Great Winter Ride Antrim Coast Road
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure|January 2023
Northern Ireland has some excellent routes on offer, with the Antrim Coast Road a perfect winter ride
Mikko Nieminen
Great Winter Ride Antrim Coast Road

The Antrim Coast Road is one of the top rides in the UK, but I would be lying if I said that this was a great winter ride from start to finish. Not because the coast road itself isn’t great (it really is!), but because I had to get there first, and I was in the English Midlands. With time being of the essence, that meant a long slog on motorways to get to where I wanted to be.

Slowly but surely things did improve though. I had picked a Stena Line crossing from Cairnryan in Scotland to Belfast in Northern Ireland, and once I had said goodbye to the motorways that took me from England to Scotland, the A75 to the coast was a huge improvement. It’s a big, fast road that at times offers wild views of the Irish sea while serving the most delicious set of bends. It’s difficult to concentrate on both the road and the scenery at the same time. Things were improving, for sure.

Sailing in style

I had been lucky with the weather most of the way, but by the time I got to the ferry terminal in Cairnryan it was raining. And as soon as we set sail, the captain announced that the crossing would be a rough one, with gale-force winds blowing over the Irish Sea.

It wasn’t too bad, though. The ferry ploughed through the waves, gently swaying, which made me more sleepy than worried... until I started Googling Belfast sights and got to the Titanic museum. I quickly moved on…

Bu hikaye Motorcycle Sport & Leisure dergisinin January 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Motorcycle Sport & Leisure dergisinin January 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin

Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024
BMW R 12 nineT
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

BMW R 12 nineT

Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX

After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024
Portuguese Perambulations
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Portuguese Perambulations

Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored

time-read
8 dak  |
October 2024
Highway to Heaven
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Highway to Heaven

Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...

time-read
9 dak  |
October 2024
Battlaxes at the ready!
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Battlaxes at the ready!

We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet

time-read
6 dak  |
October 2024
Ducati Riding Experience
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Ducati Riding Experience

When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
Four pot flyer
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Four pot flyer

Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...

time-read
8 dak  |
October 2024
Eastern adventurer
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Eastern adventurer

With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry

time-read
10 dak  |
October 2024
First Time Lucky?
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

First Time Lucky?

It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.

time-read
9 dak  |
October 2024