ohhh nooo
its a regular meet for bikers...on the sunny hot days there can be 500+ bikes there.its a small town in derbyshire about 40 miles from me.the atmosphere is brill with lots of friendly bikers to chat to.
there is no daftness or bad vibes at all.the police are not a problem so its a very laid back meet.its a regular meet on most sundays/bank hols throughout the year (even in the winter).
i have a few biker chums that have rode all the way from oxford just to see the sight.
the roads are biker country,and most make a point of going to the cat and fiddle pub in nearby buxton,this is a great road to ride but can be a bit daunting for the non locals.

back to matlock tho... its a nice place to visit,not much to do except wander about and look at the bikes...a couple of years ago the 81 gang decended for a MAJOR BASH as it was the 25th anniversiry of the european chapter.bikers from all over europe were there,france,germany,norway,sweden,holland etc.
they hired a castle that over looks matlock for a party...invites only

me and michelle went up to the castle to take pics but we wernt allowed to
i wasnt going to risk my camera or me gettin a arse kicking.even the local poilce were not present !!!!

get to matlock some time if you can


we went to matlock a couple of weks ago and bumped into a old mate of mine ...john reynolds of suzuki rizla b.s.b fame.there is a few camp sites not to far away so get the gear together and head off for a good day away.one of the best meets in the north west.free parking,great take aways,its a tourist trap so expect all types..if you are into bikes then this is the one place you need to visit....

Thanks for the info Angela - I see it has been written into our family diary.

today i read that the NORTH WALES police force have aquired 4 superbikes..these have a top speed of 178 mph ...also these bikes are unmarked.
due to the lage accident rate in the NORTH WALES AREA they seem adamant on catching speeding bikers / car drivers...so pl;ease be aware of these if in the area for your sumer rides etc...do you agree with the police force spending money on superbikes to keep the law in force...!!!

i doubt the said bikes would keep up with vale if he decided to visit the area whilst at donny later this year ..but then again i very much doubt vale would need the thrill of zooming around the country lanes

Ok, like this couldn't have gone in the thread "All About the Brits"?

The brits huh....crazy people sometimes


YouTube - Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2007

You have to admit that it does look like fun!

Perhaps you can come over next year Wendy and we can all do it together? I am sure you want to really!

(Ok a lot of people do get injured but I suspect that is simply because they have consumed insufficient alcohol beforehand and were not suitably relaxed.)

Yeah maybe we should..all in our yellow outfits!!
I am starting a special diet right now..chocolate,cakes,fries,pizza...would be usefull for me to put on some weight to start tumbling down the hill..maybe less injuries then!

Good thinking Wendy - I am almost the perfect shape already but will keep up the good work and maintain my chocolate intake just to be on the safe side.

And all that for the sake of cheese - if it were for chocolate I could understand it!

How to Annoy a Brit


Forget to say please or thank you every time you are given anything (even a bill!)
Refuse to talk about the weather.
Mildly disagree with them.
Jump a queue.
Keep saying ‘after you’ rather than going through the door that’s been opened.
Offer postive ideas and solutions to everything they moan about.
Ban the colours beige and magnolia.
Weep loudly in public.
Admit that you hate animals, especially dogs and cats.
Praise the current Government.
Act happy in a post office

Oooh - a little harsh I feel!!
Whoever wrote that has clearly never been into our Post Office!

I have to hold my hand up to the "magnolia" thing though. With the exception of 2 rooms our house is decorated in various shades of 'cream' Those shades have, however, been very carefully chosen following hours of deliberation - and the differences are amazing. It does have the benefit that the kids can swap bedrooms at will, and frequently do, without much work.
I am good at choosing the perfect shade of cream for the room and then the interior design bit kicks in with the accessories which are easier to change when you get bored and fancy a change.
I am proud to say I have one of the very few 9 yr old daughters in this country who does not have either a pink or a lilac bedroom . Yes, it has cream walls and carpet but the rest is red and mostly hearts.