Get out and ride - The English Riviera

All too often touring is thought to mean a trip across continents yet you don’t have to travel that far to experience totally new sights and experiences.

Story CP Pics Stevie P

It all began as a ride to test the Metal Mule range of pannier and top boxes. The plan was to spend a few days with their BMW R1200GS Adventure equipped with a full set of the product, to see what the advantages of the range are. In reality I was keen to see if I dare let my expensive camera gear travel in the hold; I certainly wouldn’t trust thousands of pounds worth of kit in a set of textile, or even hard plastic cases, but wasn’t sure how I would feel with the super tough metal mule cases.

My fears were soon dispelled when Steve Cain, the PR agent for Metal Mule cases, went to fill the Beemer up with fuel and let the bike fall off its sidestand straight on one of the cases. There was little, if any, external damage visible and absolutely no detrimental effect on the box – not at all bad when the height and weight of the GS Adventure is taken into consideration.

With this superb demonstration of the cases’ abilities, I packed the camera gear into one box and some clothes into the other and Stevie P and I set off into the unknown. Well, not really the unknown, but south on the M5 until we ran out of willpower or road, whichever came sooner. Stevie has travelled the world and yet has never visited the south-west of the UK, so I was keen to show her just what she has been missing.

Riding the GS soon proved that the road would end well before the desire to get off the bike arrived, and we cruised the M5 motorway all the way down to Exeter and then on farther, down the coast to the delightful coastal town of Dawlish. A quick recce of the seafront found us a B&B which, coincidentally, was attached to a pub, so all of our immediate problems were sorted out in one stroke.

The BMW was parked on the road outside; the staff assured us of its safety, so there it stayed for the evening. I deliberately left the Metal Mule boxes on, even though they are a doddle to detach and carry as suitcases, just to see if they attracted, and warded off, any unwanted attention in the dark of the night. A few beers later and it was time to head up the wooden hill and get some rest.

The next morning arrived and the view from our seafront bedroom window had to be seen to be believed. A mill pond of a clear blue sea with bright blue skies and a warm breeze enticed us down for a full English breakfast before we kitted up and headed even farther south to sample the delights of Torbay and beyond. The air was so warm it really was too hot for bike kit. Thankfully we had both chosen to wear textile gear rather than the usual leather, so the various linings from jackets and jeans could be removed – greatly relieving the temperature inside the clothes and making the ride refreshing instead of feeling like being in a pressure cooker.

With the panniers fitted, the GS Adventure is a huge motorcycle, instantly commanding respect from fellow-road users, with all but those drivers on the mobile phone moving aside to allow our safe passage through heavy or slow traffic. This aspect alone made the journey a speedy one and pretty soon we had arrived farther down the coast at Teignmouth. Once again the view from the marina’s edge across the bay was a pleasure although, by this time, a sea fog had begun to creep in, making the scenery even more mysterious and beautiful. Moving on across the long bridge across the Teignmouth harbour, we head along the coast road into the Torbay area and on towards Dartmouth.

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