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Travel StoriesThe Jernatter Rally 2015
A Day In The Hills
By Ren Withnell
I've slept, sort of. One day I'll work out what's the best, most comfortable, reliable and warm way to sleep in a tent. I tell you what though, I'm glad I brought my earplugs. Needing a pee a couple of times in the night I'd taken them out. I want you to bring to mind a wildlife documentary. Imagine 10,000 wildebeests migrating across the Serengeti desert with Sir David Attenborough narrating their journey. Imagine that noise of countless grunts, squawks, huffs and puffs and the clatter of hooves. This is what I can hear. There's snoring, shuffling, noisy airbeds squeaking, coughing, spluttering and what sounds like a bear being bothered by a wounded warthog. There's about 20 tents, it sounds like 2,000.
Considering it is February, in fact February the 14th Valentines Day, the weather is what I can best describe as manageable. As I stagger out of the tent it is cold but there's no sign of frost or ice so it's not that cold. There's some heavy clouds in the sky but then there's the possibility of sunshine too, typically indecisive British weather. After a bacon butty served by the family that run the site I guess it's time to work out what we should do with this day.
Hmmmm. There's a rideout that seems to be in chaos at the moment, no-one's quite sure who's leading whom to where and when. I look around at the bikes. BMW GS1200, GS1150 and GS1100. Africa Twin 750. Yamaha Tenere 1200. There's the Ural and the Jawa and a lady on a DR250. While I'm firmly informed that the pace will be set by the slowest riders I can't help but feel the gf and I would be slowing the pace perhaps too much. Anyhow, the gf and I both agree that when the traffic is light, the road is narrow and the scenery is stunning, we don't even want to "keep up". We both love to take it all in, really slow. We're heading out alone.
Nope, definitely not a BMW. Vic seems happy with his Jawa.
Nope, not a BMW, a Ural combo. Quite fancy one of these...
Sedburgh. A place I keep on hearing about, it's beauty and it's loveliness. When we'd passed through yesterday I do recall thinking "is that it?" But everyone says we must go, so go we must. It takes half an hour's steady ride to get there, find a car park (free parking for motorcycles) and get ready to have a look. There's a narrow street, a few local shops, a couple of cafes and an almost closed bank. Erm...? Yes, yes it is small and quaint but I'm not gaining any sense of the special here. Hay-On-Wye, Callander and Knaresborough are all of equal merit in their own unique manner so I seem to have missed the special something about Sedburgh. Perhaps it's just me.
It's nice enough, I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about though.
Still, time is on our side so we take ourselves for a hot tea and a warm in a cafe, the Three Hares. It is pleasing to sit here relaxing and a whole day to fill with nothing important. We tease the new owner of the cafe regarding his troublesome door latch and suggest a back story for it. We sip hot tea and talk of bikes, hopes and places we'd like to see. It has been a worthwhile experience meeting other riders who have actually done many of the things we hope to do one day. I'd got it into my head that they'd be different, worldly wise, nomadic and romantically wistful. In fact they're just regular blokes. There's a tiny part of me that's let down by this, I've been told that travel broadens the mind and changes people. Yet I'm also pleased by this, I don't need to be anyone special or different to do the things I want to do, I just have to get off my backside and do them.
We leave Sedburgh. I spot a side road signposted to Dowbiggin, this is what we've been looking for, a narrow single track lane. There's tarmac but there's also mud, gravel, grass and foliage. We're not actually off road as such but it's starting to feel a lot like it. We switch into our favourite mode, slow. I ride up front, doing between 20 and 30mph, more towards the 20 mark. We take time to see between the hedges, to take in the vast rolling hillsides, to see the sheep in the fields and the broken farm tractor in the yard. Up above the skies vary from hazy sun to dark leaden clouds but the rain keeps at bay for us. There's a light breeze and it's a tad chilly but otherwise I dare say conditions are almost perfect.
Oh yes, this is the life. Wonderful.
Although we know it is coming it happens too soon, we run out of road. After a farm the tarmac stops and becomes tractor track. While we're both on small bikes these aren't off-roaders and we're not here to upset any land owners either. It takes me a moment to spin my bike around, the gf takes somewhat longer. I do want to help but then I also want her to gain the confidence to know she can do this. It takes her a few more shuffles to get her bike around but she does it, that's another thing she knows she can do now. She doesn't need me.
Sharon's got it covered, no problem.
We merrily follow the track back. In fact I'm glad we've turned around, we see new views and new angles across the same landscape. We rejoin the main road and regrettably increase our speed until I can find us another track. Aha, I wonder what's at "Uldale"
As we turn off the main road and slow down we have the pleasure of seeing a herd of big, stocky, and very strong looking horses. As they hear the motorcycles they start to gallop across the moor, around the rocks and between the bushes. They're running from the bikes but they have nothing to fear. More narrow tracks, more gravel and mud and more alluring countryside passes by to the soundtrack of 2 small engines just above tickover. The sheep are too stupid to fear us, they barely make a lazy effort to get off the road. I could ride like this forever.
Beautiful, peaceful and almost zero traffic. Bliss.
Again we run out of track, again we turn around. These hills, these lanes, the sense of remoteness and the sense of space. I'm reminded of Scotland, I'm reminded of Lincolnshire. Space. I guess if you have it you might not appreciate it but coming from the cramped urban sprawl that is Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackburn then this is a welcome and refreshing change. I feel I can breathe.
Ravenstonedale next. Compared to Sedburgh this is more like it! In fact the place is tiny, we pass through in but a few moments even at our leisurely pace. A handful of cottages, a pub of some description and a few farm buildings. It is very idyllic.
With regret we rejoin the main roads and I have to thrash my bike mercilessly up the hills again. I'm at full bore with my head on the tank and yet the gf is there, behind me. Say what you will about these cheap Chinese motorcycles but in terms of power they're up there with the established marques. I do have the edge over her through the bends but then I've been riding 25 times longer than she has. I may gain a meter here and there, no more, and she soon reels me back in with a little extra throttle. I tell myself it's because she's smaller and lighter than me. I don't want to admit that perhaps the student is becoming the master.
Sharon LOVES to ride the quiet lanes. She HATES the dirt on her bike though. Can't have it all.
After we return to the campsite we walk to the local Co-op and buy some supplies for the evening meal and breakfast. In fact I'm starving now and I hurry the gf along as she cooks a massive pan of rice and curry. We do this in the warmth and relative luxury of the room, far more civilised than squatting in the cold damp tent I can tell you. We both pig out on our massive meal, I feel bloated when I'm done. Of course there's still that little corner left for a handful of cookies but I know I've overdone it as I stand up to go to the toilet. Urgh, too much! Greedy boy.
Far easier to make tea in here than the tent. Most civilised.
Some of our fellow rallyists are heading out for a real curry in Kirkby Stephen but several remain. We gather around a cluster of tables and chat. It is a quirk of being human I find most peculiar, I'm talking to ladies and gentlemen that I didn't even know existed until 30 hours ago. I learn of their own rides and experiences, places they've been and where they hope to go, their problems and their triumphs, their ups and their downs. It helps that we share a common interest but I'm finding this experience akin to talking to friends I've known for years.
I learn a lot. Between the obvious things like opinions on the best mattress or sleeping bag I find the attitude to distance is like it is nothing. All this, this travel thing, this seeing the world, It's all so far away! It worries me the idea of being away from the familiar and the safety of my home town and my own home. There's no sense of that here. I realise I'm still so green.
This would have bothered me once, now I see it differently. I'll ride a motorcycle quite happily but I'm scared stiff of roller coasters. Statistics and common sense point out that roller coasters are far less dangerous than motorcycling, so why should I be scared of them? The point is that we are all unique. Some things that bother one person will barely even register as a concern to others. I'm not a natural traveller but that doesn't mean I don't want to travel. I'll just have to work harder at it, I'll just have to practice it more, It might be harder for me. Perhaps this is an advantage too. For me travel is more of a challenge than it is to those around me this evening, those who seem to make it seem the most natural thing in the world. I may get the same sense of achievement on a trip to Austria as they would get making a trip around the world. It's all relative.
Being able to put these thoughts and philosophies into my head is what I love about getting older. I still have an ego, I still want to be the best, most handsome, fastest, furthest and any other "...est" you might think of. With age though I firstly realised I can't be the "...est" at everything and then I came to understand that it doesn't matter anyhow. What matters in life is enjoying it as best you can. Now I ride a small motorcycle slowly and that makes me happy. I hope to ride a small motorcycle slowly to some far off places one day, I don't know if it will make me happy but I'm happy to find out.
Yeah, I'm not "all that" but I'm happy with "all this".
The gf and I are both knackered. All this socialising and riding and fresh air is taking it's toll. To bed, perchance to dream of some of the places I've heard about this evening. That's if I sleep of course, it's a bit blooming nippy out here! Don't forget the earplugs too. Is there something in the Adventure Bike Rider forum that states to be a full member you MUST snore?
Going to Takoda
It's the first day of the Jernatter Rally for Sharon and Ren. But will they be accepted by real travellers on real bikes? Only time will tell.
A Day In The Hills
Sharon and Ren enjoy the beauty of the Dales and the Cumbrian hills. Oh what it means to ride gently through the countryside.
Delightful Yorkshire Dales
Sharon and Ren ride home from the Jernatter Rally. There's so much more to the Dales than they ever knew.
Reader's Comments
John Snelson said :-
Never been on a rally of any kind. Actually, I don't think I've camped in winter since I left the army. Not something I hanker for. That looks like a lovely ride though. I don't suppose you could post a Google map (or similar). I'm always looking for new places to explore. Discovered a wonderful route through the Yorkshire Moors Park yesterday when scrubbing in a new tyre. Can't post it though. Wasn't really meant to be out playing.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Hi John
The 2 roads we went along on this day can be seen via the route shown on this google map...hopefully. In fact when I see them like this they are very short roads. The key is to do them slowly!
www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/54.3211326,-2.4768897/54.3278676,-2.4945454/54.3692105...
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
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Travel StoriesThe Jernatter Rally 2015