Day 2.2

Isn't it amazing how quickly a day can go from good to shit?

Just 15 miles from the fuel stop and I had to make an enforced stop at Wetherby Services. There's a clue in the name as to why.

20 miles later, near Ripon and the lights were on and it was thundering! Oh well.

I've stopped for my subway in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Wensleydale to be exact. A cracking spot, if it wasn't for the fact it has started to rain again. Anyway, on I go.

Don't see many of these about

Day 2.1

2 hours after setting off  (09:32) it's time for both Ginny and I to take a drink. We could probably both have gone further but this is the fuel stop I had planned into the route.  Ginny's done about 206 miles and range is still showing over 100.

Weather was superb when I left Helen's place. Now, somewhere near Doncaster, it has clouded over. Temperature is a bit more pleasant though.

Ride thus far has been far better than yesterday. The A43 and A1 showing none of the tailbacks of yesterday. The next leg will take me west, cross country.  I have a stop planned in Ambleside later for some roman fort remains but will probably stop for lunch before that. The fuel stop has a subway, so a 6" BMT could be the order of the day.

The young lady in the petrol station has called me babe, love and darling, the full set. Northern lasses eh?

Fiat 500 rubber.

Day 1

Left home at 14:45, with the temperature up at 27 degrees. Opening Ginny's air deflectors does help in those conditions but it was still very hot and sticky.

The journey was pretty crap to be honest, with several tailbacks along the way, M25, M11 and A14 and also not without incident.  I'd barely gone 20 miles and was filtering through the tin box mongs, when one young lady decided to squeeze the gap I was going for. I saw her look in her mirror as I approached and took this as a sign she'd seen me. That IS usually the case. However, as I went to move alongside, she pulled towards the white line, leaving me no option but to brake. There was slight contact, though I wasn't sure at the time where. A blast on Ginny's cruise liner loud horn and the gap was there for me once more. Judging by the look on her face, she had no idea what she'd done, so I don't believe it was a deliberate act. If so, she'd have got more than just a head shake. Later inspection showed a black mark on my engine protector, so I guess that came into contact with her tyre.

With the various holdups, I lost about 30 minutes on the journey, arriving about 17:15. After a cold drink, Helen took me on a walk around Burton Latimer, down to the river and passed the Weetabix facrory. 
That was quite funny as just along the road it smelt like someone was preparing breakfast!

We had a chinese takeaway for dinner and then watched a bit of football, Burnley v Aberdeen. My friends Cheryl and Geoff, with whom I am staying on Saturday are Aberdeen supporters. They wouldn't have been happy tonight.

Tomorrow I am heading for the Lake District, staying a few miles outside Keswick. Weather should be fine and warm again. Let's hope that journey passes without incident.

D Day

Today's the day or yesterday was the day I expect, by the time you read this.

Nothing to rush for. I'm staying with my friend Helen in Burton Latimer tonight. That's only a couple of hours away from home. She's working from home, so I'll be planning to leave about 14:30 - 15:00. That should mean she's finished work by the time I arrive. Packing is 80% complete and I just need to do a couple of bits on Ginny before I set off.

Weather forecast for today in Chatham is up around the 30 degree mark once again. It is very warm now, at 10:00. The next couple of days made my mind up on what to wear. I was thinking that going to the frozen north, I may need my leather jacket but if I wear that today, Helen will be opening the door to a melted me. Mesh jacket it is then. It looks like I might encounter some rain over the next few days, especially Monday when I start on the NC500. That looks like being a bit of a wash out, so should be fun on those twisty roads. I'll have to engage Ginny's rain setting, which tones down the power delivery. Just one of her rider aids. The temperature will be a far cry from what it is here today, 14C or 15C but will be OK, so long as it is dry. I'll have a long sleeved jumper in case.

I'll be doing some updates along the way each day, satellite signal allowing and maybe a full report in the evening, if there's anything I've missed. Be prepared for photos of my dinner and/or maybe the odd wild Haggis! 😉

That's all for now.

Me, if it gets any hotter!

D -4

In four days time the waiting will be over and I'll be on the first part of this tour. A short, 2 hour hop up to Burton Latimer near Kettering, for an overnight stop with my buddy Helen.

After weeks and weeks of dry, hot and sunny weather, the last two days have been dull, windy and wet. I'm hoping this isn't a prelude of what's to come and that we can return to what we've got used to recently.

I have a couple of days holiday this week, which will allow me time to get packed and to get Ginny prepped. She'll get a bit of a polish and a full tank of fuel before we set off. Tomtom has been updated today and my routes have been downloaded. They will keep me off the straight and not so narrow in the main and on scenic and more interesting roads, until I get to the NC500 itself. Obviously, once there, I pretty much have to follow a fixed route, like everyone else. I do have a slight detour built in, towards the end of the route but you'll have to wait to find out what that is.

I'll be updating the blog daily, so don't forget to keep checking in. Obviously, if you've signed up for email updates, then you'll find them in your inbox each day.

Prepared for the worst

Thanks to the advice from some biking peeps at RBS and my bro', I have purchased some of Avon's Skin So Soft, which apart from keeping my rough old skin as smooth as a new born's botty, will apparently deter any midges from wanting to lunch on me. I've read many a review praising the stuff as a midge repellent, in fact more than I have for it being good to the skin. Hopefully it will do the trick, that's if the heatwave we've experienced, yes even in Scotland, hasn't killed them off first. Either way, I'm prepared.

By the time I start the trip, I shall be retired, with my last working day being the day before. I have some holiday to take before then, so I have plenty of time to plan my packing, etc.

If you've not already done so, then you should sign up for email updates, otherwise you risk missing out on how I get on. For now though, I'll bid you farewell. I'll be back in touch on 2nd August.

Avon's midge repellent

What are the chances?

My countdown tells me I have 39 days until my North Coast 500 adventure begins. At present, the entire country, yes Scotland too, is experiencing some very nice warm and sunny weather. What are the chances then that I'll be leaving my waterproofs in the topbox? It's a rhetorical question, so no need for you all to write in. It will be what it will be, I guess. My main worry though is not the rain but the midges, that I am led to believe are prevalent at this time of year. I'm not only worried that I will be seen as a gourmet meal by hundreds of thousands of the blighters but also that they will make a nasty mess over the front of Ginny. I think I'll have my work cut out to keep her looking smart, so a pack of baby wipes will definitely be on the packing list.

Ginny clocked up 2000 miles today, on a run down to Hythe to watch the footie at my brother's house. She's barely seen the light of day since I got back from the NW200, so it was good to get my leg over. As I'm still riding the Sprint to work occasionally, it feels quite unusual to get on Ginny, as not only is the riding position different and Ginny that much bigger but the riding style also has to change. She's getting a bit of a ride out over the next couple of weekends though, as my brother Paul and I are off to Assen this weekend for MotoGP and then the following Saturday, heading up to Cambridge for the Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride to the American cemetery.

I'll write some more nearer the time, for now though, y'all in the UK just enjoy the weather, whilst it lasts.