At the end of last year, a colleague at work mentioned that her and her hubby, as well as a few other friends, had signed up to a festival run by Adventure Bike Magazine the following midsummer. I'd been muttering about lack of holiday plans or ideas so she suggested I tag along. I did a bit of research into what was involved and, despite attendance being over 15000, signed up on the basis that I could get a discounted ticket price (£130) and it it was only for a weekend. The idea would be to also include a tour of the UK into the weekend which I could duck out of if need be, so it seemed like a god idea at the time....
This led to me having a vague plan to be a bit more sociable in 2025, also being signed up for the Highland Trail group start and a gravel sportive in the Trossachs, of all things. The first challenge was meeting the team and resisting my tendency towards zero contact with strangers outside of work. In the event we had a very pleasant evening, by the end of which we had 5 nights of digs booked either side of the actual do, and a vague plan for routes to and between these places.
Bike wise, the Ten was the obvious choice, particularly since it was now looking very burley after me throwing quite a lot of cash at it over the winter. The Triumph would have been cooler but it's not the sort of thing I'd want ride in the company of various BMW's and Chris's 1000cc cruiser, as they would either have to go a lot slower, or I'd end up killing the thing, given the unavoidable amount of motorway bashing required for the trip.
The festival takes place in the grounds of Ragley Hall, a very large stately home which seems to host all manner of similar events, located just west of Stratford-upon-Avon, in darkest Worcestershire. So a long way down, so to speak, but fairly straightforward with some motorway work. Of interest was an off road loop round the grounds and neighbouring countryside, available to ticket holders. Annoyingly I was too late for the initial batch of trail passes and also missed out on a later offering. Oh well, I'd bag a few trails heading down to and back from the weekend and would hopefully be able to blag a pass once down there.
Soon enough, it was time for the off. I was calling in at Mum and Dad's to break up the journey, and did indeed score a few more new trails:
A fine trail above Wooler, the Cheviots in the background.
Not shown is one rather tricky burn crossing (as usual, I was in such a tizz to actually get the beast through it, I forgot to take a pic) I did actually reccy this on foot but the Ten got through it with ease, dab free! After some QT with Mum and Dad I headed for the deep south, planning on meeting up with the others on the M6 south of Manchester.
Another good route above Wensleydale near to the huge Catterick MOD area. I also did the ubiquitous Cam road above Hawes, much walked, cycled and motored, including on the GS. Today the rain came in and it ended up being a bit tricky as the limestone was super slippery. I'd gone as far as fitting a set of off road biased tyres (Motoz) which had caused a few concerns on the way down as they reacted to any kind of tarmac imperfections rather alarmingly, until they wore in a bit. However the benefits of them on this kind of situation were writ large as although I had a few slithers and one stall, they got through without too much grief. The Scorpions would have been terrible!
So tea and a bacon roll were needed to recover from this, sourced in the Pennygarth in Hawes, the Ten already looking like it had been on an adventure. The weather brightened up heading south by various back roads and some new terrain. Definitely a place to explore further with more trails to do as well. I eventually hit the M6 at Preston, with a rude awakening as it was mobbed, despite being mid afternoon. That said I got to Knutsford services, our meet up point, on time and just after the rest had arrived.
Coffee followed and then a steady run to Stoke and our first travel lodge. The last time I was on this motorway in motorcycle company was to the ill fated 2000 dragon rally. That had been chaos given the variety and age of machinery (and it being February) whereas this time was pretty slick, us all being good riders on good machines. Plus the safety benefits of being on the motorway in a group were manifest.
Food, drink and good cheer followed. As usual, alcohol loosened my tongue and it looked like we would be a good company for the duration of the trip, at least!
An overcast morning saw us hit the Mway once more. The M6 toll gave us a brief respite from the chaos but the M42 was busy, busy. As Martin C said - "why aren't these people at their work?" Anyway, we turned off soon enough we arrived at the site. It's a bit like the Isle of Mann in a way, you suddenly enter motorbike world, literally thousands of bikes all around us. Sign on was dispensed with and we rode into the vast site looking for a camping spot. Despite our early arrival, all the fields were pretty full, so it was a case of finding a likely looking spot where we could. In the event it worked well as we were fairly close to a loo block and not too far from the main arena. By the time we were pitched up, the sun was beating down. Fortunately a stiff breeze kept things cool!
The gang and our camp.
The place was crowded!
Much wandering round the site followed. I was amazed at how many of the bike manu's had stands. The adventure bike market is the biggest of all motorbike genres just now. Just looking round the rally site highlighted this with hundreds of every type of off-road biased bike available as well as hundreds of others. I suspect the vast majority will never see any more dirt than this rally site but I can see the appeal, afterall, they have appealed to me since 2005! Of course as well as bikes and things to bolt too them, there was camping stuff, bags, guided tours, clothing, gadgets and of course food and drink. Even the bar prices weren't too bad with a couple of happy hours on offer - we had to use them both, obviously...
The evening entertainment was a series of cover bands of which I was somewhat dubious. However the AC/DC lot were pretty good (or I'd drank enough not to care) so a great night followed and we crashed back in the tents near to midnight. First shock - all was quiet. No drunken singing, shouting or fighting, no revving of bikes, no sounds of people throwing up. Not really a bike rally then....
Saturday morning dawned cool and grey once more but the sun was soon to make an appearance and temps would be soaring. Sunburn featured heavily in our morning moans, Chris in particular having suffered horribly. I guess we northerners just aren't used to it! Anyway, the highlight of today was an expedition round the trails by the three who had scored trail passes. Me, Martin C and Chris had hoped to get on a test ride but these were queued for miles to sign up so we gave up. Then lo and behold, a totally random stranger walked up to us as we wandered back to the bikes offering a spare pass! Nice one, I was off.
Trail warriors start line. It was now into the high 20's so donning bike clobber wasn't really welcome, and doing the route in shorts and T shirts seemed a bit daft. Off we went. Dust was the my first challenge as other bikes went past. Then it was negotiating loose, dry corners, often with spectators, without dropping the bike. At one point we were diverted onto a road and after a lot of faffing I ended up back at the start. This seemed a bit off but it transpired that the main part of the trails had been closed due to a crash. Hopefully all was well, but the appearance of the air ambulance was of concern. Martin, Lesley and David had had enough in any case, but I set off once things had re-opened. And it was pretty tough, despite being on the 'easy' route. Ruts, loose gravel, rocks, and other bikes were the challenge. I made a reasonable fist of it all, with only a couple of slides and dabs to upset my normal steady pace. Of course there were plenty of heroes charging around at high speed, but apart from clouds of dust, this presented no problem, I just got well out of the way. By the end I was knackered, hot and dying of thirst. The bike looked like it had been to hell and back, not covered in mud, but dust!
All good fun. I beat as much as I could out of my clothing (and me) given we would be entering civilised environments in the following week. Then it was back to the bar for a well earned pint, more food, music and banter.
Sunday was departure day. We had one final wander round the site after breakfast then packed up. Temps were set to soar to their highest that day - up to 30 degrees - so it was nice to get going before this happened. The plan was to head to Cheddar Gorge before hitting a posh hotel for post rally recovery. Others were keen to visit the farm owned by Jeremy Clarkson and on the telly, which was not far off our route. This was of no interest to me but I was happy to tag along and view a part of the world I've never really encountered - the Cotswolds no less. Despite winging a route on google maps, we managed to hit some nice roads. The traffic was pretty fierce at times, despite it being a Sunday but we managed to negotiate several hold ups without too much boiling over. It does highlight how quiet Scotland is though, even the busy bits!
After the farm visit and a much needed ice cream we headed off again via Asda for (also much needed) after-sun and cold drinks. A fair bit of traffic followed as we entered areas of high population, eventually leading to a route re-think as the afternoon was wearing on and we were fed up of the stop start of the local A road network. So more motorway miles followed but less than an hour saw us near to our nights rest. Of course there was one last snarl up where a trunk road went through an ancient village high street (what happened to all the bypasses built down here in the '80's?) and a refreshingly decrepit U road finally spitting us out at a very posh and fabulously located hotel. Much relaxation, food and drink followed.
What a view, right over the Severn Estuary. Not shown is the M4, on which we'd just been and the noise from which somewhat spoiled this fine view. This was mainly due to it being chocker block northbound, thanks to Glastonbury Traffic. Thank god we weren't involved in that lot!
Monday morning and guess what - clear blue skies and more blazing sun. I'm not one to complain of such things but the temps were getting to me. I just don't experience enough of them to get acclimatised... First up was Cheddar Gorge. we'd ended up missing this out yesterday and thank goodness, as it would have been mobbed. This morning it was quiet, so we cruised up the dramatic chasm, leaving the tourists behind.
More nice roads followed and then a return to the Motorway. It was still as busy as, and connecting to the old Severn Crossing, as requested by Chris Severn of course, was a bit traumatic as the lanes to the various motorways went in all directions. Worse, I was in the lead, and a mistake would have been catastrophic probably requiring a 20 mile diversion to get back on route. Anyway, it all went well and soon enough were cruising over the old bridge, free of traffic. Then into Wales at last and the prospect of more good roads.
Given my familiarity with Mid Wales, on a bicycle at least, I was in the lead. The route was a corker in the event and after yesterdays traffic mayhem, blessedly quiet. The temps were still high but we were all looking forward to the prospect of a steady fall over the day. I'd noted a few familiar landmarks from my sojourns round the BB200 and 300 routes and after Rhayader we passed my much loved Spar / Greggs garage that had saved my bacon in both 2022 and 23. After Llanidloes we scored again, taking the B road which passes Hafren Res and goes right up to Llanbrynmair - an absolute corker. We stopped here for a breather and the loo, only a few miles to go.
More tricky nav followed to a cottage booked back in January and of doubtful provenance. In the event I found it easy enough and it was a gem. Best of all we were here for two nights so much relaxation would follow.
And what a view. This was near Dolgellau on the edge of Snowdonia. Thanks to missing last years BB300, the last time I was here was in about 1985! Food, beer and poker followed as well as plans for the next day. This would see a visit to Port Merion, bizarre fake Italian village and scene of 'The Prisoner' '60's drama (also bizarre) and then a run round to Betswy Coed via some famous roads.
Definitely a very strange place. All very ornate, but no-one lives here and most of the buildings are empty. A few places can be rented and their is the usual supply of cafes and tat shops.
Very welcome were the sub 20 degree temps. There was a lot of cloud around and rain in the forecast but it was dry on the road up to Llanberis and it delivered as predicted, again with not much traffic.
Fair to say, the roads in Wales were ace. I had it in my head they would be mobbed, and probably would be on a sunny weekend. For us they were pretty much empty.
We got to Betswy Coed soon after and Martin C, Chris and David departed to have a go on a toboggan affair which is part of one of those high level aerial ropeways suspended above a quarry. Myself, Martin R and Lesley wandered round the shops as the trips only rain shower came through. The others returned as we finished yet another coffee and then it was a leisurely run back to the cottage via the Dolgellau Indian takeaway. More relaxation followed and tomorrow would see the start of the return home in earnest.
Chris left early as he wanted to get home sharp and rescue his dog from his sister's place. We left at a more leisurely 9.30 and headed Northwest, destination Chester and the wretched motorway network. The A494 is one of the main roads out of Snowdonia and there was a fair bit of traffic on it. We stopped in Llangollen for a cuppa and figured on a couple more stops before departing Wales. First up was the Pont Cysyllte aqueduct, which I've seen pictures of, but naturally never figured out where it is....
Good old Thomas Telford. This is near his stamping ground of Shropshire of course and his feats of Engineering are all over the place. We then picked up the horseshoe pass, away from the traffic once more. We'd noted many roads with reduced speed limits and this one was no exception, with a 40 all the way up. This would continue for a long time....
Last fine views of Wales before more motorway mayhem.
Getting to the M56 took a while thanks to low speed limits, traffic and google maps getting confused. Of course when we hit the motorway, it was chaos once more. A stiff westerly didn't help, blowing me all over the place at times. However we eventually got onto the M6 and finally got a breather at a services.
That nights digs were another Travel Lodge but isolated in a services so we figured on chilling out somewhere beforehand. I suggested Morecambe seafront and Martin R suggested a chippy! Win, as although breezy, the sun was shining providing fine views of the Lakeland hills. As is usually the case with Northern English chippies, it was brilliant!
Eric Morecambe statue as he came from here. A pose doubtless made by many!
Finally we cruised up the road, had one brief sojourn on the M6 (now quieter) and into the services. A couple of beers followed and more Farewells as Martin R was off early to get home sharp. We left at 9 or so and I bid cheerio to Martin C, David and Lesley who were Fife bound but via the lakes. I cut east and rode to Mum and Dad's via a few roads I'd not been on in years and a couple of last green lanes.
I got to see Dad twice and then headed home, expecting to be rained on, but in the event it was only a bit damp for an hour or so before dry roads home. Crossing the bridge was, as usual, a relief, Fife welcoming me home once more.
Total distance for me was 1400 miles! The bike looked a bit battered, but a thorough wash later and it was as good as new once more. I'd enjoyed the social side much more than expected. If I'd been on my own, I'd have blazed through the route as quick as possible and likely spoke to no-one but the bike. So all being well I'll be off again with the group next year, as well as a few day rides. Suggestions a' plenty but we'll see what comes up.
Kit notes...
Just my usual to keep track of what I used, what worked, and what didn't....
Bike - Yam T7 was defo the one for this. It's not a motorway machine as it gets a bit buzzy at motorway speeds, but it coped, and for the rest of the riding, on and off road it was the business. The Motoz tyres were overkill, the Mich's that Lesley and David were sporting were a better bet. They haven't worn much at least, but they weren't the best on damp roads. That said, they were OK and actually pretty good on dry roads, so a good choice if you are off on the TET. Which I will hopefully do next year, so I'll tear them off and stash them for later.
Bags - upmarket throwovers are the thing for the adventure set these days. This is ironic as aluminium boxes bolted onto a Yam XT600 were de-rigeur back in the '80's if you were heading off round the world. Of course two dudes on GS's compounded this view! Then, in a parallel with cycle touring / bikepacking, everyone suddenly switched to soft luggage for the weight and space savings. I'd got a set from a German outfit that were half the price of the fancy ones much in evidence at the show and these worked pretty well, limiting the amount of junk I carried and being fairly secure.
Sleeping - I went with Hexepeak with just my usual borah bivvy / mat / quilt that I use on the bike. The Hexepeak is huge so has plenty of space for bulky bike gear and is fairly weather proof. In the event I could have happily done without it!
Other gear was kept to a bare minimum to enable lounging around in hotels and cottages without offending anyone.
What definitely didn't work was my bulky Rukka Jacket and Klim jeans, weighing a ton and being horribly hot in the high '20's temps we endured, even with all the zips open. My only purchases of the weekend was a mesh seat cover to help keep a cool bum and a lightweight overjacket to go with an already bought armoured shirt. Cue many cold and wet bike rides....
