Getting out on the Guzzi

Madelyn was hosting,on behalf of a friend, a ladies clothes party last Saturday and as lovely as all her/our friends are my best option was to get out on the bike for the day.
The weather forecast for the day was good,in fact the last good day before yet another wet period.
  I had no real plan,but just a couple of routes for getting me out of the way for as long as possible depending upon what time I got up and got my act together. As it turned out I was late leaving and so opted for the shorter 200ml + route rather than what would have been approx 350mls.
  I also knew the roads would be very busy as it's very much a holiday destination so I resigned myself to sticking as much as possible to around the 60mph even if given the opportunity to open it up a bit. More of going with the flow to also see what sort of fuel consumption I could get.
   My destination was the seaside town of Ilfracombe on the North Devon coast along all A and B roads.

Porlock Bay

                                                                   

Porlock Weir

                                                                       

Porlock Toll house/gate. 50p for bikes ( £2 for cars)
You put your money through the tiny slot in the door

               

The toll road

                                                 

                                                               

Back on the A39

                                                                 

Lynton and Lynmouth in the distance

                                               

Lynmouth where two rivers meet and the scene of a devastating flood in 1952 that swept away 100 houses and killed 34 people 

                 

Watermouth Bay

                                                               

Watermouth Castle- actually a grand house built in approximately the 1850's. Now it's holiday apartments,museum and old fashioned theme park

                         

Ilfracombe

                                                                   

                                                                   
Picking up the A39 after Bridgewater it's the Quantock hills of Somerset where it then turns into Exmoor National park. For some reason I don't come down this way very often,but it really is beautiful countryside with lots to see and do and although a lot of the route can be very congested the roads are quite narrow and twisty and,for me,very suited for the 60mph I had in mind and once clear of  Minehead the traffic freed up greatly.
  Returned via a slightly more inland route across Exmoor and another another twisty flowing road picking up the A39 again at the medieval village and castle of Dunster
   Oh yes,I averaged approximately 60 miles per gallon. The bike is 1064cc with 40mm Dellortos