton, I’m not going to show all the photos I could as the view above is very similar to that at Seaton and the one I would witness at Budleigh, the one common factor being, in all of them the view to the West was increasingly greyer than that of where I had come from.

After leaving on the B3178 I turned off down Castle Lane and then just as it appeared I would ride through the gates of the Sandy Bay Holiday Park, I noticed the almost hidden fork to the right which was Gore Lane which would take me into Exmouth via the back lanes and I mean back lanes, for all those that think I was using nice metalled roads. This is Gore Lane and this is a good section looking out towards Exmouth.

Heading down onto the front along Queens Drive the wind picked up and it looked as if it was going to rain at any moment, so pushing on through Exmouth without stopping to take any photos I headed out towards, Lympstone and then turning off at Ebford, just after the Royal Marine Commando training camp I headed into Topsham, a very quaint little town where the Firemen were out doing a charity car wash, I almost challenged them to wash my bike down, but as ever I was very conscious of the time, it was now almost 1pm and I still had a long way to go. A quick photo at the end of Strand and I turned around and was on my way.

Up the High Street it carries on till it meets the A379 over Countess Wear then back down the A379 towards Starcross and Dawlish, this took me past my 6th Castle of the trip, Powderham but only after a major detour, I had got all the way to Kenton before realising I had miss read the sign post, which says, Powderham Church and SYCC only, it was the through road I was looking for and should have said NO entrance to Powderham Castle, which is what I think they meant. Powderham Castle was Built in 1391 by Sir Philip Courtenay it has remained in the same family to this day, currently home to the 18th Earl of Devon. Having survived a great deal of damage during the Civil War, the Castle was restored and altered in later centuries it is also the home of a great series of music festivals and in July they will host the Greatest 80’s Party ever with artists such as Marc Almond, ABC, Go West, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, The Three Degrees, Cutting Crew, Dr & The Medics and Altered Images, appearing. Taking the road alongside the railway line at the back of the estate I did pull over to have a look at a flock of Little Egrets behind the Church, I didn’t expect to see these however when doing some research later they have become an increasingly common sight on the estuaries of Dorset and Devon.

I pushed on through the lanes to Dawlish Warren and then Dawlish on to the B3199 towards Teignmouth taking a small break at Car Park overlooking the mouth to the estuary, I tried to take some photographs of what looked like a small fleet of super tankers out on the horizon but the murk made it almost impossible but it did look strange as they were so low in the water the riddle would be solved later in the day. But for now after a quick picture across the water at the Marine Parade at Shaldon it was off inland to Newton Abbot before coming back down the other side.

After travelling through a fairly non-descript housing estate coming out of Newton Abbott, it was off through some very tight and twisty lanes through Netherton and Combeinteignhead before taking Shaldon Road through Teignharvey, looking at a 2 dimensional map it really doesn’t give you any idea how hilly this side of the estuary is and there are some really beautiful houses with stunning views that mere mortals like me can only dream of ever owning.

The one thing that does stagger me at times is the intelligence or lack of it some car drivers have, and this stretch really brought it to the fore. On one section a woman saw me coming and decided not to wait at the passing place she was coming up to, but push on until we were face to face and then expect me to get out of her way after a quick but quite frank conversation she had to back up much to the amusement of the driver that had been following her, who had decided to stop. The conversation had been based around the fact that motorbikes don’t have reverse gears, okay you anoraks – Gay Wings do, I know. (Honda Gold Wings) these ‘mobile juke boxes’ are so heavy you would need to be a World’s Strongest Man competitor to back one up, hey there’s an idea, rather than the Truck Pull, have the Gay Wing, Sorry!, Gold Wing Push.

On the other hand I met another woman further down one of the lanes, who came round the corner to see me coming down the hill and straight away, stopped, backed up around the corner and then pulled so far into the passing place to let me go through, I could have got a bus through, smiled when I thanked her and she waved me on my way, obviously either a biker herself or married to one. It was very similar the night before on the A31 some drivers are ‘Bike Aware’ and others are just totally ignorant to anything outside their tin box, some want to help you ‘filter’ and others would rather block you. So for those of you that think that bikes travelling between two lines of slow traffic is not allowed. You are wrong in fact the Highway Code encourages motorbikes to do it. It is totally legal as long as it is done with due diligence and consideration of other road users. So much so that I even had a Motorcycle Policeman overtake me in a traffic jam on the M6 a few years ago so he could threaten a driver with a ticket, who was trying to block me from passing.

I couldn’t take my planned route around the headland you see in the previous photo as it was closed for roadworks but it was quite quickly back onto the B3199 Teignmouth Road and it was a bit of a climb up the hills and I had to feel sorry for a guy on a scooter, it was only a 50cc job and some of the hills had him slowing to almost walking pace, unfortunately it was double white lines so everyone was stuck behind him for at least a couple of miles before he could turn off and let people pass. I stopped briefly at a layby in the hope of taking a photo of the tankers I had spotted earlier without much luck, it was too overcast but I did find out that they weren’t in transit they were in fact laid up off Torbay, such is the economy that even these leviathans of the sea are being mothballed, the last time I witnessed anything like this was when I went on holiday to the Greek Islands and saw a huge number of ships anchored off one of the islands, I can’t remember which one.

Pushing on through Maidencombe, Torquay and then Babbacombe I then took off around Ilsham Marine Dr which is well worth the drive for the views alone, at this point I spotted another bulk carrier mothballed off Torbay, it was close enough in to catch that it was an ACL bulk carrier.
It was a tricky ride around this area, as so many of the roads could end up as dead-ends without warning. Made even more tricky by some kids messing about along the Marine Drive at Paignton, the skateboard came out of no-where and made me swerve quite violently, the laughter from the idiots made me circle the block and go back and have a word that being ‘If that skateboard hadn’t taken me off it would have been one of you that was going to Casualty’ at which point the giggling stopped and the apologies started. In their defence I think it was an unfortunate accident one of the boys had been trying to teach one of the girls how to skateboard and she came off propelling the offending item into my path. The laughter was another issue however.

After the verbal rebuke I pushed on around Paignton, the harbour and on towards Brixham, down to the harbour and on to Berry Head where I took my kids a few years ago for one night of our camping holiday, obviously closed at this time of year. The one thing of note is the weather was very mixed, in one direction it looked quite good in the other it was pretty grim.

Looking at the image before I cut it down for posting it actually showed 6 not 5 Super Tankers or bulk carriers laid up. In the end I was going to be close to here later this night but for now it was off around Berry Head and a couple of missed turns before I got it right and headed off towards Kingswear and Dartmouth. Coming into Kingswear I came across a great view of the ferry and the Dartmouth College on the other side of the estuary, some of the students from there were obviously out on some sort of Rag Day fund raising, dressed in crazy outfits.

I hope you can see the ferry in the last photo (right in the centre at the far side) as it was probably one of the most difficult all day, because of the steepness of the road I was on tip toes trying to take this picture. After this it was a run back up to Galmpton and Totnes before turning towards my dig for the night in Brixham, it started to rain in earnest after leaving Totnes and after a quick check of the Sat Nav and my Maps I arrived at the Guest House I was booked into just before 5.30. Bob and Annick at The Anchorage proved to be really, really nice hosts. The room I was booked into was very nice and thankfully the en-suite facilities were somewhat larger that the previous nights, so I was able to have a nice shower and clean up, I also took the opportunity of cleaning my helmet and changing the visor for the following day, for the last few hours it had been so dull and murky my dark visor had spent more time up, so with the crap forecast for the following day I decided to go back to my clear visor.

Bob recommended a particular pub in Brixham on the harbour that proved to be outstanding and by far and away the best place in Town,I hate to slag it off and okay it is the off season but for a holiday resort like this it is almost bereft of good venues. The Price William seems to be THE place a fact being backed by the crowds of locals eating here when everywhere else seemed empty. Always the best tip, if the locals use it then it can’t be bad. It is run by a couple from Worcester originally John and Martine Wakefield, so when they heard of my exploits they were very interested and even one of the locals at the bar was kind enough to buy me a pint, sorry again I didn’t get your name, very rude of me but I was tired. Anyway I was warned about the size of the Cod and Chips and still went for it, when it arrived it was probably one of the biggest pieces of Cod I’ve ever encountered even so it was cooked perfectly in a very light batter, accompanied by a huge portion of chips and vegetables, well the veggies were finished off and so was the Cod but I gave up on the chips. So remember the name of this fine establishment it is The Prince William, named after William of Orange who was said to have landed here.

After a couple or three pints and this large meal there was no way I was walking back up the hill to The Anchorage, I jumped in a cab at the bus station. (I had walked the 1 ½ miles in) I know you shouldn’t go to bed on a full stomach but I was shattered and needed to sleep as I had to be packed and ready, so once breakfast was served at 8.30 I would be the first, in fact after loading the bike up ready I was probably the last to sit down for breakfast and was surprised how many people had stayed the night before, Bob had said he only had a double left when I arrived and I could see why, almost all the tables were occupied.

The ride back was of mixed fortunes and half an hour after getting back I was very grateful I had set off so early. I stayed ahead of the bad weather all the way but I didn’t miss the wind, which was very hairy indeed, travelling back up the A30 and A303 there were times particularly around RNAS Yeovilton when the bike almost had a mind of its own, with sudden gusts changing lane for me, whether I liked it or not, thankfully the roads were very quiet which had the added bonus of getting me back home at around 11.45. 2 ½ hours for approx 150 miles an average speed of around 60mph.
I just had time to put the bike away get changed and go and collect my daughter and her horse to go off to the event. At the same time get soaked to the skin in a major downpour bringing the horses in from the field and loading up the horsebox. So a good weekend where I thought I achieved quite a bit was spoiled by the weather right at the end. I should remain thankful that it remained mostly dry when I was riding.

Where next is the question, back to Totnes for the next section or the one day blast around the Isle of Wight? Before that I have some work to do on the bike, the chain is not right, so I have to re-adjust that, I think I have got it too tight, also the chainoiler is not working as well as it should. Finally my side stand needs some work done to it, it is so worn it resembles a stiletto heel, so anything other than firm concrete and it seems to dig in, once all that is done she needs a good wash and polish. So…….

Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop riding when you don’t look after your bike’

Preparations start all over again!

Friday 6th of March will see me starting off again. I plan to head off late afternoon and stay overnight in a small guest house outside Bridport called, Eype’s Mouth Hotel, the write up is very nice. Then on Saturday Night I am currently looking for something in the Torbay area, which should then get me to something between Salcombe and Plymouth before I head for home.

Unfortunately the weather forecast is not as good as the previous weekend but I will have to make the best of things and at least take a full change of clothes.

I am hoping to get as far as Lands End before the clocks go forward on the 29th of this month when l hope to start camping in the main. 2 weeks after that it is Easter weekend, unfortunately I am committed to a work related event on the Sunday in Birmingham, I am therefore planning to set off on Thursday to Cornwall and then ride until Saturday evening then head to Birmingham to stay overnight, then Sunday evening head back to where I left off, then take a few extra days off and ride as far as I can which I am hoping will be somewhere in Mid to North Wales.

Before all that however last weekend saw me giving ‘My Baby’ the TLC she deserves. The chain had worn loose and needed adjusting back up, in fact it is getting to the point where it will need to be replaced within the next few thousand miles, a sprocket and chain would normally last between 15-16,000 if looked after correctly, mine is close to 20,000 and if I get it to 24,000 I will definitely be changing it probably just after the Easter weekend. At the same time my front tyre is getting very low on tread and will probably only last me this coming weekend before I have to change it. I can see another round of begging letters coming on for discounted services. The tyre will cost about £75 and the Chain and Sprocket about £120

After doing the chain and adjusting the chain oiler, then had to fix my horn which stopped working last time out. I checked the fuse, then thought it was the horn itself and went and bought a new one, however in the end it was corrosion on the contacts in the switch itself, which was very fiddly to take apart file off the corrosion and then rebuild. Well at least I now have a spare.

I then checked the oil, tyre pressures, fluid levels and brake pads etc. so in the end it was a bit of a mini service but I am pleased I did it ahead of next weekend, finally a quick wash and polish and she was put to bed until Friday.

Take care and as Mick says ‘I started out with nowt and still got most of it left’

Sunday 22nd Feb. - More of the same!

I woke up quite early but lay in bed a bit longer than I had planned, for some reason I didn’t have a great night’s sleep, probably because my mind was very active after the excitement of the day. I went down or I should say along for breakfast just after 8.00 and took some rolls and cheese portions back to my room to make up some lunch for the day along with refilling my flask. I was very sluggish to get going the main reason for this being the weather the beautiful sunny morning of yesterday was just a memory, Sunday dawned grey with the hint of drizzle in the air.

I finally got everything packed and checked out by about 9.15 and back on the bike for the short ride down to Sandbanks and the ferry back over to Studland. The first photo of the day shows some rain off shore down towards Swanage, luckily throughout the whole day it did stay dry.

At this point I have to thank the guys on the Ferry, as soon as they knew why I was riding, they wouldn’t take my fare which was a really nice gesture, thanks again.

I retraced some of the route from the previous day, down through Studland then turned off towards Swanage and along the seafront as the weather was so dull at this stage I didn’t stop and took the B3069 then off through the small villages of Langton Matravers and Worth Matravers before coming back onto the 3069 just before I got to Kingston I looked over to my right and got another view of Corfe Castle. This really showed me how it was sited there to plug the gap in the Purbeck Hills.

After rounding Corfe Castle I took the back road towards Church Knowle and then off via Puddle Mill farm Bradle Farm before coming out at Kimmeridge and then down a very winding road to Kimmeridge Bay the very grey morning was very, very different to the last time I had been here a few years ago in the height of Summer.

There was a small Folly overlooking the bay that intrigued me as well as the sign giving instructions re: compressors well the latter I was informed relates to the oil well that you can see behind the beach. And the Folly has an equally interesting past.

Clavell Tower provides one of the few manmade structures in Kimmeridge Bay.The Tower was built in 1830 by Reverend John Richards Clavell of Smedmore as an observatory and folly, with three storeys and a distinctive Tuscan colonnade. Thomas Hardy courted Eliza Bright Nicols here and used it as a frontispiece for his Wessex Poems. More recently, it inspired P. D. James’s novel, The Black Tower. For almost two hundred years Clavell Tower has provided a point of destination for the many who have walked the cliffs. It had been unused since the 1930s and had fallen into disrepair. In recent years the tower had been perilously close to falling into the sea due to coastal erosion.

Following an appeal in 2004 The tower was dismantled and re-erected 25 metres back from the crumbling cliff face. In addition to moving the building, services such as electricity and water were installed. New stone was carved to replace the missing sections of the parapet in a bankers' (or stonemasons') shed on site and a kitchen and bathroom put in.

After leaving the estate, without evening stopping for a quick cup of coffee, I headed back up the Purbeck Hills, through Steeple and onto the military road through Lulworth Ranges. I had been here before and knew there was a good stopping point at the top pf Povington Hill, which gives you views for miles around on a fine day, it really is worth the trip, on one side you see the targets and the sea and on the other side of the hill you see back towards the tank ranges inland and yes they do throw the shell from one side to the other, I believe when they are on exercise.

After breaking into my coffee and sandwiches I carried on and pushed on through East and West Lulworth, past the Army camp and down to Lulworth Cove. The time was now getting on and I still wasn’t anywhere near Weymouth so I just went down to the turning point in at the bottom of the village and then back up the other road out via, Winfrith Newburgh and the Chaldon’s going through West Chaldon, I also came a cropper as the road goes through a farm yard and you cannot see the tarmac it was just dry mud and gravel so when I came to the bend it was like riding on marbles.

The road took me back up to the A352 Wareham Road, which on turning left takes me all the way into Weymouth via Overcombe, although looking at the map when planning this, there should have been a couple of turnings to the left to a couple of villages they were all dead ends and given the time I decided to avoid them. I then turned on to the A353 which goes down on to the seafront and round to the harbour and Ferry Port. Given how busy all the other resorts had been the day before in the beautiful weather I was slightly surprised at how empty Weymouth was on what was now a very sunny and warm day.
I wasn’t going to hang around for long as it had now taken me over two hours to travel just 37 miles, therefore in hindsight it was a damn good idea I didn’t try and make it to Weymouth the evening before.

After a quick run through town it was out on to the road to Portland as I was heading out on to the peninsular I could see a large transport ship going around the headland I tried my best to catch up with it but by the time I reached Portland Bill it was well on its way towards Plymouth by the look of things.

Heading back up the around the other side of the Peninsular gives you a quick idea on the amount of Portland Stone that has been quarried here over the centuries there are certain parts that resemble a moonscape.

I head back to Portland itself and then turn down the small road that goes to Portland Castle and some of the former military defences. Portland Castle (5th) was built by Henry VIII during his reign of 1540. The fortress was built to protect Weymouth against possible attack from the armies of France and Spain.

Built with Portland stone, this 450 year old Tudor fortress remains intact and is now under the care of English Heritage. The history of Portland Castle stretches back from the reign of Henry VIII to the Civil War Sieges, when it was used as a jail for prisoners and enemies of Oliver Cromwell. During the Victorian era, the castle became a private residence for Captain Charles Mannering, the man who built what has now become known as the largest man-made breakwater harbour in the world.

Portland Castle was also used as a Seaplane Station during WWI and as an embarkation point for the D-Day invasion of Northern Europe during WWII. During the subsequent research I found that I had missed it’s twin, Portland Castle was built as a pair with Sandsfoot Castle on the Weymouth side of Portland Harbour to provide a very secure harbour.

After crossing Portland Beach Road again towards Chesil Beach I then turn off to take the B3157 towards Portesham and eventually Bridport, I have time to take a few more back lanes and hence I head off through Langton Herring, Rodden the Abbotsbury stopping first of all near to the Swannery to take a quick picture of a chapel on the hill side, I don’t know much about it, but like the Swannery was part of the Monastery the area is famous for.
Back on the B3157 it was a fairly quick blast down through Burton Bradstock and into West Bay, where to my pleasant surprise there was a bike meet, in one of the car parks overlooking the estuary. It turns out riders from all over Dorset turn up here on a Sunday lunchtime, admire each others bikes, swap stories then either head off for home of group up for a bit of a ride.
It was now after 2pm and after a stretch of the legs and the last of my coffee and sandwiches, I then had a look at the map and this was an ideal point to break off and head for home. The A35 was close by which would take me to Dorchester and then onto the A31 to Ringwood and eventually the M27 and M3.

I could carry on a little further to Lyme Regis but I would just end up retracting my steps later on and I did have to get back and pack my bags, as I was due to be away all the following week. So the head took over and at 2.30pm I restarted the bike and headed for home. I won’t say how far it is but it took me almost exactly 2 hours of hard riding to get back.

Before you all start thinking I rode like a hooligan, I don’t do that, I do make good progress in overtaking traffic. On top of all that, in the part laden configuration the bike is in at the moment she is not the quickest thing on the planet, the top speed I’ve had out of her was just over 110 mph but you wouldn’t to do that for long as she is not designed for that, she can however comfortably cruise above the legal speed limit all day long.

When I got back home, I didn’t have time to sort her out so she was put away looking worse for wear, Sorry girl! (I was also stiff as a board, my knees refused to bend properly until I had, had a good soak.

Take care and as I say on this occasion ‘I now feel a sense of achievement and can’t wait for two weeks time’