Nice run this morning

[niblue]

Took my XBR out for a much needed spin round the Scottish Borders this morning, on my favourite local 100 mile loop (which just happens to have a great cafe at the half-way point).


This us on a great little unclassified road (above the Talla Reservoir) between the A708 and A701 (both themselves excellent biking roads).

Pretty much door to door it's nice A & B roads - perfect XBR territory. I did the same route last week on my Deauville:

The Deauville covers the ground a bit faster but the XBR is just as much fun.

[guest7]

Lovely pics, you jammy sod 

A massive hangover put paid to any motorcycling today. I did manage to cycle home at four o'clock this morning though... just not in a straight line.

GC

[robG]

I did manage to cycle home at four o'clock this morning though... just not in a straight line.

I thought you were only going next door but one 

Rob .

[guest18]

No biking this weekend but yesterday we went up to Edzell castle in the tin box then toured back down via Braemar and Glenshee. Scenery? Ohhh yes 
Would have been nice on a bike but was a damn sight warmer and drier in the car! Today looked lovely but was otherwise occupied 
Will have to tie in for a little ride out sometime Mr Blue  you free weekdays over the next week or two at all??

[guest7]

I did manage to cycle home at four o'clock this morning though... just not in a straight line.

I thought you were only going next door but one 
 

Yes, that's where I started the evening, but after we left our neighbour's at 11.00 I decided to cycle over to my ex-wife's 40th birthday party (she lives about two miles away). My daughter had played the guilt card earlier in the evening when I said I wouldn't be going and I'm glad I made the effort because she was really pleased I turned up. I stayed until the drink ran out, sometime around 3.30am. 

GC

[bullet350]

 niblue; have you any idea how lucky you are to have rides like that?

in my area of the world (London/Essex border) any time after 9.30am (on the weekend) and the roads are too crowded.

even if you manage to find a road without a horsebox (are they limited to 15mph?), tart in a posrche 4X4, or pot holes you could vanish into, then the chances are its a motorway or its covered in diesel.

never mind; the ferry is booked for 20th of june and the countdown has begun!

[niblue]

No biking this weekend but yesterday we went up to Edzell castle in the tin box then toured back down via Braemar and Glenshee. Scenery? Ohhh yes 

When I've got the time coming south from Inverness I like to detour over Tomintoul then onto Braemar and Glenshee. Great biking roads - even managed to ground my Deauville's centrestand on that road.

Would have been nice on a bike but was a damn sight warmer and drier in the car! Today looked lovely but was otherwise occupied 
Will have to tie in for a little ride out sometime Mr Blue  you free weekdays over the next week or two at all??

Probably can't do an evening this week as SWMBO is away with work and I have to feed the kids etc. Week after I'm probably heading north for a long weekend but an evening borders bimble later in the week would be a possibility.

[niblue]

Lovely pics, you jammy sod 

Edinburgh has some great roads nearby - where those pictures were taken is just over 40 miles from my house, and all the way it's great biking roads.

[guest18]

Then get yourself up here for a visit   Pat (and others!) will confirm that we have hundreds of miles of road like this and it's well worth a visit.
If you can pack light camping kit then for a long weekend you can go up in a day, tour for a couple of days and ride back in a day and "wilderness camping" is legal.
Or you can google some cheap B&B's or campsites.
Probably cheaper than going abroad with the state of the euro and if you go up/down using the A6 or similar then you get a nicer ride there and back too  

Or of course you could nip through the chunnel and head to the South of France or Spain for some sunshine.... that's *way* easier for you than for us!

[guest18]

Probably can't do an evening this week as SWMBO is away with work and I have to feed the kids etc. Week after I'm probably heading north for a long weekend but an evening borders bimble later in the week would be a possibility.

Cool  Remind me and we'll sort something out... and some more photos to sicken all the people who live in smeg city 

[niblue]

 niblue; have you any idea how lucky you are to have rides like that?

I am indeed - I've lived in other places (Hong Kong for one) where having a motorbike would be completely pointless. I love Edinburgh, and access to these sorts of roads is one of the big attractions.

in my area of the world (London/Essex border) any time after 9.30am (on the weekend) and the roads are too crowded.

The section of road where that picture was taken is about 10-11 miles long and, believe it or not, I didn't see one other vehicle actually moving all the way along it. There were a couple of parked cars (hillwalkers probably - the high point on the road is something like 450m or so), and a small group of bikes stopped in one layby, but I had the road completely to myself. On the complete 100 mile loop I'd be amazed if I passed 100 other vehicles - and most of those would have been getting in and out of Edinburgh.

I saw a few other bikes at the cafe (there seemed to be some kind of bike related rally on at a hotel across the river from it), including a couple of chatty motorcycle cops.

[robG]

Top photos . We forget how lucky we are in the principality . We are only about 25/30 miles away from some great biking roads in Mid Wales.Saying that there are some crackers closer to home .Caerleon to Monmouth via the Wye Valley.
We all have favourite runs , how about a section in the news letter ,Thumper at Large or similar .

Boyd , thoughts ?

Rob .

[niblue]

It also worth noting that the location for that picture is only about 9 miles from the proposed location of the November meet.

[KirriePete]

Nice bit of scenery, nice roads.  Once you get away from the main routes, particularly the Edinburgh-Glasgow rat runs, you're pretty much guaranteed good riding anywhere up here.

Today I had to go to B&Q in Dundee for some odds'n'sods, so I took Arfur for a spin.  It's 21 miles from my front door to B&Q, but by the time I got back the tripmeter read 130+ miles!  It was one of those rides where you get in "the Zone" and just don't want to stop, great weather, mostly empty roads, brilliant scenery and a good thumper purring along.  For map freaks it was something like  this - shame I didn't have a camera on me!

Notes to self

1. Replace gaffa taped seat with new cover
b. While cover is off, insert gel pad in foam
iii. See the CNC bloke at work about a set of non-droopy footpegs.

[guest18]

Lovely run... but that's your house identified  look out for dodgy thumper types blagging cups of tea now!! 

(Only joking, you're safe... probably  )