Best biking in Britain

We’ve got the lot in the North East. After a quiet Monday/Tuesday we fire off the week on Wednesday night at my local bikers meet at Washington Wildfowl Park. You see everything from 98cc Excelsior to the latest Blade – not bad. Devastatingly I discovered coffee had gone up from fifty to sixty pence – rampant capitalism. A ride out to the A19 sixties American style diner was arranged for Thursday a colourful venue for a burger and a banter. Saturday decided to have a blast up to The Hartside Café, up the A686 through Alston (highest market town in Britain) and over the top to the bikers park.

I’ve been on this run for twenty five years and it’s still a treat. Great views and great crack. The ride home was even better with the sun behind us before approaching the usual traffic jam at the A1 Metro Centre. Sunday – classic bike meeting at Croft where I haggled my way in for a fiver. Classic racing appears on the up with two paddocks filled. I enjoyed the gaggle of Meriden built Tridents. The two Parades were fast with madmen hammering around Clarevaux. Off the track there were a fantastic collection of bikes everything from a brace of Bantams and Tritons to a CB3504 Honda (don’t think I’ve ever seen one before). Now I’m off to the seaside and Minchellas to check out what everybody else has been up to.