Hope everyone's arrived/arriving home safe and happily knackered like we just have.

Great to meet lots of new faces, shame about those bad pennies that keep turning up mind you

An awesome weekend once again, many many thanks Darren, really appreciate all the effort you put in to organise it.

Video'd everyone setting off from the site for the Saturday ride out. Because I'm difficult I did it in reverse with Onanist instead of joining in. Had meant to make the lunch stop but a rogue sign took us on a slight detour so timing was a bit out.



Big thanks to everyone who came, lovely to meet you, can't wait till the next one


SelinaXT

Absolutely fantastic weekend

Thanks go to GULG for the organisation and sorting the ride outs, even though Selina decided we should do it backwards.

Several things I have learnt from this weekend...

1. Never look in to another man's tent, you are never sure what you will see. Below is the actual drawing that GULG used to try to explain what he saw as we all sat in the pub.


2. When trying to return form the pub, to the campsite at the end of the evening. Do not follow the head torches of people out to count bats, OR short people running around a random field using their mobile as a light source, these people do not know where your tent is.

3. Stumpydave pays his road tax. What this statement means is, if you come across Stumpydave coming the other way, he WILL be on your side of the road.

4. This weekend has given me great hope for the youth of today, really a fantastic pleasure to meet Hazza2805, wanting to learn, up for fun and Selina wants to adopt you

Now, Selina took some photos on Saturday, as the ride out began.

I swear to god, all the conversation below is what I overheard.


GULG - "Right folks, can we please form an orderly queue of all the people that are on the ride out today"



GULG - "Kiethblade grow up, this is serious"



GULG - "Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is GULG and I will be your Tea-Pot for the day"



SteveD - "GULG, we need group hug, we can't go without a group hug, it's bad Karma"


GULG - "Ladies and Gents, before we depart on our big adventure, I do believe we need to spread the love and have a group hug, so everyone off the bike and come to me please"



GULG - "Our esteemed "quartermaster of everything" SteveD has brought to my attention that we need a group hug before we depart on our journey. Yeah I know it's odd but if you don't, and you need to remove a horseshoe nail from your lemon drizzle pudding, SteveD will shun you."



GULG - "OK, not as many as I hoped, your all not acquainted with the delights of Lemon Drizzle Pudding, however, thanks for the little team hug. XT660.com GO GO GO"


Joking aside, I have had a blast of a weekend, I was trying to sum it all up in my head on the way home, best I could do was.... and this is heart felt, "A better bunch of ****s you could never wish to meet"

Thanks to all of you for allowing the TDM riding luggage to be a part of the XT660 crowd.

Andy

__________________
SelinaXC's physical manifestation of Terry Pratchett's Luggage.

Two of the three pics I took on friday.
First one is Uberthumper and my bikes at Charnock Richard on the way up



Second is of my bike in a lay by on the A49 on the way home



Just North of Shrewsbury, with about 100 miles to go of the 526 I did that day.
I must've been bad as there's not even any of the camp site.

Ive basically up loaded all the photos on my camera from the weekend so heres a link to all the photos . They where up loaded in 2 batchs and arent all in the right order as photobucket cried at me up loading 196 photos!!!!!

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/h...23455/?start=0

Heres my selection of the weekends photos.

My 3.30am boat on Friday morning and it was late+raining, great start to the trip


Proof that i was the first one at the campsite from the XT meet, about 5 mins later Bear, Stridy and Graham (not sure of the xt name) arrived.



Bear with his lovely Fazer thou and remus 4 into 1 can with out the baffle.....hmmmmmm just sounded like taz on the over run.


GULG's bike of chose for the more off roading day on Friday.


Steved and keithblade turn up with what seems to be half steve's house on the bike. Including the 5kg bag of coal strapped to the pillion peg and enough spares to build a bike from!!!


stumpydaver's very nice Red and white XTR. Never seen one in the flesh before and have to admit its a very nice colour. Note the huge umbrella he brought and as he calls them go faster scratchs !!!!


Went for a ride out with the rest of the crew at around 2pm and went to fill up with petrol and weirdly a got a very cool price!!!


Under a railway bridge i finally got my camera around my wrist and was able to snap off a few road shots


That little bit of sunshine. Any body else see it !!!


Down the road done a wee bit of off roading which was going great until graham had a wee off in a very rutted set of tracks. Hope alls ok graham now with the hip?


On another section of off roading where it got very tight with the bushs simon had a wee off just up in the distance. Skunkmoto gave him a hand to get back on the bike then two secs later he falls off again but hadnt even moved and fell the other side, popped most of the screws holding his screen on. Steved to the rescue with his trusty blue electrical tape.




Again Graham had a wee off but this time hurt his bike and himself a bit so we had a wee stop break make sure both where ok and so we could catch our breath.

__________________
Plough on

Here's my pics from the weekend;




SteveD looking at home in the long grass....


1nips, notice the two handguards....... not for long though.



Stridey, I think...


Smoggs, staying upright, maybe because he's moving?


Young Maxwell numbers, showing the old guys how it's done...


Ships? I see no ships, just lots of XT's


more XT's


Skunkmoto,


Young Maxwell12345678909876544332211


And fianlly, for Friday anyway, Markymark showing us how you treat a lady....

__________________
>-------<

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Didn't get many on Saturday, mainly due to the weather I guess.....



And the prize for the best XT...


A thorn between two roses ?


The prize for the best looking Red XT-R


Bear, with his XT-Fazer




...and the ultimate XT luggage



You can see the bikes, but can you match up the owners?


And then there was this thing...... but wait, it's an XT surely?


Yep, there it is, and XT660 badge!

__________________
>-------<

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

After going down a wee trail GULG saw someone in the distance on a Khaki tenere to find out it was Tenere Doug. We all pulled up at the end of the trail and had a wee chat.



Off again on another wee trail ride somewhere near the lakes!!!! havent a clue where i was by the first turn left!!!





We piccy of GULG on his TTR600


Proof that i past the 40k mile mark on the XT meet weekend. Yeooo


Finally getting to the hartside cafe for a coffe and someone to eat.


Skunkmoto fully laden with panniers, tent etc doing some off roading with us after meeting us half way through the day.



Stridey and uberthumper with Skunkmoto in the distance. Clouds starting to turn a very grey colour!!!


Heading back round to the Hartside Cafe for a wee bit more off roading.


Proper off roading now, no gravel tracks for about 1/2 mile or so, which was a bit hairy on road tyres causing a bit of fish tailing as some points!!!!




Simon after his newly browned trousers on some of the off roading parts. It was quite slippy though. Note blue electrical tape holding on the screen!!!!


Steved trying to find harry so he could groom him a bit more !!! or was it so you could flash GULG???!!!!


Some very slippy ruts causing alot of rear wheel antics

__________________
Plough on

Stridey taking the inside line on Simon.



We decided to call it a day after alot of people had decided to head for the camp site and there where only about 6-7 of us left. GULG's cracker direction skills coming to light here. If a remember he said something like " im going home to get the tenere, but if you go down this road or that one they will bring you out someone near the camp site!!!!"


Stumpydaver trying to do his best marry poppens impersonation!!!! Think you need more hair dave and less beard


Saturday

The cracker looking Vmax trike but with a very bald looking front tyre, getting your moneys worth out of that one and the huge tarp city in the back round


Lining the bikes up for there photoshoot i noticed there where a very outnumbering amount of Teneres, so had to get one in of 3 XTR's and an XTX.


Someone had a keen eye on them and noticed there where ten teneres so wanted a 10 10 photo as such. Too BMW GS for me this idea


A very wet outside stumpydaver trying to wet the insides without taking off his lid


A very very wet off roading piccy of clown crusty i think


Game harry taking the XTX out for a spin in the gravel while being escorted along by the flasher steved


GULG bringing up the rear and spraying half a gallon of muddy water everywhere

__________________
Plough on

After coming through a load of mountain passes which sounds like fun but was hell due to it being massively foggy/misty over the mountains, that and the gallons of water that was pissing down on everyone

We piccy of the train at the cafe down from one of the mountain passes



The ultimate in lunchs after a wet ride over the passes. hmmm i can still taste it now......hmmmm


After a wee pee stop i noticed this, Keithblade trying to see if he can pass off the KTM as a proper bike!!!


Big dave looking very happy and GULG trying to explain to Bear how to get back to the campsite after his misguiding of the road ride out on Friday.

GULG "right go to the end of the lane turn left, end of that left and if you go too far you will get to a roundabout do a U turn then your turning will be on the right, ok"

Bear "yea no probs!!!"

Bears mind " now that was a left then right roundabout U turn, what. Its right yea its right!!"


stumpydaver's imprevisation of a water proof coat aka an extra ground sheet


Sunday

Most people where leaving on sunday so packed up and where leaving in the morning so i got a nice wee present in the morning. 2 Burgers, 8 herby sausages, a loaf of bread, half a pint of milk, 1 full pack of digestive biscuits and a half pack of hob nobs. Cheers guys they were very nice.


Markymark and i where staying on till monday so decided to head up to the hartside cafe as the new Kawasaki Versys was being press released and test rides where going. Heres a piccy of part of the road up. Lovely and twisty and not too damp. Note the weather, looks ok right?


Got about half way up the mountain and then it turned out like this, couldnt see for love nor money, windy and raining like needles. Piccy from the top outside the Cafe where later on we meet Skunkmoto on his way home from the meet all fully loaded.


Markymark and I decided to go back down to the low land where the good weather was so went back to Penrith direction and headed to do a loop of the lakes when we spotted this.

Reminds me of Steved and Keithblade!! (You decide whose the women and whose the bloke!!)



We stop somewhere near Cockermouth with a nice castle view in the back round. Note everyone who was there Friday and Saturday, look at the lovely blue skys and 15+oC heat. hahahahah


We did a massive loop down the west coast right the way to the bottom of the Lakes only stopping really for a lovely steak and onion bageutte and petrol. Camera refused to take focused pictures so the next photo was coming up to the Hardknock pass which i could acutally see this time!!! (cafe in the middle/right of picture)

__________________
Plough on

After having a cracker BBQ thanks to markymark for cooking and everyone who suppiled us with the free food. We then went down to the pub for a few drinks and to watch the last 20mins or so of the world cup final match.

Monday

Got up and packed the tent away and headed on a detoured route to Stranrear as i had time to burn. Headed up to Carlise on the motorway taking it easy at 60mph or so then headed to new gallow direction and took a few wee side/back roads about the place.

Again note the lovely sunny skys and 15+oC heat.


Took a few wee off road detours along the road to new galloway while the bike was fully loaded, i was surprised at how well it coped.


A we war memorial out in the middle of nowhere. I had a read of the scripts and they where very moving.


Arty farty photo of the XT think i will call this picture "The road to nowhere"


Got nearer Stranrear and noticed i was going to be like 3 hrs early for my boat so decided to detour south towards the sea and do like a loop.


A well earnt lunch of haddock and chips after a 250mile odd day. Good �4 price as well


Was waiting for the secruity people to open the check in and noticed this guys massive wagon named Die hard 4 (bottom right of the tail door)



And finally a nice wee piccy from my window seat of the boat home, which this time was on time and early into port!!!!

__________________
Plough on