Regular rides
In UK we can't get out on the road these days and like many I'm missing this badly.
So I thought I'd try to start a thread ....maybe the good rides you do fairly often rather than those wonderful but rare trips round the world.
Here's mine at any rate.
I've been doing this ride for the past 10 years at least and I do it every 4- 6 weeks or so from February through to late November when the weather makes it a real chore to my elderly bones.
First...the bikes.
I've done this trip on x3 Bonneville Americas ....black 2012, then blue and white 08 865 and later on my 865 LT. Current rides are on either my Thunderbird 1600 or my Tiger 955i. I've got my eye on a lovely green and silver 07 790 at the moment...if it's still there when our lockdowns over, I'm having it!
The ride itself
I live in Tunbridge Wells in Kent UK. My friend Clive and I might be sitting in our local pub, say Sunday afternoon when one of us says the magic word " Paignton?".
We'll be off the following Saturday morning and return the next day.
Paignton is just over 250 miles away. It's a slightly run down holiday town in Devon...for those readers not familiar with UK geography.its what might best be called ' cheap and cheerful.'
But accommodation is affordable and there's a good selection of bars and eateries.
And it involves running down the A303.
This remains one of my favourite roads.Takes us about 40 minutes to cover the dreary motorways till we hit this splendid road near Andover in Hampshire.
The A303 snakes it's way across a large chunk of South/ South West England...Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset before morphing into the A30 not far short of Exeter.
Crossing the Marlborough Downs in Wilshire we ride by Stonehenge and 4000 years of history before our first stop for fuel and a welcome tea and bacon roll at Willoughby Hedges.... basically a shed in a layby where we're something of a regular item.
It's good to hear the change of accent here to the softer burr of the West of England. On the road again we'll ride at a fair pace( read " thrash it mercilessly") only stopping for a cigarette break before we hit the outskirts of Exeter and the A380 ...well into Devon now and almost there.
Rapid ascent of Telegraph Hill and we soon reach Paignton itself.
Wash and clean up and we hit Henry's Bar. We learnt only last year that the staff there had believed us to be regular customers who simply didn't come in that often!
Later there's a decent curry house who know us welll. On one occasion Clive informed the chef that we'd come 250 miles for this meal
" And Sir" he replied " I have travelled 5000 miles to cook it for you."
Nice response.
Next day it's an early breakfast and the journey in reverse
Great way to spend some time without losing days holiday.
So what's your own regular ride?
Al
