92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:

Dai wrote:Can't think of any more. Yes I can - Charlotte.

See you and raise you an Arran Banner.

All yours - I'm completely out of chips.

Dai wrote:

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:

Dai wrote:Can't think of any more. Yes I can - Charlotte.

See you and raise you an Arran Banner.

All yours - I'm completely out of chips.

Cashing in your chips? We might end up renamed the Irish Lumpers instead of Irish Eccentrics. Its either a feast or a famine.!

Was great to meet you too. Hope you make a few more!

Now THAT was a great weekend ! Alex and myself didn't get too wetbut were late arriving. He enjoyed the north so much he wants to move. ComberJohn gave him a pillion on the K1600 on Saturday which made his day. Thanks all.

I have no photos due to a mislaid camera but will edit some video later this week.

October 11th - I'm afraid I'll be in Lanzarote on the beach with a cool Estrella and some patatas bravas.

I'ts a dirty job, but someone's got to do it

Corkboy wrote:October 11th - I'm afraid I'll be in Lanzarote on the beach with a cool Estrella and some patatas bravas.

I'ts a dirty job, but someone's got to do it

Estrella? Is this her?

Work blocks prettyrussianwomen websites for some reason, but I'll have a look at it when I get home and let you know

I only googled pretty woman........how did you know it came from prettyrussianwomen.......

Admittedly it was the first one it threw up.

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:I only googled pretty woman........how did you know it came from prettyrussianwomen.......

Admittedly it was the first one it threw up.

Googling pretty women at your age?  Tsk Tsk! 

(It's no wonder you threw up   )

No harm looking at the menu, as long as you eat at home

The overall tone of this thread is rapidly declining. 

Just to bring things back on track, looks like an absolutely fabulous weekend and what a turn out.

Great to see.
How did the banner signing go? Many more names to the list?

Going on memory so apologies if I'm wrong. . .

At the weekend we got:

Comberjohn
Dai
Markzz
Tom
Reg
Squig60

Previously
Ringfad
Corkboy
Sgmayhew
Paul Lipscomb
Bjorn
88KE
Bikerboy
Sagi
Pat OD
CluainSi
Tom OLeary
Trapper
DeRodster

To get:
Avenger GT
Tom Foley
Electric Monk.

great news olaf

October 11th looks good for me too. I've just seen this month's rotation and I'm not on standby on any weekend. I just get hit twice in November  . Any more details on what might be happening?

Bike trip to Dublin? Time to arrive 11am? I am on for it!

OK, having waded through countless Gigabytes of pictures...here goes my attempt at a ride report for the recent Norn weekend.

With the last of an "Indian Summer" and Comberjohn keeping the weather mostly under control, the much anticipated weekend meet in Northern Ireland finally arrived. 

Time off work, hotel and ferrys all booked. Fuelled up, tyres kicked, fluids checked, tour spares and tools packed, new toys (GPS) fitted and proven and Heidi given the final once over. Waypoints and route loaded. Raring to go.

Friday 19 September 2014: Home to Kilkeel, Northern Ireland





I was up at the crack of dawn and ready for the 6 hour ride to Holyhead and the Stena Lines ferry to Dublin. It had been unseasonably warm during the week and this had brought thunder storms and heavy rain overnight. The forecast showed more rain, particularly over my route up through SW England and S Wales, but it promised to clear up later in the day. A little rain was not going to spoil my day though and at 05:45 I rolled Heidi out of the garage and was on my way.

It was very dark, the roads were still wet, but the rain mostly held off - the biggest problem was the dense fog patches which kept my speed down on the twisty country roads as I headed up towards Bristol. As this is my normal commute route, I know these roads very well, but the dark and the fog meant I was limited to dipped head light (full beam gave too much glare off the fog) and, as we all know, the standard K100 dipped headlight beam is not the brightest light out there and I didn't want to hit anything in the gloom - as it was, I frightened an assortment of pheasants, pigeons, partridges, a barn owl and a badger that were using the road as a place to while away the time.

It took just over an hour to get through Bristol; as usual the city and M4 westbound traffic was getting heavy as rush hour approached. As I came to the Severn crossing (one of the two suspension bridges between England and Wales), the rain was lashing down, but I had left most of the traffic behind so the going was good. It was getting lighter, but with the rain, the low cloud and the spray, there was not much of a view to be had as I rode into Wales.



My route to Holyhead took me up through the centre of Wales through the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia National Park (the green bits on the map above). As with my previous trip to Ireland (Apr 14), I found that I had the road north virtually to myself. Perfect for riding, if not perfect riding weather. The rain soon stopped but visibility remained poor due to low cloud and spray - not good for taking pictures/video with the Garmin Virb camera attached to the fairing below the headlight, but I felt I had to include some pictures of the not so nice weather, otherwise, people will think that either the weather is always nice or that I only go out in nice weather!



As I headed north west, the road dried up, but the gloom remained and even at 09:40, it still felt dark.


One quick fuel stop and stretch of the legs and I was passing though Snowdonia and into much better weather - a promise of blue sky and warm sunshine.



Making good progress, I was soon at the Holyhead ferry port, a little earlier than planned (you can always throw away time, but you can't get it back), arriving just as the ticket booth opened. Straight to the front of the queue and plenty of time for a well deserved coffee and sticky bun and a chance to relax (and catch up on the results of the Scottish vote).



Ferry was running on time, crossing looked like it was going to be smooth so sent a text to Olaf to let him know that I was looking good for getting to the rendezvous on time, then sat back and waiting until boarding time. Once on board, Heidi was tied down and left in the company of a few other bikes (including one K100 RS from Birmingham) for the 3 hour crossing



After an uneventful, but foggy crossing, we arrived in Dublin port just after 5pm and I disembarked onto wet roads and towards ominous looking rain clouds. In accordance with my instructions, I ignored the GPS and followed the signs and the trucks towards the Dublin tunnel (actually, the GPS was sending me the right way). Slightly begrudgingly, I coughed up the 10 euro toll fee and entered the tunnel (disappointingly, it really was a tunnel and not a bridge tunnel pipe thing, after all). Obviously, tunnels do have a negative effect on GPS signals and it becomes a bit erratic, as can be seen by the camera GPS speed read out below...whilst it would be nice to think that I could go that fast....honestly (officer) I was well within the 80km/hr speed limit!



The tunnel was definitely a top tip, it was warm and dry and pretty quiet. Up on the surface, it was rush hour, blocked roads and torrential rain - 10 euros well spent! 

Emerging from the tunnel into a light rain shower, I was soon approaching the Applegreen service station where I was supposed to meet up with the guys coming from the South and West. Only trouble was, I had been told it was the Applegreen services at Balbriggan - the first one I came to was said "Lusk" and the road signs said the next one wasn't for another 50km. I duly pulled off the M1 and looked for a bunch of K bikes waiting for me. I was a bit earlier than expected (aiming for a 6pm meet, but I arrived about 20 minutes earlier) and was a little concerned to find that I was the only one there! I was now convinced that I had pulled off at the wrong services. Rather than ride blindly on, I thought it best to send Olaf another text first, but immediately found that my phone was out of credit (stupidly, I had left data roaming on and, in a very short space of time, it had yaffled my credit). Doh! While I went though the slow process of adding more credit to the phone (after turning data roaming off!) so I could send the text, a black K100 RS rolled up next to me and I recognised Simon (Ringfad) from our meeting in Dublin earlier in the year. Boy, was I glad to see him! I was in the right place after all, but just had got there first rather than last as previously expected. A short while later, Stephen (Sgmayhew) turned up on his silver K100 LT and we waited. 

We had a 1 hour 45 min ride ahead of us and a deadline for dinner and were supposed to be departing at 6:15pm, but there was still no sign of the rest of the group. Simon eventually managed to get through to one of them and it was clear that they had all be delayed by weather and traffic and were still some way from our rendezvous. As it was now after 6:30pm, selfishly, we decided to ride on ahead and meet them at the hotel (where they eventually caught up with us). The three of us duly set off, with Ringfad in the lead, and headed up the M1 towards the tolls (only a 1 euro toll).



As we went through the toll (my velcro'd coin holder worked a treat), we spotted a red K bike waiting on the hard shoulder. Ringfad and I pulled over to meet Reg on his K1100 RT (over from Galway). 



Meanwhile, it seems that Stephen had not noticed us pulling over and came out of the tolls like a greyhound out of the trap and went screaming off up the road trying to catch us up!! We set of in hot pursuit, but there was no catching him without risking life, limb and license. He must have thought we were right twats for leaving him behind!!

Crossing from Ireland into Northern Ireland was pretty uneventful - an unimpressive roadside sign and a change of road signs from european style to UK ones. Don't know what I was expecting - vehicle check points, sandbags and sangers?



The route was pretty straightforward, ride to Newry, hang a right onto the A2 and head to Kilkeel. Reg decided that it would be more entertaining to ignore that turn and we ended up taking a short tour of some other parts of Newry, but we eventually found our way through and headed down past Warren Point, where we came across Stephen waiting at the road side for us (I don't know when he decided that no matter how fast he went, he would only "catch up" with us by stopping and waiting), and so reunited, we rode on to Kilkeel.

The hotel was easy to find and, looming into view at 8pm, was a very welcome sight as the four of us rolled around the corner. We were greeted by Comberjohn, Dai and Squig who had all driven down to meet us for dinner and were probably wondering where we all were.



Whilst the original plan had been to camp, the groupon deal for the hotel had been just too good to miss and, after a long day (14 ¼ hours since leaving home and 341 miles ridden), I was not sorry to take the warm, comfortable option at all! I certainly was ready for dinner and several pints of black velvety Guinness.

The rest of the group eventually turned up, although not altogether. They had suffered some horrible weather and heavy traffic and the plans to meet up at various locations enroute had not worked out for one reason or another. Still, everyone made it safely and without incident and we had a really good sociable dinner and a good craic. It was great to put (real) names to faces and meet the flesh & blood behind the numerous forum posts and talk K bikes.

After a couple more Guinness, it was definitely time to get to bed. It had been a long day, but worth every minute and the forecast for the Saturday was looking perfect....

...to be continued.

Super write up. Waiting for next instalment!! 

Excellent report Paul - also made me think about that Garmin camera. Or something similar keeping in mind that my GPS is not a Garmin.

Excellent write up Paul.  Looking forward to Part 2,

Pat

Great write up and pictures, waiting patiently for Part 2.

Irish Eccentrics Norn rally - Part 2


Saturday 20 September 2014: The ride out to Ballycastle, Northern Ireland





Suitably rested after a comfortable night's sleep and revived by a hot shower (hmm...Plan B: comfortable double bed, ensuite facilities, dinner & breakfast thrown in versus Plan A: cramped tent, sleeping bag, airbed, cold walk to campsite toilet block and a fry up huddled over a little gas stove...I think I might be going soft, but I know which one was the right choice this time round!) I was ready for my breakfast. However, the plan was to meet for breakfast at 8:30am and I had an hour to kill. I guess when you're used to getting up early, you still get up early even when you don't need to (although 7am was still something of a lie in compared with normal work days). So what to do? 

Having checked Heidi was OK, I decided that I would go out for a walk and see something of Kilkeel, maybe take a wander down to the harbour and let the fresh air blow away the last remnants of the previous night's Guinness. I didn't get very far as I noticed Olaf coming out of the hotel, so I stopped to talk.



Of course, I never did get out for that walk and we ended up talking K bikes all over again in the K bike (and friends) parking lot until it was time for breakfast. This parking area was another great plus for the hotel, plenty of room for lots of bikes (once the cars realised that they were in the wrong place) and very secure - the hotel shut the big iron gates to the car park overnight so no undesirables could get up to mischief. 



Breakfast was a leisurely affair and kind of set the pace for the day. I am normally a get up and get out type of guy, but it made a nice change to take things a little slower. It was a help yourself breakfast buffet affair but I think the kitchen only had one big frying pan and the food came out in stages - sausages....wait....bacon.....longer wait....fried bread...short wait...mushrooms.....long wait, oh heck can't wait any longer got to eat now.....still waiting....where are the fried eggs? (did they ever turn up?). We were also treated to a platter of Lemon Sole as an extra - generously provided by Olaf and slightly overcooked by the kitchen.

After breakfast, and surprisingly quickly given the very leisurely start, everyone was suited and booted and ready to hit the highway. We were due to meet up with Comberjohn and others at the Maxol filling station at Clough at 09:30am. That was clearly going to be a challenge as it was a 20 mile ride from the hotel and we were running late.


             Alex                   Will                    Tom                          Reg                 Ringfad


Will & Alex

But, the day was up and running, the weather was fine, a little overcast and gusty, but dry and we were rolling and feeling good. We took the coast road North through Newcastle and onto Clough. A pleasant warm up ride in light traffic.



Finally (and about 40 minutes late - sorry John & co.) we rolled into the filling station and watered our horses for the day's ride ahead.


Comberjohn                                                                Reg                                          92KK                         Cluain Si




      Dai                     Markzz                                        Reg                                             92KK                    Cluain Si


Fuelled and watered, after a short break and natter we hit the road again with resident local and weather god (aka Comberjohn) leading the pack. Heading north up the coast towards Ballycastle. Our route first took us to Strangford, where the ferry was ready and waiting to take us across Strangford Lough to Portaferry.  You can't beat a ferry ride to add a different dimension to a ride. Last on, a dedicated bike lane for us and first off just gives that extra level respect to the K bikes and their riders!


Roll on...


The gathering



Roll off...


Once off the ferry, we rode up the east side of Stangford Lough to Newtownards at the top of the peninsular. 



Just outside Newtownards, perched atop a steep hill was the Scrabo tower. This was to be our next stop and we pulled over for a comfort break, chat and, for those that felt the urge, a walk up the steep path to the tower. It was worth the hike with clear views all around and over to Belfast to the West.
http://scrabotower.com/scrabo-tower.html


                                                                Stephen & Cluain Si                              Bjorn & Ditte




Bjorn & Ditte








KKK (in the nicest possible way)




Scrabo Tower.


View west from Scrabo Tower to Belfast.

Walking, talking and gawking out of the way, it was back in the saddle and on towards Belfast.



Belfast was always going to be a challenge - keeping a 13 bike convoy together through traffic, roundabouts and traffic lights. We got separated on several occasions, but managed to keep moving in the same direction, passing iconic landmarks like the Harland & Wolff ship yard and onto the M5. 



We hit a slow patch through some roadworks on the route to Carrickfergus, which was tedious as we were now getting hungry and thirsty, but we pressed on towards our destination and were soon on the open coast road.



With lunch still quite a few miles away, another comfort break loomed as we rolled into Carnlough and we pulled off into a convenient car park. At least it was an opportunity to grab a much needed drink of water (and ice creams for those that wished). So far, it had not been possible to capture all the bikes together, but this stop over provided the opportunity to get a video of the bikes and riders. Not a high speed pass, but just look at that blue sky!







I managed to capture screen shots of the individual riders in flyby order.
Ladies & Gentlemen....I give you the Irish Eccentrics (Norn - September 2014):
(apologies if I have mixed anybody up)
  
           Comberjohn (John) & Alex (pillion)                                            88KE (Will)

           

                      Reg                                               Cluain Si (John)




                             Tom O'Leary


                                               Corkboy (Fintan)




                               Ringfad (Simon)




                             Bjorn & Ditte (pillion)




                                       Pat O'D




                                                   Sgmayhew (Stephen)




                                                 Markzz




                                               92KK (Olaf)


and not forgetting me as tail end charlie...but no pic of me here!!

Pulling out of the car park at Carnlough, we got back on the northbound coast road for a most enjoyable twisty turn ride, hugging the shore line, in glorious sunshine.



A quick run over higher heath land, skirting the Ballypatrick forest, and we finally arriving in Ballycastle for a late lunch.


                                                                 92KK (Olaf) arriving Ballycastle


It was quite late in the day for lunch as evidenced by one local restaurant that allowed the first few in to order but turned the rest of us away because it was then just after 3:30pm. I guess some places just don't want the business. Those of us turned away, found another cafe across the road where they were happy to serve us and tucked into some much needed food and drinks.

Re-invigorated, it was back on the bikes for the long ride back to the hotel in Kilkeel. There was some group fragmentation at this stage as some had things they wanted to do enroute, but the majority of us stuck together. Our route back was virtually the same as the route up, with the exception that we avoided the Strangford ferry. 





Traffic remained light and even the road works near Belfast did little to slow our progress. Evenso, it was dark by the time we rolled into Kilkeel and parked up at 8:30pm. Hungry and tired (and a little stiff) but having had a thoroughly enjoyable day riding, in excellent company, just over 250 miles along some beautiful scenic coastal roads with clear views across the Irish Sea to the Scottish Isles to the east.

Of course this was now a challenge for dinner, with last orders allegedly at 8:30pm. Still dressed in bike gear, we staked our claim in the restaurant and managed to get served. Service was incredibly slow - it still took an hour to place our order and then another long wait for the food. We took advantage of the delay to get changed into more comfortable clothes and grab a few Guinnesses from the bar. I felt sorry for Bjorn & Ditte - clearly they had been looking forward to the steak, but by the time we got served, steak was not available...and the kitchen had run out of bacon for the burgers too.

Having eaten, we all adjourned to the bar and whiled away the rest of the evening over a few more beers and whiskeys.
All in all, an excellent day but, as I had an early start on the Sunday (to catch the morning ferry back to Holyhead), I sadly had bid farewell to the group and slink off to my bed for some well earned sleep.

to be continued.....

Good as ever Paul - as an addition I have to mention we rushed into the hotel's restaurant to place an order for the dinner (as it was stated on their leaflet, last order taken at 20:30) which we managed to do at 21:07 (order the food that is).

Bar was after running out of cider too, but finally we got our food - somewhat similar to what we asked for - just around 10pm. But still, it was great value for the money.
It's a pity though you had to miss morning coffee in Newcastle but you were not the only one.

Very good meet up altogether

Irish Eccentrics Norn Rally - Part 3

Sunday 21 September 2014: The ride home




Sadly, after a fantastic time in the company of the Irish Eccentrics, I had to cut and run first thing on the Sunday morning to get back in time for my daughters coming home from their weekend away (which was not nearly as much fun as mine was!)

I had booked the early Stena Lines ferry out of Dublin port, departing at 8:20am, and that meant I had to be up at the crack of dawn (again) to make the 85 mile run down to Dublin. I had checked out of the hotel the previous evening and was pleased that I got my second dinner included in the price I had already paid. Reason being, the groupon hotel deal was for 2 people staying 2 nights bed and breakfast and with dinner for 2 included for one night. As there was just me on my ownsome, I suggested that the Saturday night dinner could count as the second persons dinner for the first night (no harm in trying!!) - amazingly (but actually quite fairly) they agreed which made my stay exceptionally good value!

Of course, I was up far too early for breakfast, I packed up my stuff and dropped my key off at reception. The night porter was very helpful and let me out the of the back door and opened the big gates so I could get Heidi out. There was a heavy dew on the bikes and it was surprisingly cold - a chilly 8 deg C. I loaded up, set up the GPS and camera and, just after 5am, I rolled as quietly as possible out onto the road and set out for home. 



The ride to the port was uneventful. The roads were empty all bar a couple of cars (it was very early on a Sunday morning though) and there wasn't much to see as it was dark. I made very good progress, slowing marginally to admire the bridge over the River Boyne. There are some things that you miss riding only by day!




I hadn't thought to pack my neck warmer and, after about an hour and a half, I was missing it as the cold night air blasted down my neck. It was it a pleasant relief to enter the Dublin tunnel which felt all nice and fuggy and warm (it was only 3 degrees warmer, but what a difference!). An added bonus, the tunnel was only 3 euros at that time of day.



Shortly after leaving the tunnel, I was in the port and, as dawn was breaking I rolled up to the ferry queue.



Boarding was due to commence at 7:30am and, having checked in and parked up, there was plenty of time for a nice cup of coffee. 

The ferry was busier than expected with several coach parties, but only 3 bikes; a guy on a Harley (who didn't really speak) and a Portuguese guy (Pedro) who had come over from Barrow in Furness for the weekend. The crossing was flat calm and I grabbed a couple of hours sleep on the way across. We arrived in Holyhead to beautiful blue sky and warm sunshine. Perfect!



Once off the ferry, I headed for the nearest filling station and topped up the tank ready for the run south. As I was on a deadline to get home, I had decided to take the A5 across to the M54, M6 and M5 rather than go down the slightly shorter route down through Wales. I figured that the motorway would avoid a lot of Sunday drivers out for their day trips and should allow me to achieve a better average speed. I hadn't figured on the miles and miles of road works on the motorways and the accompanying "average speed" cameras!

To start with, though, the A5 was fantastic. Heading down through Snowdonia between Bethesda and Betws-y-coed on a sunny, windless, day on good roads with minimal traffic, was as close to heavenly as it gets on a K bike.





However, once I got to the motorways, the ride was less than enjoyable. Busy and noisy and, with so many sections of road works, probably not that much faster than the slower but shorter route. Still, it was a means to an end and I got home at 5:30pm as planned. 

My total distance ridden was 933 miles. It had taken 14¼ hours to get to Kilkeel (including waiting time) and 12½ hours to get back. Was it worth it for a couple of nights of great company and a days ride out? Absolutely - yes!!


Thank you to all Irish Eccentrics that made it to the meet (even those not riding with us) for making me feel so welcome and for being such a great group with one common, shared, passion. I was a little disappointed that I was the only one able to get over from mainland UK, but without a doubt, it is definitely worth the little extra effort required.

Particular thanks have to go to Olaf for his efforts to make the meet happen and for encouraging so many riders to make it. Thanks also to Comberjohn for arranging the weather on the Saturday and Sunday - sir, you are now a legend!! 

I have no doubt that I will be back to the Emerald Isles again - probably Galway and the North West next year, but I'll be watching the forum for other opportunities/excuses! Naturally, if any Irish Eccentrics are heading over my way and need a stop over or just a cup of coffee - please give me a shout, I'd be delighted to see any of you.

Cheers guys - great visit.
I'm missing the Guinness already!!

I suppose that now isn't the time to tell you that leaving for Dublin at 05.00 is way too early? I rarely leave from Clough before 05.45 - 06.00 and I'm still in the terminal by 07.30-ish. One of the nice things about the Irish motorways is that 120kph equates to around 75mph and the Guards (Guarda Siochana - the Irish police) don't usually bother with you unless you're doing really stupid speeds.

Thanks for that Dai!

I do like to get places in plenty of time and hate being late. You never know when something unexpected is going to thwart plans and, as I said in an earlier post - you can always throw time away. Must admit though, I hadn't factored in the higher 120km/hr speed limit into my calculations. 

Even if I'd had a bit of a lie in, I still wouldn't have got breakfast before I left!!

Great write up (as always). So good in fact  it makes me feel like I was there with you.

It was good to see you again and I don't think it will be long until we meet up once more.

Great report and photos, Paul. 
I would like to nominate Paul as the official ride reporter for the Irish Eccentrics. (When he's here, anyway)

great report paul

some of those pics gave me a chance to start an irish mug shot collection in my photos

some amazing places and roads to be enjoyed by many

cheers you guys for being there and joining in ...one and all

Paul, thats a superb ride report. I just logged on to try to find pictures for Alex's adventures, I'm making him a birthday card. 

I love the ability of your camera to take pics on the Fly and the one of the Boyne Bridge is fantastic, I've been trying to capture that bugger for ages. I'm saving a detailed read through for the laptop and a warm fire tonight. Maith Thú (pronounced Mah hu which is Irish for the Aussie expression "ONYA")

Gees Will are you stuttering again

88KE wrote:Paul, thats a superb ride report. I just logged on to try to find pictures for Alex's adventures, I'm making him a birthday card. 

I love the ability of your camera to take pics on the Fly and the one of the Boyne Bridge is fantastic, I've been trying to capture that bugger for ages. I'm saving a detailed read through for the laptop and a warm fire tonight. Maith Thú (pronounced Mah hu which is Irish for the Aussie expression "ONYA")

Thanks Will,

If you want higher quality pics of Alex from the footage, I will try and extract them and I'll PM them to you.

The camera mounted under the headlight is the most stable place I found and it makes a huge difference to the quality of the footage.

RicK G wrote:Gees Will are you stuttering again

N...N....N....Not at Y....You Rrrr Rick!

As a footnote to our trip.
Just noticed in the local paper that the Kilmorey Arms is no more. 
Went bust about a week ago.
And after that wonderful breakfast you all had, too.
Maybe it will be reborn for next year

That's a sad one. we had two great trips there but it does not surprise me.

Now for next year...back to camping or some lodges? Self catering might not be too bad, we do have good culinary skills or get a consignment of takeaway food for dinner.

Plenty of time to toss the ideas around.....

No shortage of self catering in this area.
Camping here towards the end of September? 
Think the numbers could be down a bit.
Plenty of time to think of something.