I waited until 10:00 before setting off but even so it was still in single figures temperature wise and despite my thermals I got rather chilly on the 2 1/2 hours I had to do on dual carriageway and motorway.
Once I turned off the A1 at Wetherby I joined the smaller roads through countryside and across moors and it started to feel like a holiday.
On the moors around Norwood I stopped to eat a pasty for lunch that I’d brought with me, then continued to Grassington.
By now it had warmed up enough that I decided to switch to the summer gloves and open face helmet I’d brought with me. This let me enjoy better a slow pootle on a loop to Malham Moor
and back to around via Hatton Gill.
This led me to the road leading north over the moors to Hawes where I headed back west again to get to my digs. Just in time to catch the last half hour of sun.
That looks spectacular!! I have ridden a pushbike, run and walked in the Dales a fair bit but never ridden there on a motorcycle…I think returning on a motorcycle is a fantastic idea, looking at your photos. It’s probably far less effort to get up the hills too .
Indeed! Passed a cylist going about half walking pace up a very steep hill and it felt almost cruel passing him slowly in 2nd gear on my torquey big twin by twisting my throttle open about 1mm
Reminds me of a bicycle ride I did in the Gorge the la Nesque - on a rented electric bicyle I overtook some cylists in lycra struggling uphill. They shouted “trop facile!” . To which I responded “mais pas debile…”
This morning the bike had frost on the seat so I was in no hurry to start riding. When I did set off it was to head on a route to zigzag across the hills.
First the road from Redmire to Grinton, the Moors here had an almost orange appearance.
This then zigged south back across the hills towards Askrigg where I zagged north again. By now I was hungry enough to stop and eat the packed lunch I had made. In the 20 minutes I was here the only other person I saw was someone on a Moto Guzzi.
Setting off again I descended into Swaledale where I rode the B6270 west. This was a more close up view of the valley I’d seen from the hills which then led me up and over to Kirkby Stephen for a fuel stop.
Heading north from here I crossed the A66 into the Pennines.
After some single-track roads by farms and fields I crossed south again into the Dales, following Stang Lane before heading west along the moor road leading to Tan Hill. The last time I did this road was with Mrs Mouse on the back and it was so foggy I could barely see the road in front of me, a bit different this time…
Rode home today, but first went the ‘wrong’ way to reprise yesterday’s Redmire to Grinton road before heading south on a different road to Leyburn, then a fast A road towards Masham.
Satnav took me off the main road before there to head across the hills by fields and farms.
Then over by the moors to get to Nidderdale. Today was a bit hazy and I was heading into the sun as well, which made the views rather washed out. Still nice riding though
After refuelling at Pateley Bridge I headed across country on fast roads to get to the A1 whilst avoiding urban areas, then began the hard slog home via motorway and dual carriageway.
I wasn’t looking forward to the never ending Wentbridge Viaduct roadworks where 3 lanes have to merge into one and satnav was saying there was a 15 minute delay. Fortunately, as I arrived at the queueing traffic and began to cautiously do a bit of filtering, I was joined by 6 Harleys ridden by backpatches so I tucked in behind them as they roared down between traffic lanes, cars and HGVs scattering to the sides like the red sea parting for Moses
I noticed that fine weather seems to have brought out the mobile speed cameras, I spotted 4 (!) on my trip home, and yesterday there was one at Kirky Stephen. (The only bit of ‘civilisation’ I hit yesterday.)
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