Page 135 - 2022-08-01 RiDE

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FOUR MORE GREAT RIDES TO TOWNS AND CITIES

Glossop to Sheffield Llandovery to Swansea
Miles 38 Good for Great views Best bit The moment it twists Miles 36 Good for Black Mountain Road Best bit The hairpins
between the valley
The Brecon Beacons are littered across the bleak, windswept
The Snake Pass is one of UK evening, the twists and turns with good roads — you can get a majesty of the Beacons.
motorcycling’s iconic roads. inspire. The road climbs hard out day’s ride zig-zagging from Sweeping corners with views
Carved into rock and heath, even of Glossop and after an early Aberystwyth to Llandovery. Best across the hilly landscape, a
though much of the A57 is under peak, the downhill run east is a one is the Black Mountain Road. couple of tight, fiddly hairpins
50mph limits, the flow and the joy. There are many highlights, Made famous by countless car and outstanding blacktop with
wonderful views make that but it is definitely worth stopping TV programmes, not to mention tons of wet grip, followed by a
almost irrelevant. Best tackled for a stroll around Ladybower a few bike magazines, the A4069 tipsy jaunt down the Gwrhyd
during the quiet of a summer Reservoir on the way. is a short but memorable ride Road into Swansea.

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Alston to Penrith John o’ Groats to Inverness
Miles 20 Good for Corners. Lots of corners Best bit Arriving at Miles 120 Good for Oil rigs and North Sea Best bit Berridale to
Hartside Pass Helmsdale

The A686 drops from Alston in and stunning views across the The 120 miles along the A99 and into conifer plantations. Crazy
the Pennines into Penrith with Vale of Eden. Then drop down A9 to Inverness have epic views hairpins at Berridale and a cool
one of the best short rides in the the ridge in a dizzying cascade of across the North Sea and run through Helmsdale follow,
UK. From Blueberry’s Tea Shop tumbling corners, at first across flowing sections with wide and before dropping to sea level at
on Alston’s cobbles, blast along open hillsides, then darting dramatic corners. The first few Portgower, then over Dornoch
the beguiling A696, using the between stone walls and miles from John o’ Groats is flat, Firth, Cromarty Firth and the
whole road, apex to apex, up to thickets of trees before settling but hills south of Wick are lined Kessock Bridge at the Moray Map data ©2022, Google
the site of the old Hartside Café into a steady run into Penrith. with gorse and occasionally rise Firth into the city.

BRITAIN’S BEST RIDE-OUTS | 27