The Great Escape.......with a Velocette

 

With the ending of ‘Lock-down’ now in sight, it is time we returned to the more interesting things in life….

 

As was the case last year we are blessed with some lovely spring weather, what better time than to dig out the boots and head for the hills. Sadly not Criffel this time, but the moors of the Peak District that separate South Yorkshire from the Hope Valley. 

 

Addy's map of 1888

Houndkirk Road is an ancient highway across Houndkirk Moor and runs from the village of Ringinglow to the Fox House pub. Known locally as the ‘Old Roman Road’, it was a drover’s cattle route that was improved and turned into a Turnpike in 1758. The road has an extremely interesting history, that included a drover’s Inn at Thieves Bridge known as Oxdale Lodge and a WW2 Starfish Site known as the Houndkirk Decoy. This was to attract and lure the German night-bombers away from Sheffield and the industrial heart of the River Don.

Once again it sounded like a job for a Velocette…..

 

Below Stanage Edge with Hathersage in the distance

 

Previous info on the Viper trials bike is contained in the following link:

http://yorkshireferret.blogspot.com/2011/06/velocette-viper-trials-bike.html

And the journey up Criffel is detailed:

http://yorkshireferret.blogspot.com/2018/10/criffel-climb-back-in-time.html

The overall gear ratio of the Viper has been recently reduced, by fitting a larger gearbox sprocket. This gives the bike more of a ‘trail-bike’ gearing, when compared to the ‘proper’ trial-bike gearing previously fitted. This suited the easy going terrain far more, 1^st gear being low enough to deviate from the beaten path and yet with a reasonable turn of speed on the public roads to the area.

 

Houndkirk Moors

 

As usual the bike ran very well once the stale fuel had been discarded. The sump bash-plate proved it’s worth on more than one occasion when venturing across boulders and through the various bomb-holes that are to be found in the vicinity. The throttle was set so that the engine could be kept running whilst dismounting and opening the gates found along the old road, making for a far quicker run.

 

Of course the old girl has been used in some pretty harsh conditions in day’s gone by and is not fazed by a little snow. In point of fact she was just put back in the shed and would remain there until the next outing, well till the roof fell in......                                                     My the winters were cold.

 

A proper winter