Northern Route

Fantastic experience: Absolutely a diamond instructor , Andy has been amazing through everything so far , im not a confident rider and have been struggling getting over the fear of the bike but Andy has been nothing but patient and wonderful at working at my pace and teaching me everything I need to to be a safe and confident rider , I havnt passed yet but I am taking it at my pace as I am a very nervous person or should I say was thanks to Andy I am not anymore and I feel absolutely overjoyed with the progress we are making ,it is not a race it is getting you to be safe on the roads and confident on a bike and he really does that and with a great few jokes in-between I can't recommend him enough .

Fantastic experience: Did my CBT with Andy, very knowledgeable guy and a nice day out on his hire bike. He puts a big emphasis on safe riding and is straightforward and to the point. I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to get out on the road.

Fantastic experience: Did my cbt here it was spot on

Fantastic experience: After having a bad experience with a local instructor I made the decision to travel out to Kendal and do my CBT with Andy at Northern Route. Having previously never had any experience on a geared bike aside from the poor "training" from previous, Andy was a gem. He was great at getting me up to speed, correcting my mistakes and providing feedback and guidance instead of just telling me that I'm "doing it wrong". Andy made sure I was comfortable with all maneuvers and exercises and let me keep repeating until I was more than happy to move on. Which in my opinion, is exactly what should be occuring during BASIC training. We had a good laugh the whole day but were able to get serious on the points that matter and ensure I was safe enough to continue learning on my own. I will absolutely be back next year to do my DAS with Northern Route and would suggest anyone I know to go to them for their CBTs. I had a great deal of fun the whole day and was able to leave with my DL196 and begin my 2 wheeled journey properly.

Negative experience: Paid for my sons CBT about 4 month ago. Still waiting due to no shows or cancelled appointments. Has never returned a phone message and the only way I’ve been able to contact the owner is by using a friends phone so he didn’t recognise the number. Now going to have to go to trading standards to get a refund. Please be very careful if using northern route.

Negative experience: Started my CBT with Andy. My impressions were he is happy to bully young kids who simply want to come and be legal. As he is the only instructor in Kendal decided to give it ago for further training, MISTAKE basically Andy will happily follow you on a motorcycle and scream NO DON'T DO THAT. When confronted and told I am here to learn not be shouted at the lessons changed a litlle. Following on from that Andy tells you that under no circumstances do you ever use engine breaking utter noncence. He also teaches that you drive round a 30mph limit zone DO NOT GO OUT OF SECOND GEAR STICK TO 20MPH I THE 30MPH ZONE. GUY HAS LITTLE MAN SYNDROME. PLEASE TAKE A DRVE TO CARNFORTH RIDE MOTORCYCLE TRAINING. Gordan is the owner here. Check out my other reviews on here I am classified a local guide. I found RIDE Motorcycle Training at the end of my journey and ask God why I didn't find them sooner

Negative experience: I have found it difficult to understand how the licensing works. I rang for some advice before booking. The owner clearly doesn't feel advise or encouragement is in his job description! He was rude, and i'll go elsewhere...

Fantastic experience: Did my CBT with Andy,brilliant instructor,made explained every brilliantly,really enjoyed the experience

Negative experience: Have tried ringing at different times of the day for the last 5 days, always left a message and never heard back from them. Only a 1 star because I can't leave none. Not very happy

Fantastic experience: Just redone my CBT with Northern Route, whole experience was thoroughly excellent. Many thanks to Andy who was very patient and understanding, also very informative about completing my full licence and how to avoid bad habits. Thanks very much and will be coming back to you for the DAS as soon as I can.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely no experience at all and worried if I could do what was required at 54, I couldn't of ask for a better instructor Andy nursed me through every step and explained everything in a way I understood and at my pace. Thank you Andy at Northern route.

Fantastic experience: I would really recommend Northern Route for all abilities; Andy uses a client centred learning approach & coaches rather than talks at you. He will ask questions & get you to think about things which really helped me with retaining the information he was sharing. I found his tutoring style helped to move through the elements at the individual's pace, he asked us questions & checked our knowledge which meant he didn't need to labour on certain points or if needed he went into more depth. Safety was a big feature & I felt really comfortable with Andy's instructions when out on my road ride, he gave timely clear instructions & didn't talk too much unless he needed to allowing me to concentrate without distraction. It was a great experience from start to finish, I didn't want my road ride to end, Andy really made the whole CBT experience enjoyable & he's a really nice guy to boot. Read on for a bit more of my experience with Northern Route... I've come to motorbike riding a little later in life, I'm a 41 year old female who wasn't the most confident. Andy was really patient me with & moved things at my pace which helped build my confidence. It's been over 10 years since I did my last CBT & I didn't even ride after it so I was basically starting from scratch. The addition of time lapsed & age has made me more cautious & I berated myself when I wasn't getting things quite right but Andy didn't make me feel bad about it, just talked me through what I did wrong, how not to do it again & sent me off to try it again. I had to return yesterday to complete my road ride element as I wasn't ready a couple of weeks ago when I did elements A-D, again Andy didn't make me feel bad or like I had failed, he gave me some pointers to practice as I already have my bike ready to go. So my equally patient boyfriend rode my bike out to an empty carpark & stood in the cold and watched me practice. I still wasn't feeling fully comfortable so rang up Andy & explained my concerns. He got me back down to his yard yesterday & broke everything down into small sections then linked them all together until it clicked. Andy really built my confidence up & this really helped my road ride to be enjoyable & even when I made mistakes, I didn't get wound up with myself, I kept going & with absolute thanks to Andy got my CBT certificate.

Negative experience: Rude and impatient owner. I've resigned from further lessons just after 2 hours. The instructor was showing complete lack of respect. We don't have to be friends but don't treat me like 6 year old. Avoid! Update: after few years from this review I finally found time and passed my DAS with another instructor stress free! Passed first time.

Fantastic experience: I used Northern Route for my CBT and to gain my full A license. I found Andy very friendly and highly professional as you would expect from any other motorcycle instructor. I rode their bikes which were in excellent condition, passed first time and would highly recommend anyone else to use them without hesitation. As for the negative comments on here which I don't understand ? Maybe there are some people who find it hard to follow instructions, and should not be riding motorcycles ???

Fantastic experience: Passed cbt with andy

Negative experience: This company is responsible for teaching people to ride and position themselves safely on the road. I was passed by their truck 40mins ago in the rain and around bends on the Appleby Road into Kendal, passed me and the car in front seeming quite unsure of where to squeeze back in, eventually doing so erratically in time for the temporary roadworks lights, definitely couldn't trust these guys with my safety having witnessed that.

Fantastic experience: This was a brilliant experience brilliant staff very patient and polite.

Fantastic experience: I arrived at Northern Route with a CBT and some riding experience on 125cc scooters, looking to learn to ride a geared bike and get a full licence. Andy was patient and professional from the start and is a really top bloke to boot! Happy to say that both practical tests were passed first time thanks to his expert tuition. What he doesn't know about motorbikes and riding aint worth knowing. Thoroughly recommended!

Fantastic experience: Had a awesome day with these guys! I forgot everything, was incredibly unorganised and scattered, and was calmed down and looked after right from the get go. Toby was my instructor, and he was just great, really relaxed, easy going, I was pretty nervous and thought for sure I’d be returning for atleast a week!! However his calm, clear, informative friendly and efficient manner, made the day a enjoyable and confidence building experience! Toby thank you! You were awesome! Best instructed I’ve ever had, and he did not have it easy with the class, totally different experience levels all round, yet somehow managed to explain and keep calm with all of us.... which was a skill all of its own! Thank you very much!

Fantastic experience: I was recommended Northern Route, after having a rubbish CBT elsewhere. Andy has been so encouraging, very patient and informative. Safety is their biggest priority, they won't compromise and basically, they tell it like it is. After being a nervous rider, being taught how to be safe has given me the confidence and the skills to progress via Direct Access. Would recommend to everyone.

Fantastic experience: Had an awesome time doing my Cbt with awesome staff. Shame not everyone goes prepared! #readyourjoininginstructions

Negative experience: Best instructor to De-motivating you from riding. I've resigned from further lessons just after 45minutes. Going somewhere else.

Negative experience: I personally didn't have a great experience with this company doing my CBT. Instructor not great and shouts a lot via bike intercom.

Fantastic experience: Great people. Patient but firm, they will soon have you riding with confidence.

Negative experience: Incredibly rude and patronising staff. Avoid.

Fantastic experience: Great team made my Daughter feel at ease