tour reports » Maxxis Diamond Ride

With the cancellation of the Santander Ferry I needed an alternative trip. The Maxxis Diamond Ride in Simon Weirs book ‘Bikers Britain-The Tours-44 Great Motorcycle Routes’ fitted the bill. This is planned as an 8-day 1525miles easy ride starting and finishing in Leicester. I extended it to my home in Fleet and covered 1780 miles in 7 days, which anyone who rides 200+ mile days frequently would not find too challenging. I was riding alone and a group would take longer at stops. Also solo you do not have to consider others so if you feel like riding passed a planned stop you can. Hence solo you take less time.
The route goes through the Peak District, Lake District, North Yorkshire, Borders, West Coast of Scotland up to the A832, where the route crosses eastwards towards Nairn, and then back down through the Cairngorms, Grampians, Borders, and Lincolnshire. The roads are a mixture of fast, twisty and single track and very quiet, what we live for as bikers. Everywhere the scenery is spectacular if like my trip the weather is kind so you can enjoy it. It crosses numerous passes in England and Scotland and the three highest roads in Scotland. The first two are easy A roads but the third is the frequently mentioned Bealach na Ba or Pass of the Cattle in English, which is a single track that goes to Applecross and then round to Shieldaig. It is said if you ask 100 well travelled bikers in Scotland to name the UK’s most exhilarating road 90 would say this one. Not sure I agree but it is spectacular. As with all long routes there are some boring bits e.g. passing Glasgow on the way up and Edinburgh on the way down but these do not detract from what is a fantastic ride that I cannot recommend enough.

Hi Jag,

Do you have any links to websites or details of the route you could post. This would be of interest to me as I live in leicestershire.

I do not know any links but an updated version of Simon Weirs book is available on Amazon for under £6-type Bikers' Britain: Great Motorbike Rides (AA) - The Tours

Hope you have a great ride here and elsewhere in Scotland. A word of warning the west coast of Scotland can be plagued by midges and Cleggs (or horse flies). Look them up on the internet and take some repellent.Although not dangerous they can be a real nuisance.

They can run until October-I assume it depends on the weather.

Glad you enjoyed it.

I hope to rise early tomorrow and take short hop round Oban way then down through Glen Coe. Should be good, but amazingly I’m worried it may be too warm. In Scotland FFS

Thats it make us southerners jealous. Part of my route did the loop Dalmally, Inveraray, Lochgilphead, Oban, Tyndrum and then up through Glencoe. Wish I could join you.
By the way 3 weeks ago I used my heated vest first thing in the morning-strange old world.