Post by anon on Feb 2, 2007 20:28:16 GMT
From: FJRBob1 Sent: 10/29/2006 5:34 PM
Round Britain Rally – The first time
The RBR is basically a treasure hunt on a Motor cycle, the aim being to visit as many or as few of the 84 ‘land marks’ as you wish.
( for full details see link in first post of this thread)
I started on a cold & windy afternoon in early April my first LM was ‘The village water pump with a Lion on top’ in the village of Caistor, so with the trusty ‘Gladys the Garmin’ (GPS) loaded up I set off, nice steady run to Caistor, which I’ve by-passed several times but never stopped in the village, pulling into the Market square there was the Pump, with a Lions head on top, great, but where to park the bike to avoid push bikes, cars, kids, ect, finally settled on one with a group of cyclists tucking into their ‘bloater paste sarnies’, in the background, crikey, 1 hour gone already better get moving , got to be home for 6 o’clock tea, so set off at a brisk pace over the Humber Bridge & up the B1248 a great bikers road, no cameras, little traffic, lots of bends, good opportunity to ‘make progress’!
Found my next LM in Sledmere -a memorial to the’ Waggoners who died in the first world war’, took photo and set off hot foot for home….only 5 mins late,stern look from SWMBO.
When I first got the list of LMs I plotted them on a map of Britain then linked several together for a days biking, around 400 miles per day, but as the routes spread out like a spiders web I had to stay in B & Bs.
I had several excellent days out in April, the first being a visit to a Pumping station at Papplewick, (must go back on a ‘steam up’day) the old Smithy in Monyash-now a café, bumped into Reaper, into Stockport to the site of an aircraft crash-now a car park, coming home via the tunnels at Marsden near Huddersfield.
The next outing took me up the A1 to South Shields to photograph an old lifeboat called ‘The Tyne’, on up to Warkworth Castle, down to Finchale Priory, and home via Skipton on Swale, a lovely sunny and warm day ,if I remember.
The third week in April saw me in the Lake District, a Roman milestone near Temple Sowerby, then down to Ulverston canal basin, via those two superb passes, Hardnott and Wrynose, purpose built by the Romans for BMW GS riders (if you haven’t been over them –do so!) a long day, 12 hrs but well worth it, and sunny again.
The last week in April and off to Norfolk, and my first hiccup!. The route was down the A1 to Sleaford to visit a Water mill then along that horrible A17-too many double white lines and speed cameras-to the lighthouse at Happisburgh, then find a church and gravestone in Ashby.
‘Gladys’ took me to the church ok but no sign of the gravestone to a Bomber crew, so made inquiries at the house next to the church, a very helpful lady looked puzzled for a moment when I mentioned the Aircrew gravestone then said ‘have you got the right Ashby my dear’!!!! oh no I’m in Norfolk and the Ashby I want is in Suffolk! Right don’t panic Mr Mannering, grabbed my waterproof Aldi maps and scoured said map for Ashby in Suffolk-no sign, it’s after 4pm still got another LM to do in New Buckenham, got to be home for 6pm tea, oh well will have to return! Set off hot foot for home….15mins late, another stern look.
First week in May took me into mid Wales, to Wrexham, then down past the lovely Lake Bala to Corris, back to Berriew near Welshpool and home via Oswestry (into WRBcountry) and No man’s Heath near Malpas, a very long day 13 hours due to the bracket holding ‘Gladys’ breaking and I had to map read!! With ‘Gladys’ sulking in the top box. Another sunny day.
The end of May gave me my first ‘soaking’ day, down the A1 to get the Norman Cross at Stilton then through Desborough –a milestone topped with a ball-and right down to Eastleach Turville to get a very old bridge, didn’t care how old it was, I was soaked and still had to visit long Compton, Offenham and Ibstock, before I could get in the bath! Finally home at 7pm (well late for tea but didn’t care), over 400 soaking miles for the day.
In June ‘popped’ back to Suffolk to get the correct Ashby church and gravestone then across country to Letchworth-the Corset factory- then the water tower in Luton, followed by a blast (well a BM blast not a Fazer blast) up the A1 to sunny Doncaster, another 12 hour day and over 400mls.
Then in the middle of June a 5 day trip to Scotland, which basically went up the East side up to Dunnet Head, across the ‘top’ and down the west side down to Stranraer, I visited 20 LM’s and covered 1724miles (roughly!) with nearly every day being over 12hour days.
The highlight being that stretch of road from Pitlochry to Rannoch Station and back (B486) it’s a 70mile cul-d-sac!!. And the worst point being literally blown off the BM up near Kylesku (not far from Cape Wrath), I’d just changed gloves and was at the point of letting the clutch in, right foot coming up to the footpeg when ‘whoosh’ and I’m doing a forward roll down the road, luckily a Knight in shining armour stopped to help me pick the BM up(actually he was in a Ford Focus but it was silver)
I managed to pick the week when the weather broke, I had howling gales and pouring rain, but it’s still better than being at work!
In July my firm sent me to St mawgan for a week, so I did 10 LM’s on the way down and another 6 on the way home.
The ones going down were the Airfield at Boreham, a statue of a lion in Alfriston then a Toll house near Findon, and to Havant for a grave watchers hut(to stop bodysnatchers),stayed the night in Havant then next day went to the ‘Pepper box tower’ near Salisbury, then onto a war Memorial in Briantspuddle, there’s lots of ‘puddles’ around there! Next along the A35 and A38 to Plympton and the elusive ‘Triangular Folly House’, several people struggled with this LM, didn’t they Adrian! I eventually found it by getting off the bike and walking along the bit of road it was supposed to be in, and sure enough it was there, covered in ivy!
On then to the Marconi Memorial at Mullion, another walk to the actual Memorial. Finally up to Bude to get the Sea Locks and then back down to RAF St Mawgan, just in time for tea in the mess.
After a week in St Mawgan went along the North Devon coast to a Pack horse bridge near Porlock, on to Wellow near Bath then across the Downs to Newbury, that’s a lovely part of the country, on then to Chobham, to find a Cannon, found it and took photo then up to Marlow, thanks to ‘Gladys’ for guiding me around that area, found statue of Sir Steve Redgrave, then on to the Pendon Museum at Long wittenham, stayed the night in Wantage and joined Martins Stones Run next day, home that night.
September saw me going down to South Wales for the Off-road skills course, so I took the opportunity to sneak in a few LMs on the way down, one in Caerwent the other in Ystradmynach. After the course I picked up Llandybie lime kilns, a Tank and Propeller in Pembroke then up to the Internal Fire Museum of Power, spent a few hour there ,it was very interesting, all big Diesel engines, several running. Then across to Brecon, for the Canal Basin, and home via Eardisley.
The final part of the story, North Wales, was combined with the Welsh Rare Bit run, I did the last 4 LMs on the Saturday and the W-R-B on the Sunday.
Saturdays trip took me to Flint, to get a photo of a sculpture of a foot-12 ft high!! Then the highest pub in Wales called The Sportsmans Arms near Bylchau, next ‘The Ugly’ house on the A5 near Capel Curig, and the final one was a Preaching cross in a church yard in Llangaffo.
Well that’s it, my first RBR, have done roughly 6500miles, and enjoyed every single mile!, will I do it next year…..you bet I will.
Ridesafe
Regards Bob
Ps Went down to Lichfield to meet the guy who organisers the RBR and had my photos ‘marked’. Have been awarded an ‘allrounder’ ie been to all 84 LMs but I got one wrong, up in Scotland, at Kilmartin I had to photograph a circle of standing stones, but in my haste I didn’t read the clue properly and missed the word ‘circle’, went into the first field and snapped ‘standing ‘ stones, the circle of stones was in the second field, bu..g.er, (hope I don’t get doofered) only found out when I was 70 miles and 2 ferries away!!
A girl who had been a student on the Kilmartin site looked at my photo and confirmed I’d got the wrong photo.
Bob