Ring of Kerry - Part 1 - Fishguard/Rosslare to Dungarvan

Myself and Mark recently agreed a short tour of Southern Ireland and the Ring of Kerry. I’m keen to go back and revisit the Dingle peninsula in county Kerry, great memories of a family holiday in 1978 and I’d read about some great roads cutting across the south too. Mike from work was interested in joining us on his first motorcycle tour so Mark was introduced to Mike in the cafe in Llandovery both Liverpool FC supporters ready for a fun bikers holiday away. All of the routes we used are available on My-Route-App here. 

Happy Days -  County Kerry, Summer 1978

Comfortable ride down from Llandovery after meeting Mark and Mike this morning and a very pleasant crossing. Mike had ridden a mammoth ride from Wigan, not bad for his first real tour, he was already at the Cafe - left home at 4 am, and called me while I was riding to meet Mark at the OK Diner to let me know he had arrived.

After LLandovery, we realised time was running out for our 13.15 crossing - we needed to be booked in 30 minutes before so we needed to get a move on. Our plotted route avoided the long boring A44 and turned off on to the B4313 toward Bethesda. This was a great choice but a bit alarming as the Garmin was saying an arrival time close to the check in time. Luckily, when we arrived there seemed to be some kind of delay in checking in anyway, so all was fine in the end. Mike getting his first impression of Sports bike vs Adventure bike on B roads !


I was really impressed with the Stena staff and the tie downs on the Ferry. Loads of space between the bikes, there were a few other bikers making the crossing too. Great weather, and a forecast to stay that way so we settled in to our introductions in the Cafe / Restaurant.

Mark, Mark and Mike

Then we started picking our way through the back lanes after New Ross and down in to Dungarvan  the 73 Miles from Rosslare for our first night stop over at the Lawlors Hotel.

With Mike being fairly new to Motorcycle Adventure/Touring and having ridden such a long stint already, we stopped off a few times between Rosslare and Dungarvan. Being on a Sports bike without a large screen and down on his wrists we needed to be careful Mike enjoyed these few days away riding distances. A little lie down in a hedge helps with this we found ..  at one point I thought he had nodded off!

These equivalent B roads I had plotted are far more bumpy and uneven than anticipated, quite tiresome after a while. A few more stops to give Mike a break (he's done well on his GSX-F). I really felt the search for the black stuff had already started (Tarmac that is).

Later, as we travelled north of Cork, just past Carrick on Suir we picked up the R 676 the main road that drops us down into Dungarvan we past on our right the Comeragh Mountains, and as the sun started to drop in the sky we travelled the last part in cooler mountain shadow. A quick fuel up just outside Dungarvan and arrived about 7.30 pm at the Lawlors Hotel.

Dungarvan Harbour

After a wash and brush up we were out to sample the real black stuff  (Guinness) followed by a Curry at an Indian Restaurant on the Harbour front. I was given a really strong Madras that I didn't order (thought my Ghust was a bit fiery), but eventually got the right order, not before eating half of it (I paid for that later I can tell you)....

.... finally some Beamish to end the night with too. Good ride, over 300 miles for the three of us.

Early morning Cotswold meet.

  

 

Nice little run down into the Cotswolds this morning to Burford, an 8am start for a very enjoyable breakfast with Steve at the 'Duck' cafe. I cut across country to avoid the obvious route, via Elmley Castle and Ford early enough to avoid the traffic. Steve coming across from Bedford... Great fun! I haven't seen Steve since our 2016 Mountains Alps trip (French and Swiss) with Motorrad Tours, great to catch up at last. We have both signed up for this years Mountains Alps trip (Italian and Swiss). I'm really looking forward to the tour and Steve's company again!

No Motorcycles allowed .. meet The Growler!

While the weather In the U.K. Is great for riding motorcycles this week, sods law has it myself and the Mrs are away at our favourite spot in South West Florida at this time, and I guess when we return we will have a month of rain in the UK to dampen my riding opportunities. Usually the way, that's some kind of Karma!

The weather here started unusually wet, with some very stormy afternoons the worst I've seen in the twelve years we've been coming here, certainly for mid-May anyway. Fortunately though, Florida being Florida we don't have to wait too long for improvement, and the temperature never dips below 25 C anyway so today I'm back on the beach reading about bikes instead of riding them as is usual while over here.

I always drop by a 'Walgreens' convenience store and grab a copy of Road Runner Magazine. I really enjoy the articles coming from a US Rider perspective, and reading about the routes they feature. The last copy I had discussed a Ride up in Vermont visiting a Winery there that looked amazing. This copy features some back roads in California not too far from Los Angeles you probably wouldn't consider yet equally inspiring too.

The mag includes pull out routes, one of which I've always fancied doing 'The Tail of the Dragon' down to Deals Gap in the Smokey Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountain range. The ride links up with Blue Ridge Parkway another great run I have read about thanks to Sam Manicom's recent adventures.

I'm getting quite keen these days to ship my bike across here (or rent one), and spend a few weeks riding some of these famous routes. I've seen a few tour companies that offer a good package and will ship the bike for you or arrange a rental. I really do hope I can scrape the money together and do at least one of these tours one year. Having read Neil Pearts books, along with the Road Runner Mag' it's clear the US is not all about freeways and cruising, apart from the obvious Route 66, there's plenty of other lesser known routes to follow not to mention the National Parks. Death Valley in Spring and a ride up Dante's Peak looks a great option too.

  

So on this trip, without a motorcycle to ride I opted to rent a Ford Mustang again, this time a late model in dark menacing grey metallic. It was in the parking 'lot' at Miami Airport growling 'take me', 'Take Me' , 'TAKE ME' (in a Keith Richards tone). The red one on offer looked a bit too vain and pretentious for me 😉, so I grabbed the keys, pushed the button to start up that growler of an engine, and off we took off across the Tamiami. I have to say I love this car, punch the pedal down on the 41 and with a growl between gears it launches you down the road. Got to be careful though, Helen spotted a squad car ahead near the Indian reservation just in time to get it under the limit again.

 

This late model seems even more sporty, and does seem to go round corners better than the last one I had. The sound system has been upgraded. Just the job with the top down and playing some tunes. Can't wait to put it in sport mode and try out the paddle shift later in the week 😎

A Llandovery loop around Llyn Brianne

Last May Day Bank Holiday the weather forecast being good I was torn between riding on Sunday, avoiding the usual busy roads on Monday or replace the brake pads on the bike on Sunday and bed them in with a ride on Monday. The real dilemma for a ride though was where to go. Having spent Saturday driving Hayley to Aberdovey, I wanted to ride East instead, so in the end decided to do the bike maintenance on Sunday and see how the traffic fairs on Monday. A bit of a nightmare getting the correct tools (Torx bits) from Halfords though, they barely carry any stock these days but luckily my neighbour Rob came to the rescue and had all the correct sizes required to remove the calipers for the cleaning and installation of three pairs of brake pads. All went well in the end, and with the MOT coming up next month at 28k miles I'm glad I did as they were due a change before upcoming trips to Ireland and the Alps later in the year.

My plan for riding East changed for the easier option of riding West though since my logic being the Welsh B roads might be less congested on Bank Holidays and I could get to them quicker from home. So, without anymore planning  other than to simply clamp my Garmin on and point the front wheel in the direction of the border town of Knighton, I left home early with wall to wall blue skies. I couldn't believe my luck as I flew over Clee Hill and past Ludlow with almost zero traffic. The air still cool, I settled in to a fun time riding those rollercoaster roads towards Leintwardine and on to Knighton. As usual this time of the day Knighton was quiet, so a quick direction change had me threading my GS through those twisty roads toward Rhayader, where by this time I could feel the 'spongy' brakes disappear into more solid braking just in time for the true test as one of the Sheep decided to cut me up just before Crossgates. Luckily I had slowed down a bit, but quite scary as I did need a fistful of front brake to pull up in time. Oh well, brakes fully tested I thought 👍.

Kawasaki Versys, well travelled with some great fog lights.

 A brief stop at Crossgates cafe with time for a chat to a guy on a Jap cruiser who gave me the idea of riding over 'sugar loaf' I think he said down to Llandovery, so I quickly programmed the Garmin ready for the next leg. Also met a pleasant chap on a Versys 1000 with humongous fog lights that made mine look unworthy! He had covered 30k on the Versys (a nice pearlescent white model) in just two years of ownership, and had Stelvio and Grossglockner stickers on the screen to name a few. He's a member of the BWDE (Birmingham, Worcester, Droitwich, Evesham) motorcycle club and advised me of my local meet venue on a Tuesday evening at the Island Pool pub. I might go along this summer as they do seem like an active 'any bike are welcome' club with a lot of riding focused activities going on too.

 

The run over the 'sugar loaf' was traffic free getting a good sprint on too. I stopped at the bikers Cafe in Llandovery for a sausage sarni' a brew, and sat in the garden out the back in the shade listening to general biker chat while deciding to head out to the reservoir Llyn Brianne.  Later, I had a wonderful ride up the valley approach passing through small Welsh villages on the way called Cilycwm and Ystradffi. I had never been this way before, on the opposite side to my usual route taking me up the narrow lane stopping off at the Rock Filled Dam. The spillway was dry today, all except the surge spray as pictured above. Eventually I came up and around the side of the valley edge overlooking the reservoir to reveal a spectacular bit of scenery. 

By now the temperature was rising, showing 25 degrees on the bike dash so I decided to stop to cool off and drink in this fantastic view. While sitting on the grass a guy named Paul pulled up in his Renault Scenic who, using his SLR camera was taking scenic shots of the area. He works for M&P Motorcycles (Busters) down in Swansea. Nice bloke, got his card, and hopefully he'll remember me for a discount in the future! Amazing view up here, after a lengthy chat about how Riders of Cardiff have lost the BMW franchise and M&P have it now, as well as other stuff e.g. holidays etc, I said farewell to Paul as he took off down the hill in search of the perfect shot. While on the way out to New York last year I bought a new Panasonic Lumix camera to replace my old Lumix TZ18, and today was the first time I had chance to use it in good sunlight in a countryside setting. I'm very pleased with the results and performance so far. I've become a bit tired of using a phone for photographs, and this new one has a live view finder feature ... great for sunny days like today.

Great views of the reservoir and the valley behind too. Considering it was Bank Holiday, it was so quiet with only a few cars passing by leaving me to enjoy the peace before heading off down the other side of the valley. I'm really enjoying the new'ish Schuberth C4 Helmet on these bright sunny days, the internal sun visor was really making a difference today.

Later, I came through this pretty valley somewhere between Beulah, Llanafan-fawr and Newbridge on Wye crossing the border back towards Crossgates Cafe again via the roundabout nearby.

Deserted roads, and superb twisty B roads out here. Couldn't resist stopping the engine, removing my helmet and earplugs for a bit and getting tuned into the Springtime birdsong and watching out for wildlife too. I had my binoculars with me and spotted a colourful Jay in the distance too. 

 

Finally, back at Crossgates cafe, there were a lot more bikes parked up now, and with the temperature rising close to 30 degrees I got chatting to a guy on a Yamaha MT 09 Tracer about the MT's performance as he's loving it, and reckons its three bikes rolled in to one with the mapping modes. After a drink to cool down I set the Garmin for home and took a gentle ride back through Knighton and over Clee Hill again. Bikes everywhere today, I did think Bank Holiday would be all filtering in traffic - how wrong I was !

The Brecons Beckon ...

First big ride of the year at last. After all of the issues with my bike and bad weather it was good to get out for a meet and catch-up with Mark. I quickly loaded a route through the Brecons and down in to South Wales, and met Mark in Leominster at the OK Diner, before heading off towards Hay on Wye.

Glorious sunshine, predicted thunderstorms later in the day but we saw no rain all day. Took a few wrong turns and missed a waypoint or two to take us on a good mixture of roads in the valleys.

Great day out with an All Day Breakfast on the way, looking forward to our Southern Ireland trip now 👍

Life is One Big Ride ... take me for a Ride !

 

A very apt sign I saw at Cleobury Cafe last week .. 

Can't say I've had a great start to the 2018 year of Motorcycling. Here we are in April, and a wet soggy Easter weekend along with risk of more snow. The 4th month and and only two morning rides so far, neither on my GS 'Lou', but instead riding a loan F800GS instead. 

A few weeks ago I made arrangments with Blade Motorrad in Coften Hackett near Longbridge, Birmingham for a service at 28k (early 30k) on the 23rd March to include two new tyres (Metzeler Tourance Next) where I was first informed the GS had a slight oil leak evident out of the gator that covers  the drive shaft coupling between the gearbox and driveshaft. I agreed to have this investigated at extra cost only for the mechanics to discover the seal had failed. I agreed to have this replaced, but while the drive shaft and swing arm was off I was informed the Driveshaft was 'notchy' at both U couplings and would need a new complete Driveshaft unit, since the bearings are sealed. Now being the cynic that I am asked to inspect the Driveshaft. Personally, other than a very slight feeling of pressure on the one bearing toward the centre I'm not convinced there is an issue. Now who am I to argue with a BMW authorised technician? Should I pay the £610.00 for a new Driveshaft saving me the labour later or have the old one refitted? With a few trips lined up this year (Ireland and the Alps) should I risk not having the work carried out? While considering my options, the Aftersales Manager ( a bit of a presumptuous title I thought since I hadn't made my mind up at this point) informed me they couldn't fit the seal anyway, they didn't have the correct tool so had to return home on their loan bike! 

 

Faulty Driveshaft (allegedly) 

I'm none too happy about having to shell out for a new Driveshaft at a mere 28k and leaving my bike at Blade Motorrad while they obtain the tool (at time of writing 14 days and still waiting). What kind of authorised BMW dealer doesn't possess the correct tool for a 5 year old motorcycle? I contacted BMW and followed their complaints process. Unfortunately they tend to refer back to the dealership, where Blade offered a paltry 10% discount on the new Driveshaft as a good will gesture. Since myself and most normal people would expect a drive shaft failure at 28k miles to be unacceptable and since I have owned the bike from new, looked after it well and had it regularly serviced I declined their offer - what an insult. 👿.

Eventually, after much resistance, Blade Motorrad  have come back and offered a 50% discount on the Driveshaft, and a reduction in the labour cost to fit the seal. I have reluctantly accepted this offer, as long as I can retain the old Driveshaft. I turned up at Blades last Saturday, asked to compare the New for old Driveshaft (still can't really feel a real 'notchy' issue ), and left as agreed with the old Driveshaft much to their complaint that they will need to send the old one back as warranty cover. Now, as far as I'm concerned, there is no warranty claim, as I'm having to contribute 50% toward it. At the time of writing I have taken the Driveshaft home, where Lindsay also agrees there is little he can tell wrong with it either. My bike is still at Blade Motorrad, and I have their loan bike. So, the saga continues, where I opted to get a second and third opinion by getting the Driveshaft checked by an independent dealer, or even another BMW authorised dealer. In the meantime I have their F800GS loan bike, and so it will remain with me until I get my bike back, fixed to my satisfaction (both in condition and in price). CHRIS HIGGS claims they hope to get my bike fixed for the weekend.

Update 3rd April . On Tuesday, I took the Driveshaft to another local to me  BMW Authorised Motorrad dealership and asked them if their mechanics would kindly inspect the Driveshaft. A really great mechanic came out and confirmed as we thought there is no fault with the Driveshaft. I then followed this up with a visit to an independent mechanic who without me prompting him, in an unbiased way also confirmed there is no fault. So here I am, having to spend £310 pounds on a part that is clearly not faulty. I am  not a happy BMW customer. A true cynic would conclude [insert your interpretation here]. I then followed this up with a call to Mark Page at BMW Customer Services who basically gave me the brush off, told me the 50% stands but he would yet again hide behind the Blade Motorrad dealership. It would seem that a Customer Service Representatives job is a doddle, getting paid for passing the buck. I could do that 👍 cheers Mark for your help. In the meantime here's my pride and joy, still at Blade Motorrad in bits ....

My Swing Arm and rear drive assembly in Blade Motorrad workshop

Update 5th April: Phoned Blade Motorrad, yet again spoke to CHRIS HIGGS who now claims the tool to fit the seal should be here within the next 2 weeks (not this weekend as he suggested last week). Since I have a motorcycle trip coming up I will need my bike back as I have my pannier system to fit. Either way I am going to be out of pocket if I get the work done by someone else or cancel my trip. It leaves me no time to rearrange and little time to get the work completed by another BMW Dealer I have sounded one out who is ready to start work on it now or a very good alternative independent mechanic who claims the oil Seal can be fitted by him but he is further away. Since my bike is in pieces in Blade Motorrad, Birmingham for the UNFORSEABLE FUTURE. This leaves me no alternative than to collect my bike somehow, faulty since they have removed the seal without realising they couldn't refit the new seal becaus  they didn't possess the correct tool for my year model bike (2012). I then spoke to MAX ROBERTS the dealer principle where I discussed collecting the bike in pieces, or they deliver the bike to my home in a state they can deliver home to me but not working leaving me to get the bike to an alternative dealer and start to put right what BLADE MOTORRAD have failed to do. As anyone reading this can imagine I am absolutely furious about this. I have spoken to BMW Customer Services and they are going to speak to Blade Motorrad about this tomorrow. I still have their loan bike.

Anyway, enough of these woes for now, I did manage to get out for a ride to try out the loan bike a couple of times, the first taking up a ride up the back of Clee Hill and then on Easter Sunday with Lindsay to Shobden. I have to say I'm impressed. I know BMW have an all new F850GS out, and this is the older 2017  model with the old 800 engine, but what impressed me was throttle response and the lighter weight. Plenty of grunt, and great stood up on the pegs steering with knees etc. 

 

Back of Clee Hill, Shropshire F800 GS

Weird being back on a chain driven bike (ahem) though, really missed the Telelever suspension. Having the forks dive going in to a bend was quite scary at first since my GS doesn't do that. Also under braking the effect was quite noticeable as the forks recoiled and I think reduced overall braking efficiency. The skinny 21 inch front wheel was great on the looser stuff but a bit twitchy on the tarmac in comparison, not as planted as they say but all in all if I was on the lookout for a smaller, lighter bike I'd consider one of these. They are tall enough for my leg length and comfortable, nippy and fun.

Shobden Air Field (GS Savvy) 

The ride out to Shobden with Lindsay was fun, out over Clee Hill again, then down to Tenbury. I got the back wheel slipping a bit in that dip up the ride to Clee Hill, must be those twitchy Anakee tyres on the wet.

Note.  They've put the price up of a small breakfast 6 quid now at the Hotspur, probably down to Brexit too I guess like everything else 😉. 

Had to laugh at Lindsay though, he seemed to be having issues with his screen and buffeting again, and has bought some clip on ailerons from the Shobden Aerodrome club shop .. 😄😄👍

Ailerons .. good match for the V-Strom. Watch the front end lift up on take off.... amazing!

Plenty of activity at Shobden on Easter Sunday, a few scoots out with some nice detailed paintwork. I like the RAF theme commemorates its 100 years since the formation, not to mention the First World War remembrance theme as well. 

 

So, all things considered, a good morning ride out at last with Lindsay, a bit cool, and even cooler with that F800GS's stubby screen but hopefully I'll get this Driveshaft issue sorted soon and have 'Lou' back in my garage ready for the good weather we are owed. As it happens, we are still waiting for Lindsay to land again as he took off over Clows Top and has been circling overhead ever since! So, in the meantime, I just have to persevere and keep up with the daily meditation activities...

Trip Planning - South West Ireland

Seeing as it's St Patrick's Day weekend, and its snowing again, I'm going to get some trip planning done while supping a Guinness in the warm.

The basic Route Idea from last two editions of ABR and Ride Mags'.

ABR Route 1

ABR Route 2

The plan is to get up to Dingle peninsula via the Wild Atlantic Way and back over a long weekend:

Itinerary is as follows based on 5 Days in total:

1. Friday: Home to Fishguard with meet en-route. Ferry crossing to Rosslare.
2. Saturday: Ride to Killarney - see options below, stay in Killarney.
3. Sunday: Ring of Kerry, stay in either Dingle or again in Killarney.
4. Monday: Single run back to Rosslare. Stay over near Rosslare.
5. Tuesday: Early ferry back to Fishguard and back home.

Out options.

• Option A. Friday crossing 23:45 to 04:00 with Cabin from Fishguard to Rosslare. Saturday ride to Killarney in one run (@200 miles).

• Option B. Friday crossing 13:10 to 16:30 without Cabin from Fishguard to Rosslare. Stay in  Dungarvan (74 Miles). Saturday ride to Killarney (@200 miles) via Cork and Blarney Castle. maybe include Bantry and some more of the WAW. Booked.

• Sunday ride Ring of Kerry starting at either Killarney. Stay over in Killarney or Dingle on Sunday night (Conor Pass is an Option for longer ride so stay in Dingle at the Skellig).

Return options.

• Option C. Monday return ride from Dingle to Rosslare OR Killarney to Rosslare. Stay over in Rosslare catch 08:00 ferry for  Tuesday ride home. Booked.

• Option D.  Monday return ride from Dingle to Rosslare catch 18:10 ferry back to Fishguard 21:45, stay over near Fishguard, home Tuesday PM.

Routes options (MotGoLoco):

Rosslare to Dungarvan (74 Miles)

Dungarvan to Killarney via WAW (216 Miles)

Killarney to Ring Of Kerry (100 Miles)

Killarney to Ring Of Kerry With Dingle and Conor Pass (145 miles)

Killarney back to Rosslare across country (180 Miles)


Ferry Prices 1 person, 1 Motorcycle:

Basic: £55 one way, £110 return.
Flexi: £65 on way, £130 return.

Additional 4 berth cabin outside: £33 one way, £66 return.

Useful Site:

http://www.roadtrooper.com/the-wild-atlantic-way-for-bikers-overview/