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)