The first ride of the year! The closer it got to the day, the better the weather forecast. So, I woke up expecting good things and was not disappointed. For January, it was great - cloudy, no rain (to speak of) and 11c by the time I got to the starting point.

I was not the last there - by the time we were ready to set off, we had 11 bikes and 3 pillions - 14 people willing to brave the January winds. A good start to the year.

We set off and headed down to Macclesfield. Very little traffic and, while the roads were a bit greasy, no one seemed to mind (apart from Gary M who had overinflated his front tyre by 3psi). Once through the town we headed over very nice twisty roads to Chapel-en-Le Frith and then down into Buxton. We didn't stop and carried on down the A515 until we turned off onto the Bakewell road. Once again, nice, twisty and traffic free.

We soon arrived in Matlock Baths where fish & chips were scoffed. After a brief chat with a policeman who had parked his van on double yellow lines (apparently, not an offence in a private car park), we headed back to the Snake Pass Inn. At least, that was the intent, but Gary F missed the turn and we ended up in Castleton. A final drink (and in Gary's case, some more food) and we headed back home.

So, a good first run of the year.

Some pictures to remind all those who didn't go, what fun we have!