By mid-morning we stopped off in the sleepy village of Middleton-in-Teesdale for a coffee and well-earned sit in the sun.
Sadly, father and son team of Trevor and Alexander Conway had to bail out of much of the early sections – the low-slung suspension on their modified late 60s Porsche 911 track car couldn’t cope with the camber on the trail roads – but were able to catch up some of the unforgettable scenery later on in the morning. We soon checked in at the famous Tan Hill Inn – “Britain’s Highest Inn” at 1713ft above sea level, before heading down towards the dramatic arches of the Ribble Valley Viaduct and Yorkshire’s famous three peaks, Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent beyond.
Most of us combined a fuelling stop at Settle with a chance to grab some lunch at the best Al Fresco dining location that the town centre had to offer.
As we headed northwards back towards home, the clouds scudded across the hilltops and the wind picked up – but we all made it home safe and sound (albeit a little wet around the edges). David and Alison Ring in their 1973 BMW 2500 headed the timing charts but it was pretty tight at the top – let’s see what tomorrow brings…