The Manchester Honda

Owners Club 2013

Down the mines & beyond

Brrr - a chilly start for the day. My car thermometer read 1.5c. But the roads were dry and it was a glorious sunny day, so into the thermals, on with the heated grips and I was off. A quick petrol stop later and I arrived at the start point (McDonalds at Hyde) to find 4 keen bikers (and a pillion) already there. We quickly moved into the warm and waited to see who was there. Paul had to go and get Julie (and a spare bike) so he toddled off and we arranged to meet him later. Dave Rhodes soon turned up and then Richard - who needed a full McD breakfast, so we were a bit late.

As we set up Alan turned up on his Tiger and we were off. For about 2 miles. Because, it was Remembrance Sunday and there were bands and parades closing the road just as we wanted to pass. After the second delay, Alans Tiger refused to start - so that delayed us again. But finally, we were up and running (less a Tiger) and off over Snake Pass to our destination. The roads were clear and there was not much traffic so we made good progress and enjoyed the stunning scenery of the Peak District.

We soon got to the mines, parked up and, while 3 of us went on the tour, the rest lazed around in the sunshine and chatted about nothing much. Paul and Julie arrived while we were “down under” on a borrowed Diversion 600 (“My CB500 is a better bike” I heard later) and, once we had emerged from the caves, we rode down into Castleton for some lunch.

Some wanted a full lunch, some didn’t so we split up into the pub-lunch brigade and the chip-shop crew. I had the cod and it was lovely - to be recommended. Once all that was done, we had a leisurely ride back to Hyde where we all went our own ways home.

So, not a long ride, but very pleasant, if a little chilly.

Now to photos. I recently bought a new camera (a Canon 6D) which is perfect for low light shots. So, of course, I left it at home! Luckily, Geoff and Richard had cameras and I had my phone - so we have some pictures to show you.