First Biking "Tour"

Ninja_Spirit

January 2015
I'm planning on Heading up to Northern Ireland, getting Ferry across to Scotland, up to John O Groats and then back, roughly a week and a half/2 week biking trip.
Furthest I've been is Dublin and Back in a Day so its a pretty big trip for me.
Any advise for a newbie? Obviously bike would have to be in tip top condition, having all paperwork, gear, clothes and money.
Anyone been across the border and onto Scotland?

By the way if anyone wants to tag along- the more the merrier!

Faing

I'd rethink the dates matey...there isn't too much daylight at that time of the year in January, it is also very cold and a distinct possibility of snow/ice up there. In the summer it is a great destination, the West coast of Scotland is really good for a bike but January? it is a bit errr Bleak to say the least. the summer also has the benefits of long long days and very little darkness. Good Luck.



http://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/motorbike-rides-in-united-kingdom-/highland-scotland--___2144.html

Ninja_Spirit

In the ideal world yep i'd head off in the summer but i'd be lucky to have 2 days straight off work in the summer!

Faing

If it had to be January then I'd be heading for France/Spain. 3 days each way and 6 days leisure time (in the sun)

CJhaughey

If you are set on January at least try and go somewhere there is a chance of seeing some dry weather.
France would be better than Scotland Rosslare-Cherbourg or Roscoff would be my pick and then down to the South of France.
Scotland in January could very well be hazardous riding conditions, and not much fun at all.

Ninja_Spirit

Hmm..its a good thought, but then i havent travelled hardly anywhere far on the bike- What with different sides of the road, language, diff rules etc it would be a bit daunting, where Scotland is a lot closer to home. I could pop over to the UK and do a bit of biking but its not as well known as Scotland is for the twisties. Nothing set in stone as of yet anyway, thinking thinking.....

Wonda-Boy

Ninja_Spirit wrote: »

Hmm..its a good thought, but then i havent travelled hardly anywhere far on the bike- What with different sides of the road, language, diff rules etc it would be a bit daunting, where Scotland is a lot closer to home. I could pop over to the UK and do a bit of biking but its not as well known as Scotland is for the twisties. Nothing set in stone as of yet anyway, thinking thinking.....

If you absolutely must go in them dates then go to Wales instead, it will be still wet and that but at least you are not in the extreme north of the country. You could also drive across the UK and get the ferry from Harwich and go to Holland and back down to France....its not that long at all and you have plenty of time to only do short stints of riding.

I did the Harwich to Holland route this summer and its a great experience.

CJhaughey

Twisties are not that much fun in cold wet conditions.
How about a different idea?
Guided tour in Morocco, November usually and led by an experienced guide with all the hard stuff already taken care of?
http://saharaoverland.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/tours-2/

Ninja_Spirit

That Harwich to Holland sounds amazing
And yeah thinking about it..road surfaces are gonna be crap after the winter.
Is there much biking to be done in Wales?
In the summer we're going to Go through France and onto Portugal, so trying to build up some mileage before then.

Faing

Wales is chock full of beautiful biking roads but unfortunately it is also now full of Bike hating chief constables who try their hardest to relieve you of your licence (and money). Great if you want to plod round and look at the scenery, not so good if you want some good fast twisites.
Don't worry about the language barrier in France/Spain/Holland/Belgium, if you are spending money they understand fine. If they don't, just shout louder and wave your arms about. You'll not need to feck about with sterling either and will realise how expensive Ireland is.
Calais to Malaga in the south of Spain is around 1300miles Barcelona is 800 miles so its 2 or 3 days in the saddle at the very most.

gerrowadat

January is a super risky time to make plans on both islands - from what I hear from the longer-term weather, you'd be lucky to get a car in and out of scotland and wales come january. Sure I nearly got stuck in wales in the car last year, and it was pretty mild.

Wonda-Boy

TBH, there is no real difference driving abroad then at home...if fact the roundabouts are easier I found to join looking to the left. Roads are better, other drivers are better and you are in good form enjoy the trip. Dont over think it, it would be good to have experience of long trips but not a deal breaker. Take it easy do it at your own pace and dont plan a trip that has you in the saddle all the time....no fun in that.

inchiuvatu

do you do much winter riding on the bike? and what bike you thinking of using? with the right gear and bike i can understand the draw of adventure going to scotland in the cold and dark i'd ssay you could see some beautiful sights.. but if your not used to that kind of riding it might be difficult and not very rewarding especially if you end up dropping your bike a few times in wet/icey condition

i was in france on the bike this summer.. i speak no french and made no plans just drove for as long as i wanted and then stop in the nearest campsite to pitch a tent and it was the best holiday i've had! me and the misses exploring europe.

im looking forward to reading about your trip if you do head scot-side cause with a couple of people it could be a good laugh!

Hotblack Desiato

The north of France, where you get off the ferries, isn't really that different climate-wise from here. Wet, cold and very real risk of iced up roads.

You want to be in the south of Spain at the very least, and forget riding there as it'll be no fun at that time of year. Take a plane to the south of Spain, or probably better the Canaries, and hire a bike there. The north end of Lanzarote has good biking roads and decent weather in January, takes a couple of hours to get there from the south where most of the resorts are.

Muahahaha

Would agree with others not to go to northern Scotland in January, the chances of snow and ice are just too much and it will be very cold. If you don't want to drive on the opposite side of the road then you could still do the Northern Ireland leg and head to Scotland but stay more south, take in Glasgow and Edinburgh before heading south through England and making up your own route through the many national parks. Places like the Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, etc are worth a jaunt.You could also take in some of the main tourist towns and attractions like Oxford, Cambridge, Stonehenge, Bath, etc Further south you've got the New Forest which has some scenic roads, after that you could get to Brighton and follow the coast all the way to Newquay in Cornwall and onto Lands End before looping around the east coast and into Wales before looping back onto the ferry to Dublin.
Whatever you decide to do the correct gear is essential, the UK will be just as cold as here in January so riding in that six or seven hours a day could get very uncomfortable. No point in finding great roads to ride on if your toes are frozen solid and its all you can think about.

batman_oh

I did the Scottish highlands in May this year and two days were utterly awful. I wouldn't go there in January on a bike if you paid me as it will be freezing, wild, wet and possibly icy/snowy. It's a lot more northern than we are and also more exposed as you get near the top. It does have the best bike roads anywhere if you go at the right time though. Many areas of amazing roads with race track surfaces (no gravel, potholes, bumps) and massive visibility with almost no junctions/houses/anything to stop you going as fast as you want!
Just not in the middle of winter
January I'd be heading to France/Spain as said above

Ninja_Spirit

Thanks for all the reply's peeps! Going to reconsider the trip and try book some time off later in the year for Scotland. Dont fancy crashing to start the year off!
Instead there is a nice Run thats being organised from Dublin down to Wexford 2nd or 3rd week of January -Weather depending. Anyone interested in joining? I've never been up that neck of the woods on the bike so it would be cool to get a good gang to go along with who know the good roads.

rat_race

Ninja_Spirit wrote: »

Thanks for all the reply's peeps! Going to reconsider the trip and try book some time off later in the year for Scotland. Dont fancy crashing to start the year off!
Instead there is a nice Run thats being organised from Dublin down to Wexford 2nd or 3rd week of January -Weather depending. Anyone interested in joining? I've never been up that neck of the woods on the bike so it would be cool to get a good gang to go along with who know the good roads.

I went abroad with my bike, twice this year. France (& Spain) and then Scotland a month later. France was my first time away with the bike, so I had similar questions, etc., to you.

Just go to France either in January, or Scotland in a few months.

Don't be worried about languages / other side of the road, etc. Just go and then worry about it, everything works out.

The one thing I'd say is, have good maps, or better yet, a satnav, and have, at lease somewhat, clothing for all types of weather...don't assume France will always be hot & sunny, or vica-versa, freezing and wet.

rat_race

CJhaughey wrote: »

How about a different idea?
Guided tour in Morocco, November usually and led by an experienced guide with all the hard stuff already taken care of?
http://saharaoverland.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/tours-2/

Looks great...I wanna do something like that.

Or do I? Check out http://saharaoverland.wordpress.com/kidnappings/ ...

Mesrine65

rat_race wrote: »

Looks great...I wanna do something like that.

Or do I? Check out http://saharaoverland.wordpress.com/kidnappings/ ...

Morocco is OK, it's only Mali, Mauritania, Burkino Faso & Niger you need worry about.

Wonda-Boy

rat_race wrote: »

Looks great...I wanna do something like that.

Or do I? Check out http://saharaoverland.wordpress.com/kidnappings/ ...

Would not interest me in the slightest TBH, plenty of wonderful biking holidays without the worry of that kind of thing closer to home.

rat_race

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Would not interest me in the slightest TBH, plenty of wonderful biking holidays without the worry of that kind of thing closer to home.

Am gonna go on another trip or two, this spring / summer...kinda wanna go somewhere that isn't so developed though...

Wonda-Boy

rat_race wrote: »

Am gonna go on another trip or two, this spring / summer...kinda wanna go somewhere that isn't so developed though...

How about the midlands......:pac::pac::pac::pac:

AgileMyth

rat_race wrote: »

Am gonna go on another trip or two, this spring / summer...kinda wanna go somewhere that isn't so developed though...

Highly recommend Vietnam.

rat_race

AgileMyth wrote: »

Highly recommend Vietnam.

Buy/rent a bike there, or go on an organised tour? Think I'll do that. Been everywhere but Asia!

AgileMyth

rat_race wrote: »

Buy/rent a bike there, or go on an organised tour? Think I'll do that. Been everywhere but Asia!

Buy. All you needs a bike and a compass!

You can continue into Cambodia or Laos too if you've time.

Everywhere?!

rat_race

AgileMyth wrote: »

Buy. All you needs a bike and a compass!

You can continue into Cambodia or Laos too if you've time.

Everywhere?!

What about license? I've read different "reports", some saying don't bother getting one, something saying do...

I'd take a risk if the penalties aren't so bad.

braddun

I would not even drive in the snow in Scotland,in winter in a car,never mind a bike

P.C.

Ninja_Spirit wrote: »

Thanks for all the reply's peeps! Going to reconsider the trip and try book some time off later in the year for Scotland. Dont fancy crashing to start the year off!
Instead there is a nice Run thats being organised from Dublin down to Wexford 2nd or 3rd week of January -Weather depending. Anyone interested in joining? I've never been up that neck of the woods on the bike so it would be cool to get a good gang to go along with who know the good roads.

Great roads down in the sunny Southeast.

AgileMyth

rat_race wrote: »

What about license? I've read different "reports", some saying don't bother getting one, something saying do...

I'd take a risk if the penalties aren't so bad.

Dont think you can get one.

Worst 'penalty' I heard of was a 20 dollar bribe to a dodgy policeman.

szatan84

rat_race wrote: »

What about license? I've read different "reports", some saying don't bother getting one, something saying do...

I'd take a risk if the penalties aren't so bad.

Just have ur friend George Washington handy to put in a good word for ya.