Got the blues..
Over the latter part of the summer I've been buzzing around on a bike but somewhat tardily haven't gotten around to write anything up and put it here. A few trips here and there, beer festivals, music festivals, all within our fair shores mingled amongst which feature such highlights as Bill H's STD and the Badger folk Boxer Beet. UKGSer hospitality at its absolute finest
So the first installment here is a trip North to look in on the Colne Blues Festival. I've been going for a few years and I can't recommend the do highly enough, it really is a gem of an event. 'Hardcore' blues music I can take or leave. I do have a Robert Johnson collection CD somewhere floating around at home. But here though there's something for pretty much everyone with the added bonus of a very friendly vibe.
Like most of you I suspect I look for an excuse to take the good roads to wherever I am going, or perhaps out of the way of where I am going. On the way up I'm stopping at a friends over in St Helens, so this is an excuse to head west. Circumnavigate London town by some means and then refreshment in Stratford-Upon-Avon prior to the push North.
I'm predictably late leaving HQ and M25 roadworks add some time on. On the A41 into Aylesbury and then the fun begins with the A413 up to Buckingham, a road I like with lots to do. Then I pick up the A422, another good entertaining road to take which leads you all the way in to Stratford. Unfortunately they've knocked a lot of it down to a 50 limit as seems much the way for many of our roads. Sigh. But there's still fun to be had.
I make Stratford and by now it is 5.30 so most things around the water are packing up, so I'm left with a coffee break at the Evil Coffee Empire.
I wind further North until I hit Birmingham and then bite the bullet of the Motorway. Feeling of frugal mood, I ignore the M6 toll raceway option and head up through the cheap bit. Predictably it is busy on the skinflint route but both parts of the Motorway are at a standstill when they join back together North of the Brumopolis. I catch up with a loaded up cruiser with a California number plate on it, rider and pillion wobbling awkwardly through the traffic. It rains. It rains a lot. I don't think they had anticipated this as part of the fine English Country experience. We have a quick chat as we bimble side by side mid traffic, they both look exhausted, poor ducks. Ducks being appropriate.
Eventually the traffic gets going but typical Friday bank holiday rush hour stop start of the Motorway and I reach my friends house. A special from the local chinese take out. Duck as it happens. A few bottles of beer, a few different wines to try (including rather a nice one from Surrey believe it or not) and a good chat and all is well. Zzzzzz.
Morning.
I'd left the bike in the back garden last night and being at home in our fair shores you're naturally overcome with paranoia.. will it be safe (I'm not going in to scouser stereotypes route here by the way)
I think the thoughts moreso creep in for me coming up to a trip, just the inconvenience factor and that everything would be scuppered. I think to myself, would anyone be bothered enough to heave off my declining piece of junk, but then I hear about true old ratters being pinched. Over breakfast my friend told me how her neighbour last week had her garden shed stolen with everything in it. Gulp. I kid you not.
Costco's finest saussies have gone down very well and are soaking up the booze rather nicely. I'm buoyed for the short blast to another friend who lives in Colne and is hosting me for the Blues. No messing about today, just a simple float along the Motorways in the drizzle. Bike feels nice today.
As my friend always says, he's 'an hour' from everywhere in the North, and this proves to hold true as about an hour later I'm knocking on his door ready for a quick change and out.
The bike lives outside his house in Colne and my pal assures me it will be absolutely fine, which it always is. And besides, if they want my bike, well they'll have to bypass the ultimate security of a Xena alarm disc lock with no battery.
Colne is a great town. It has a sort of arty feel to it. As well as the may be expected fish and chip shops and working mens clubs there are coffee houses, vegetarian restaurants, music shops, intimate live music venues. You can buy excellent German beer on draught as well as the expected good ale.
It's much more cosmopolitan and has considerably more 'on your doorstep' variety than my area in 'That London' that's for sure. I always enjoy a visit.
The blues festival opens up the town as such, there is a main stage that needs tickets (I think they are around £40) but there's also a stage accessed by a £4 pledge badge, and even better all of the many roadhouse venues dotted around the town are accessed by means of a £1 wrist band, which is all I bother with. You can't beat it.
The afternoon and evening comprise of beer, music, beer, beer, more beer, music, music, beer, steak pudding chips and curry sauce, beer, music, beer, beer. I'm not sure if I got that in the right order.
Afternoon sustenance courtesy of the Hall Street Chippy
'The Venue', one of the official roadhouse venues..
Sadly I haven't got many decent photos from the actual musical elements of the event, I can only put this down to my being roundly spangled by the time I realised I should be taking some. Here's a sort of Roy Wood fellow working hard.
Note to self: Must do better on the picture front.
On the way home we stop for a tikka roll and a Chicken Jalfrezi with rice take away. I suspect there's quite a lot of food for my £9 of the realm as the carrier bag almost tugs my arm out of its socket as I haul it off the counter.