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Cat & Fiddle

So what do I do when i'm not on track? Well, fortunately for me I have some fantastic roads right on my doorstep. Living in Macclesfield has to have its advantages somewhere right? The route I use runs from Macclesfield up the A537, down the A54, then back to Macc on the A523.

The Cat and Fiddle road is so named after the famous Cat and Fiddle pub which holds the title of the highest pub in England at 1772ft. This is interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the road that leads from Macclesfield to Buxton (A537) which really must be the best road this side of the Stelvio Pass. The Cat & Fiddle has every type of bend and camber you could wish for, from tight hairpin bends to long sweeper and double apexes. What really helps is that the road is well sighted, so its no problem to go round the odd moving chicane nice and slowly on the hairpins, rather than blasting past on straights. Due to the altitude at winter time, there is often snow at the top and it is important to be careful as the road is at best damp and at worst icy. The Cat & Fiddle road is perhaps infamous for officially holding the title of most dangerous road in the UK due to the number of suicidal bikers who proliferate the road during the summer!

The Cat & Fiddle is the only road I know where every bend has a name! Here's a link from one of the bike sites which gives a guide from the top down: Cat & Fiddle 'scratchers' route

 
At the top of the Cat & Fiddle, Derbyshire Bridge Road January 2004 (this is a side road, A537 was wet but fine)


Looking across the windswept high plains (1770ft) from Cat & Fiddle pub toward Buxton

After the serious run of the Cat and Fiddle its time to tackle the A54. This road is in many ways harder than the Cat & Fiddle and quite a bit more dangerous to drive as it is a lot tighter and not so well sighted. The A54 is akin to a roller coaster as it follows the contours of the Peninnes down toward Bosely. 


Near the top of the A54 looking toward Buxton. As you can see there is some serious drops should you fall off!


Looking down the 'rollercoaster' to come in the distance (A54 toward Boseley) 

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