OT Short Way Up or....Two Yanks in Scotland, The FINAL Chapter...Last post Options

[stephenaki]

Every great adventure starts with an idea that somehow or another blossoms into a grand scheme that sends our minds on a whirlwind of anticipation and visions, or delusions, of grandeur. Burly men and lusty wenches, beer, rum and…oh wait, that’s the other delusion I had…never mind. Back on topic, as the title would loan itself too, it is a play on the Long Way Down (motorcycle documentary of Ewing McGregor and Charley Boorman as they rode from John O' Groats Scotland to South Africa on BMW GS1200 motorcycles) and not even a 10th of the mileage; one, neither Lee or I are rich and have a full fledged support crew and two, neither Lee and I are rich and have a full fledged support crew. Did I mention that neither Lee nor I are rich and have a full fledged support crew? I won’t bore you with the details but after several discussions and then Lee’s acquisition of a shiny new GS1200 we finally settled on taking a 10 day trip to Scotland from our little slice of Deutschland. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

I don’t remember exactly how it came to pass but I do recall looking at the big map in our cubicle and discussing options of where to go and by the end, the destination was Scotland. With the general destination now set it was time to determine where and when. Over the course of the next few months it evolved from Glasgow to Inverness and then one fine day Lee said, “hey, why don’t we ride up to John O’ Groats?” At first the idea didn’t quite register as to why in the hell anyone would want to ride up to the top of nowhere but, after some thought, the hamster powered dimly lit light bulb in my mind flickered and remembrances of Charley and Ewan’s starting point in the Long Way Down played across the back of my mind like an old 8mm film that had past its time and flickered a lot. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

So I thought to myself, sure, why the hell not? I hear the country is beautiful and they speak English…of a sort. Now what? Oh yeah, I guess ‘we’(which really means ‘I’) should plan a route up and a route down. This would also lend itself to an ever changing plan of attack with no rhyme or reason as the only input I really got from Lee was, ‘dude, I just wanna ride.’ Gee thanks bro, you’re about as helpful as financial advice from Madoff. Oh yeah, we also settled on 10 to 20 May as our target date for the trip and no, we didn’t realize we were leaving on Mother’s day until later on.

I will have to say though that Lee did insist that there were at least two things he wanted to see and visit, Ace Café in London and Stonehenge. I was a bit worried about Stonehenge as he kept referencing Pagan rituals and furry goatskin pants…At six plus feet tall that would be a curious site to see.

Goatskin pants aside, we had also decided that we would visit a friend of mine up in Warwick to have a look at his 1920s era British motorcycle then visit the National Transport Museum in Coventry where Charley Boorman’s bike is supposedly on display. Since our interest was primarily on riding in Scotland we sorta decided to keep to the main roads on up towards Glasgow before disembarking from the ‘M’ series highways to the smaller country roads.

The original plan also called for a trip up to Bastogne, Belgium then across Northern France to the coast and then north to Calais. I then set to work using Google Map as my planning tool and using the terrain and satellite feature with the photos option flipped on and off intermittently to develop a first draft plan. Once I had a draft I posted our route to my Vulcan Drifters Owners Group UK (VDOG) to get some feedback and sent it off to my friend Alan in Warwick as well. Several things happened when I did this, Alan was reminded by his wife that the time we were coming they would be in Spain watching a formula one race and several members of my VDOG UK group offered some suggested changes as well as lodging for us.

After several discussions with Lee and route changes based on feedback as well as input into Google to gauge riding time and overall trip impact, we axed Bastogne and the country roads through France. Instead, we opted to avoid the toll roads in France and make it to Dover on day one of the trip with a stay in Dover that night. In case you’re wondering, Stuttgart, Germany to Calais France via autobahn is approximately 757 KM or 470 MI; reality is we did 500 miles that day with an unintended side trip into Luxembourg but that will come later. We had also decided that we would push on to the southeast perimeter of London if we felt up to in on that first day to buy us some additional time for the next day’s activities.

The other change was that we would cut over to Rhayader, England and take the A470 up through Wales to Conway before pressing on to Scotland. This was recommended by Andy, a VDOG UK member who offered us a place to stay and met us at Stonehenge. We did not stay with Andy but pushed on to Rhayader instead; never the less I did bring Andy a bottle of wine and 4 bottles of Andechs Doppel Boch for his offered hospitality.

Of course, as the Army says, no plan survives first contact and some minor changes would be made along the way but, the initial route was set and our accommodations would be campgrounds and a night at Bongos (yes, I’ll get to Bongos as well).

Now the only thing that remained was to try out my new sissy bar travel luggage and get used to using a GPS. For this we planned several rides whereby I would construct a route using Google then transfer it to my TomTom via a program called TYRE or Track Your Route Everywhere. TYRE allows you to import a route from Google maps, adjust it to suit your needs and save it to an ITN file that the TomTom can pull up as a programmed itinerary. Great little program and it is free.

Several rides later we were comfortable with each others riding styles, use of the GPS and how my bike felt with a full load. Lee tested his panniers and additional load on a business trip to Garmisch from Stuttgart in April as well. So lets meet our intrepid adventurers, get to some pre-trip photos, and close out the first chapter in this little adventure.

Lee on his brand new BMW GS1200
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Yours truly on a vehicle that is actually running as opposed to my 914.
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Finally the first draft load out of the bike with my Riggpack sissy bar system. Final adjustments would be done later to clean it all up.
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The following installments will have much more pictures I promise. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[stephenaki]

OK, so it was sunrise that the previous picture was taken at Dover as Lee pointed out to me. I was writing the damn thing after a ¼ bottle of Jack Daniels Reserve and was a bit fuzzy! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drunk.gif)

What Lee failed to mention is that we took a moment before heading off to the pub the previous evening to give Malcolm a call and set up a meet at the Ace Café for 0800 the next morning; this is what drove the early rise and departure.

As the day began to lighten at about 0430 our merry misfits were already stirring from within their nylon man caves and debating the pros and cons of crawling out of a warm sleeping bag to run to the toilet in the cold to pee. The sleeping bag initially won but Mother Nature tends to be a bit persistent and we both finally started moving about and tearing our site down by about 0500 this fine cold and clear morning.

The best part was the wind had subsided to a brisk breeze versus the wrath of the Anemoi (Greek wind gods) we had experienced in France and when we first got to Dover. It was our unabashed hope, however futile this may have been, that it would continue this trend for the rest of the trip. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

By 0600 we were on our way to find a gas station to tank up and were actually on the road to London by 0615. Before we go any further, lets take a look at the map shall we? This is our intended route for today with the planned stops for touristy things.
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What is of particular import is the fact that London, in particular the Ace Café, is approximately 2 hours from Dover. Put on your thinking caps, on the road by 0615, two hours to get there…Monday morning…what time does work normally start???? I didn’t factor this into the plan as I assumed, incorrectly, that the M25 ‘ring’ would not be that busy since I thought it was a bypass route. Tells you how much I know about the UK and the London area. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Be that as it may, we are both glad that we decided to spend the night in Dover; it made running the M25 gauntlet on now the LEFT side of the road easier to deal with. Although the route would have been much clearer in the evening our sore hind quarters and tired minds would not have adapted to the change in left side riding versus right as well and we would have hit London in the dark.

As the afore-presented map displays, the plan for the day was ambitious to say the least, it was made more so by the London traffic and Vulturnus doggedly sending his unlucky winds of the East to attempt to interrupt our course. Gratefully, we would discover, the British DO know how to drive lending the traffic to a very orderly procession of steel that was predictable and easy to adapt too.

For the most part the winds were only challenging for about an hour; the closer we got to London the greater the number of buildings which would significantly hinder the winds. Now the challenge became the increasing traffic flow and the inevitable...'Queue.'

We refer to it as a Stau in Germany and traffic jam in the states but it matters not what colloquial term you assign to it, the outcome is the same and, traffic comes to a grinding halt. At first it wasn’t a big deal as we were still running on time but as it got later in the morning I began to get concerned. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

As we sat in the queue we were consistently passed by British bikers as they zoomed through the traffic and ‘split’ the lanes screaming willy nilly between the stopped traffic. Remember the day 1 comment about me being anal about time hacks? Well after sitting in traffic at a couple of spots and watching the Brits split the lanes, I turned to Lee and said something to the effect of, ‘Screw this, were going in!’ I think Lee heard something else not sure what but he followed me anyway pausing only briefly to cuss me out in English and any other language he was familiar with. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/Yack.gif)

Now, I don’t split traffic, I didn’t get ‘taught’ this skill and it is illegal in most US states. Doesn’t mean I haven’t done it but, I do have a fairly large cruiser so need a good amount of space. Lee on the other hand has NEVER split traffic until this trip. His biggest worry was the two boxes hanging off the sides of his GS; he didn’t want to clip anyone with those suckers! I just have an engine crash bar with fold down highway pegs that I kicked up for this bit of maneuvering. The other advantage I have is I run BUB Big Willy exhaust pipes on a V-twin motor; yeah, you can hear me coming! As Lee will attest, people began to pull left and right to make way for me; I felt like Moses parting a steel sea!

So we get through a rather long queue and we race off again when it clears only to run into another one and this time I stop and wait for Lee to pull up. Well, that was exciting; don’t think I will do that again as I sorta lost Lee a bit in the last one. As Lee pulls up I mention that I don’t think we’ll do that again and Lee says, “Why? I now know how to do it now.”

OK! In that case, off we go again! Several queues later we are finally off the M25 and close to the Ace. There was really only one bit that caused consternation as a large blue truck in the center and a panel van on the right made a rather small gap for me to slip between. When Lee got to the gap the wagon actually pulled left and closed it leaving Lee stuck behind him. Not sure whether this was intentional or not but Lee forced his way up the gap and the van driver decided that he best pull back over to the right to let the crazy motorcyclist pass. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/parry.gif)

I have read recently that ‘filtering’ is legal in the UK and there is an ambiguous line between filtering and lane splitting which is considered illegal. As such, British bikers split lanes as a matter of course.

As Lee already mentioned, my GPS did not give a very accurate location for the Ace Café but I did have enough sense to stop and ask for directions. Well, we were close and here are the photos to prove we where there.

WOOHOO! I'M HERE!
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DUUUUDE...CHECK IT OUT!
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IF I SQUAT DOWN ENOUGH HE'LL LOOK ALMOST AS TALL AS ME!
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First order of business was breakfast as we were both famished the above pictures were after we ate. The Ace is not a very big place and it was actually nice that there wasn’t a whole lot going on that day as we had no problems finding a seat and experiencing for the first time a traditional British breakfast. I think we both miss this now that we are back in Deutschland.

Well after a pleasant breakfast and some lighthearted conversation with Malcolm it was time to head off to Stonehenge! I called Andy to let him know we were on our way and we mounted up with Malcolm in the lead on his white 800 Drifter. Malcolm split off eventually and Lee and I rolled on to Stonehenge.

SAY HELLO TO MALCOLM SO RICO...SUAVE...OLD...Wait so am I, never mind.
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Nothing really exciting or comical about the hour and a half ride to Stonehenge; it was actually somewhat pleasant as the hills and greenery helped to block out some of the wind. Shortly after we got there and did our 2nd circle around the parking lot, Andy showed up with his wife Paula on his yellow GS1200 and we managed to snag a spot that a couple of cars had just pulled out of and were side by side. SWEET! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

First order of business, divest my luggage of the bottle of wine and 4 bottles of beer! Since Andy’s GS is set up for touring he had plenty of room to secure my delivery. Next, lets go get some pictures! What?! You want 9 British pounds for us to go in and look at some big rocks?! I think we’ll just stay outside of the fence and stick our lenses through the chain link to get the pics. So, here they are! NO, we didn’t let Lee dance around it in furry goatskin chaps but I know he was doing this in his head because he would randomly get this glazed look on his face and a rather disturbing grin... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

IN MY MIND I'M DANCING...NOT GONNA TELL YOU WHAT I'M WEARING...
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A bit smaller than expected but still quite fascinating in my opinion. After our little walk around we went back to the bikes to have some coffee and chat whereby Lee began to drool over all the add-ons that Andy had on his GS. To be honest, I was a bit jealous myself as Andy’s bike was set up quite nicely. I hear that they have lowered the seat height for vertically challenged people like myself; if I can put my feet on the ground I may be convincing the wife to let me get one! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hands.gif)
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ANDY'S THE ONE SITTING ON THE SLOPE
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So after our coffee and bullshit session we decide to head out and Andy tells me to take the lead. I loaded up the route to Coventry into the TomTom and off we went. Andy would ride with us for a bit then split off as Malcolm had done. At this point I discovered a quirk in TomTom that took us on a route that would cause us to miss our goal of seeing the National Transport Museum in Coventry. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

It may be due to the use of the One XL version of TomTom vice an actual motorcycle style GPS. Regardless, if you load a route from TYRE into the TomTom, either choose shortest route or fastest route if prompted. I chose, ‘avoid highways’ which was a mistake and took us on every back road it could find between Stonehenge and Coventry. Andy would correct me later and tell that those weren’t back roads but main roads...OK, maybe in the UK they are but us Muricans call them back roads! I had told Andy to take the lead if I was going the wrong way and he finally did; eventually he pulled over to a parking area to discuss our route as the time was getting late.

So we weigh the options to get to Coventry and we choose to get back on the M4 to make up the lost time. Andy points us in the right direction and off we go; he would follow shortly but Paula took the time to get her camera out to take pictures of us as we rode down the highway.

DAMN THAT BIKE LOOKS A BIT OVERLOADED!
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CIRCUS BEAR ON A MOPED!
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About 30 minutes down the road Andy points to the direction we need to head and we eventually part company. At about 1530 we stop to eat and I want to re-evaluate our options on the rest of the trip up to Coventry as time is quickly slipping away and the wind has returned with a vengeance to harass us on our journey. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/finger.gif)

Since the museum closes at 1700 and we were still about an hour out we decided to skip the museum. Maybe next time; off to Rhayader and our second campsite! Well now, after we got off the main highways and away from the multiple traffic circles the roads were beautiful! In fact, I was having so much fun that I failed to pay attention to my mileage and gas gauge! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)

So, about 20 miles our from Rhayader, we pull off into a picnic area with a little sign for information so I can plug in a gas station to the GPS. Didn’t quite expect to take the Drifter off road but didn’t have much of a choice as the ‘pull off’ was more of a short gravel road up a hill to a picnic area.

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HI HONEY! WHAT? OH..YEAH..STEVE'S AN ASSHAT!
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ABOUT THIS OFF ROAD SHIT!
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This would be a preview of some of the country we would be riding through for the rest of the trip. After a check to make sure the gas station was in the direction of Rhayader, I found one that was about 7 miles in the direction of travel and we headed back down the gravel track to get some fuel.

After filling up we continued on and leisurely rolled into town. Rhayader is a very quaint and unassuming place with plenty of shopping, restaurants and pubs to meet everyone’s interest.

The campsite, Wyeside Caravan and Camping, was easy to find and the reception was very helpful and friendly. The site itself is very well located and less than a 1/10 of a mile from the town center and all the eateries.

The camping area was very clean and well kept with great facilities for laundry, toilets and showers. The showers were an especially welcome luxury since our last shower was either the morning of our departure or the night before our departure from Germany. I would recommend this campsite to anyone on the forum that is in the Rhayader,Powys area. Here are the pictures of the campsite we stayed in.


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After setting up and cleaning up, we headed off to find a pub. Since we had such a late lunch neither of us were hungry but we had plenty of room to try three of the local draughts and they were damn fine ones at that!

Amusingly, an elderly gentlemen came over and asked if we were the ones who just pulled up to the campsite on the BMW and cruiser. Lee said yes and he asked where we were headed. Lee said John O' Groats and he looked at him and said...'Why?' Of course the answer was...because we can. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

We talked to him a bit more as he rode quite a bit when he was younger and then he went back to sit with his wife and, as he got close to her we heard him say something to the effect of... 'they're going to John O' Groats from Germany because they can!'

The night we would find would be a cold one, if you travel in this area and Scotland and plan on camping, invest in a good sleeping bag that is rated for cold weather in the 30s and 40s (Fahrenheit). I woke up at about 0300 to pee and actually put my riding jacket on with the liner to fight the cold! Other than that, I slept like a rock.

So ends the 2nd days journey; the next installment…journey to the land where air turns to water.
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