Borders meet 20th-21st Nov

[steveD]

I have been in discussion with our esteemed leader and as he had been interested in my previous trips to the borders area I intend to get there again later on in the year to further explore. I know full well that it may be colder but the pub is very friendly, has a fire and serves good food. We can have an open fire camping alongside the Loch. Facilities pretty basic (at least they were when I was last there) but the roads in the area are fantastic for biking.
Hope this will attract some of our more Northern brethren, and possibly someone in the area that has local knowledge.

[niblue]

I'm about 50 miles from the Tibbie Shiels and know the roads around there pretty well as I often use them for day rides. The cafe across the road from the Tibbie Shiels is quite often used as an end-point on rides I do.

[steveD]

Does this mean that you will attend? and if so will you be able to organise a rideout or at least give us a clue as to a good circuitous route?
Will also be good to meet new faces.

[Andy M]

I'm planning to be there 

Andy

[guest18]

I'm planning to be there 

Andy

Likewise 

[Simon#83]

I'm also planning to go along.

Simon

[guest7]

My pistol's packed and my dog comes with me...

(ten virtual forum points if you can name the band).

Er... what I'm saying is I'll be there. 

GC

[niblue]

Does this mean that you will attend?

I should be there. Given it's November there is a chance I'll wimp out and turn up in my motorhome rather than with a bike & tent though...

and if so will you be able to organise a rideout or at least give us a clue as to a good circuitous route?

Won't be a problem. I know the roads in that area pretty well as it's where I go for shorter runs - evenings etc. Smudge and I did a run down there, including a visit to the Tibbie Shiels, a couple of months back. One of my very favourite bits of road starts about a mile or so away from there and lends itself to a nice 100 mile or so circuit:

A708 Tibbie Shiels to Cappercleuch
Talla/Megget reservoir road to Tweedsmuir
A701 to Moffat then Beattock
B7020/B7076 to Lockerbie
B7068 to Langholm
B709/A708 to Tibbie Shiels

Some great roads in there, although I would have to mention that the last time I led a rideout using the B7068 (which is a fantastic road) one of the group managed to high-side his BMW tourer...

The A708 from Moffat to Tibbe Shiels is also a very nice road, but I expect a lot of folks will probably have ridden that on the way there already as it's the shortest route from the motorway.

[Dogbad]

If I've recovered my Nerves enough that I'm still riding and if the XBR doesn't turn to stone by then I'll probably have a wander up and say Hello to a few of you.

[niblue]

To give you an idea, this is the sort of roads very close to the Tibbie Shiels, taken when Smudge and I did an evening reccie at the end of May:






This one is from a trip myself (but with the same total cylinder count!) and is pretty much beside the entrance to the Tibbie Shiels

[steveD]

Nice one Niblue, hope that whets a few appetites and we get a few more comimg. I'll get in touch with the place closer to the date and arrange a couple of wheelbarrows of logs (£5 each at my last conversation)

[squirrelciv]

I've written this one in the diary in ink, but that's not to say wifey's new job won't come along and p155 on my chips though.

For now I can dream of floating along those beautiful highland roads.

[niblue]

For now I can dream of floating along those beautiful highland roads.

Lowland, but still beautiful!

[KirriePete]

For now I can dream of floating along those beautiful highland roads.

If you want beautiful Highland roads you'll need to rack up a few more miles, probably at a better time of year than November, but by cracky it's well worth it!

Here's a little taster of what you won't be getting in the soft southern bits of Scotland, cobbled together by the admin of the Dundee Bikers Forum earlier this year: Clicky Linky Thing.

Me?  Dunno if I can make it that far south for a weekend, but I may be able to shake off SWMBO long enough for a day trip, we'll see.

[guest18]

Oh Pat knows, we had a couple of nice days running up North via the good roads ;-)
Nothing wrong with the Borders roads though, there are some crackers there as well