To start with, let?s just explain the title ?PRAT - Yorkie 1K?. Paul came up with the name ?PRAT? as an abbreviation of ?Phil R Adventure Tours? lol. I just added Yorkie 1K as an homage to the chocolate bar and for the fact that using the Tinder rule of rounding up we did 1K miles on the trip.
The plan, a 4 day bike trip to Yorkshire and back, with @preynol1, @Felix, Mick (Ducatisti ?) and Gareth (not on forum yet), myself and @Phil who planned and lead the trip (#Legend). A day getting there, a day getting back with 2 solid days enjoying the Yorkshire Dales to the fullest. What could possibly go wrong.
The week prior to the trip everyone was getting final preparations in order, bikes sorted, kit sorted, ageing and broken bodies sorted lol ? except for poor @Felix ? who decided that some sort of DIY ECU flash and exhaust install was a prime decision 1 week prior to a bike trip. Staggeringly, to nobody except for Felix?s surprise, this did not go as planned ? So, due to a combination of work constraints and lets just say ?regrettable? decision making, poor Ben was to drop out on Day 0 of our trip. This sucked for me, as without Ben I was the youngest in the group and therefore the p*ss got taken out of me lol. Still, there was plenty of schadenfreude at Ben?s troubles. Top Gear love you can call it [emoji6]
Sunday 19th
Day 1: We all met at the Regiment Way McD/Shell garage at 8:15 am, bikes filled and coffee ingested ready for a winding route up to The Black Swan pub in Fearby, what would be our base camp for the trip. Despite precisely arriving on time, I was, yet again, the last one to arrive lol.
Our route up to Yorkshire only involved a duel carriageway at the Humber Bridge, which provided some great views.
Monday 20th
Day 2: Our first day in Yorkshire, cracking route planned, weather absolutely glorious, sun shining, ~ 18/20 C, no wind, perfect! The roads initially were slower and more technical than the fast sweeping roads we had experienced initially the previous afternoon, which provided an enjoyable variety to the experiences. Phil basically picked a bikers smorgasbord of fantastic routes [emoji6]
First pit stop of the day meant more coffee, banter and bladders drained. As we set off for the next section of the day, all is well ? until that is, the reality of having a Ducati on the trip sunk in ? all of sudden Mick is out of sight. Phil and I pull over next to some traffic lights and wait for a bit, joined by Paul who informs us that Gareth?s XR had developed a steering lock issue and possibly in the process of getting the steering lock to release, the bars had gone slightly out of alignment, so he was off to find a garage to sort the issue and would join us later. Seems there was a 2 for 1 deal going for problems that day! Paul heads back to check on Mick, who?s 1198S Corse had broken down by the side of a road. After hanging around for a good couple hours, no progress was made, the fault was thoroughly beyond the scope of a roadside repair, so it was time to call the recovery service.
At this point, we were in the early hours of the afternoon so wouldn?t have time to complete our intended route, so Paul, Phil and I head along some alternative, more local roads to find a place for lunch and hopefully see that Mick would have some positive news with his Ducati. As we set off, heading back down the road we initially came up, we see this unmissable sight of stranded Ducati by the side of the road with Mick and his colossal frame lying beached on top of this grass verge lol, it was unfortunate and funny at the same time!
After having lunch, it turns our that Mick?s Ducati had an electrical issue which meant that no matter what he wouldn?t be able to continue with the trip. So by mid afternoon we were now 2.5 bikes down ?
After lunch, Phil, Paul and I go for a blast along some great roads for about half an hour or so and then the weather turned ? so we took shelter in a local hotel, had more coffee, mutual sorrow for how the day had turned out and particularly for Mick not being able to continue with the trip. Still, on the positive side, his Ducati lasted longer than the previous trip, where the wing mirror came loose after the grand total of 10 miles lol.
After about half an hour the rain stops so we head off for a fun hours ride back to The Black Swan. Over dinner, it turns out poor Mick had even worse luck ? his Ducati had fallen over in the back of the recovery truck and has unsurprisingly sustained some damage ?
Tuesday 21st
Day 3: A new day, a new opportunity! Same routine again, breakfast at 8 am, off by 9 am ish. The weather was equally stunning, the roads were absolutely fantastic with quite fast sections but flowing open bends all over the Yorkshire Dales. It reminded me greatly of the first day of the NC700 (anti-clockwise) from last years Forum Tour! The elevation changes are always novel for us Essex folk. There was a couple section of roads where it was essentially like being on a rollercoaster, at one point Phil and I went airborne to a greater extent then I intended lol, was a proper sh*t your pants moment! The route took us to Kielder Water and on to the Scottish boarder [emoji41]
Towards the end of the day, about 15 mins from The Black Swan, we see this VW Golf with hazards on by the side of the road. Naturally Phil sees if all is OK, the owner, signals to say ?not so so sure ?? now, at this point if it had been a bloke I can imagine things would have gone rather differently. Turns out, she had a puncture and needed the wheel changed. So, we all chivalrously change the wheel for her. I got the easy job of directing what little traffic that came from up the road, probably looking like someone from The Line of Duty as for some unthinkable reason I had my helmet and gloves on for ages lol. From what I gathered Gareth just got to chat to her, smooth devil lol!
Getting back to The Black Swan, I think it?s fair to say we all had a great time reminiscing about the roads we?d just ridden, the remoteness of where we had been and the absolute pleasure of having very minimal traffic where it only ever added to the fun! That day alone would have made the whole trip worthwhile!
Wednesday 22nd
Day 4: Home time! Gareth joins Phil, Paul and I for the first stretch of the return journey and then peels off as is staying up North for work. Phil, Paul and I make good progress heading home, only encountering duel carriageway on the Humber Bridge as was the case on the way up. There were some road closures and SatNav issues as we got to Newmarket so we ended up going in circles at one point, it was also rather depressing to see the traffic return.
As we get to our final pit stop at Andrew?s Field near Dunmow, prior to returning home our separate ways, this extremely old chap just sits right next to me and starts asking about our bikes. Turns out he was a pilot in the RAF during WW2, used to be a motorcyclist and is 98 years old! He was fantastic, wore a shirt and tie, full of confidence and was remarkably well for nearly an antique. As we head off, he blips the throttle on my bike and instructs me to give it some power when pulling away. It was of course, my pleasure to oblige lol!
Was a really pleasant end to the trip, one of those genuinely ?nice? human encounters we get from time to time. Not going to lie though, the fact a 98 year old still drives to the airfield twice a week and then flies a micro-light is both empowering, that we could potentially be active in such geriatric years, and F****** terrifying [emoji33]
To conclude, we have all had a fantastic trip characterised by great roads and even better company [emoji4]
A massive thank you to @phil for taking the considerable time and effort to plan and lead the trip.
I look forward to riding with you all again in the hopefully not too distant future!
- Oli
The plan, a 4 day bike trip to Yorkshire and back, with @preynol1, @Felix, Mick (Ducatisti ?) and Gareth (not on forum yet), myself and @Phil who planned and lead the trip (#Legend). A day getting there, a day getting back with 2 solid days enjoying the Yorkshire Dales to the fullest. What could possibly go wrong.
The week prior to the trip everyone was getting final preparations in order, bikes sorted, kit sorted, ageing and broken bodies sorted lol ? except for poor @Felix ? who decided that some sort of DIY ECU flash and exhaust install was a prime decision 1 week prior to a bike trip. Staggeringly, to nobody except for Felix?s surprise, this did not go as planned ? So, due to a combination of work constraints and lets just say ?regrettable? decision making, poor Ben was to drop out on Day 0 of our trip. This sucked for me, as without Ben I was the youngest in the group and therefore the p*ss got taken out of me lol. Still, there was plenty of schadenfreude at Ben?s troubles. Top Gear love you can call it [emoji6]
Sunday 19th
Day 1: We all met at the Regiment Way McD/Shell garage at 8:15 am, bikes filled and coffee ingested ready for a winding route up to The Black Swan pub in Fearby, what would be our base camp for the trip. Despite precisely arriving on time, I was, yet again, the last one to arrive lol.
Our route up to Yorkshire only involved a duel carriageway at the Humber Bridge, which provided some great views.
Monday 20th
Day 2: Our first day in Yorkshire, cracking route planned, weather absolutely glorious, sun shining, ~ 18/20 C, no wind, perfect! The roads initially were slower and more technical than the fast sweeping roads we had experienced initially the previous afternoon, which provided an enjoyable variety to the experiences. Phil basically picked a bikers smorgasbord of fantastic routes [emoji6]
First pit stop of the day meant more coffee, banter and bladders drained. As we set off for the next section of the day, all is well ? until that is, the reality of having a Ducati on the trip sunk in ? all of sudden Mick is out of sight. Phil and I pull over next to some traffic lights and wait for a bit, joined by Paul who informs us that Gareth?s XR had developed a steering lock issue and possibly in the process of getting the steering lock to release, the bars had gone slightly out of alignment, so he was off to find a garage to sort the issue and would join us later. Seems there was a 2 for 1 deal going for problems that day! Paul heads back to check on Mick, who?s 1198S Corse had broken down by the side of a road. After hanging around for a good couple hours, no progress was made, the fault was thoroughly beyond the scope of a roadside repair, so it was time to call the recovery service.
At this point, we were in the early hours of the afternoon so wouldn?t have time to complete our intended route, so Paul, Phil and I head along some alternative, more local roads to find a place for lunch and hopefully see that Mick would have some positive news with his Ducati. As we set off, heading back down the road we initially came up, we see this unmissable sight of stranded Ducati by the side of the road with Mick and his colossal frame lying beached on top of this grass verge lol, it was unfortunate and funny at the same time!
After having lunch, it turns our that Mick?s Ducati had an electrical issue which meant that no matter what he wouldn?t be able to continue with the trip. So by mid afternoon we were now 2.5 bikes down ?
After lunch, Phil, Paul and I go for a blast along some great roads for about half an hour or so and then the weather turned ? so we took shelter in a local hotel, had more coffee, mutual sorrow for how the day had turned out and particularly for Mick not being able to continue with the trip. Still, on the positive side, his Ducati lasted longer than the previous trip, where the wing mirror came loose after the grand total of 10 miles lol.
After about half an hour the rain stops so we head off for a fun hours ride back to The Black Swan. Over dinner, it turns out poor Mick had even worse luck ? his Ducati had fallen over in the back of the recovery truck and has unsurprisingly sustained some damage ?
Tuesday 21st
Day 3: A new day, a new opportunity! Same routine again, breakfast at 8 am, off by 9 am ish. The weather was equally stunning, the roads were absolutely fantastic with quite fast sections but flowing open bends all over the Yorkshire Dales. It reminded me greatly of the first day of the NC700 (anti-clockwise) from last years Forum Tour! The elevation changes are always novel for us Essex folk. There was a couple section of roads where it was essentially like being on a rollercoaster, at one point Phil and I went airborne to a greater extent then I intended lol, was a proper sh*t your pants moment! The route took us to Kielder Water and on to the Scottish boarder [emoji41]
Towards the end of the day, about 15 mins from The Black Swan, we see this VW Golf with hazards on by the side of the road. Naturally Phil sees if all is OK, the owner, signals to say ?not so so sure ?? now, at this point if it had been a bloke I can imagine things would have gone rather differently. Turns out, she had a puncture and needed the wheel changed. So, we all chivalrously change the wheel for her. I got the easy job of directing what little traffic that came from up the road, probably looking like someone from The Line of Duty as for some unthinkable reason I had my helmet and gloves on for ages lol. From what I gathered Gareth just got to chat to her, smooth devil lol!
Getting back to The Black Swan, I think it?s fair to say we all had a great time reminiscing about the roads we?d just ridden, the remoteness of where we had been and the absolute pleasure of having very minimal traffic where it only ever added to the fun! That day alone would have made the whole trip worthwhile!
Wednesday 22nd
Day 4: Home time! Gareth joins Phil, Paul and I for the first stretch of the return journey and then peels off as is staying up North for work. Phil, Paul and I make good progress heading home, only encountering duel carriageway on the Humber Bridge as was the case on the way up. There were some road closures and SatNav issues as we got to Newmarket so we ended up going in circles at one point, it was also rather depressing to see the traffic return.
As we get to our final pit stop at Andrew?s Field near Dunmow, prior to returning home our separate ways, this extremely old chap just sits right next to me and starts asking about our bikes. Turns out he was a pilot in the RAF during WW2, used to be a motorcyclist and is 98 years old! He was fantastic, wore a shirt and tie, full of confidence and was remarkably well for nearly an antique. As we head off, he blips the throttle on my bike and instructs me to give it some power when pulling away. It was of course, my pleasure to oblige lol!
Was a really pleasant end to the trip, one of those genuinely ?nice? human encounters we get from time to time. Not going to lie though, the fact a 98 year old still drives to the airfield twice a week and then flies a micro-light is both empowering, that we could potentially be active in such geriatric years, and F****** terrifying [emoji33]
To conclude, we have all had a fantastic trip characterised by great roads and even better company [emoji4]
A massive thank you to @phil for taking the considerable time and effort to plan and lead the trip.
I look forward to riding with you all again in the hopefully not too distant future!
- Oli
