Interesting article in The Times about the War of the Roses battle of Towton. It is still the bloodiest battle on English soil ever. Interesting information on the re-enactors and amateur historians too.
It is not far from Marston Moor if you want to make a day of it.

I finally got to ride the new BMW F 800 GS and what a bike! BMW have done themselves very proud. This bike is all it has been cracked up to be. It was certainly worth the wait, even if it is a little too late for me personally... I'll explain that later.

I rode a Sunset Yellow/Black schemed bike with BattleWing tyres, ABS, heated grips, on-board computer, full BMW expandable panniers and top box. The bike I rode has the lowered seat which I wish was the higher one, but it didn't cause me too many problems with leg bend (I'm 6'3" with bad knees). I would definitely get the higher seat if I was buying, but the down side is that I think that would cause more wind exposure.

I picked up the bike from Bahnstormer today in the middle of a fierce storm we're having here in the south of England. It was raining hard with severe wind gusts. I rode my 2001 BMW F 650 GS along the hedge row protected back roads down to Bahnstormer to avoid most of the wind. However, when I road the F 800 GS, I took it out in the open more (A32, A272, A31) and it was a sturdy feeling bike and I didn't get blown around as much, even with the panniers and top box providing a bigger target.

The bike sounds quite tame when you first fire it up and idle it, but that soon gives way to a nice little growl when the tyres snatch some asphalt. The first bit of the ride along the A31 told me it was a BMW. It has a nice, tight build to it. Nothing rattles or feels loose. Very firm, but also a little "flickable," like the 2006 KTM 950 Adventure that I ride most days. I was also a little skeptical that the F 800 GS would be as much fun as the KTM, but it is for a rider like me. What I mean by that is that I cannot wring as much out of the KTM as a pro can, so the F 800 GS is about the same as the KTM 950 Adventure for me in the "kick up the backside" acceleration stakes. It is all I need for sure. The curves of the A272 then showed me that the BMW is also as comfortable at cornering as the KTM. In comparison to my old F 650 GS, there is no comparison. The F 800 GS is in a whole other league. More on that league status later.

I turned up a couple of farm tracks near the fields where the Battle of Cheriton occurred on 29 March 1644. This isn't real off-roading or even real green-laning, but I couldn't really trash out a test ride bike, could I? Below is a picture of the bike near the point where Sir Henry Bard made his fatal mistake.

I have ridden this area many times on my 650 and KTM, so I know the area and roads well. The F 800 GS is as sure footed as anything I have ridden, even with the stock BattleWings. The mucky farm tracks and debris strewn forest track I rode ( Badshear, Scrubbs and North End Farm Lanes ) gives a good feel for the bike's capabilities. It is supremely balanced and the under seat tank keeps it from feeling tippy as the beefy KTM is wont to feel in far less strenuous situations. Again, this is definitely not off-roading, but it is a good indicator of the most strenuous work that many of these bikes will ever see. It is also fairly typical of the type of battlefield touring that I do.

Back out on the A31, I was able to open the bike up a little and I can say that it certainly rivals the KTM for quickness. I'm not a real hair on fire rider, but I would hazard a guess that it could outrun all but the best sport bikes with a good rider on it. It is really good fun. There is quite a bit of chest level wind buffeting, but it is manageable. I think one would need to consider the heightened screen for extended touring.

To wrap it up, I think the BMW F 800 GS is a superb bike. I'd rate it 6 stars on a 5 star scale. It is a step and half up from the old F 650 GS and is only a quarter step down from the R 1200 GS in its "GS factor." However, this may be the only rub I can find with is wonderful bike. Will R 1200 GS owners trade down to get a F 800 GS? I kind of doubt it. The 1100/1150/1200 bunch is a world to itself. Will the old F 650 GS crowd buy it over the NEW F 650 GS (with an 800 engine)? Not sure. I think this bike will largely attract new BMW riders ( which may be what they are trying to do ), but not so many of the existing ones. I think this bike is a real competitor to the KTM 950 Adventure and to the riders who just could not bring themselves to buy a boxer engine. I think this bike will set BMW up well for the future, but I'm not sure it will be a huge seller right away.

So will a 2001 BMW F 650 GS, a 2006 KTM 950 Adventure and a (USA-based )2003 Triumph Tiger owning rider ( i.e. me, aka the Battlefield Biker ) buy this bike? Probably not. Why? I waited for several years on the rumor that BMW was going to bring out a conventional 2 cylinder GS, before I bought the KTM last year. They just waited too long for me. I need to get some more value out of that bike, before I can justify buying a new bike. It is a great bike, and yes, it is better than the KTM to me, but it is not so much better to justify a £3,500 differential. Yes, I know, it is supposed to be great value, but once you get the extras on, it is is not far off the price of a new KTM 990 Adventure with the extra kit on offer as it is so often is these days. I'll enjoy the KTM for another year or two and pick up a used F 800 GS then. It's a shame, but it is life in the real world. Hope BMW factored that into their sales projections!

I love the F 800 GS. I think it will bring in a whole new class of GS riders and will solidify BMW's hold on this market. However, the Battlefield Biker will be seeing Europe on a KTM and the US on a Tiger for the next year or two. Below, may be the only picture you see of the Battlefield Biker with a BMW F 800 GS anytime soon.

Intro

In the summer of 1644, the Royalist forces were threatening London in the English Civil War with the Parliamentarians. The Royalists confidently blocked a Parliamentarian force near Winchester and forced a battle. They would regret it. The battle was a turning point in the southern campaign and suddenly stopped the Royalist pincer strategy on London by destroying the lower jaw of it.

This is one of my favourite local rides. The battlefield is highly accessible by bike and foot with multiple farm tracks and lanes. Additionally, this part of Hampshire is beautiful and the lanes and good "A" roads around here make it a great Sunday morning ride.

The Battle

Around 27 March 1644, the Royalist forces of Lord Hopton, joined by the Earl of Forth had succeeded in halting Hopton's old friend William Waller's Parliamentary forces from securing Winchester by blocking the main road between London and Winchester near Alresford. Two days of skirmishing in the area left Waller's army near the village of Hinton Ampner and Hopton's army northeast of Cheriton with pickets on a ridge overlooking Hinton Ampner to the south.

Hopton's pickets and Waller's patrols skirmished in the night of 28/29 March. Waller had flanked Hopton's pickets on the south ridge to the point of making it untenable. Thus the day of the battle began with Waller on the south ridge and Hopton on the north ridge. Upon seeing the ground between the two forces, Waller saw that Cheriton Wood would be the key to Hopton's left flank and dispatched 1,000 musketeers there. Understanding this threat, Hopton countered with 1,000 musketeers of his own under Colonel Matthew Appleyard. The two forces met in the dense Cheriton Wood and by all accounts fought a fierce hand-to-hand melee with Appleyard's forces securing the ground. Hopton had been frustrated by previous attempts to bring his old friend, Waller, to battle, due to Waller's pessimistic nature and previous defeats, most notably Roundway Down and Lansdown Hill. Alas, Hopton would be frustrated, but not by Waller this time.

Although intending to hold their position on the north ridge, one of Hopton's lieutenants, Royalist Sir Henry Bard, on his own initiative, led his regiment on a ill-starred attack from the right on Sir Arthur Haselrige's regiment of horse, known as the "lobsters" for their 3/4 armour suits. Haselrige made Bard pay for his folly and destroyed the entire regiment in plain sight of the Royalists. The Royalists were so horrified by what they saw in front of them that they felt compelled to send re-enforcements to Bard. However, they were sent piecemeal without supporting fires or flank protection. The Roundheads met the challenge and soon the entire front became engaged between the two ridges.

Parrying between the two forces ended up in close quartered fighting along the hedges. Meanwhile, several cavalry actions played out over a period of hours with the Parliamentary cavalry gaining the upper hand. Finally, Waller's infantry enveloped the flanks and forced Hopton to salvage his troops and guns with an orderly retreat up today's Scrubbs Lane towards Basing House, passing the point where the commemorative stone sits today.

Ride Recommendation

This is a good ride with the tour of the battlefield in the middle of the ride along the farm lanes northeast of the village of Cheriton. Use Ordnance Survey Landranger 185. The battlefield is centred on SU 598294. If using a road map, the battlefield is located northeast of Cheriton village. It is 42.8 miles beginning and ending near Winchester, Hampshire. There is a National Trust property at Hinton Ampner, a good pub called the Flower Pots in Cheriton, a Husqvarna dealership (Husky Sport) in Cheriton and a BMW Motorrad dealer (Bahnstormer) at Lower Faringdon.

Books and Map Recommendations

As part of my research on Operation Bluecoat, I travelled along this road running from Villers Bocage to Vire.

It was a great ride and, just off it, I visited the British cemetery at Saint-Cahrles-de-Percy, which was quite a moving place. The American cemeteries have the stark white marble crosses and stars of David, but are bare except for name, rank, unit, home state and date of death. The British traditional headstones are made in what looks like the local Normandy stone, which resembles Cotswold stone, and had all of the basic data as well. However, the British also allowed the families to put incriptions on the stones. When I walked along reading the families' inscriptions, I welled up like I never had in the American cemeteries. I think the British stones make the visit far more personal. You feel the pain that parents, wives and children.... many of whom are still alive today... felt with the loss of huge chunks of their lives with each man's passing. I recommend this cemetery to anyone travelling in Normandy. It truly drives home the magnitude of human suffering, including those back home.

Heres a picture of the cemetery at Saint-Charles-de-Percy;

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this circular route, which takes in Villers Bocage, Vire, Montchauvet, Aunay and Saint-Charles-de-Percy.

Book Recommendation: Operation Bluecoat from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Michelin Historical Map 102: Battle of Normandy from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Caen area

Before Sherman made his name by marching to the sea in Georgia, he was one of Grant's cammanders in the west early in the war. On 29 December 1862, after 2 days of prpearations, Sherman attacked the Confederate positions at Chickasaw Bluffs as part of the attempt to take Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was a total failure for the Union and one of very few for Sherman. Sherman's was to have been a diversionary attack for Grant's main force to the east, but Grant was held up by Confederate cavalry cutting off his supplies.

Books from Amazon.com

Motorcycle Ride

Try US 61 from Leland, Mississippi to Vicksburg to get a feel for the lowlands on the east side of the Mississippi River. This swampy low area is what made Vicksburg such a hard nut to crack.

Maps