Chimes' Birthday Run

This year we turned the 'My Other Bike's a ... Run' over to being a celebration of Simon's 43rd birthday, as the two happened to coincide, and appropriately this has always been one of Simon's favourite events as it allows him legitimately to turn up on his Midnight Star Cruiser.  Consequently this year, as it was his birthday, we were all barred from making any derogatory or maligning comments about his bike.  in fact the wily Simon invited a friend along on a Hardley Moving to take all the pent up flack!

The Ferrets who were able to get along to celebrate Simon's special day were (L-R):  Simon himself (CHIMES), Nick (Simon's friend on his Harley Davidson Roadster), Paul (ROXXO), Paul (LENSMAN), Kit (Mrs CLIVE), Polly (Mrs LENSMAN), Del (GREY WOLF) and Clive taking the group shot.  Those who would dearly have loved to have been there but were unable were:  The STUEYs who were in the South of France, the CANARYs who were in Ireland, Debbie (Mrs CHIMES) who had had a fall and was unable to ride, and Carol (Mrs ROXXO).

The day was to be easy going and relaxed so we didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn, and it was 08:30 when Simon and Nick rolled up to Clive & Kit's place, where their trusty 22 year old Beemer was waiting for the off.  Simon was on his Midnight Star and Nick had ridden in from Warrington's to Simon's somewhat earlier.

Nick's HD Sporster has a very small tank, so he nipped off to the local garage to top up with fuel before we all left on the hours journey up to Skipton, mainly by motorway, but with a final flourish over the tops to ease us into the day.

Now, Nick only passed his test in March - although he's a long history of bikes, much of it off-road in the dim and distant past when he and Simon were whippersnappers, and the bikes were sheds, or Fizzies, or the like.  Added to this, Nick had only recently got his rather old Sporster back on the road after buying it at a keen price from someone who had not ridden it for yonks and who had let it go to seed.

As we arrived at the meet-up in Skipton, both ROXXO and LENSMAN & Polly were already there, Paul & Polly on their recently repaired 'Bird (an alternator fault) and Roxxo was on his new, and being run-in Triumph Speed Triple - so that's his bike for THIS week!

Simon parked up his Midnight Star sure in the knowledge that we were all sworn to be nice about it ☻   It wasn't long before Del pulled in and the group was assembled.

There was a lot of catching up to be done, sitting on Paul's new Triumph, and a small task for Nick!

Being a Harley Davidson it had managed to vibrate loose both the screws holding its tail light lens on, which had been lost somewhere between Manchester and Skipton.  He bought some felt-tips from the supermarket and proceeded to colour the now exposed bulb red - and at various promptings added the clown's eyes to finish it off nicely.

The collected bikes:  (Clockwise from upper-left) CLIVE's BMW K100RS, ROXXO's Triumph Speed Triple, LENSMAN's Honda Blackbird, CHIMES's Midnight Star, GREY WOLF's Honda Blackbird and Nick's HD Sporster.

Although things started well, on the time-front, it was steadily to go adrift as the day progressed, largely due to the very strong winds that meant that we really had to keep our speed down and that made the going hard work at times.  Combined with other delays from sheep and loosing some of our group (see later), and general enjoyment winning out on time-keeping, we ended up finishing a good 2 hours later than planned.  But what the hell, everyone was enjoying it far too much for that to be a problem.

So, with the best of intentions we left Skipton more or less on time for the run up into the Dales and across to Pateley Bridge.

With a keen eye on minimising the impact of the strong and blustery winds, our leader CLIVE threw in a few unscheduled route changes along the way to take advantage of more sheltered routes, much to Del's surprise as Sweeper, and with a revised route through Grassington we eventually made the long drop down into the valley in which Pateley Bridge nestled, for our first break.

The day had promised to be dry and largely sunny, and so it panned out, and even at this first break we were already pining for drinks ... and in the case of Paul & Polly some Chorley Cakes - although Paul had thought that they were Eccles Cakes, poor lad.  True to his new silph image, Del produced and consumed a simple banana.

A bit more touching up of his tail light for Nick and a constant beaming from Simon, who was already thoroughly enjoying his birthday-boy status.

From Pateley Bridge we cut sharply north onto much quieter and out of the way roads, after climbing the steep lane out of the village and fairly quickly hitting one of the disadvantages ...... a flock of sheep being herded along the road!  It was quite a while that we edged forward in the wake of the flock, letting the day slip back into a foregone time, when schedules and progress were unheard of .... lovely.  The ancient shepherd was far outshone by his dog, except when it found the straggling lamb had far more bottle than expected, and just stared the dog down when it came to gather it back into the flock!

Eventually the flock was taken down a side road and we were thanked by the shepherd for our patience.  The run on towards our next stop and lunch break in Leyburn was along some wonderfully unspoilt and traffic free lanes dotted by sumptuously picturesque villages, but where we had expected some good progress along the higher and straighter sections, the ever-present cross-winds robbed us of this, and so it was that we came to Leyburn about 40 minutes behind schedule.

The town was pretty busy, so we shoe-horned the bikes in where, no doubt, we shouldn't have and went off to the cafe for some grub.  This was an ideal time for further catching up and general banter, with a garnish of taking the piss out of Harley Davidsons, all amidst consuming some wonderful faire.

Replete, we remounted some time later (when seemed of little concern by now) and forged onto our next section to Swaledale, over Buttertubs Pass and down into Hawes.

Throughout the day the visibility remained just about perfect, but it was on the sections like this one that it really did come into its own.  The views up Swaledale, and in particular over Buttertubs, were just mind blowing, particularly the view down into the gorge.  Clive had sorted a route along the less frequented side of Swaledale so that the villages like Reeth and Fremington could be seen from a distance, instead of hidden by proximity, and in the process came up with a wonderful collection of narrow lanes with plenty of loose gravel, dried cow-muck and grass down the centre!

From the heights of the pass it was down into the Ure valley and our next stop at Hawes.

Although the roads between stops were pleasantly quiet and traffic free, at each stop we seemed to descend into a milieu of cars, bikes and people as though the heavy traffic was confined to being parked up - very strange, but more likely the result of the little frequented roads that had been chosen for the route.

Again the group fell to tom-foolery, joking and generally having a good time - consuming ices, drinking drinks, gossiping and talking bollocks about bikes ... and anything else that came onto the horizon.  In particular, Simon commented on the freaky coincidence of his having chosen his George Formby related tee-shirt for the day when this turned out to be the theme on his surprise birthday card (see at the head of this report).

It was sensible for Del to make his way back to the Northeast from here, so after much farewells and best wishes, he split from the group as we made ready to leave for the next section.  Typically, the next section could really have done with him being there still.....

From Hawes we were to take advantage of the fast straight run down to Ingleton, but the ever-present gusting and strong crosswinds put pay to much of that, and some re-grouping was necessary as we approached Ingleton for the cut across to High Bentham.  What the slower progress did allow was taking in the awe-inspiring setting, the Three Peaks bordering the dale across which the great sweep of the railway viaduct flies.  You win some, you loose some!

Now, it was at the rapid succession of turns to cut across the A65 that set the scene for the group getting temporarily split up!  Getting out onto the A65 was not easy, and the turn off it was only a few hundred yards further on, added to which the turn off had a very early bend.  So, as Clive, Kit and Nick completed the manoeuvre they didn't immediately realise that the rest of the group had been held up getting out onto the A65.  As realisation dawned on Clive, the forward bikes had already turned the bend hiding them from sight of the others who understandably carried on westwards on the A65 intent upon catching up with the leaders!!!  Now the leaders chased after the rest of the group and caught up with them a few miles down the road at Devil's Bridge - just in time to head them off from getting more food and drinks, and to convince them that a break at Slaidburn was a better option.

If we'd opted to take our break at Devil's, then time would have forced a return to Skipton on the A65 - a notoriously bad road for suffering crosswinds, one that has high police presence and is just about always busy.  Plus, we'd have been forced to miss the majesty and awe of the high crossing over the Forest of Bowland and the quiet, peaceful and quality stop at the cafe in Slaidburn - all of which was eventually enjoyed to the full.

Given that it WAS his birthday, Simon was allowed some chocolate cake.

With the day fast closing in, we left Slaidburn up the zig-zag and out onto the back roads for a better sheltered run through woods and pretty and sleepy villages - Bolton by Bowland to name one - on our way to finding a garage for Nick to replenish his small fuel tank at in Gisburn.

As it was now gone six o'clock we agreed to finish the run here at the garage in Gisburn, allowing easy routes for Roxxo, Lensman & Polly back to and past Skipton on their way home, and for Clive, Kit, Simon & Nick to head the opposite way past Citheroe and then south to Manchester and Warrington, a wonderful and satisfying day had by all.

And finally, as started the day, we'd like once again to wish Simon many happy returns on his 43rd birthday, and a long and happy life amidst good friends.

Photographs courtesy of Chimes, Lensman & Clive

Page Updated

28/06/2008 23:54