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On Monday 2nd May 2022 you are all invited to join Nigel, (Rusty) & I at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, DE13 7AR. Entry is free, currently pre-booking is essential although this may change by May.

We are staying at the Premier Inn, Lichfield North East on the A38, WS13 8RD. Prices for overnight accommodation are currently ranging from £37, pay now, no cancellation option to £59 pay on arrival, with cancellation options.

The plan is simple, meet at the National Memorial Arboretum https://www.thenma.org.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAoNWOBhCwARIsAAiHnEj7NaMqOcg8j6_-KWyTO6vFAmW73UGzfbNexxMvBwt-s3XCEz7fJG4aAshGEALw_wcB on the 2nd at a time yet to be confirmed, have a look around for as long as you desire and then meet up at the Premier Inn for a meal, drinks & a long overdue catch up with everyone.

On Tuesday 3rd May we are then going to visit the nearby Staffordshire Regiment Museum, WS14 9PY 
https://staffordshireregimentmuseum.com before each going our separate ways. There is of course no obligation to either stay over at the Premier Inn, nor visit the Staffordshire Regiment Museum. It just makes sense whilst in this area to visit both locations.

I'm not currently sure about any entrance fees or pre-booking requirements at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum but I shall make enquiries and update this thread accordingly.

If you fancy attending leave a comment down below and I'll keep you updated as we get closer to the date.

Staffordshire,

WS14 9PY
Staffordshire,

WS14 9PY

As we approach the New Year, where are you planning on going for a days ride on your very first two wheeled excursion of 2022? 

(Sorry if I've woken you all up). 

Just testing the site still works. 

Everybody is either out riding their bikes 24/7 or can't be arsed to post anything, which is it? 

Yorkshire holds its breath as the Leeds Liverpool canal suffers a catastrophic setback. The main shipping route for coal, whippets, flat caps and light ale is blocked until further notice. 
Alfred Higginbottom, Master of the vessel told us one minute I was down below frying some tripe and then we were caught by a gust of wind. I had no time to react. 
Yorkshire is set to lose upwards of £3.87 a day until the carnage is cleared, which according to Uncle Eric in The Dog & Gun could take bloody weeks. 

Is anyone going out for a Sunday isolation ride? I'm hoping to get out for a couple of hours tomorrow, take a sandwich, drink etc. I can't see it being a problem.

For a bit of fun and a point of reference I put some of my biking vids on my YT channel. The trip I did with Pete last year to Scotland, a.k.a. the Covid GTR 1400 meet trip has, much to my amazement amassed in only 6 months, 10700 views.

This is a huge shock to me as usually I get less than 100 views approximately per video. But on the other hand it just goes to prove how popular Scotland is amongst the biking fraternity.  Looking at the stats, the largest viewing audience is in the US closely followed by the UK. Theres even a good number of views from South Korea.

Every now and again the topic of how to host photos on here crops up. There are many options for doing this, however I have used a company called Smugmug for a few years now and cannot fault the reliability of the service. 

I have put a short video together (link below) to show you how easy it is. If you are interested in signing up with them drop me a PM and I will send you a unique link which will get you 20% discount. They do a 14 day free trial so you can dip your toes in first. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kNjW9HW74s&feature=youtu.be

If you have a dog and it loves snow, have you taken it out in any recently. We had a lot of snow today so I took our Murphy up to Baildon Moors where he showed off his new quilted jacket. Here he is.

Bradford has a bad rep for people's inability to drive competently, but I want to take issue with that. 

I saw this unfold directly in front of me the other day and I was very impressed especially with their courtesy towards other drivers in helping to reduce the queue of traffic. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvHxi9nDMk&feature=youtu.be

What do you think?

Phew, what a relief. I've just completed my test with the Civil Aviation Authority for the A2 C of C and passed 

All online due to Covid but still tested under strict examination policies by an external invigilator as you would expect with anything connected to the CAA.

I can now fly legally again, not that I have flown in the interim between the old laws becoming redundant on the 31st December 2020 and today as I didn't want to risk getting caught and prosecuted and the weather has been .

For the class of drone I have currently, (before the new Certified drones are available in 2023) I can now fly in most places and the added bonus is that I can now use the drone for commercial purposes with the appropriate insurance. Not something I plan to do in the short term but if an opportunity arose I may consider it if the financial rewards were beneficial. Once the Certified drones are available to purchase in 2023 the restrictions are even more favourable to anyone holding a C of C qualification.

Is anyone else on here a drone user and have they done the above course or indeed any other courses for drones.

It looks like he'll be packing his bags very soon. 

Apparently this forum has a mind of its own. It automatically banned Rusty.

 


Yes, what the hell, it's never too early to start planning and I think the early bird will catch the worm.


In reality it is highly likely that due to Covid which is undoubtedly still going to be an issue in 2021, although hopefully not on the current scale, many people will opt to take a break in the UK to avoid quarantine issues, flight delays, being unable to obtain insurance etc and therefore demand for UK holidays is going to go through the roof impacting on availability as well as prices.


Therefore to test the water how many would be interested in four nights away up in Scotland, arriving Thursday 20th May and departing on Monday 24th May 2021?


This year although there were only two of us who attended, Pete & I, I think it's fair to say we had a great time and it was worth the effort.


The plan as before would be to stay at one location for simplicity and use it as a base. Location wise I'm thinking Tyndrum & hopefully Tyndrum Lodges as it is not too far North, it is ideally situated to explore in many directions, the accommodation is spacious, clean etc and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Parking is safe, flat tarmac, away from the road within the grounds of the Lodges and the parking is covered by CCTV although you can see the bikes from your room depending on which way you are facing.


Comment below if you fancy this so we can get an idea of numbers.

It would appear that the above establishment have taken it upon themselves to turn away motorcyclists.




Scroll down to the bottom of their    website.


https://www.dalesbikecentre.co.uk/pages/cafe-and-cakery


Have you ever heard owt so bloody daft?

Obviously not all of Scotland but a very tiny bit which I stayed at very recently.


If you enjoyed it leave a comment, if you didn't enjoy it leave a comment. Personally I quite like the lighting.

Some of you will be aware that the bracket on the adjustable screen of the GTR is suscebtible to collapsing either through general wear and tear, fatigue etc over the years or as a result of putting a larger and heavier after market screen on the bike which in turn can result in the original bracket snapping.

These parts are like rocking horse poo and I understand they are not cheap either to buy direct from Kawasaki.

A couple of weeks ago I had a short ride out to the Forest of Bowland, an area which I had never visited before. Unfortunately I went unprepared so I didn't really know where I should be going, or which routes I should be taking, but nevertheless a ride is a ride and here's a short video including some drone shots of the area and small villages which I rode through. I do intend to go back again when possible as it was truly beautiful there.





Enjoy! 

Okay so not so much of a ride out but a walk out! 


Rumour had it that yesterday was supposed to be wet, possibly even thunderstorms in some areas so I thought it would be an ideal day to conquer Pen Y Ghent which is one of the Three Peaks. I've walked the trail twice before without any problems whatsoever, however yesterday temperatures soared to 29 degrees and trust me when I say walking up a bloody big mountain in tropical conditions is absolutely no fun whatsoever!


I literally ground to a halt, I had no energy left and despite taking plenty of fluids with me and drinking regularly on the ascent it just wasn't going to happen.


Part of the plan was to capture some drone footage which I did manage however the lighting was poor as there was a heat haze, so maybe I'll have to have a further attempt in due course. Anyway if you wish, watch the video, it's only 8 minutes long but it just shows the stunning scenery that the UK has to offer and thankfully it's virtually right on my doorstep.


Please feel free to leave a comment.......  


P.S. if you click on the Youtube symbol on the video you'll be able to watch it in HD, possibly even 4K if your device supports it.

Can I post in here?