Leaving the filling station at 9.30am I headed downhill towards Apperley Bridge and the A658. It was a clear Sunday morning with the digital gauge on the FJR showing 10 degrees. I was heading towards Ripon with a mind towards taking the road up to Leyburn for lunch. After that I’d see where my mood took me. I took it steady for the first few miles allowing the Yamaha’s 1300cc engine and tyres to warm up. There wasn’t much traffic about and I was happy to settle in behind three Sunday drivers in their cosy cars as we climbed away from the river and canal up towards Leeds/Bradford Airport. I wasn’t worried as I knew the road opened up as it passed under the airport runway and that a quick twist of the throttle would easily see me past these sedate drivers. As expected when the road widened into two lanes the FJR willingly thrust me past the line of sluggish cars which seemed to have no where in particular to go and I sped along the open road past the airport and down to Pool. I had planned to take the Leathley road once I had crossed the bridge spanning the River Wharfe but a yellow sign with black letters abruptly informed me that the road was closed – such a shame as that is a great biking road. As directed I continued on the A658 towards Harrogate but had only gone about a mile when I came across a number of cars and a coach creeping along behind tractor and trailer. Although there were a few straight sections on the 60mph speed limit road there was always traffic coming the other way which prevented any safe overtaking. Never mind, I knew the tractor couldn’t be going far as most farmers fields are not a great distance apart and I was confident the farmer would be turning off the road pretty soon. My patience proved worthwhile and within a mile the tractor turned off left. As the line of cars and coach began to slowly pick up speed I clicked the Yamaha down in to fourth gear and used a clear stretch of road to safely blast past them all. I was heading to Knaresborough and took the second turning there off the A658 preferring this route in to the town rather than the first. The market town of Knaresborough is a great little tourist spot with its castle and hillside houses perched over looking the picturesque River Nidd. Down at the bottom of the town is Mother Shipton’s Cave which has been England’s oldest tourist attraction since 1630. Mother Shipton was a famous Prophetess but I had no need to ask her what the future held for me as I already knew I had to take the B6165 Ripley Road and continue my journey to Ripon. Before long I reached the A61 and its fast bending route which is festooned with signs warning motorists to take care as there have been large numbers of accidents on the road in recent years. This warning has always surprised me previously as whenever I have travelled on the route it has always been whilst being penned in along double white lines, tractors and slow moving holiday makers towing caravans. Not today though, the God of the Open Road was shining down on me and I had a clear ride along the sweeping, rolling tarmac as the FJR flicked left and right like one of those military jets you sometimes see doing low level flights along mountain valleys. Even slowing briefly to 30mph as I passed the villages of South Stainley and Wormald Green it was not long before I was skirting around the City of Ripon looking for the A6108 which would take me to Leyburn and my lunch. Good clear tarmac took me swiftly through the village of North Stainley and then on to West Tanfield where I stopped near the bridge crossing the River Ure to take a photo.

Standing on the bridge with my camera I hadn’t realised how much the fairing and taller screen of the bike was keeping the cold off me and so quickly got back in the saddle to make full use of the Yamaha’s fairing design which can be set to push warm air from the engine on to the rider. Over the bridge the A6108 turns sharp left and continues its way to Masham, home of the Theakston and Black Sheep Breweries. Both worth a visit if you have the time or fancy a bite to eat and a brewery tour. I had neither time or inclination this morning to do either so continued on my journey. Leaving the town the A6108 becomes narrower but the trees which line the sides of the road give clues to the direction and severity of bends ahead. I passed the massive ruins of Jervaulx Abbey, the Cistercian Monastery built in 1156 and then the village of East Witton where the road heads due North towards Ulshaw and then tries to catch you out as it crosses the River Cover by swinging sharp left immediately after the blind summit of a bridge. A few sweeping bends followed and then a speed reduction to 30mph as I passed through Middleham and then back up to 60mph before entering the market town of Leyburn and my planned break. The town square was surprisingly full but I managed to park the bike on the cobbled car park opposite Penley’s Coffee Shop and Bistro.

I hadn’t been to Penley’s before but was trying it on the recommendation of my friend Martin who had visited the place on his Kawasaki ZZR 1100 a number of times. Entering the shop was quite a revelation. Tables covered in crisp white linen and an extensive menu with hot beverages, beers and wines. Not your traditional ‘biker’s café’ but very inviting with a friendly relaxed atmosphere. I decided on the BLT sandwich with side salad accompanied by a large cup of cappuccino both of which were to a high standard. I had chosen a window seat so I could keep an eye on the bike parked on the other side of the road and felt rather smug as a number of people on their way around the town market square stopped to admire the machine. My attention was distracted from the bike briefly as the attractive young waitress, who was clearly pleased with the results of her new Wonder bra, leaned over my table to ask if the food was alright. I fought to keep my eyes firmly fixed on her face as I replied that the food was very nice and then turning to look back across to the bike I concluded that my wife was right when she joked I was becoming a dirty old man!

Leaving the cobbled market square and buxom young women of Leyburn bathed in a chill November sun light I set off on the A684 towards Aysgarth where I would decide whether to take the B6160 to Buckden or continue straight on to Hawes and then Horton-in-Ribblesdale. Within a short distance I was warned by a sign advising motorcyclists to take care as there had been a number of fatalities on the road ahead. I always find these signs somewhat exciting as they suggest that there is going to be some really good biking roads ahead. The reality is of course that there is a great risk of losing yourself in the euphoria of fast twisting tarmac and coming to an abrupt halt against a dry-stone wall. These walls, which are synonymous with the Yorkshire Dales, have been standing for over a hundred years and do not flinch at an impact from an out of control motorcyclist colliding with them. I didn’t have to worry though about losing control of the bike at speed as I found myself behind a handful of cars who were making steady but satisfactory progress so I settled in behind them and admired the views of Wensleydale valley. The road meanders its way along the valley which is typically ‘U’ shaped, an obvious creation of a massive glacier which scoured away the land during the last Ice Age. Typically Yorkshire Dales, the valley is dotted with stone farm buildings interlinked with the seemingly endless lines of dry-stone walls. By the time I had reached Aysgarth, and the town’s famous water falls I had managed to pick my way past a few of the slower cars and was making good progress, so good in fact that I decide to stay on the A684 to Hawes. Once the road leaves Aysgarth it passes junctions leading to intriguingly named villages like Thornton Rust, Stalling Bust and Skell Gill to mention a few before the 30mph signs announce my arrival in the bustling village of Hawes. The main street was full of visitors clad in walking jackets, boots and thermal hats whilst further along, lines of motorbikes festooned the fronts of tea rooms and pubs, their owners warming themselves in the midday sun whilst pouring over the attributes of the machines on display. A couple of acknowledging nods to those bikers who lifted their heads to check out the large silver FJR and then I was branching left out of the village and on to the B6255. Accelerating hard and flicking the bike quickly through a series of bends I soon found myself behind a sporty BMW 3 series, the driver of which seemed to take the twin headlights of the Yamaha in his rear view mirror as a challenge. His pace quickened and I decided to follow. I didn’t want to suggest that I was trying to race him so ensured I kept a non threatening distance behind whilst matching him for speed. We both made good progress as he towed me along in his wake. There were a few occasions when I could have passed him but these were only short clear sections of road which would have meant me greatly exceeding the speed limit in order to get past safety before the next bend. In no time at all we had reached the roads highest point at 438 metres and passing Newby Head Farm we began the decent to Ribblehead and the famous railway viaduct where I branched off left towards Horton-in-Ribblesdale. A clear road saw me catch up to a Suzuki V Strom rider who seemed to take exception to a rider on a heavy sports tourer taking up his mirror space and he suddenly lifted his speed. Once again I didn’t want to put any pressure on to race so kept what I felt was a non threatening distance behind the 1000cc Suzuki whilst matching it for speed. The rider in front seemed to know the B6479 road very well and he put his greater ground clearance to good effect on some of the tighter bends. I was able to pull the big FJR down low and maintain a good line behind him but the lower foot pegs on the big tourer did ground a couple of times. Entering the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale a couple of bikers approaching from the opposite direction gave a salutary calming hand signal suggesting that there was a potential hazard ahead so both the V Strom rider and myself dropped our speed to well below the 30mph speed limit and further through the village there was a police safety camera van parked up. The van was facing the other way but it wouldn’t be a problem for those riders observing the road ahead who would clearly see the hi-viz markings on the van as they approached the village from the open road. Still on the B6479 we left the 30mph main street and entered the 60mph national speed limit road which lead to my next destination the small town of Settle. The V Strom rider decided to pass a car whilst approaching a blind bend which disappointed me as up until then I had been admiring his riding skills. Thankfully he managed to get back in safely before the bend and that was the last I saw of him as I settled in behind the car, not wanting to take the sort of risks he seemed happy with.

Passing through Settle the main street was lined with rows of bikes, their owners amberling in and out of the shops and tea rooms which clutter the town square. A couple of acknowledging nods and I was back on open road and soon joining the A65 towards Gargrave. Sadly the sunshine had brought the day trippers out and whilst I had not noticed on the quieter roads the main A roads were obviously clogging up. By the time I’d got to Coniston Cold I’d had enough and so hung a left on a narrow road sign posted to Malham. I hadn’t been on the road before but knew on reaching Malham I would be able to take a small road over the tops of the moors towards Grassington and from there begin winding my way back home. A few miles of twisting narrow tarmac and I joined the road through Airton, Kirby Malham and then the village of Malham itself. Passing the Buck Inn I took the road to the left and started climbing up towards Malham Lings with Malham Cove on the right. The cove stands at a height of 80 metres and is 300 metres wide. Once the scene of a spectacular prehistoric waterfall, it is now dry after the river flowing from Malham Tarn found an alternative route through a passage of undiscovered cave systems deep underground. The water travels down through the limestone rock some distance away and then reappears at the base of the cove seeming to just flow out of solid rock.

Climbing the 1 in 5 twisting road up to the top of the cove, the road levels and soon joins a vaguely marked cross roads where I took the narrow lane straight ahead towards Arncliffe with Malham Tarn on the right; the word tarn meaning a mountain lake usually formed by melted glaciers. The route along the lane was crossed by the occasional cattle grid where it is always best to slow down should a startled sheep which has been sheltering behind the adjoining wall suddenly run out in front of you. A mile or so ahead the lane drops steeply to Darnbrook House Farm and then climbs up a winding section of tarmac which must be at least a 1 in 4 gradient! I was pleased that during my short time as a CBT instructor with Ride Safe to have learnt about slow control of a bike by slipping the clutch and dragging the rear brake as it would have been very difficult to control the big Yamaha around these steep twisting chicanes – and even more difficult (and embarrassing) if I were to have to pick up the 264kg machine should I have dropped it! Having successfully navigated the mountainous climb without incident I reached the highest point of the day’s ride at 411 metres above sea level where the thin strip of tarmac levels off and follows the side of steep valley. The opposite side of the valley displays an impressive series of horizontal ridges called Yew Cogar Scar which has always reminded me of the Grand Canyon in appearance.

Dropping down into Littondale I entered the little village of Arncliffe where I turned right on the road before the river and followed its course through Hawkswick to join the B6160. Passing under the impressive overhanging rock of Kilnsey Crag I met a Sunday driver who pinned me down to 30mph along the winding 60mph speed limit road leaving Kilnsey village but within a mile a clear stretch of road allowed me make full use of the FJR’s 145 bhp. I don’t even think the two ‘old biddies’ in the car noticed that I had passed them as they were so busy talking to each other.