combinepdf (2)

www.motorcyclenews.com
AS NOMINATED BY #RIDE5000MILES MEMBERS
# RIDE MILES
TEN GREAT RIDES TO GET YOU STARTED
Kickstart your biking year with some of the best routes in the country,
1
THE MOORLAND ONE
2
TICK WHEN
THE MOORLAND ONE
COMPLETE
North York Moors – Beverley to Whitby
‘You can
lose yourself
for hours’
As recommended by
Chris Hood
Length 68 miles
What makes it
great The North
York Moors are a
fantastic place to
head towards for a
ride because there
are so many little roads heading
off into the wilderness that you
can easily spend all day exploring.
Starting at Beverley, take the B1248
towards the wonderfully named
Wetwang and then on towards
Malton. From here you enter the
Moors. Either go to Whitby for some
fantastic seafood, cut towards
Scarborough, or explorie the Moors.
Stop for a break at Goathland. Just
off the A169, this is where Heartbeat
was filmed and also the scene of
the Hogwarts Express stop in Harry
Potter.
WETWANG
BEVERLEY
WHITBY
‘One of my
favourite days out’
As recommended by Jon Ashley
Length 110 miles
What makes it great Being based in
Manchester, this route recommended
by Jon is his escape from the big city
and although we have only highlighted
a small section, there is plenty more
to see and do! Starting in Manchester,
you cross the northern tip of the Peak
District on your way to Penistone
on the A628 before cutting north to
MANCHESTER
North York Moors – Beverley to Whitby
Squires Café in
Sherburn-in-Elmet.
From here you
skirt York and aim towards Driffield
where a wonderful lunch stop awaits.
From here you can either explore the
Yorkshire coast or loop back through
the Moors to complete a great day.
Stop for a break at Seaways café,
Driffield.
SQUIRES CAFÉ
DRIFFIELD
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
3
THE MID-WALES ONE
Lake Vyrnwy loop
‘The views
are stunning’
As recommended by Tom Watson
Length 117 miles
What makes it great Wales is a
wonderful place to ride around and the
views don’t get much better than at
Lake Vyrnwy – even if you visit it in the
middle of January as Tom did! Starting
at Machynlleth, take the A489 and then
A458 towards Welshpool before looping
back on yourself and picking up the tiny
DOLGELLAU
MACHYNLLETH
as suggested by MCN’s #ride5000miles members
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
B4393 that encircles
Lake Vyrnwy. There
is no need to rush as the roads are often
covered in gravel, and once you have had
your fill of the views, aim towards Bala
and take A494 to Dolgellau. A really
wonderful way to spend a morning.
Stop for a break at The Old Barn Café,
Lake Vyrnwy.
LAKE VYRNWY
4
THE SCOTTISH ONE
Borders to Kielder
‘A really enjoyable ride’
As recommended by Alex Morrison
Length 142 miles
What makes it great Instead of
following the dull A1, take the A697 at
Morpeth towards Coldstream and then
pick up the A698, which are both fun
roads to ride. From here, go towards
Jedburgh and then into the Kielder
Forest before winding your way back to
Morpeth through the Northumberland
COLDSTREAM
KIELDER FOREST
National Park using whichever route
tickles your fancy. A great day out and a
perfect way to blow off a few cobwebs
– whatever the weather! And being
this close to Scotland, waterproofs are
often required…
Stop for a break at Carter Bar on
the A68 – simply
wonderful views.
MORPETH
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
5
THE VALLEYS ONE
Elan Valley to Devil’s Bridge
‘Always worth a visit’
As recommended by Andrew Jones
Length 70 miles
What makes it great We have chosen
Builth Wells as a good starting point,
but as Andrew says, you can’t go
wrong anywhere in the Elan Valley.
Picking up the A470 you pass through
Rhayader before swapping to the
A44 enjoying some wonderful roads
and scenery as you head towards
DEVIL’S BRIDGE
BUILTH WELLS
#MCNwednesday
PUT ON
YOUR
GARAGE
WALL!
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
Aberystwyth. Before you reach
this seaside town, drop south at
Ponterwyd and stop at the stunning
Devil’s Bridge. Loop back to Builth
on some smaller roads that lead to
Rhayader across the Elan Valley for a
great morning’s riding.
Stop for a break at Mid Wales Inn,
Pant-y-dwr, Rhayader.
6
THE COMPACT ONE
Grantham-Uppingham-Harborough
‘Mainly B-roads and great views’
As recommended by Tony Hubbard
Length 90 miles
What makes it
great Rutland
may be the UK’s
smallest county,
but it gives big in
terms of riding
enjoyment.
Starting at
Uppingham, the B664 is a wild
rollercoaster of road towards Market
Harborough that is fantastic to ride.
Picking up the B6047 you head to
the home of the pork pie, Melton
Mowbray, before cutting through
some lovely back roads as you head
towards Colsterworth and Grantham.
At this point you can pick up the A1
south, but it is much more fun to use
the smaller roads to visit Stamford
and finally return to Uppingham. A
great route for a sunny Sunday ride
and Chris Walker Kawasaki is on the
route, so why not pop in and
say hello?
Stop for a break at the Two Flags
Café on the A47, near Morcott.
GRANTHAM
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
UPPINGHAM
MARKET HARBOROUGH
7
THE CHALLENGING ONE
B660 – Kimbolton to Ramsey
‘Built with bikes in mind’
As recommended by David Smith
Length 43 miles
What makes it great The B660 is one
of those roads that seems to have been
built with motorcyclists in mind. There
are faster ways to cover the relatively
short distance between Kimbolton and
Ramsey, but none are as exciting as
the B660. While some think this area
of the UK is all flat and featureless, the
B660 proves doubters wrong and has
KIMBOLTON
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
plenty of ups and
downs as well
as challenging
corners. Occasionally the surface can
be a little suspect, and farmers do like
to spread mud on it during the winter
months, but overall, it’s a great route
to ride.
Stop for a break at Extend your ride
and stop at Old Warden.
RAMSEY
8
THE EASTERN ONE
East Coast - Hunstanton to Grimsby
‘Part of the
IronButt’s
photo tour…’
As recommended by
Gordon Sears
Length 95 miles
What makes it
great Starting with
a belly full of fish
and chips from one
of Hunstanton’s
many cafés, work
off the grease with
a gentle ride through King’s Lynn
before picking up the A17 towards
Grimsby. It’s a pleasant road that
winds through small villages (watch
out for speed cameras) before
dipping into the Lincolnshire Wolds.
This route is best avoided when there
is a major race at Cadwell Park as it
goes right past the circuit entrance
and on busy weekends the police are
fairly active.
Stop for a break at Mablethorpe
beach, there may be some beach
race action.
GRIMSBY
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
CADWELL PARK
HUNSTANTON
9
THE LANCASHIRE ONE
10
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
West coast – Skipton to
‘A superb rideout’
As recommended by Daniel Tetley
Length 143 miles
What makes it great Starting at
Skipton, you cut through the gap
between the Yorkshire Dales and
Forest of Bowland. If you want more,
just turn off the A65 and head into
either, but we recommend you go
towards Morecambe and see if you
can spot John McGuinness sunning
himself on the seafront! Then,
MORECAMBE
BLACKPOOL
head southward
avoiding the M6
by picking up the A588 to Blackpool
where rock, ballroom dancing and
donkeys await. Take the A59 back
to Skipton, or add more miles by
turning left at Sawley to explore the
Forest of Bowland.
Stop for a break at Blackpool – the
UK’s answer to Cannes!
SKIPTON
THE COFFEE-FUELLED
Ryka’s Café to Loomies
‘A run between two cafés’
As recommended by Robin Doughty
Length 64 miles
What makes it great This great
idea of a ride between two of the
UK’s most popular biker cafés came
from #ride5000miles member Robin
Doughty. Starting at the famous Ryka’s
at Box Hill in Dorking, after a warming
drink you head south to pick up the
excellent A272 as its runs across
the UK. The quickest way is to head
LOOMIES
TICK WHEN
COMPLETE
down the A24 to
Horsham, but there
are several back
roads you can take
instead. Once on the A272, head west
through Petworth and Petersfield.
Just before you reach Winchester
you’ll see Loomies where the A32
crosses the A272.
Stop for a break at Either café!
RYKA’S CAFÉ