FinalGear invades the UK - 2016 Roadtrip

If I were not the only biker

Depending on the schedule it's unlikely you'll be the only biker. I was planning to do a big UK trip next year anyway with or without FG. :p

I'd also like to suggest taking a day out to drive through Belgium along some more interesting roads, rather than just cruise through it on the motorway and then complain afterwards that Belgium is boring. :p

I've got a few routes here that'll take us past the Waterloo monument, into Spa and then on to the area near Viktoria Station. The routes would have to be altered/shortened somewhat as they add up to about 540km and according to Basecamp would take 12 hours to drive. But it's a start. :)

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I'd also like to suggest taking a day out to drive through Belgium along some more interesting roads, rather than just cruise through it on the motorway and then complain afterwards that Belgium is boring. :p

Can we go through Westvleteren somehow, please? I'm so sick of hearing about that beer and not able to get my hands on it :lol:

I almost went there in 2008, but the bastards wouldn't pick up the phone so I didn't <_<
 
I want to do it in that Audi 80 cabriolet that was found on gumtree. Anyone wanna go 50/50?
 
Can we go through Westvleteren somehow, please? I'm so sick of hearing about that beer and not able to get my hands on it :lol:
I almost went there in 2008, but the bastards wouldn't pick up the phone so I didn't.

That interests me.
I found it for sale here, for 30 Euros a bottle. Yeah, no. :lol:
 
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While I also agree with MWF that most of UKania is infuriating and boring I would like to see the highlands along with the lake district, doing it with FG people sounds like a good way to do it. John O'Groats seems like the obvious place to start and work down, considering the mileage done previously why not go from there to Lands End via Wales? Then hot foot it across the south for a ferry invasion. Then there's Ireland...

The southwest peninsula in high season is to be avoided. Tourists settle there every summer like sediment in a bottle and even off the main arteries the roads aren't that great. I would suggest:

Good bits of Scotland (many of which are a long way north of Glasgow and Edinburgh) then drop down into parts of Northumbria, into the Yorkshire Dales, across to Cumbria (Lake District which does have some great roads) then it's not too far into North and Mid Wales where there are also some good routes. Follow that with the Malvern Hills (Morgan factory?) then perhaps the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon (also Aston Martin - don't think they do factory tours though), Warwickshire before dropping down towards the South Coast for National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (camp in the New Forest - busy but very nice). From there along the coast past Southampton and Portsmouth to Chichester (Goodwood), Brighton (frequent weekend car events on Marine Drive through the summer) and then it's not too far to Folkestone and Dover for crossing the Channel.
 
The southwest peninsula in high season is to be avoided. Tourists settle there every summer like sediment in a bottle and even off the main arteries the roads aren't that great.

That's fair enough. I've only ever been to the southwest once and only got as far as the Eden Project. Never stayed in Fawlty Towers...

Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon

Yes. It's been on my list for ages.
 
There is also the Lakeland Motor Museum at Ulverston which includes a section dedicated to Malcolm and Donald Campbell and their record breaking and a DeLorean then the Coventry Transport Museum to consider which houses Thrust 2 and the Thrust SSC.....
 
There is also the Lakeland Motor Museum at Ulverston which includes a section dedicated to Malcolm and Donald Campbell and their record breaking and a DeLorean then the Coventry Transport Museum to consider which houses Thrust 2 and the Thrust SSC.....

It's a good museum but I was pretty disappointed with that exhibition. Overall well worth a visit though.
 
I wouldn't mind being in Scotland or Wales. Isle of Man?
 
The ferry to the IOM is at least ?200 / ?275 per car.
 
Longbridge still does do factory tours of what is left. Well they did when I worked there last year.
 
Can we go through Westvleteren somehow, please? I'm so sick of hearing about that beer and not able to get my hands on it :lol:

I almost went there in 2008, but the bastards wouldn't pick up the phone so I didn't <_<

I guess that could be done, but the odds of actually getting your hands on some of that beer are not great. :p
You have to phone in advance that you want to buy a crate and then they tell you when you can come to pick it up. No appointment, no beer. Although I've heard that some stores now carry it in small quantities. I'll look into that. ;)

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It turns out that it's possible to buy a package of 6 bottles in a place right across the street of the abbey, it is the only place that is allowed to sell it other than the abbey itself.
 
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Damn that's tempting.
 
That's the kind of thing we're looking for, great find. :)

I was watching an old episode of Wheeler Dealers last night (Triumph TR6) and they supposedly followed one of the stages from the 1954 R.A.C. rally, from Blackpool about 150 miles out in to the Lancashire countryside. I'm trying to find details of the route, sounds like it could also be ideal for integrating in if possible. Not surprisingly finding maps from 1954 isn't easy though...
 
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