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Heading off to the UK to FTFW (Follow The Front Wheel) for 6 months

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Ess Jay

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Gold Coast, Australia
I've been told I have to introduce myself because of the new anti-spamming policy ... quick note to self - this isn't a dating site - okay, got it ... the name's Steve, I'm ummm, WTF ?? 63 ?? ... when did that happen ?? ... anyhoo, I have a 2010 XT1200 that's about to be loaded up and shipped to the UK where in April where she and I will head off to see all the sites I didn't get around to when I lived there before moving to Oz 40+ years ago ... I've had the old girl since 2019 because this trip was supposed to happen in 2020 but someone, somewhere had bat soup or a bat salad roll for lunch and that was that ... but we're giving it a second crack so here's hoping in the next couple of months someone doesn't chew or sip a bat or monkey delicacy, kick off a war or pirate the ship the bike is on ... exciting times
 
Boris

Boris

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Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,100
Location
midlands. UK
Morning (evening) Steve, welcome to the forum.

A fair few Aussies on here, where are you based there? What part of the UK were you from and what are you planning once here, do your plans include Europe? Sound like an interrogation?
 
Matt51F1

Matt51F1

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May 7, 2023
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768
Location
Australia
I’m in Queensland and have a 2010 model as well.
Where are you based?
Riding around the UK is brilliant. I’ll be going from the north down to Cornwall in September.
 
E

Ess Jay

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Gold Coast, Australia
Don't quite know how this website is set up so to save repeating myself I'll give my response on here ... by the way, nobody mentioned 'interrogation' but in the spirit of things, I'll put on an orange T-shirt, strap myself to this chair and turn the table lamp on ;) ... currently I'm living the dream at the Gold Coast where things have changed from being beautiful one day and perfect the next to pi$$ing down today and mind blowing humidity tomorrow ... originally I'm Welsh, yes I'm one of the chosen few ... as for the FTFW trip, which has been in the planning stage since around 2017, I'll be heading around the South-East of England then up the English east coast, through the Pennines and Yorkshire Dales up through the Scottish Borders then the LP version of the NC500 along the West Coast of Scotland and back down the East Coast then cross over to Ireland for the LP version of the WAW ... back across to South Wales then down to Cornwall and Devon and then eventually some time around my homeland of North Wales before I head back Oct 10 ... along the way I'll visit every castle, historic site and museums of interest to me, hike all the scenic stuff and have countless pints in countless pubs ... 6 months, around 16k miles (25k kms) which equates to around 100 miles (160 kms) per day which I reckon is comfortably doable :cool: ... and yes, Europe is on the cards because that's been well and truly planned out as well ... but I reckon 2025 will be a jaunt around Victoria, Tassie and maybe NZ ... at this stage though, the calendar for 2026 is basically empty so it could be Europe then ... one step at a time though
 
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Boris

Boris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,100
Location
midlands. UK
Ess Jay said:
Don't quite know how this website is set up so to save repeating myself I'll give my response on here ... by the way, nobody mentioned 'interrogation' but in the spirit of things, I'll put on an orange T-shirt, strap myself to this chair and turn the table lamp on ;) ... currently I'm living the dream at the Gold Coast where things have changed from being beautiful one day and perfect the next to pi$$ing down today and mind blowing humidity tomorrow ... originally I'm Welsh, yes I'm one of the chosen few ... as for the FTFW trip, which has been in the planning stage since around 2017, I'll be heading around the South-East of England then up the English east coast, through the Pennines and Yorkshire Dales up through the Scottish Borders then the LP version of the NC500 along the West Coast of Scotland and back down the East Coast then cross over to Ireland for the LP version of the WAW ... back across to South Wales then down to Cornwall and Devon and then eventually some time around my homeland of North Wales before I head back Oct 10 ... along the way I'll visit every castle, historic site and museums of interest to me, hike all the scenic stuff and have countless pints in countless pubs ... 6 months, around 16k miles (25k kms) which equates to around 100 miles (160 kms) per day which I reckon is comfortably doable :cool: ... and yes, Europe is on the cards because that's been well and truly planned out as well ... but I reckon 2025 will be a jaunt around Victoria, Tassie and maybe NZ ... at this stage though, the calendar for 2026 is basically empty so it could be Europe then ... one step at a time though
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Sounds brilliant. I’m sure you’ll have the best of times. Here’s a couple from my last trip there, both at the same place,
51935771555_209b2a379d_o.jpeg51935481404_94ff93b562_o.jpeg
 
Boris

Boris

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Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,100
Location
midlands. UK
Sierra1 said:
We have these spiders too. I refer to them as zipper spiders. They usually have a tight zig-zag pattern in the middle of their webs. My kids used to throw grasshoppers on the web just to see them wrap them up.
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That was in Australia. As I walked past, the spider growled at me and told me to feck off.
 
Matt51F1

Matt51F1

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 7, 2023
Messages
768
Location
Australia
Ess Jay said:
Don't quite know how this website is set up so to save repeating myself I'll give my response on here ... by the way, nobody mentioned 'interrogation' but in the spirit of things, I'll put on an orange T-shirt, strap myself to this chair and turn the table lamp on ;) ... currently I'm living the dream at the Gold Coast where things have changed from being beautiful one day and perfect the next to pi$$ing down today and mind blowing humidity tomorrow ... originally I'm Welsh, yes I'm one of the chosen few ... as for the FTFW trip, which has been in the planning stage since around 2017, I'll be heading around the South-East of England then up the English east coast, through the Pennines and Yorkshire Dales up through the Scottish Borders then the LP version of the NC500 along the West Coast of Scotland and back down the East Coast then cross over to Ireland for the LP version of the WAW ... back across to South Wales then down to Cornwall and Devon and then eventually some time around my homeland of North Wales before I head back Oct 10 ... along the way I'll visit every castle, historic site and museums of interest to me, hike all the scenic stuff and have countless pints in countless pubs ... 6 months, around 16k miles (25k kms) which equates to around 100 miles (160 kms) per day which I reckon is comfortably doable :cool: ... and yes, Europe is on the cards because that's been well and truly planned out as well ... but I reckon 2025 will be a jaunt around Victoria, Tassie and maybe NZ ... at this stage though, the calendar for 2026 is basically empty so it could be Europe then ... one step at a time though
Click to expand...
Don’t forget Skye when you do the west coast of Scotland.

Tasmania is brilliant! Don’t forget the back roads from Launceston to Scottsdale and the St Mary’s pass and Elephant pass. Down near Queenstown is OK but the scenery is denuded thanks to logging.

New Zealand is somewhere you have to ride twice. First time for the scenery and second time for the roads. Don’t skimp to less than 2 weeks per island.
 
Matt51F1

Matt51F1

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768
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Australia
Boris said:
Sounds brilliant. I’m sure you’ll have the best of times. Here’s a couple from my last trip there, both at the same place,
View attachment 108583View attachment 108584
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That spider is a baby… little orb weaver.
Wait till you see one of the bush huntsman’s that are the size of your hand.
Males don’t bite. Females are bad tempered and bite but don’t make you anything worse than a bit crook.
You can tell them apart as the female has a big bum
 
Matt51F1

Matt51F1

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Australia
Lautarooo said:
Thoughts on going to the Isle of man TT? on the top 10 of my bucket list
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Isle of Man is a spectacular ride but you need to plan well in advance. The biggest annoyance is booking for the ferry. Some people will go by ferry to Dublin and come back over as it can be that much of a pain in the backside.
 
E

Ess Jay

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Gold Coast, Australia
fac191 said:
Watch out for the Police speed traps in North Wales.
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Definitely will do ... as it happens I've recently retired after 25 years of it and one of my best mates back home recently retired after 30 years with the North Wales wallopers ... so if I get pulled up I'll subtly drop that info ... with that in mind I'm quietly confident they'll "thank me for my service" but still write me up ... I know what those Highway mob are like :rolleyes:
 
E

Ess Jay

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Gold Coast, Australia
Matt51F1 said:
Don’t forget Skye when you do the west coast of Scotland.

Tasmania is brilliant! Don’t forget the back roads from Launceston to Scottsdale and the St Mary’s pass and Elephant pass. Down near Queenstown is OK but the scenery is denuded thanks to logging.

New Zealand is somewhere you have to ride twice. First time for the scenery and second time for the roads. Don’t skimp to less than 2 weeks per island.
Click to expand...
The Isle of Skye is definitely on the itinerary ... as for Tassie and NZ ... they're still in the early planning stages so I've plenty of fun hours ahead of me lining all that up ... and the time length factor is not an issue ... I'll get back when I get back
 
E

Ess Jay

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Gold Coast, Australia
Lautarooo said:
Thoughts on going to the Isle of man TT? on the top 10 of my bucket list
Click to expand...
It's also on my bucket list but not on this trip ... factoring it in with the itinerary I've lined up just got too complicated ... but a mate of mine over here goes over pretty much every year so maybe one year I'll just tag along with him
 
E

Ess Jay

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Gold Coast, Australia
Boris said:
Sounds brilliant. I’m sure you’ll have the best of times. Here’s a couple from my last trip there, both at the same place,
View attachment 108583View attachment 108584
Click to expand...
Boris said:
Sounds brilliant. I’m sure you’ll have the best of times. Here’s a couple from my last trip there, both at the same place,
View attachment 108583View attachment 108584
Click to expand...
Been there myself a few times ... when I did, I noticed there were a lot of 'empty' webs around the place but the pies were pretty tasty so I didn't pursue that thought any further ;)
 
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