The Training Team recently placed an article in Slipstream offering TVAM members the opportunity to have an Advanced Plus Ride with Nigel Taylor, a long-standing member and National Observer, in his backyard – Yorkshire, now his home once more.
As soon as I read this, I fired off a quick email to register my interest, and it wasn’t long before we were working out a date. Nigel was more than happy to accommodate one or two riders so Nina and I were booked in for late July. We decided that going all that way for just one day would be such a shame. Nigel kindly made one or two suggestions for hotels and we managed to secure a room at The Fleece Inn (through Bookings.com). He offered to plan 2 days riding – the 1st day in the Yorkshire Moors and the 2nd day in the Yorkshire Dales, he even shared a route for getting up there.
Slowly but surely the days were ticked off our calendar and before we knew it the weekend had arrived, and it was time to leave. We had a good ride up, avoiding motorways, and enjoying some nice stops along the way. Arriving at The Fleece Inn was easy, it’s the only pub in the village! Our room was on the ground floor in an adjacent building with tarmac parking outside for our bikes – perfect. The owners were very friendly and accommodating, offering breakfast when it suits. The food was excellent and the pub got busy but not bustling.
Nigel kindly met us at our accommodation the following morning, we then had a chat about expectations, riding concerns, areas for development etc. Nigel gave us a few do’s and don’ts and outlined what he expected from us, speed limits, IAM standards, ride for yourself etc. Then we headed out towards the moors.
Some of the things I can remember from our 2 days were as follows:
Day 1 – North Yorkshire Moors
- The Helmsley TT – B1257 – 19 miles of pure motorbike heaven
- The Heartbeat village at Goathland
- Whitby, including a look across at Dracula’s Castle
- Scarborough, including a loop of the public road/racetrack oliversmount.com
Day 2 – Yorkshire Dales
- Buttertups Pass
- A ride through Swale Dale – made famous on “Our Yorkshire Farm”
- Grassington village – now used for “All Creatures Great and Small”
There were many, many more, but I shall leave Nigel to show you. He clearly put some considerable time and effort into making the weekend tailor-made for us. The riding was excellent fun, the routes were a great mix of twisty and open roads, back lanes and beautiful sweepers. The stops were well spaced and the cafés offered very tasty food and the views were spectacular! His knowledge of the area is astonishing, and this just added to the experience. We wouldn’t have changed a thing, except maybe the rain on Sunday morning – but as he said, if it’s not raining, it’s not training.
If you’re looking to brush up on your riding skills and have a few days holiday spare then I strongly recommend a trip to Yorkshire. Get in touch with the Training Team and request a ride with Nigel – you won’t be disappointed. Our total distance travelled, door to door, was 927 miles – not too bad for a 4-day weekend.
A return to Yorkshire is now firmly on our holiday destination list.
Tom Gray
First published in Slipstream September 2022
