Done this route many times, love it, find a quiet time of day with the sun out and it can be a real blast. So far done it on a blade, R1, futura, and a blackbird. Just got a Hayabusa and looking forward to giving the route another test. To be honest the new speed restrictions are a pain but i watch the road not the sign ;)
Enjoy! but watch the blind junction just after a sharp right with a pub on your left.
Part of my 600 mile a week commute.
Use the B5324 & A6006 section of the route from the
A512 to the A60.
Sadly in the last 2 years, there have been a few incidents.
When you come off the A512 the B5324 is a 50mph limit with a right
and left bend that you can take easily at 50mph if you take the advanced line.
This then becomes a straight which then widens up. Directly
to the left is a junction that leads to an industrial estate and
the back end of Donington Park. To the right is a junction and a pub.
Advised to straddle or off side the ride so those from the left can see you.
The road then starts to narrow and approach
a small brow with dead ground and a 40mph. Directly on
the left is a house with several cars which will reverse out.
This 40mph (Griffydam) section has a left and right bend with
a pub on the left hand side of the right hand bend.
If you are lucky, you can see the on coming traffic before
you reach the left and right flick so you can offside to take
a direct line.
Beaware of cars reversing out of the pub.
When you immediately pass the pub you then meet a hill with a blind
crest and a cross roads on top of the crest.
When you
pass the signs would advise that you are directly to the left
of the road and sound your horn several times. When you start
to see the crest appear, would then advise you then start to take
the middle of the lane (Not the road) so you have a good position incase
vehicles have come out of either junction.
When clear of the
junction. You then enter a 50mph with a couple of blind dips, but
you can get in an overtake or 2 before the right hand bend.
At
the right hand bend you can look across to the left hand bend that is
coming up, and if nothing is coming you can straight line it to the
left hand bend which when countersteering is still achieveable at 50mph.
You then come into the village of Griffydam which is a 40mph section.
On the right is a few houses and sometimes a Leicestershire Police P
anda car is sometimes parked up. The road flicks round to the right
and then to the left.
Be aware as oncoming vehicles
may stray over. When you pass the left hand bend you then approach
a cross roads. Which when in the advanced position of
staying to the right gives you a clear view of the road
which flows uphill to the left and into a 50mph zone.
Which then immediately takes you into a right hand bend,
this in the advanced left position is acheiveble at 50mph,
but again watchout for oncoming vehicles stradling over.
The
road then straightens out with a few farm roads, watchout for tractors
and combines here !!! And on the left is dog breeding farm and kennels.
When clear of the junctions the road opens up and feeds out to the right
with a left hand bend with a dip a straight and a left hand bend with
incline to a 40mph.
In this dip, on the right is a layby,
but with enough power you can overtake and straight line between
the two bends and set yourself up for the left hand ascent and roll
off the throttle for the 40mph.
On the other side of
the 40mph side is a cross roads which is on a left hand bend. Here
you need to be covering the horn and you can also straight line to
the left hand bend.
The road carries on
where there is a left hand junction and a right hand
bend with a house situated very close to the left hand bend,
Be aware
of a few drain covers and a solid white line, as in the wet they
are slippery and certain times of the year this section does get
a lot of farm traffic.
Once clear of the bend
the road carries on as a straight with houses
on the left hand side with parking spaces. Beaware as sometimes
Leicestershire Traffic Police will sit there doing a speed check.
This section of road when clear can see a 2 car overtake or more if
there is a tractor.
The road then curves to the right
into a 50 zone with a left kink with a nice powerful
straight for another overtake or 2 before approaching
a sweeping right hand bend with a house to the left.
Immediately
after the house is a left hand bend covered with trees. This left
hand bend is tight, when you have on coming traffic.
The
road then opens up for another over take or 2, which then comes
up to the the Shepshed turn off on the right hand side, which you
can see them approaching the junction but they can't see you.
If
there is a car turning right to Shepshed, there is space on the left to
squeeze through at filtering speed before progressing on to the next left
hand bend.
At this point the road surface in your lane changes
as there is tarmac with overbanding covering half of the left hand lane
on the bend. This left hand bend then moves into a 90 degree right hand
bend, but you can see on coming traffic so you can clip the apex of this
bend before moving back in the left hand lane for the next left kink.
This left hand kink has a junction on the left, which is partially blind
to those coming out of it. So best to stay to the right.
This
then opens up to a straight and 60mph national. Keep to the left as
there are bumps. You can get an overtake or 3 here before the motorway
bridge which you pass under. However beaware to the left field entrance
immediately after the bridge as Leicestershire Police Traffic Cops do like
to sit in there as they have a good clear view looking along this section.
The road then takes you on a nice sweeping left hand bend before reducing down
to 50mph, then whilst taking the right hand section, throttle off to enter the
40mph of Long Watton. Beaware of drain covers and houses to the right and a
junction to the left. Once past the road furniture this then opens up to 50mph
with another sweeping left hand bend, with a straight and a left hand junction
that sees alot of vehicles enter and come out, so be vigialant.
The
road then sweeps round to the right with another right hand bend that then
leads you to a 40mph and the A6 at Hathern Garden Centre.
Turning left and then right takes you on the A6006.
Beware
that the A6006 is now a 60mph from the A6 to Zouch. 40mph from Zouch
to the otherside of the Canal bridge and is NOW 50mph !!!! all the way to
the Rempstone Cross Roads on the A60.
Notts and Leicestershire Police
are now setting up regular speed traps with a white series 1 BMW parked
on random bends on verges with entrances to fields.
One of my Favourite routes. Me and my best mate just enter at Ashby and keep going. Nothings stops us.
Brilliant scenery, and some spectacular corners make for what i think is one of the best roads in the area.
Another + is iv never seen a police car in nearly over a year, so thats never a bad thing.
One of my favourite local roads. Usually give this road an outing a couple of times a year, especially on Tuesday evenings during the summer with a stop off at the Grey Ox bike meet on the A46 near Six Hills, before heading back to Bassetts Pole in time for all the nutters to have gone home!
Most unusual sight was a full fox hunt one Saturday crossing the B5324 near Belton.
Never had a real problem with traffic on the B5324, and what little there is gives you something to hunt! Be very cautious on the rise out of Griffydam, there's a totally blind cross-roads on the top. A6006 can be busy, and with slow traffic, so give it a miss around rush-hour.
HartsThis roads actually start just outside Ashby-De-La-Zouch at the junction of the A42, From here take the A512 towards Loughborough. After just over 1 mile take the left turning towards Hathern on the B5324 and enjoy the next 7 1/2 miles (Watch out for the 40 limit). At the junction with the A6 turn left and then right and onto the glorious A6006 towards Melton Mowbray.
RigsVille