I suspect this is going to be quite a long notice tonight, which makes it all the more weird as I am writing it with no internet access. So I’ll write it and then it can go up on the site tomorrow when I get somewhere which has.
Today then. I set off from Omar & Laura and made very good time. Ok, maybe I should start off by saying thank you, not only for the wonderful company,
but also the great (and sometimes deep) conversations that were had. You are both truly wonderful people and I can’t wait to see you both on the Harley...
One of the nicest things about Nottingham was the fact that Carphone Warehouse was directly opposite HD so it was easy to go in and tell them how shit the iPhone is. They were shocked, nay, horrified to hear about the problems that I have had with the battery and immediate took the phone and put it on charge, so that when I left them (Nottingham) at least the phone was fully charged. From there it was a dash to Chesterfield, well more a meander. 55-60mph all the way. A bright, beautiful summers day. Fab! And there it was, without much of a problem to find at all, HD Chesterfield. Now when I went in I was initially told they had no idea who I was, until I went to the ‘main’ desk (?). I said I was Andy, and I was doing a round Britain sponsored ride and the first of the two guys there said ‘Hi I’m John, you emailed me’ and he s
miled. Fantastic the first time that someone has acknowledged me off the bat and welcomed me. John poured coffee and introduced me to Jim another Chapter member who also works at the dealership. We sat we chatted and everyone was just bloody nice.
Then, as he handed me a chapter pin, John asked me where I was off to next. I looked at him surprised and thanked him for the pin. That’s fine he said. ‘You are collecting them as you go aren’t you?’ I had no idea, but people can collect the chapter pins as part of their ride. How cool. ‘No’ I said, ‘I had no idea. Umm, I’m off to Doncaster next.’ I never expected anyone to ride with me and yet that was the first of the day... After thinking for a second or two and initially saying he’d ride part of the way with me. John said, 'I’ll need to get some fuel, but it’s a nice day I’ll ride with you all the way through'. So he did. It is amazing, but that friendliness I spoke about before, there it was living and breathing. So we rode.
Doncaster is a fantastic dealership. Stuff everywhere, the whole upstairs is stocked out with clothing and accessories, the downstairs bikes. It is as I always imagined an HD dealership would be. It doesn’t look cluttered, but it does look like a sweet-shop must to a choca-holic. We arrived I got the form signed off and I got my next pin. Brilliant. We talked we met a guy called Steve from Worksop (I think he said) who just happened to be in the way when I took the first picture on arrival. We all (three) chatted, drank water and talked about our bikes. ‘A charity ride’ he said. ‘Where you off to next?’ I thought for a moment, got out the sheet and said ‘Manchester’. ‘Quick way or A-roads?’ ‘Oh A-roads, where I can’ I said. Then he gave me the most fantastic visual description of this old A-road over the top of the hills between Doncaster and Manchester. ‘That’s the way you want to go’ he said. ‘And I would, it sounds great, but I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.’ ‘Have you never done it?’ ‘I’ve never been here before, accept in a plane passing over.’ Then we started talking about his bike having new pads fitted ready for a charity run he was doing across the Humber (well they had already done it and were now delivering the cheque to the charity). ‘Are you in a rush to get to Manchester?’ ‘No.’ I said. So he telephoned his wife, told her he’d met some guy doing a charity ride around Britain and he wanted to guide him across the moor to pass the old reservoir. ‘For charity’ she said. Steve explained what I was doing and why and then just a couple of minutes later he was back. His bike fixed. His wife’s permission given and his waist-coat on. He was riding with me to Manchester!
I am eternally grateful to Steve, his wife, John and everyone I have met today. They have been outstanding. I will never forget any of them. So we rode. It is the most amazing scenery I remember seeing (in England anyway), and all I have is a memory and a very long description of the road. Stunning, that’s all I will say right now. Amazing. We rode on over the top of the hills and through the valley past the waterway and then around the top of the reservoir and then just as you thought you were cresting it, the road fell away. One moment we were cornering on a long winding left hander, and then Steve just disappeared, straight down... 60mph. What a laugh, what a rush, it is like the most intense rollercoaster you will ever go on (says a man who hates rollercoasters). As you begin to pick up from the left hander, the road just drops away in front of you. It’s like those roads that say ‘Caution. Hidden Dip’ and a car just appears that wasn’t there a moment ago. Now try that looking straight down, with the valley rushing up to meet you. I almost wet myself and just couldn’t stop laughing. It is truly an awesome road to ride and I see now why it is so popular. Steve. Cheers!
We reached Manchester and then Stockport. I got my pin. Steve bought a bloody great HD beer jug (glass) which he then put into the pannier to carry home...? (There was no box for it, and I'll never know if he made it without it smashing.) We said good-bye and I was off again. A brilliant day and a fantastic laugh. I can’t stop thanking people, and it is perhaps rather weird but the ride was just amazing, and I’d do it again.
Tomorrow I ride on to Carlisle (thank you honey!). A wonderfully ancient city with castle and a rather impressive wall not a million miles away. So it’s to the B&B, drop off the kit and on to march along the wall. Buy a beer, relax and conserve/recharge energy ready for the next couple of days. I am dead excited, I feel excited and I’m experiencing life which so many of us forget about as we charge around our work, home, family, career. I have, Aly, taken a break. xxx
Today then. I set off from Omar & Laura and made very good time. Ok, maybe I should start off by saying thank you, not only for the wonderful company,
but also the great (and sometimes deep) conversations that were had. You are both truly wonderful people and I can’t wait to see you both on the Harley...One of the nicest things about Nottingham was the fact that Carphone Warehouse was directly opposite HD so it was easy to go in and tell them how shit the iPhone is. They were shocked, nay, horrified to hear about the problems that I have had with the battery and immediate took the phone and put it on charge, so that when I left them (Nottingham) at least the phone was fully charged. From there it was a dash to Chesterfield, well more a meander. 55-60mph all the way. A bright, beautiful summers day. Fab! And there it was, without much of a problem to find at all, HD Chesterfield. Now when I went in I was initially told they had no idea who I was, until I went to the ‘main’ desk (?). I said I was Andy, and I was doing a round Britain sponsored ride and the first of the two guys there said ‘Hi I’m John, you emailed me’ and he s
miled. Fantastic the first time that someone has acknowledged me off the bat and welcomed me. John poured coffee and introduced me to Jim another Chapter member who also works at the dealership. We sat we chatted and everyone was just bloody nice.Then, as he handed me a chapter pin, John asked me where I was off to next. I looked at him surprised and thanked him for the pin. That’s fine he said. ‘You are collecting them as you go aren’t you?’ I had no idea, but people can collect the chapter pins as part of their ride. How cool. ‘No’ I said, ‘I had no idea. Umm, I’m off to Doncaster next.’ I never expected anyone to ride with me and yet that was the first of the day... After thinking for a second or two and initially saying he’d ride part of the way with me. John said, 'I’ll need to get some fuel, but it’s a nice day I’ll ride with you all the way through'. So he did. It is amazing, but that friendliness I spoke about before, there it was living and breathing. So we rode.
Doncaster is a fantastic dealership. Stuff everywhere, the whole upstairs is stocked out with clothing and accessories, the downstairs bikes. It is as I always imagined an HD dealership would be. It doesn’t look cluttered, but it does look like a sweet-shop must to a choca-holic. We arrived I got the form signed off and I got my next pin. Brilliant. We talked we met a guy called Steve from Worksop (I think he said) who just happened to be in the way when I took the first picture on arrival. We all (three) chatted, drank water and talked about our bikes. ‘A charity ride’ he said. ‘Where you off to next?’ I thought for a moment, got out the sheet and said ‘Manchester’. ‘Quick way or A-roads?’ ‘Oh A-roads, where I can’ I said. Then he gave me the most fantastic visual description of this old A-road over the top of the hills between Doncaster and Manchester. ‘That’s the way you want to go’ he said. ‘And I would, it sounds great, but I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.’ ‘Have you never done it?’ ‘I’ve never been here before, accept in a plane passing over.’ Then we started talking about his bike having new pads fitted ready for a charity run he was doing across the Humber (well they had already done it and were now delivering the cheque to the charity). ‘Are you in a rush to get to Manchester?’ ‘No.’ I said. So he telephoned his wife, told her he’d met some guy doing a charity ride around Britain and he wanted to guide him across the moor to pass the old reservoir. ‘For charity’ she said. Steve explained what I was doing and why and then just a couple of minutes later he was back. His bike fixed. His wife’s permission given and his waist-coat on. He was riding with me to Manchester!
I am eternally grateful to Steve, his wife, John and everyone I have met today. They have been outstanding. I will never forget any of them. So we rode. It is the most amazing scenery I remember seeing (in England anyway), and all I have is a memory and a very long description of the road. Stunning, that’s all I will say right now. Amazing. We rode on over the top of the hills and through the valley past the waterway and then around the top of the reservoir and then just as you thought you were cresting it, the road fell away. One moment we were cornering on a long winding left hander, and then Steve just disappeared, straight down... 60mph. What a laugh, what a rush, it is like the most intense rollercoaster you will ever go on (says a man who hates rollercoasters). As you begin to pick up from the left hander, the road just drops away in front of you. It’s like those roads that say ‘Caution. Hidden Dip’ and a car just appears that wasn’t there a moment ago. Now try that looking straight down, with the valley rushing up to meet you. I almost wet myself and just couldn’t stop laughing. It is truly an awesome road to ride and I see now why it is so popular. Steve. Cheers!
We reached Manchester and then Stockport. I got my pin. Steve bought a bloody great HD beer jug (glass) which he then put into the pannier to carry home...? (There was no box for it, and I'll never know if he made it without it smashing.) We said good-bye and I was off again. A brilliant day and a fantastic laugh. I can’t stop thanking people, and it is perhaps rather weird but the ride was just amazing, and I’d do it again.
Tomorrow I ride on to Carlisle (thank you honey!). A wonderfully ancient city with castle and a rather impressive wall not a million miles away. So it’s to the B&B, drop off the kit and on to march along the wall. Buy a beer, relax and conserve/recharge energy ready for the next couple of days. I am dead excited, I feel excited and I’m experiencing life which so many of us forget about as we charge around our work, home, family, career. I have, Aly, taken a break. xxx
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