Alas, no Pistons and Pints this year. So...who might be up for an informal camping weekend on the edge of the Lake District on the same dates, June 25-27? The A595 Cafe - formerly the Bridge cafe - in Millom is pitched squarely at the biker market. Friendly owners, an amazing sunken garden with pond, firepit and burger bar, and a camping field at the back. The camping field, it has to be said, is a bit rough and ready right now, but it's good enough. Wonderful Lakeland roads and the high passes of Wrynose and Hardknott to sort out the men from the boys and the ladies from the girls! £10 a night. If there's enough interest I can set it up on the events pages.
Be warned about Wrynose and Hardknott. It is tight, single track and in places very steep. If you get a clear run it's great fun but summer weekends it is very, very busy so you will be stop start all the time. You will also have to take occasional trips off the tarmac to avoid someone coming the other way, if anyone is tippy toe on their bike that'll be a challenge. Last year it proved terminal for the clutch on Scootie 😟 But if anyone is taking an extended fork chopper over I'll be there to watch the show
I - or to be more accurate we, as there were half a dozen of us - did both only a few weeks ago. That's when we discovered the A595 caff. The only real problem is the road surface at the top of Hardknott. Tight steep hairpins, as you say, then as your exit line comes into sight while climbing, there's a fecking great pothole waiting to trap your front wheel. Over and over again. If Pistons and Pints had been a go-er, Rosedale Chimney Bank in North Yorks would have been next on the rideout list.
To say nothing of Bwlch y Groes in North Wales, aka the Hellfire Pass. Second highest road in Wales and on the south side can give Wrynose a run for its money. The highest road in Wales is the Gospel Pass near Hay on Wye. Different thing altogether as it takes a long, slow run up going from south to north, about 10 miles or so of single carriageway. Trouble is, right now there's a landslide about half way - but where there's a bike, there's a way through!
Something has come up Wills see I won't be camping. If this is still on I'll most likely pop over to see you all Saturday, it's not too far from mine and makes for a good ride out via Hartside.