Forest of Bowland

[dynax]

Just a few pictures from yesterdays ride.

 

https://postimg.cc/gallery/jsb0s5v

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

It is a lovely area, often overlooked. 

 

20 years ago I cycled Lands End to John O'Groats. Some great scenery on the way but the best by far was those parts of Lancashire. We were there a few weeks back and it's still largely undiscovered and therefore quiet.

[dynax]

37 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

It is a lovely area, often overlooked. 

 

20 years ago I cycled Lands End to John O'Groats. Some great scenery on the way but the best by far was those parts of Lancashire. We were there a few weeks back and it's still largely undiscovered and therefore quiet.

 

Tbh I hope it stays overlooked, it's a great spot to get away back to nature, there is no commercialization at all, not even an ice cream van. If you visit make sure you take a picnic or at least some food and something to drink, there is nothing there just as Mother Nature intended, and I really hope it stays like that.

 

There are enough places that have amenities and things for kids to do without ruining a place like this

[Pie man]

One of my regular haunts years ago, in an evening, we would ride up to Lancaster and then over Quermore. There used to be a brew van up there, right near one of your pictures, and just down the road there is a nice little café. 

[teo63]

On 30/06/2023 at 11:12, dynax said:

Just a few pictures from yesterdays ride.

 

https://postimg.cc/gallery/jsb0s5v

I had a ride around there last year, excellent spot. There was a van there making fantastic burgers is it still there?

[Steve_M]

 A visit to that area has been on my wish list ever since we moved up to Cumbria. Hopefully I’ll get around to it sooner rathe4 than later, though I’m not sure when, being a bit busy working on the house.

[RideWithStyles]

Near me, few lovely parts of Lancashire. 
they have recently retarmac some small sections of those roads which help take in the view, then 🫨 back to reality of shocking neglect.

[Throttled]

I remember some tags from past Challenges there and was very impressed with the area, for riding and scenery and how quiet it was.

[Tinkicker]

Nice.  Back in the early 90s when I lived in west yorkshire, we often did the trough of bowland run.  Me on my CB900F "dinosaur" and my mates on their latest whizzbang gsxrs and fzrs.

About 250 miles in the day taking in the trough of bowland, hawes, skipton, slaidburn, dunlop bridge, masham - not necessarily in that order.

 

Those "technical" moorland roads.  I loved them, my old dinosaur was the only bike among them that had suspension to cope with the bumps... Cruising serenely over them, while everyone else was fighting nodding front ends and gripping on tight with the knees to avoid getting kicked off the saddle with their "race" suspension.

 

Thanks for the memory.

 

Loved that bike.  Did not deserve the ignominious end it had.

 

[skyrider]

i liked the silver one with the blue stripe , wonder where the 750/900s have all gone there seemed to be one on every street corner back in the day ?

Edited October 14, 2023 by skyrider

[RideWithStyles]

Mostly in my neck of the woods, lovely depending on mood and time allowed.

A honda bike with character! 

[Tinkicker]

16 hours ago, skyrider said:

i liked the silver one with the blue stripe , wonder where the 750/900s have all gone there seemed to be one on every street corner back in the day ?

 

 

Yes they were popular.  A great bike apart from the cam chain.  Strip down every 20,000 miles for chain and tensioner.  I bought it at five years old and 18,000 miles and it got the VFR and DT175 treatment.  Basically taken back to factory fresh again.

 

There used to be a bike shop in either castleford or pontefract called Readspeed Motorcycles and it had been the owners personal bike before I got my hands on it.  Chrome swingarm and peeling chrome on the cases.  What was once bling was now a mess.  Ended up getting secondhand clutch cover, gen cover and rocker cover as I could do nothing with the peeling chrome on them.

 

Kept it for nearly 15 years and knew every foible it had.  I knew its capabilities so well, I could push it to 100% of its performance at all times and did, all the time.

I was a mad sod back then.  Very lucky to have reached my age.  I never expected to.  I have had it sideways at 80mph and managed to save it, that would be on the approaches to Middleham circa 1992, a slight bend and a pile of horse poo.

 

No tipping it over into bends, you had to physically wrestle it down with your outside knee and once you chose a line, you were committed to it wherever it took you.  No changing line mid bend.  It would upset the suspension and tuck the front under.

Tried changing line just the once, just a very slight tightening as I realised I was going to go slightly wider than was comfortable.

I got away with the histrionics it performed by the skin of my teeth, it made no difference to the corner exit line, and resulted in me pulling over and having a long sit down on the kerb, contemplating my future.

I can till feel those handlebars trying to pull themselves out of my hands and the front tyre chirping to this day.

 

No going out in a blaze of glory for it though; It died travelling at less than 15mph in heavy traffic when someone without warning parked a mitsubishi shogun on top of it.. A bent crankshaft, smashed cases and a very broken rider.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Tinkicker