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Published: December 22nd 2007
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Having just renewed my Honda Owners Club (HOC) membership after my first year as a member of the HOC, I decided to go along to the HOC National Rally at Filey, North Yorkshire, on the Friday evening then on the Saturday’s ride out over the North Yorkshire moors. There was just one slight problem with the Saturday ride out for me, I had to go to work Saturday night. Fortunately my job on Saturday evening was shunting trailers in the distribution depot yard and not driving on the road.
I’d worked Thursday night into Friday morning so after a good day’s sleep I got the VFR out and met up with Paul and Lisa on their CBR1000 and Martyn on his Pan European ST1100, quite close to where I live on the Dearne Valley Parkway. Our journey took us to the A1(M) at Marr then south to join the M18 north to the M62 east before picking up the A614 towards Bridlington, then onto Filey.
On the last leg between Bridlington and Filey we came across a set of road works with traffic lights which we passed through on green. As we exited the roads works the was a
police car parked, who appeared to be watching for traffic running the lights. As the leader at this point I paid no notice to him as I knew we hadn’t done anything wrong and continued along for about another mile when I came to slowing traffic approaching another set of road works. I slowed down behind the car in front of me and looked over the line of traffic in front of me towards the next set of traffic lights. I decided the road was clear enough to slowly filter past the queue of traffic to the front and wait for the light to change. As I made my way past the queue I heard a siren so I pulled to a halt close to one of the cars to let the emergency vehicle to pass but it was the policeman from the previous set of light who pulled up to me and lowered the passenger window and asked me to pull into the next road end on the right.
I followed the bobby and pulled up where asked and the other two bikes came with me. The officer came to me once we were parked safely and asked
Departing the Blue Dolphin
Saturday morning leaving the Blue Dolphin at the start of the ride out around the North Yorkshire Moors if I knew why he’d pulled me? I explained I was unsure because I had taken care filtering past the traffic causing no problems to others. The officer agreed saying is was obviously in control and could handle the bike, but had I realised I had crossed a double white line? I had to admit I hadn’t seen the double white line as the light was gone and I was concentrating on the road way ahead of me. The bobby explained the section of road had many sections of road works with many hazards and let us all on out way after asking where we were heading. We explained we were on our way to the HOC national rally then pulled out of the road end to the front of the queue ready for the light to change and complete our journey to the Blue Dolphin Campsite. That evening, when we all got together in the bar everyone wanted to know the finer details of my encounter with the North Yorkshire police along with some serious leg pulling. Needless to say I needed a few pints to take the taste of humble pie out of my mouth.
The next
morning we were all up and enjoying a breakfast in Keven’s caravan where we had stayed for the night. Martyn had complimented me on how my snoring had kept him awake for most of the night. We all mucked in at breakfast either cooking or washing up before heading up to the meeting area for the day’s ride out, a very important event for my HOC branch as we were to lead it. In the meeting area of the campsite the number of bikes started to attract attention with would be bikers having a look around the machines as they started to gather. Keven briefed it out to everyone what was about to happen with Richard leading the group and using the Buddy or Drop off system to ensure no one gets lost See (S’no Rally Ride Out Blog), Keven was to be the last man. Just after 10-am our party of 43 motorcycles, lead by Richard left the rendezvous point for the start of the ride out with the first stop being a petrol station, local to the site for fuel. All but one bike pulled into the petrol either for fuel or to regroup. Keven the last man
Three Shires members
Some of the Three Shires members enjoying the Saturday evening after the ride out... Me? Well I was hard at it at work... Well very nearly!!! pulled into a bus stop just before the petrol station round about to wait for the riders who needed to refuel. Once everyone was ready to continue, Richard set off out of the station on to the round about and everyone followed. Keven pulled away from where he was parked up to the round about where he had to give way to all the bikes that where crossing his path on the round about and exiting at the next exit. As I entered the round about I saw a car trying to force its way past Keven to push onto the round about in to the flow of bikes, which had the right of way. I saw Keven gesture to the car driver to wait but it was apparent the car was going to continue pushing, so as I came to pass the front of the car I just stopped in front of the car to protect the rest of the bikes on the round about.
Once all the bikes had passed, I rejoined the pack with Keven behind me, we headed towards Pickering, using the system I moved up the pack a few places and started to get the faint smell of burning oil which gradually started to become stronger. We made a right turn just before we got to Pickering and the smell of oil got stronger as we cut across to the Pickering to Whitby road. Soon I could see a bike in front that was smoking form its exhausts, an old CX500 that I just had to pass or choke to death. Now pass the offending bike and around Blue Boar and up to RAF Fylingdales I caught up to the rest of the pack. We now turned off this road and headed towards and through the village of Goathland famous as the location where the “Heartbeat” series was and is still filmed from.
Now we headed over some beautiful countryside to the Millburn Arms at Rosedale Abbey where we stopped for lunch.
After lunch I started to say my goodbyes to people, believing I would be leaving the group at some point along this leg of the ride out. We headed off up the Rosedale Chimney Bank, sometimes called the Rosedale Hill Climb where we made our way to Helmsley and a final stop for me. Keeping my eye on the time, I decided to ride a little bit further with the group to Malton where I had to split from the party and head towards West Yorkshire to start my night shift… (I really do consider work to be an inconvenience on my social time.) I switched the Sat Nav on to take me to work and start my night shift, putting “Avoid Motorways” and away we went with plenty of time to spare. Nipping around the back roads I started to find the roads familiar and soon could predict where I was going. I was 1-hour in front of my “Clocking on time” as I came into Sherburn and my route was taking me past the Squires Café which was a popular bikers stop, so I pulled in for a pasty and a drink before heading to work. I thought it seemed ironic me sat there chilling out before work because the Sunday HOC ride out from Filey was to be to the Squire’s Café.
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