Mile eater award

[Ahamay]

I need one gold ride to qualify for a Bronze so i have been exercising my few remaining brain cells, this is calculated on an end to end gold all calculations are approximate.
Dartford
John o groats
St Davids head
Lands end
Dartford
Google maps say 1993 miles i can get 250 miles per tank @ £1.78 per litre price at my local Shell garage today eight tank fills approx 152 litres £270.00 just on fuel accommodation and food will be extra, i have just had to spend £300.00 on the car so that shot my plan in the arse.
Given the price rises that are just over the horizon as a pensioner on a fixed income this is looking unlikely i don't think i am the only one with this predicament

 

[GSears]

A Full Monty is only 2122 miles, so another 129 miles. This will save you hotels at either end. No dead miles. Only 2 days riding.

Dartford 0400
Lands End 1000
St Davids 1600
Perth 2400-0600 Bivvy or Hotel
JoG 1000
Lowestoft 2200
Dartford 0030

Times from Google so will allow for slippage.
With a bit of wiggle room at the end.

Still expensive but a much better experience, plus bragging rights. Could get the E2E Gold as well (nested).

 

[Ahamay]

Yes i'll wait until this heat wave has done it's worst

 

[EricV]

As an option, there are shorter Gold rides you could do. Scooter 1000,(1600km), Gold on a less than 300cc scooter. Heaven to Hell is ~1800 kms in 24 hours and is listed as a Gold ride.

 

[Ed.]

So Eric, with the mentioned budgetary constrains in the opening post you're proposing buying a new vehicle (yes, borrowing might be an option) or an international trip as a solution?

 

[EricV]

Apologies, for some reason thinking Oz, not the UK. I know not what two wheel treasures lie in the OP's garage or at their disposal. I would not suggest buying a vehicle, but among friends, what's 1600-1800km? And small scooters sip petrol.

The point being there are other Gold rides besides a BBG or End to End. One could even, (gasp), leave the island.

 

[Ed.]

Nah, they're not allowed to leave the island anymore - the EU has a shoot to kill policy after they seceded...

 

[EricV]

Nah, they're not allowed to leave the island anymore - the EU has a shoot to kill policy after they seceded...

The Irish have had that policy for much longer...

 

[Ahamay]

Apologies, for some reason thinking Oz, not the UK. I know not what two wheel treasures lie in the OP's garage or at their disposal. I would not suggest buying a vehicle, but among friends, what's 1600-1800km? And small scooters sip petrol.

The point being there are other Gold rides besides a BBG or End to End. One could even, (gasp), leave the island.

Only got one two wheeled treasure now new in 2020 Yamaha XTZ 700 this one will see me out, had to sell the other two to get that.

 

[GarminDave]

I was out yesterday bagging Bonus Locations for our local bike club challenge and the roads were very quiet. I think the price of fuel has definitely thinned out the casual motorists.

I too would do more riding if I had unlimited petrol funds, motorcycling is not a cheap form of transport so I carefully budget rides versus time on the shrink's couch. Got to say sane(ish)

 

[GSears]

I was out yesterday bagging Bonus Locations for our local bike club challenge and the roads were very quiet. I think the price of fuel has definitely thinned out the casual motorists.

I too would do more riding if I had unlimited petrol funds, motorcycling is not a cheap form of transport so I carefully budget rides versus time on the shrink's couch. Got to say sane(ish)

Flowers for the wife work well Dave

 

[Ahamay]

GSears route looks good but the return leg via A68 Jedburgh just to reduce the motorway miles and it's fifteen miles shorter.
Watch this space

 

[GSears]

The Scottish towns on the A68 have 20 mph limits, with Gatsos

 

[Ahamay]

OK

 

[Ian M]

having just spent a week there, no one appears to stick to them and the big anomaly, the flashing speed signs all say 30

if you go via the A68 watch out on top of soutra hill/dunlaw windfarm - that is where the van is often parked

 

[Firstpeke]

Personally I love the A68.... but for a fast route, not one I would recommend!!!

From Carter bar south isn't too bad, a bit uppy downy, but north gets bendy and speed camera proliferate, or used to.

Been a couple of years since I was last up there.

I just finished a Full Monty and traffic was terrible.... a serious delay on the M6 J1/2 pushed everything to the A5 and other nearby routes.
I ended up A45 then A46 to M40 then M5...... and I thought northern route would be quieter than M11/M25/M4 on a Monday morning..

X Wrong.

M5 was filtering world.... miles of it..... I would not have wanted to be northbound as the queues must have been 15-20 miles.....
Traffic leaving the West country was equally bad.

By the time I had been to Lands End it was better getting to the Severn Bridge and the M4 was positively quiet to Pont Abraham!

 

[Ahamay]

according to google via Jedburgh will add 1 hour to the overall time but south of as will going A1 via Berwick on Tweed.
I plan to go in September when the kids are back at school that should ease the traffic on the A30/ M5 but as we all know no plan survives first contact.

 

[Firstpeke]

I need one gold ride to qualify for a Bronze so i have been exercising my few remaining brain cells, this is calculated on an end to end gold all calculations are approximate.
Dartford
John o groats
St Davids head
Lands end
Dartford
Google maps say 1993 miles i can get 250 miles per tank @ £1.78 per litre price at my local Shell garage today eight tank fills approx 152 litres £270.00 just on fuel accommodation and food will be extra, i have just had to spend £300.00 on the car so that shot my plan in the arse.
Given the price rises that are just over the horizon as a pensioner on a fixed income this is looking unlikely i don't think i am the only one with this predicament

Certainly the cost of doing a Full Monty is scary, especially when you want to stop in a hotel, Tavelodge or Premier inn for no more than 4-5 hours....

I ignored my sensible head and went and did it anyway.... the variation in fuel prices was ridiculous, of course I avoided motorway service stations and stopped at Tesco, which proved to be costly, and Asda Carlisle, which failed to produce a receipt......

Once I had submitted my ride I looked at the cost and have to admit, it was not inexpensive....

So I suspect having been to Norway and made a failed attempt at a EE2E, yielding a SS1600k or SS1000 instead, depending on what verification allows, that there will be no more IBA certified rides this year....
Of course I have already booked a hotel room in Slovenia for the RTE there, so might try and fit another one in on the way back.....

Just as an aside, I lost about 8 pounds in weight during my Full Monty, but don't worry I found some of it again.....

If my FM is certified successfully I should get a Mile Eater Silver to boot..... which makes it more worthwhile!

 

[Ahamay]

The price of fuel is coming down the kids are back to school in September so Travelodge is a bit cheaper and i've had a root down the back of the sofa and nicked the grand kids piggy banks the little sods have got more than me!

 

[Firstpeke]

according to google via Jedburgh will add 1 hour to the overall time but south of as will going A1 via Berwick on Tweed.
I plan to go in September when the kids are back at school that should ease the traffic on the A30/ M5 but as we all know no plan survives first contact.

I forgot to say that your statement was the exact one I used when talking to someone else about the ride Sunday to Tuesday.... it felt that I had planned it to a degree of paranoia, only for it to start falling apart within the first 6 hours, when my headset stopped working, then har (fog) en route to JOG, thunderstorm and torrential rain in Inverness, then the M6 thing coupled with another headset not working again..... then the M5 traffic.... heavy rain in Devon AND Cornwall, it seemed at every point it was going to be an out of time ride..... that very phrase came straight to mind.... no plan etc..... I remind my wife that I am indeed certified and hope to be so twice more.....