Endurance Legends, Donington Park: Saturday, 6th May, 2017.

10:30-ish.

We have arrived and the drizzle we drove thru' on the A42 has ceased.

Some sidecar competitors are offering passenger rides around The Melbourne Loop 

for £15 with all donations going to charity.

We make a small donation but we decline the chance to be a passenger.

We're daft - but not that daft.

A donator clings on.

Vicky and two cups of tea to keep us going.

11:15-ish.

We've made our way to the inside of Redgate to watch The Lansdowne Classics 

and their timed practice session on a slightly greasy track.

Chris Firmin and Dean Stimson are the cautious riders here (both Manx Nortons).

Time for some lunch now.

12:15-ish:

Full of lunch and back in The Paddock now and 

Vicky says all you need to know about 

this olde fella is in the words on the banner.

She's a funny one, that Vicky.

Hours of fun to be found in spinning the Rotary engine gubbins-thingies.

Seriously, it's fascinating.

Somebody grinding summat.

Mike 'Spike' Edwards.

The man to beat in Classic Bike racing nowadays.

We remember him when he was a nipper and just starting out.

Mid 1980's at a guess.

Pit Board being skillfully created before our very eyes.

Everything yer need for a luxurious two night stay in the Donington Paddock.

13:20-ish.

Wandered down to the infield viewing at 'Starkeys' (if it's still called that)

to watch The Endurance Legends Qualifying session.

Lovely that there's no fencing, but the track is a bit far away.

It's a good compromise tho'.

Team Ibonhart Suzuki v's Team Van Dijk Laverda in this instance.

Another photo of that Van Dijk Laverda.

No apologies. We love Laverdas!

14:10-ish.

At the inside of The Old Hairpin now and the ICGP 250's/350's are on track for their Timed Practice.

Bob Keller (Bra) - Yamaha 250 TZ L (21) & Guillaume Foureau (Fra) - Yamaha 350 TZ G (28).

14:30-ish.

A shot of Vicky standing on the wet grass of Donington's infield.

Neither of us are wearing totally waterproof footwear.

Time to wander back to the car and pay a visit to Auntie Louise in Erdington.

She'll sort us out.

15:00-ish.

Auntie Louise has kitted both of us out in toasty socks whilst our footwear and socks dry out a bit.

Her expression tells you everything you need to know about what she thinks of us.

Pickering to Harrogate and back: Sunday, 30th April, 2017.

7:00-ish:

Sun rising over Yorkshire from our bathroom window.

10:15-ish:

Tractor Rally convoy heading east along the A170 to Pickering.

We're heading west to Harrogate.

11:00-ish:
Driving through Helmsley and all the
bikers are out and about on a Bank Holiday Sunday.

12:00-ish:
We have arrived in Harrogate.
First stop: Betty's Tea Room.

Betty's Tea Room interior Pt I.

Betty's Tea Room interior Pt II.
Two Fat Rascals and a pot of tea for two, please.

Olde fella bamboozled by all the iron railings that Harrogate
is famous for (according to Vicky).

Howard in Harrogate.

A photo of Vicky taking a photo of some flowers.

Run Vic! Run while yer still can!
Vicky in Valley Gardens and The Pinewoods and surrounded by a gang of killer Triffids.

Mother duck warns ducklings about the dangers of leaping into the water below.
Do ducklings ever listen……...?

…..um……plop…….no.

15:00-ish:
Vicky! I've had nowt to eat since my Fat Rascal and I'm fading fast. I need a ploughmans!
Luckily, in York's of Thirsk Tearooms, I can get one.
Vicky chooses a Tuna Panini (very Yorkshire).

16:00-ish: North Yorks Moors NP.
Vicky points the way to 'The Best View in England'.
Blimey, it better be good after all that build-up.

Vicky taking in 'The Best View in England':
Sutton Bank on a hazy, lazy, sunny spring afternoon.

As above, but in close-up.

16:45-ish:
Howard outside Helmsley Castle.

The Parish Church of All Saints, Helmsley.

Yorkshire loves tractors.

17:30-ish:
On the road to Harome.
Don't run the locals down Vic.

Just outside Harome.
 Our Green and Pleasant land.
Lovely.
Back to Pickering now and then home tomorrow.

Some travel stats from our weekend away:
526 miles.
12 hours of driving.
45.7mpg.
Ave speed 43mph.

Festival of Speed, Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, Saturday, 29th April, 2017.

10:30am-ish.

We have arrived for our first ever visit to Oliver's Mount.

Drove up yesterday and we're staying in Pickering for 3 nights.

Journey took 4.5 hours, we had a 30min break en route, and we averaged just under 50mph

(just to give you an idea of the amount of traffic around).

Negotiating the steps down to Quarry Hill.

Hmmm, could be a slow climb back up to the car park.

View of part of the venue, with Scarborough beyond, from Quarry Hill.

Taking photos (or trying to) on the way down Quarry Hill to Mere Hairpin.

Clint Davies - 550cc Aprilia SXV - attacks Quarry Hill.

Darryl Ward - 1963 225cc Lambretta.

Mums - all over the world - are convinced that scooters are much safer for their little-just-left-school-darlings to ride than those big horrid nasty motorcycle-thingies.

They've obviously never seen Paul Priestley on his 1963 250cc Lambretta Li 150.

11:15-ish.

We're in The Paddock now and this is Andrew Lupton and his 125cc Honda RS.

Had a good chat with Andrew and it all took us right back to Donington Park and Loris Capirossi (who's still Vicky's all-time favourite) when he was top dog in the 125 GP class in the early nineties.

You can't beat great memories.

Chief Paddock Marshall on patrol.

11:45-ish and we've had our first cuppa tea in The Paddock Diner.

Just afterwards this olde-fella watches riders lining up for their pre-startline Decibel Test-thingy.

This will be a nice close spot for some photos, Vic.

1:30-ish.

It's close and the riders fly by on this downhill stretch to Mere Hairpin.

This is Peter Mills on his 600cc Suzuki GSXR doing just that.

Mike Tilley - 491cc Honda CR - rounds Mere Hairpin.

Howard takes a break from photography at Mere Hairpin.

Alan Dry - 1270cc OMS PR - you should know the name of this corner by now.

Oli Taylor - 1299cc Hitech DP 1600/02 - at the start of the climb up Quarry Hill.

Wheeeeeeelieeeeeee!

Graham Stephenson - 909cc MV Augusta F4.

2:30-ish.

Back in The Paddock again and……..why didn't we think of this back in the day?

Charles Rich Pittman has removed the CB750cc FA engine 

and replaced it with a 1127cc Suzuki engine.

And why not. Innovation. This is why we love hill climbs.

Vicky making more friends within the hillclimbing fraternity. 

This is Charlie - a Cockerpoo (and his owner).

Nigel Critchley and his immaculate 600cc Honda CBR.

We had an entertaining chat with him about his hillclimbing and his son's circuit racing career.

Many a cautionary tale.

15:30-ish.

It's time to make our way back to the car park now.

It's gonna take a while tho' 'cos of the incline and all the canine members of the 

hill climbing fraternity to make friends with as we do.

One last look at the splendid view across this one small quarter of Oliver's Mount.

Can't wait to come back to see a Road Race event.

Yay! Somebody going from right to left!

Len Auckland - 1964 344cc Aermacchi El Doro Rep - aims at the top of Quarry Hill.

The fast way up Quarry Hill.

David, Vicky, and Howard, trudging up the hill and back to the car park, fortunately, just out of shot.

16:00-ish.

We're heading back to Pickering now and have stopped in Thornton Dale for a cuppa tea and a slice of cake and then a little walk around a fairly large pond………….

..….where we find a Canada goose keeping her two (or three - we're not quite sure how many are on the right) goslings nice and cosy. 

Not a bad way to finish the day.

Back to the hotel for summat to eat now.