The 2026 Rideout 22nd-26th June 2026
Day 1 Auction eats to Hesket Newmarket
Eight Riders arrived at Auction Eats for the start of the run on a warm but cloudy day and as the cafe is closed on Mondays we left as soon as we were all assembled. Lee had to use his XT 600 as his G80 was poorly again. Mark hasn’t yet got the AFS 350 ready to use so he was on his BMW.
First incident was at about a mile from Auction Eats when a clanking noise was heard from Mic’s G80. Being a newer model the rear sprocket is held on with cap head machine screws and one had worked its way out to hit the frame. I was leading and already in the one way system in Garstang so a little while later I arrived back at the group and luckily I had the right Allen key to tighten the screws up. So we were soon back on the road. First stop was Devils Bridge at Kirkby Lonsdale where refreshments were taken as the sun came out and the day grew hotter. Some brave souls were swimming in the river but it looked dark brown and I bet it was cold too! Then we set off up the road to Sedbergh turning off to Tebay via Firbank and Beck Foot to Tebay and a rest stop at Orton before our Lunch stop at Shap village where we turned into the yard behind the Greyhound pub for lunch. The pub was closed so we sat in the car park and ate our food. Shortly after we arrived a car came into the yard and it was the owner who informed us that the greyhound was now closed permanently and was going to be turned into flats for air B’n’B use and he was going to move the business to another pub in the village. What a shame, the Greyhound has been there since 1680.
After our rest we set off for Pooley Bridge only to be confronted by a sign just outside Shap that warned that the road was closed. Ignoring the sign we carried on and sure enough at Bampton Grange there were a couple of barriers across the road, two guys looking down a hole in the footpath on the left and a tracked digger backing up on the right hand side. There was plenty of room to skirt the barriers and so we rode through. No problem!
Further on the road through Helton was closed but we bypassed the sign and rode through the village and there was yet another hole in the pavement that didn’t affect the road so it is all Elf (Health) and Safety gone mad. Just outside Pooley Bridge we turned right to get to the garage at Rheged on the A66 where we all filled up ready for Tuesday. A problem arose here as someone paid for the wrong pump and it took a bit of sorting out before we were able to leave. Chaos follows us! We then rode the A66 and up to Penruddock to arrive at Hesket Newmarket. Trevor had already arrived and Phil arrived later to complete the ten guests for Denton House. Simon and Helen at the Old Crown opened up to provide a meal for us at 6:45 and we spent most of the evening there outside in the sun chatting amongst ourselves and with the other customers.
Day 2 Hesket Newmarket to to Appleby and Melmerby
A hot sunny day greeted us and one extra rider, Peter, for my ride and after needing a push start courtesy of Lee we set off down to the A66 and turned off for Pooley Bridge. We then took the scenic route towards Askham but a few miles along this road a huge bang was heard and my rear tyre deflated. On inspection it looked like a Phillips screwdriver had erupted from inside the tyre but after the tyre was removed it was seen to be a be a blade from a combination screwdriver which took a lot of force to remove. We replaced the tube and used Bob’s new electric pump to inflate it which worked very well. We then set off again. The road closure of yesterday at Bampton Grange had gone away (although the signs were still in place) and we arrived at Shap for a rest at the bowling green. We complimented the groundsman on such a good job as the green looked perfect and he told us it was only 3 weeks ago he was sweeping snow and frost off the green. From Shap we turned up to Maulds Meaburn where I did a tour round the village green and up the road on the east side of the stream to get to the other stone bridge and the road to Kings Meaburn. Just before this village I took a sharp right turn and then branched off to Colby and on to Appleby where we parked up in the square and bought pies etc from the bakery and some ice creams to cool us down. From Appleby we headed north and rode through Knock, Dufton, Millburn and Blencairn, all lovely villages, many set round large greens. On arrival at Melmerby we found the Pub was shut on Tuesdays and although a kind local said he would get the landlord to open for us we declined his offer and shortly left for Armathwaite. About 2 miles down the road I turned right and looked back only to see the first 4 riders sail by, Lee chased after them and all but one, Mic, were herded back. We knew he had his satnav so we set off for Kirkoswald and as if by magic Mic was there before us! After arriving at Armathwaite I took the option of extending the ride up to Wreay to ride the long straight road beside the motorway back to Calthwaite. then via Hutton End and Millhouse we arrived back at Denton house at around 5:30.
The cold shower on arrival was very necessary and after that it was back to the Old Crown for dinner. The England vs Ghana match was on later so many returned to Denton House to watch it on TV. I went to bed before the end as it was so boring.
Day 3 Bob’s ride to Hadrians wall and Alston Museum
Another hot sunny day greeted us. Simon from the Old Crown joined us for the run on his modern Triumph Bonneville. Bob led us through Calthwaite, Armathwaite and Castle Carrock to get to Bampton. Very busy in Brampton and the group nearly got separated. The fuel stop at Low Row outside of Brampton came just in time as Tony was on reserve. We rode along the A69 passing the Various Roman Forts and the Sycamore Gap to get to the Errington Coffee House at Port Gate. This was our Lunch stop and it was nice to sit inside in the cooler temperature to rest a while. When we came out there was a chap who had arrived on a Ducati. He was very reminiscent of Billy Connelly and also he was a bit of a Philosopher and gender neutral. So after being phsycoanalised we headed down the Hexham road to get to Hayden Bridge only to find it closed to prepare a cycleway. We then backtracked to the A69 to get to Hayden Bridge. Simon knew the way from here so we were happy to let him lead us to get to Alston. We didn’t drive into the town but went to the railway station only to find the station and the museum were shut! Looks like tourists don’t come here in June! We rested a while in the shade of the station and when trying to start my bike the prop stand retracted and I fell over on the grass verge under the bike. A couple of members extricated me and all was well. We set off up the hill to Hartside top and briefly stopped for the view then rode the zigzag road back down to Melmerby where the pub was open! We all cooled off inside for a while with a drink and when we came out a guy on an Indian lookalike bike had parked up in amongst us. He was a bit of a character and it seems the bike was a Kawasaki Venturer he had repainted to look like a classic Indian. The rear suspension was very soft and must have made a very comfortable ride. After he rode off we also departed and followed Bob down to Langwathby, over the iron bridge crossing the river Eden and just after this we were supposed to drive to great Salkeld but the road was closed. Bob took the next right and we bypassed the bit of road that was supposedly closed but it actually wasn’t. The closure must have been in the village. Usual bad signage! From here we turned left to Calthwaite and back to Hesket Newmarket. Another cold shower was the order of the day and again The Old Crown for dinner. A long but very nice run by Bob.
Day 4 Tony’s run to Gretna Green and Eskdalemuir Buddhist Monastery.
Peter and Simon joined us for this run and after half the group got lost in Wigton after the fuel stop we set off for Iron Bridge and Gretna. A few miss steps along the way and yet another road closure with no signed diversion route meant we had to take direction from the road crew which did help. A rest was taken just outside Gretna in searing heat and we were glad to get moving again. Oh yes, wouldn’t you know it, the road out of Gretna to Kirkpatrick was closed so we had to turn left along the A75 get to Annan where we turned off up a red tarmac road into the real Scottish countryside to get to the Buddhist Temple at Eskdalemuir. A very impressive place that must have cost a fortune to build and an ongoing cost to keep it in such condition. There were ponds with statues of deities in them and woodland with all kinds of flowers water features everywhere with urns round them The temple itself is huge with gold and red decoration all over. Inside the temple was just as lavishly decorated. The reception area was air conditioned and it was nice to just sit in the cool atmosphere talking to the receptionist. The cafe and shop were in small buildings in the grounds and were full of Buddhist artifacts, bells etc for mementoes. After a while in the shade outside the cafe we set off back to the bikes and headed back to Gretna by a different route that took us up over some hills with large wind turbines on the top. Quiet but badly potholed roads led us back to Gretna where we encountered the ever present roadworks and road closures that seem to be the norm these days. We found our way back to the road alongside the motorway to get us back to Iron Bridge and then the
5 roundabouts at Carlisle. With 12 riders in tow we seemed to get spread out and eventually pulled into a layby until everyone rejoined the group. The road that was closed in the morning was now open again so we had no trouble getting back to Wigton and the petrol station to fill up. My bike refused to start after filling up, even with the Lee leg, so it was pushed into the shade and the plug changed which cured the problem.
The last night meal was good and thanks were given to Helen and Simon and the serving staff before finishing off the night outside where the guy with the Kawasaki Indian turned up. He had the most stupid pointed boots on which caused some hilarity. He lent the bike to a guy called Paul to have a test ride and after Paul disappeared on it we all joked with the owner about how he was unlikely to ever see the bike again! However after about 20 minutes Paul came back on it and seemed quite impressed.
Day 5 Ride home
A dry day and not quite so hot, My bike needed a push start but all the others were OK. Phil was going off with his bike in his van to Durham and Trevor was heading home to Lancaster with his bike in his van so there were just eight riders for the return journey. We decided to go down to Shap, rest and then go to Crosby Ravensworth and turn right to go over the moor to get to Orton as last year it was pouring with rain and we saw nothing! The ride went well, all the road closures were gone even though the closed signs were still there. At Orton we stopped and had drinks and ice creams at the Chocolate shop. Mark was short of fuel so he ran down to Tebay, filled up and came back. I didn’t notice this and when the group arrived at Tebay I stopped for him to get fuel. After a minute or so I was told he had filled up earlier so we rode on. The narrow lane through Beck Foot to Firbank was not very busy and we had a smooth run to the Sedbergh road and down to Kirkby Lonsdale where we stopped for lunch. At Caton there was a set of temporary lights right outside the petrol station with a grab lorry moving stuff about and it was taking ages to get through. Lee saw this and bypassed it by going through the town and we passed him having a smoke further up the Quernmore road!
We took the road down to Bay Horse from Quernmore and turned off on to the A6 and stopped at Auction eats where the cafe had just closed. The Italian owner was just locking up and he had a conversation with us before we started our separate ways home.
Overall I think it was a very good week away with all the bikes performing well and some pretty interesting rides in good dry, if hot, weather. Home to home most riders clocked around 600 miles.