In the Lake District go to Windermere then Ambleside then take in the following passes Wrynose, Hardknott, Honister (via Buttermere) to Keswick then back down to Ambleside and over Kirkstone pass to Penrith. Challenging roads through lovely scenery, it might not have the grandeur of the Alps or Pyrenees but it is very pretty. Check it out on Google Earth. Perfectly doable in a day with plenty of stops to take photographs but also plenty of places to stay overnight if you want to.
Avebury is a lovely place and you can touch the stones and walk around them You could head to Gloucester there is Prinknash Abbey some great roads into Stroud up to Ledbury into Hereford do this trail Black & White Village Trail - Visit Herefordshire It's lovely roads up to crossgates on up toward Newtown, Oswestry, Chester Or cut across crossgates to Ironbridge Ironbridge Gorge Museums: Great Family Days Out Then head up north to York The worlds your oyster
The point you make is a good one but I think 1 1/2 weeks is probably just sufficient to get up north and tick off a few National Parks without being in the saddle all day.
Indeed. Google The Red Lion Inn, Avebury. Lovely old thatched village pub. Can be packed out in summer.
Then a short 20 minute trip up the road to Bibury, prettiest village in England. Then Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold,, Alcester...
Wow, I really appreciate your suggestions, lots of names to be written down and which I will try to include in the road map. Thanks! Regarding the security, here in Spain you hardly see "big bikes" (not scooter ones) on the street at night...
If I had the time to visit the "old" country again York would be the first place I would go. I used to be stationed near there and love the place. The only two places I will never want to see again in my life are Scotland and Wales. Make sure that your bike is very secure in the UK. Here in France we can park them with the keys in them and no one will touch them.
Loads of good ideas here for you I would just like to wish you a great time. I have gone in the opposite direction for the last 5 years via the route you are crossing and have to say your country and the people Ihave met have been fantastic. I hope you find the same thing here ,all the best
Avoid the south east. To combine some of the suggestions of previous posters, how about a western loop over a few days e.g. Avebury, Bath, head into Wales, stay in mid Wales, do some of the classic biking roads of mid Wales (e.g. A483 Crossgates to Newtown), head north through Wales and emerge back into England to see Chester? Ducbird has some good ideas. I've been pleasantly surprised by the roads in Shropshire everytime I've ventured into that area. The Food Stop in Quatford (just outside Bridgnorth) is a proper biker caff for a cup of tea stop.
... if you like pretty villages, Bourton-on-the-Water and Broadway are famously picturesque Cotswold villages.
Callanish and Scara Brae predate Scotland just as Stonehenge predates England, both by many thousands of years. None of these relics belong to us, our cultures or our histories. We inherited them when we moved in. Please lets not have heritage willy waving or cultural competitiveness. Must everything always be reduced to my country/culture is better/cooler/older than yours. It's so predictable that even when its meant to be banter it just becomes depressing. I'd agree with this but if you arrive at Plymouth don't rush too quickly to the Seven bridge by main roads or motorways. There are some great roads and scenery in the west country, and some of the least crowded roads in southern England, especially if you're coming before August and missing the school holidays. Take your time and wind your way by B roads up through Dartmoor and Exmoor and along the north Devon and Somerset coast.
as you can see,MD we all get along fine here in blighty.:Hilarious: :smileys: the south coast,cornwall and wales are all fine places to visit and should give you are real taste for the uk as a whole. shame you don't have more time. as their is so much MORE to see. enjoy your visit. :smileys:
In the past, the only time I spent in England on the bike was heading for a ferry to the continent. A couple of years ago I felt it was time to spend a bit of time south of the border so my last two holidays have been touring around England and Wales. Highlights for me are Northumberland (coast and National Park), North York Moors, Dales, Lake District, Snowdonia, Peak District (some busy roads but much quieter down by Dovedale), Devon (moors and coast, high hedges and twisty lanes), Cornwall (great coast) and Dorset (just a beautiful place to be). Loved all of it.
