COG US member traveling to the UK starting 23-May

[7LakesGuy]

Have you ever visited/driven in the UK before?
The reason I ask is that your first day out of Heathrow involves two of the busiest motorways in the south east of England, the M25 and M1
Compared to the US, besides driving on the other side of the road, you may find lane discipline over here leaves something to be desired at times, filtering [lane splitting] is legal, and you will need to make sure you are familiar with our road signs .
In Scotland, the maximum speed limit is explicitly signed by e.g 60 or 70 numerals on a circular sign.
However in England and Wales the maximum speed limit can be indicated by the sign below, which on dual carriageway roads is 70mph, but on single carriageway roads [ no centre reservation / median strip] is 60mph. It would be very easy to get stopped for the sake of not understanding the signage

Thanks for the tips - I've been reading the highway code and watching youtube videos on signage in the UK, trying to be as prepared as I can be.  I haven't ridden in the UK before, but I did ride in India last year (admittedly on a much smaller bike).  What's your advice on filtering with a fully loaded GTR?  I'm assuming that sometimes it's just not possible with her wide hips.

[O.C.]

Thanks for the tips - I've been reading the highway code and watching youtube videos on signage in the UK, trying to be as prepared as I can be.  I haven't ridden in the UK before, but I did ride in India last year (admittedly on a much smaller bike).  What's your advice on filtering with a fully loaded GTR?  I'm assuming that sometimes it's just not possible with her wide hips.

The basic advice is to always leave as much space as possible, many drivers simply do not check their rear view/side mirrors before switching lanes, especially in slow moving or standing traffic, it's easy to get wiped out in this situation, I always assume that every driver in that scenario is out to get me.

There are a number of members on here who travel in heavy traffic regularly and are much better equipped to answer your question than I am, I'm sure they will be along soon

Another thing to be wary of is what we call the Sunday driver, that is someone (often  senior generation) who is out for a relaxed drive on a Sunday, they can be a nightmare as their awareness is often very poor, my point is that they are often found on scenic narrow country roads, some of which you will be using, also watch out for potholes in the road surfaces, some country roads are not in the best state of repair.

Don't be put off by the thought that your trip is going to be a nightmare, it isn't, but you do need to be aware of potential pitfalls

I have visited India a few times and have witnessed first hand the driving behaviour of the locals, so I reckon if you navigated that safely then you should be ok on our roads

Enjoy your trip and don't forget to report back     

[mikeyw64]

Wow - thank you for the detailed route advice - one question.. several of the pages I read said that Honister pass and Whinlatter pass were must see rides - your "taste of the lakes district" skips those.  What's your take on that extra loop to go through those two passes, just not worth the traffic and frustration?

And agreed, if I can get to Cardiff it would be the best for the Whovian in me.  I like that your map mods get me a bit farther, and whether or not I skip skye will have more to do with ferry timing than anything... if it does me good to get to Cairnryan earlier, and that gives me extra time in Ireland, that could be a good call.

Thanks again for the time you spent putting this together - very helpful!

Guy

There's a danger with " must sees" after all going south theres no Cheddar Gorge or Dartmoor Prison ;)


Yes the Honister pass is very nice and pretty but that also attracts the tourists
Slightly modified

https://goo.gl/maps/DgcmxPN5VzJ2


If I really wanted to give you a taste of wildness in the Lakes  I would send you over the Wrynose & Hardknott passes but that would be a real struggle for a fully loaded GTR and would be the place you're most likely to drop it !!  That said the view from the top on a clear day out over the Irish sea towards the Isle of Man is amazing

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/the-northerner/2014/jul/15/in-praise-of-britains-two-most-outrageous-roads-wrynose-and-hardknott-passes

https://goo.gl/maps/6bEBHTpymaU2


Mind you thats really the problem, you could spend  an entire day just explotring the Lakes if you really wanted todo it justice :)

[mikeyw64]

The basic advice is to always leave as much space as possible, many drivers simply do not check their rear view/side mirrors before switching lanes, especially in slow moving or standing traffic, it's easy to get wiped out in this situation, I always assume that every driver in that scenario is out to get me.

There are a number of members on here who travel in heavy traffic regularly and are much better equipped to answer your question than I am, I'm sure they will be along soon

If the mirrors fit the rest of the bike will 

Also worth keeping your thumb over the horn and consider a little "toot toot" (not a full blooded "barp") to attract attention.

Oh and don't set suckered into following someone else,  ride for yourself unlike this chap

[doebag]

It is a few years since I commuted/filtered regularly.
Again my personal view:-
If traffic is moving at about 20mph or more I stay in my lane.Lower than that I may filter.
I use first gear so there is lots of engine braking available, and slow enough so you only need to use the rear brake.
Look well up the line of traffic, if you see a gap in the lane, assume a car will want to fill it by changing lane.
If bikes behind you are catching up, pull in to your lane and let them pass, don't then be tempted to follow them at their higher speed.
Filtering for long distances [ road accident or lane closure causing long queues ] can be tiring, no shame in pulling back in to your lane and putting your feet down
You don't 'have' to filter, if you don't feel comfortable, don't do it.

Maybe some visible reminder on your screen/mirror to remind you to 'ride left' is a good idea, especially on lightly trafficked roads in Scotland. There are regular occurrences of European drivers pulling out of rest areas and forgetting to drive left, sometimes with fatal results for bikers.

If you do go to Ireland [ not Northern Ireland ] their road signs are different and their speed limits are in kilometres per hour.' 80' is km/h = 50 mph. A big difference!

[nightrider]

I would keep a eye on the weather forecasts for Scotland and Ireland and plan my routes on that as Scotland can be a washout and gale force anytime , North Yorkshire upwards is the place to be I would start there and go into the lakes then onto Scotland ,get a ferry across to Ireland , and ride the ring of Kerry , it takes time to get anywhere in this country , motorways are horrid ,,,,  have a good time ,

[moayling]

Wow - thank you for the detailed route advice - one question.. several of the pages I read said that Honister pass and Whinlatter pass were must see rides - your "taste of the lakes district" skips those.  What's your take on that extra loop to go through those two passes, just not worth the traffic and frustration?

And agreed, if I can get to Cardiff it would be the best for the Whovian in me.  I like that your map mods get me a bit farther, and whether or not I skip skye will have more to do with ferry timing than anything... if it does me good to get to Cairnryan earlier, and that gives me extra time in Ireland, that could be a good call.

Thanks again for the time you spent putting this together - very help

Guy

There is a toll bridge over to Skye so no need to worry about the ferry

[PaulB]

There is a toll bridge over to Skye so no need to worry about the ferry

It's free now

Cheers

Paul B

[moayling]

It's free now

Cheers

Paul B

Thanks Paul. Even better as I'm doing the NC500 myself in 4 weeks. Last time l went over there was when l drove a coach load of tourists over about 10 years ago


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[doebag]

Scottish parliament removed all bridge/tunnel tolls a number of years ago.

[doebag]

Oh, and if you go to the Republic of Ireland, switch your sat-nav to local Km/h readings.
The bike will still be in familiar mph, but you can cross reference to your sat-nav for local limits without doing 'divide by 8, multiply by 5' in your head all the time.

[7LakesGuy]

I'm overwhelmed by all the advice and feedback - really, thank you all for taking the time.  Incredibly helpful - I know I'm repeating myself but every time I log in there's so much new information!

A question on camping - I have installed a few apps on my phone that have directories to campsites in the UK and Ireland, and I was hoping to camp at least half the nights there.  I camp regularly in the US, and from what I've seen on the web, campsites in the UK look very similar - areas for caravans, tents, etc, and usually some sort of common toilet/shower arrangement and sometimes having to buy tokens to use the showers. A few will have pay laundry machines as well, allowing me to pack for half the days assuming I'll find a way to wash clothes along the ride.

Any advice here?  In the US I'm normally able to identify a campsite when I stop late afternoon and figure out where I'm likely to end up at the end of the day, call them and check availability, show up around 7PM and set up camp, then get up relatively early and get on the road by 7:30AM the next morning.

Guy

[doebag]

In most parts of Scotland ONLY,  wild camping is legal.
See here
https://www.visitscotland.com/accommodation/caravan-camping/wild-camping/

[davetherave]

If this has already been mentioned (and I've missed it) please accept my apologies but whereabouts will you be at the end of May ?  I ask because ALL the major motorways (Interstates to you) become car parks as millions of cars/motorhomes/caravans/HGV's (trucks) travel and the result is often gridlock.

If you stay off of the M-ways and away from the bigger cities you stand a better chance of keeping moving, I type this as somebody who only recently took 8.5 hours to complete a mere 150 mile trip undertaken on a Bank Holiday.   

Best wishes and have a brilliant and safe trip 

[7LakesGuy]

If this has already been mentioned (and I've missed it) please accept my apologies but whereabouts will you be at the end of May ?  I ask because ALL the major motorways (Interstates to you) become car parks as millions of cars/motorhomes/caravans/HGV's (trucks) travel and the result is often gridlock.

If you stay off of the M-ways and away from the bigger cities you stand a better chance of keeping moving, I type this as somebody who only recently took 8.5 hours to complete a mere 150 mile trip undertaken on a Bank Holiday.   

Best wishes and have a brilliant and safe trip 

It's a great question - here's my current rough agenda, making some changes thanks to all the suggestions here:

21-May : Home to Montreal
22-May : Montreal air cargo, plenty of time to get Connie checked in, late flight
23-May : Arrive, receive bike, Heathrow to Bolton
24-May : Bolton to Jedburgh (thanks MikeyW64 for these two routes)
25-May : Jedburg to John O'Groats
26-May : John O'Groats to somewhere - still updating the routes here, whether I try to do Skye, head over to Loch Ness for a tourist day, not sure
------ Holiday weekend -------
27-May : Reservation in Cairnryan at a B&B
28-May : Reservation for 07:30 ferry to Lairne, Giants causeway and a taste of the atlantic coast
29-May : To south coast of Ireland with a few diversions, still finalizing
----------------------------------
30-May : East to Dublin, 14:15 ferry to Holyhead
31-May : Through wales to Cardiff and (hopefully) Doctor Who exhibit
1-Jun : Drop bike off at air cargo by end of day, renting a room in Paddington for 2 nights
2-Jun : On foot in London seeing the typical sights - first time there
3-Jun : Fly back/Ride home if I get my bike quickly
4-Jun : Ride home if I'm too tired to ride on 3-Jun

Let me know your thoughts on my timing and what to expect with these areas, I'm really hoping I'll be far enough out of the way by the bank holiday weekend that I won't be too badly affected.

Guy