Glasson Dock

Isn't UK weather weird?

Every day we hear tales of doom, gloom and storms. Rain, wind, hail. So, when we came to the ride today, it was with a heavy heart that I woke up to howling gales and biting winds. But this is England and we are BRITISH – made of stern stuff. So, a bite to eat (thanks Norma for the pancake), on with the wet weather gear and out to get the bike. "Hello? Where's the rain gone?". Oh good, it might get better!

A quick run over the "tops" and I was at Haslingden to find 4 bikers waiting for me. That was a good start. Inside I found them sat at a table munching a McDonalds'. Then more turned up. By the time we left, not only had the weather got better, but we had 8 bikes ready for the off.

Gary was leading – for a while. About 200 yards up the motorway, someone's radio was going off and on. We pulled over and I mistakenly thought it was him (it wasn't and I apologised later). So, Phil volunteered to lead and off we went again, and I went as Back Marker. It was a cracking ride over drying roads and we made excellent progress. As we got to Glasson Dock, the sun came out and it started to warm up – 8 degrees as we stopped, according to my gauge.

Lunch in the pub was excellent. It took a while as I don't think they understood parties of more than 2, but the wait was worth it. Meanwhile, we chatted and generally had a nice time. But eventually we were all fed and ready for the next stage. So, off we went, this time with Gary leading. Another good route down past Blackpool, Garstang, Longridge and then over the moors back to Haslingden where we had a last cuppa before we went our separate ways. The only rain we saw was when we were sat in McDonalds – so I consider that a good result.

Thanks to all who turned up – Phil (on his new Bandit), Gary, Malcolm, Richard, Paul C, Paul J (a first ride for him and he did well) and Mark (and of course me, Alan) – we had a great day out and will have nice memories for a while. I will just mention that we seem to have 50% of the riders from CADHOC, which just goes to show how good our rides are.

 

Alan's Report