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Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...
- Thread starter Lightcycle
- Start date
Welcome back !!!
We have 12 days by cage starting Holy Isle but not doing Edinburgh or Glasgow - we've been. Want to do a couple days in Skye for sure and also will do the Northern 500.
Anything not to miss??
TIA
WHat time of year thanks ....could not sort it.
We have 12 days by cage starting Holy Isle but not doing Edinburgh or Glasgow - we've been. Want to do a couple days in Skye for sure and also will do the Northern 500.
Anything not to miss??
TIA
WHat time of year thanks ....could not sort it.
Last edited:
There's a link to their website, and the specific timeline, at the start of each update. In his case post #2602 ...
We were there late August. Midges were out in full swarm.
On the N500, speed through the east coast of Scotland, do your John O'Groats picture opp, and then focus on the west coast. It gets real interesting around Durness southwards.
If you're going to Skye, venture off the main road between the bridge, Portree and the Trotternish peninsula. It is very scenic and you should see it, but 90% of tourists only do the Trotternish and it gets really crowded during the short summer season. Friggin' tour buses *everywhere*! There is good stuff out in the western part of Skye too: Dunvegan Castle, Fairy Pools.
We don't like crowds, and Skye was the most crowded part of the Highlands. We didn't stay very long.
Riceburner
Well-known member
They are on vacation from their vacation, so Gene is not working.....
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/356.html
With Scotland under our belts - literally... I'm carrying an extra 15lbs worth of haggis and ale around my waistline - we are passing through the Lake District on our way back south through England. This is supposed to be one of the most scenic places in the country.
We've been listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran lately. "Castle On The Hill" is being played non-stop everywhere. Since we are in the UK, I did some Googling - the castle in the song is Framlingham Castle. We passed by that area a few weeks ago when we dropped in on the Lavender farm in Norfolk. Haha, so topical!
Green all around us at the Lake District
The sky is sprinkling water on our helmets, which is not unusual for the UK. I think about the last couple of weeks we have spent in Scotland and how unusual it was not to have rain every day! Especially for us. We really lucked out! But now it seems that it's back to business as usual with the wet weather.
After a couple of hours of slabbing it on the main M6 roadway, we exit at Penrith. There are quite a few cars accompanying us as we dive wheel-first into the Lake District. First order of business is to find a place to sleep. Neda's scoped out a couple of campsites on the map and we're routing straight there to set up our tent.
With Scotland under our belts - literally... I'm carrying an extra 15lbs worth of haggis and ale around my waistline - we are passing through the Lake District on our way back south through England. This is supposed to be one of the most scenic places in the country.
We've been listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran lately. "Castle On The Hill" is being played non-stop everywhere. Since we are in the UK, I did some Googling - the castle in the song is Framlingham Castle. We passed by that area a few weeks ago when we dropped in on the Lavender farm in Norfolk. Haha, so topical!
Green all around us at the Lake District
The sky is sprinkling water on our helmets, which is not unusual for the UK. I think about the last couple of weeks we have spent in Scotland and how unusual it was not to have rain every day! Especially for us. We really lucked out! But now it seems that it's back to business as usual with the wet weather.
After a couple of hours of slabbing it on the main M6 roadway, we exit at Penrith. There are quite a few cars accompanying us as we dive wheel-first into the Lake District. First order of business is to find a place to sleep. Neda's scoped out a couple of campsites on the map and we're routing straight there to set up our tent.
Traffic jam on Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is the highest pass in the Lake District. Low stone walls line the roadway as we slowly crawl up and down the pass, hampered by heavy traffic. And then we hit our first major town in the Lake District.
Crowds galore at Bowness-on-Windermere!
We crept through traffic in the light drizzle. The holiday crowd around us seemed oblivious to the damp weather and seemed to be enjoying themselves, ducking in and out of the thick mass of shops and restaurants that line the town's streets. They must be locals.
The campsites that Neda found are on the other side of Lake Windermere. We take a short ferry ride across instead of riding around in the rain
Oh dog, you look so warm and dry in front of us! So jelly!
We're on our way. Riding at 30 down these country lanes.
We arrive at the campsite and Neda gets off the bike to grab us a site. She returns shortly with a forlorn look on her face. "No space. All booked up."
Oh no! At least the rain has temporarily let up as we hop back on the bikes to head to the next campsite on Neda's list. I'm so thankful she's done all this research!
Fifteen minutes later we're knocking on the door of another campsite. But once again, no vacancy! Neda informs me, "Apparently we're here on the busiest weekend of high season. The last summer weekend before kids go back to school..."
What a change from Scotland. Up in the Highlands, campsites are all empty and about to close because the season is winding down. But just a few hours south, we're unable to find a place to sleep.
Just to add insult to injury, it starts to drizzle once again...
We asked around for vacant campsites and this lead us to a farm just outside of a tiny town called Coniston
Once again, I wait outside while Neda goes in to secure accommodations. Not sure if the peacock is a good omen...
Neda comes out of the office with a big smile and a thumbs up. Yay, we have somewhere to sleep tonight!
The farm where we are staying. Sheep are our neighbours
Lots of holidayers too
The campground is crowded! Our tires squish the wet grass as we ride around looking for a clear spot to set up camp. The sun is peeking out from behind rain clouds, which gives us a window of dry weather to pitch our tent. Kids everywhere emerge from campers and tents to savour every last bit of dry weather before they have to go back to school next week. This is the way vacationing is done in the UK!
I know this small window of dry weather will be short, so as soon as we get the tent up, we walk into the tiny hamlet of Coniston to find a warm and dry place to sit down, grab a cold pint of some local Cumbrian ale and some Internet. At least the weather looks good tomorrow.
And it is! We head out into the sunshine of the Lake District the next morning.
The farm where we are staying. Sheep are our neighbours
Lots of holidayers too
The campground is crowded! Our tires squish the wet grass as we ride around looking for a clear spot to set up camp. The sun is peeking out from behind rain clouds, which gives us a window of dry weather to pitch our tent. Kids everywhere emerge from campers and tents to savour every last bit of dry weather before they have to go back to school next week. This is the way vacationing is done in the UK!
I know this small window of dry weather will be short, so as soon as we get the tent up, we walk into the tiny hamlet of Coniston to find a warm and dry place to sit down, grab a cold pint of some local Cumbrian ale and some Internet. At least the weather looks good tomorrow.
And it is! We head out into the sunshine of the Lake District the next morning.
Why do they call it the Lake District? There are twenty-one large bodies of water here, a lot of other smaller ones
But only one of them is actually called a "lake". The Brits have other names for these, like meres, tarns and waters. That lake we crossed yesterday wasn't Lake Windermere, it's just Windermere.
Very pretty here. Neda says it reminds her of a Thomas Kinkade painting. I have to Google who Thomas Kinkade is. Nice! I can see why this is such a popular place for hiking and camping. But that's not the reason we are here. We're motorcyclists and we like riding roads.
Heading up the single track road of Hardknott Pass
The weather is cooperating beautifully with us as we twist and wind our way around the Duddon Valley. There's still a little bit of the holiday traffic on the roads, but everyone is polite and pulls over to let us pass at the next pullover.
Twisty tarmac as far as the eye can see on the Hardknott Pass
We get held up at a series of hairpin bends. No room for the cars ahead of us to pullover!
Whee! We like hairpins!
Such beautiful scenery!
While nowhere near as scenic as the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District does offer up some great views without having to travel the distance to the northern-most reaches of the island.
Onwards, we march!
We would drive up Hardknott pass as a family in my Dad's Austin Mini Metro when I was a kid. The car had 4 people in and was gutless enough that Dad had to take a "run up" quite a bit before the steep section in order to make it up safely....all the time hoping nothing was coming the other way.
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/357.html
Liverpool. Liverpool.... This city is famous for something. I can't quite remember what it is.
I think somebody well-known was born here. Or maybe it was a band that came from here.
Pretty sure it was Nirvana.
We arrive into Liverpool in the late afternoon after another quick drive on the British motorways
Despite the short jaunt, we are exhausted. Maybe not physically, but mentally. I feel like we should be sleeping like a log.
It's been over half a year of non-stop travel since our last long break and we're suffering from intense travel fatigue. Travel fatigue has to be one of the least sympathetic ailments on the planet. So why on earth should I moan, when it seems to everyone that we're on a permanent vacation, it's not like we've been working like a dog.
Neda found us a great AirBnB just across the River Mersey from the downtown core. We can literally ride across the bridge and visit Liverpool anytime we want. Maybe tomorrow though. Or the next day. Or the next... Oh well, nothing to get hung about.
Our AirBnB host is very friendly. She showed me our room, isn't it good?
Neda gets busy with her cross-stitching. See the scissors in front of her? She named them Billy Shears.
Liverpool. Liverpool.... This city is famous for something. I can't quite remember what it is.
I think somebody well-known was born here. Or maybe it was a band that came from here.
Pretty sure it was Nirvana.
We arrive into Liverpool in the late afternoon after another quick drive on the British motorways
Despite the short jaunt, we are exhausted. Maybe not physically, but mentally. I feel like we should be sleeping like a log.
It's been over half a year of non-stop travel since our last long break and we're suffering from intense travel fatigue. Travel fatigue has to be one of the least sympathetic ailments on the planet. So why on earth should I moan, when it seems to everyone that we're on a permanent vacation, it's not like we've been working like a dog.
Neda found us a great AirBnB just across the River Mersey from the downtown core. We can literally ride across the bridge and visit Liverpool anytime we want. Maybe tomorrow though. Or the next day. Or the next... Oh well, nothing to get hung about.
Our AirBnB host is very friendly. She showed me our room, isn't it good?
Neda gets busy with her cross-stitching. See the scissors in front of her? She named them Billy Shears.
From our top-floor window, we can see Liverpool across the river. Nice skyline.
We don't leave our little apartment at all for the first two days. Just waiting at the window all day, wearing the face that I keep in a jar at the door. Just watching the tides of the river go in and out twice a day. Every day the same: woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Nothing else. I really needed this.
The river at high tide. There beneath the blue (and grey) suburban skies, they sit
The river at low tide. That's the famous Royal Liver Building across the river in the background. It's a UNESCO site.
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Our AirBnB host must think we're nuts. We only leave our room to come down and make meals. I guess we've very much unlike her regular tourist guests who spend most of the day out sightseeing around the city.
One of our meal breaks. We found our way downstairs and had a cup (or two)
One of our favorite beers is Hobgoblin Ruby Ale. Hard to find in Canada, but it's made right here in England! We also noticed some other beers from the same brewery that never made it across the pond. King Goblin, a more stronger ale and Black Wych, a stout. So delicious!
On Day Three, we left the AirBnB. Partly because we wanted to explore. But also because we noticed a bug infestation in our room! Beetles everywhere! Some of them were silver.
We just spent the afternoon walking down the boardwalk along the river.
Looks like he got muddy water. He said: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3
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