Or “Day Trips on the XT660Z in Mid Wales”… Just down the road from the Overland Workshop is Llyn Brianne, test rides and day trips over the Epynt Army Range will lead inevitable to the circular route round Brianne, and in all honesty it is possible to ride a few hundred miles in 7 or 8 hours and avoid most of the traffic on the coastal roads running south from Aberstwyth. I have like many, missed the opportunity for overseas tours so have been making the most of what we have to offer here in the UK, which to be honest, is quite a lot. I dragged the XT660Z out of the workshop and loaded up the MetalMules with lunch and randomly set off on a back road bumble – 7 hours later I was back home… time flies for me on the bike – its a great mental health reset.
Tag Archives: All Weather Riding
Domestic Travel
With so many of us longing for longer distance travel options and with restrictions still in place for both EU and non EU entry and exit, let alone the changing dynamic of return to the UK – domestic trips are the answer. In November I was able to return to Scotland (still deep in area by area lockdown) and toured a little of the West coast (avoiding the NC 500) and the wild beauty of the highland uplands. After meandering up the A82 and missing my ferry for Skye, like many I chose the “long way round” and the 836 and one of my favourite roads via the River Tirry. Scotland has some amazing roads, fantastic food and lovely wild camping spots – reminded me of Norway in places and with lockdown continuing into 2021, I will be back this November.
Spring has sprung (again)
One of the advantages of riding north is the changing seasons, which seem to move as you ride. When I left the UK, spring had been and gone and young lambs were a distant memory. As I ride north through Scandinavia on my old R1150GSA, occasionally making good progress, but mostly on unmade up and gravel roads, I can see and smell the countryside around me. What strikes me most is the resemblance to the harsh southern European brush and scrub land, a sandy thin layer of soil tenaciously holding on with the aid of tree roots interspersed with massive glacial deposited rock boulders. Standing on the foot pegs controlling the bike gives me time to avoid most of the glacial deposits and plenty of time to smell the smells of spring.