Back to yesterdays adventures! This all started after watching an old episode of Coast on the Yesterday freeview channel. The coast team were wandering around East Angular! As with my plan of getting down to Lydd and seeing the big "listening ears" on the island in the gravel pit, the old Orford Ness pagodas were another one of those old war time places I wanted to see. Well, plan sorted, sunshine predicted by the BBC fortune teller and bike was ready to roll.
Finally rolling out of the secret workshop at 9am, I was on my way east, the far east to be exact, well you can't get any further east in this country than Lowestoft! The madness started with a blast along the rather non exciting M4 in to London. Those nasty people have now stolen my "bus" lane and it's rather boring. I have to ride along with those commoners in their motor cars now! Still, at least the road was taking the bike and myself eastwards, well the sun was in my face so that was east, ish!
First stop of the morning was along Roman Road. Cash was required. Then after 20 seconds of thinking "why am I stopping along Roman Road?", it dawned on me that I was nearly back home! Maybe I should head for Chelmsford Road. Maybe I shouldn't as the locals would not be impressed with 180kgs (and at times a 180db) of Ducati thundering quietly along the road. I diverted round Victoria Park, through Homerton, I'm sure there used to a Matchbox model car factory here, not a bloody Olympic stadium! and I was back heading through Leyton towards the A12.
After a non eventful ride round Romford and then finally past the M25, I was free and out in the Essex countryside. Great, I love Essex. After finally getting bored of the A12, I decided it was time for a break and annoyed my sister and her neighbours for a coffee break. Chelmsford was finally left behind and now it was onwards, deciding wether to head to Orford first or just go to Southwold and get fish and chips. Well, I headed for Southwold. After the dual carriageway of the A12 was replaced by single lane, I was happier, the bike happier and the world seemed happy. Then I realised I was in Suffolk, so I was even more happier than being in Essex or London.
Nothing much had changed, the roads were winding there way through the countryside, broken up by a few villages and petrol stations, the old Monster still clacking along with not too much trouble. Ok, the only trouble was the fact she kept drinking all the petrol! My first proper stop was looming, I had decided on Southwold. I pulled up in the pay and display car park, looking for the motorcycle bay, and low and behold, no f-ing motorcycle bay. Did I have to pay to park? Do I park in a car space? Do I just dump it on the pavement? Shall I give up... yes! I parked on a residential road in the end, not far from the pier so I was happy. The sea was wild, the sky blue and the fish and chips looked tasty, but for some reason I wasn't hungry. As I wandered back to the bike, I heard the familiar rumble of dry clutches. Yes, here comes the UKMOC.... As someone had not been on the Monster Owners Club site for a while and didn't read that they were having a ride out to Southwold from London, I was a bit suprised to see a collection of Monsters appear in a quiet sea side town in Suffolk, so I left!
In my little brain, I had decided "I've been to the Lizard Point and Land's End, lets get the third one out of the way!" Ness Point, Lowestoft, the most easterly point of mainland Great Britain. Now, the Lizard and Land's End are quite easy to find and I will try to explain about Ness Point. I'm thinking "ok, it could be like Land's End, a small sign post thing, maybe a little cafe or something, few seats, the old mileage plaque to different places in the world". How wrong was I??? At the 'arse' end of an industrial estate, just down from the fish market, next to a half finished concrete staircase (well that is what it looked like) in the shadow of a wind turbine is Ness Point, down Gasworks Road (says it all really), near a bus depot! I only managed to find it as none of the road signs actually stated Ness Point and I decided to follow the blue cycling / footpath signs. Still, I've now got three of the extremities of the UK covered, I just need to get my arse in gear and get to John O'Groats.
As with all new places I go to, I have to leave my mark. This was done in usual fashion. There was a dog contest going on near the beach in Lowestoft, next to a pay & display car park. I'm parked in the p&d car park looking at my map. I actually didn't realise I was next to a dog judging crufts type competition. Still, I started the V-twin in usual fashion and sent most of the dogs running across the judging area! Top job! I was going to look for lunch, but decided to exit stage door west, back to Southwold as the fish looked nice!
And it was! A nice bit of cod and chips enjoyed on the pier. Even with the view of the beach huts one side and Sizewell the other... After working out timings and the fact I had the wrong lid and visor with me, I decided at 4pm it might be a good idea to start heading homewards otherwise I'll be trying out my biker 'Force' moves after sunset! Back to the A12 I go!
Finally, after a petrol stop I get to Orford Quay. How quiet that place is, is unbelievable! As usually, I attracted the local nutter! A blokie had just come back from fishing out along the quay somewhere and his old battered Fiesta had a puncture. Queue talking to the nutter in the leathers routine! Oh well, at least I could just hide in the crowd of bikers! All three of them, with their Goldwings! Why Goldwings?? They are the size of a Fiesta, without the comforts like windows, roof, seatbelts, a stereo that you can hear (sometimes) and heating!! Oh well, they were all old bikers and have probably ridden every bike under the sun to get to the Goldwing! The Goldwing clan left, with a few local kids chasing after them. The local kids liked the Goldwings! Now, the big (which looked rather small) red Ducati they did not like. Maybe that was down to the little red button with "Loud" written on it. One press of that button and the kids run off and so did the aliens from Rendlesham Forest as I rode through there on the way back to the A12. Nothing to see there, move along!!
And finally, I appeared back on the A12, like the morning ride up the A12, going home was greeted with the sun on my face but a new feeling had appeared, tiredness! 240 miles riding a bike with as much aerodynamics as a brick, with a brick sitting in the middle of it, running at mainly national speed limit speeds had taken its toll. My thighs were aching, my right arm aching, my back starting to not really enjoy the potholes, every little move was just annoying and getting boring, so I had a bright idea, "instead of the M25 back to Heathrow, I'll take the North Circular!" Twat!!! Bloody road works, potholes, kamakazi scooter and Gixxer riders! I was so glad to see the Park Royal sign appear! I think it took longer to get passed Henleys Corner than getting from Colchester to the North Circular!
Finally, a brief stop over at the Ace Cafe for a fizzy pop and a ponder. The mileage on the bike now read 14420, I left the workshop with 14110 on the clock! 310 miles done!! Two full tanks of petrol used, just the A40 left to go.
Finally, twelve hours after leaving, I rolled the old Monster back to the secret workshop. The final reading 14447! I'd been through Surrey, Middlesex, London, Essex and Suffolk. I'd only gone out for fish and chips and it ended up in a big adventure! I don't care! This is what the bike is for! Getting away from it all for a day / week / month, not following a Satnav, exploring places I just like the look of on the TV or just seeing a road sign that makes me think "sod it, lets see what that is!".
The only downside is the aching this morning!! At least I can recover for my next adventure! Land's End must be visited soon!
1 comment:
Indeed there was a Matchbox Toys factory, Lesney's I believe. We used to go past it on the way to Kings Cross to see my Great Grandmother!
Quote "Lesney originally started operations in a derelict pub in north London (The Rifleman), but later, as finances allowed, changed several location times before finally moving to a factory in Hackney which became synonymous with the company."
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