I shipped my motorcycle to the UK and spent a month riding around the souther and western coast of Ireland. What a beautiful country and friendly people.
Very uncrowded so it was great for motorcycling. I rode the entire time and never went on a major highway.
I rode the along the southern and western coast line. Stunning and dramatic.
A friendly Irish pub around every corner. :)
A major highway by Irish standards... ;)
Riding over a remote mountain range I was totally lost but luckily nothing is very far away in Ireland.
The Irish National Surfing School!
You will NEVER get a sun burn in Ireland!
By Irish standards a major coastal highway.!
Above is overlooking the Cliffs of Moor Castle. Below is ten minutes later when the fog lifted.
A castle at the Cliffs of Mohr.
Back in England to meet friends for more fun riding.
The town of Woking is a big fan or the movie War or the Worlds.
Woking is the home of McClaren F1.
Friends arriving to pick up their rental bikes.
A strict lecture on how to care for the rental bike, where you can ride it.
Ready to go!
First stop was the Brooklands Racing museum.
Next stop was lunch in London at the famous Ace Cafe motorcycle hang out.
Ray's first unhealthy British meal.. Wonder why he had a heart attack the following week?
Getting the seal of approval from Mark Wilsmore, owner of the Ace Cafe in London.
Next stop was at an old friend in London who I have known for 40+ years.
He graciously had welcoming party. :)
A few of the cool cars that made the party.
My friends amazing shop, Classic Auto. Hand made aluminum bodies and classic race car preparation.
Next stop was at a gentlemen we met at the party. We went to see his 400+ year old house and his fabulous car and motorcycle collection.
Time for another healthy British meal.. ;)
After an afternoon of riding it was time for a cup of tea..
Our first night on the road was is the very old town of Warwick.
Down town Warwick. Over 600 years old and still in use!
Nothing like a good English pub for gin and food. :)
Love some of the pub names in the UK
A visit to the National Motorcycle Museum. If you like British motorcycles you will love this place. Virtually one of every model British motorcycle ever made!
This guy went around the world on a 1950s AJS. He did it recently!
Next stop was the town of Avon. Home of Shalespear.
Our next night was in this classy old Hotel in the town of Malvern, home of the Morgan motor car.
Another "healthy" British breakfast.
A Morgan meet in the hotel parking lot.
As we were riding north we happened on this roadside motorcycle cafe.
The women in the photo was the owner of the cafe. Quite a "Salty" woman, but very friendly!
Just as we took the second photo she grabbed my hands and tried to place them where they didn't belong.! I resisted.
I was talking to the man in white and he was telling me he was the only Jewish biker in the county. I told him he was wrong, since I was riding a motorcycle and I am Jewish too. He was so excited he took off he biker cap and put on a yamaka in my honor. :)
A beautiful old in we stayed in that night in the Lake District.
Out for a proper English tea in a small town in the Lake District.
This time a year it stays light very late so this is about 9pm. Out for a gin and tonic and dinner.
Stone walls everywhere assembled by hand with no cement. Just stacked!
As we entered Scotland we stopped to check out this very old church!
Now we are on the coast heading north. So beautiful and dramatic.
Our first night in Scotland was in a very small and quaint sea port town called Port Patrick
The next day we are heading further north, notice the weather? We stopped for lunch in this 500+ year old cafe.
Now we are riding in the highlands of Scotland.
A top in Fort Williams. They seem to have a love for Model T Fords!
A local elf.
We just made it to the Isle of Skye. We stopped for lunch but by the time we finished the weather was getting so bad we had to leave the island.
Heading farther north into Scotland.
Looking out my window over what I thought was a lake but the next morning there was a large cruise shipped parked there. Evidently this was a very long inlet from the ocean!
Now we are close to the northern most coast of Scotland. That ruin on the right is a 2700 year old house!
A quick stop at a castle.. LOTS of castles in Scotland.
This was the Queen Mum's home.
At this point we are at Jack O Groats. The absolute northern most point of mainland of the UK.
Next stop a small cafe with very traditional Scottish food, half of which I didn't know what it was.
Our next stop was the city of Inverness. One of the larger and older cities in Scotland.
Back to the Highlands for some great motorcycle roads.
Our next stop was Endinburgh. The capital of Scotland with lots of history and a great castle!
That night it was my birthday so we went out for a very good Brazilian BBQ!
The Scotts have a wicked sense of humor!
This pub is where Sir Author Cannon Doyle wrote most of his Sherlock Holmes stories! As an avid Holmes fan I loved it.
As you can see Trump is not popular here! ;)
A small but very interesting museum of a famous Scottish inventor.
Even thou his home was built over 300 years ago it still looks very comfortable and liveable.
Our last meal in Scotland...
We are off to the Isle of Man for the races. While waiting for the ferry to take us there from Liverpool we had a few hours to walk around. As you can see this is where the Beatles started and they don't let you forget it! :)
About to board the Isle of Man ferry. So excited. This was my second trip there and I absolutely love the island. Even if you don't love motorcycles it is fabulous to visit!
Right at the start finish of the race.
Classic motorcycles everywhere!
We stayed in Douglas, right on the bay. A beautiful old Victorian era city.
Time for a beer
Here is a tour of the pits at the CLASSIC TT on the Isle of Man. An event that features classic motocycle.
Famous cafe right on the course. We ate breakfast here and watched the racing. It doesn't get any better!
Douglas water front at night.
A day of riding around the Isle of Man. A beautiful ride!
Fairy Bridge is famous for good luck if you donate some money.
An afternoon stop at the town of Castle. Wonder how it got that name?? ;)
Next stop was in the town of Peel where a huge bike show was going on. During this week EVERY town has a motorcycle event of some kind going on!
A local store with a motorcycle museum in the basement.
One of the products of the IoM is gin.
How motorcycles have grown! The bike on the left is a 1951 Vincent Black Shadow which was the biggest motorcycle of it's time. On the right is my BMW GSA.
An afternoon touring the IoM museum.
The Manx people have a wicked sense of humor. These are local post cards.
This is a local estate owned by a serious motorcycle enthusiast. He opens up his collection for the day.
This BMW owner's sticker collection has put mine to shame! Touring on every continent!
The IoM car and motorcycle museum. For a relatively small island they have a massive museum!
Heading home at 6am in the morning. Just a few souvenirs strapped to the back! I rode 8 hours back to London with my front wheel barely touching the ground due to all the weight in the back!
A great trip. Ready to go again!
