Yesterday, took the wee Bullet to Carter Bar. It's not the first time I've ridden the plodder up there but always feels like an adventure.
From the Scottish side, the main A68 road climbs steadily for two or three miles, complete with three hairpin bends, to cross the Border at 1371 feet above sea level. It's not enough of a climb to present a challenge to any modern vehicle. But for some reason feels like a challenge on the Bullet. There's sense of anticipation, a faint & false sense of apprehension as you approach the Cheviot hills and pass the turn-off points where you could leave the route and go someplace else. Until, 'Well, this is it! We're goin' up Carter Bar, hope the bike doesn't disgrace itself.'
Possibly the worst risk is getting held up behind a slow-moving caravan. If you've got some driver who's new to the area, as caravans usually are, they might be so terrified of towing up a hill or even down a hill with those bends, drop to walking pace, gear selection is made for you. Who said Dutch caravans are the worst?
But of course it don't disgrace itself and we ride up with no hindrances from caravans, in fact no traffic at all.
At the top, parked in the lay-by and got speaking to a couple of Geordie lads. One of 'em told me he had a RE Bullet, and a brand new sidecar. Hadn't even fitted the sidecar to the bike when his son-in-law sold the bike and the sidecar. Without his permission. For £700. Surely not? Uhm, this sounds like a family issue that I don't want to get involved in so I fire up the single.
And ride back down Carter Bar.
They are funny bends, long and sweep right round so yer leaned over for a long while and seem to lose perspective. You go slow, it still feels too fast and yet you know you could gone faster. The Bullet puttered gently round the hairpins in 3rd on the way up and 4th with the engine happy to be lazy on the way down.
Back home along the A68 and treated meself to an ice cream.
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On other threads, we've mentioned the Romans and what did they ever do for us? The A68 was first surveyed and laid out by the Roman legionaries nearly 2,000 years ago. Known in the Middle Ages as Dere Street. Hairpins where the route passes over the Cheviot Hills but many parts of the A68 both north into Scotland and south into Northumberland are long and straight with up & down switchbacks over the smaller hills.