dayZedandconFUSED 18th May 2011
The Dave Brubeck Run (Take Five)
On Thursday the 18th of August we met up at a lay by on the Wetherby road for our run to the Bingley Five Rise Locks on the Leeds- Liverpool canal. When I arrived with John, we joined Paul in his E type, Richard in his B roadster and Derek and May also in their B roadster. Soon after Mike and Jim turned up in the MX5 followed by new members Alan and his wife in their V8 Roadster and finally came Dunnington Dave in his BGT. Unbeknown to us, at about this time Peter decided that the lay by that he was waiting in was the wrong one but set off for Bingley anyway on the off chance that our paths would cross.
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So the seven cars in the right lay by set off but had barely got through Long Marston when we were confronted by roadworks running a convoy system and we had just missed one. Ten minutes after we stopped a quad bike appeared on the horizon with a long line of cars behind it. After the line of cars had passed we followed the quad bike through the roadworks at a speed that had us all searching for gear that was lower than first so that we didn't run it over. Was an underdrive box ever an option on an MGB? I wonder. After that holdup we were on our way again through Wetherby and Collingham and headed for Harewood. Somewhere between the two Derek’s car started to make a worrying noise and he stopped at the roadside to investigate along with Alan and Mike who were behind him. After they all had a listen and nobody could identify what it might be he decided to err on the side of caution and turned around and headed for home.
Mike and Alan continued on their way hoping to catch us up at some point. Oblivious to all this going on behind, the four cars at the front carried on towards Poole and then up Poole Bank and turned towards Otley and Menston. Near Menston Paul and I turned right at some traffic lights, Richard and Dave who had fallen behind a little went straight on. Paul and I pulled up just along the road and waited, and waited, and waited. After a while Mike and Alan turned up and told us about Derek and off we went again.
A couple of missed turns later while the rest of us turned around in the road Mike carried on. In due course three cars arrived at the locks and went for a look at this amazing site. Some twenty minutes earlier Peter had been at this same place and, thinking that he had missed us went to visit a friend who lived in the vicinity. We hadn't been there very long when Richard and Dave turned up.
The locks were designed by a man from Halifax and built by three Bingley stonemasons in 1774. They rise almost 60 feet over a distance of 320 feet so the clever ones among you can work out the gradient. They are 16 miles and 2 furlongs from Leeds along the canal and 111 miles from Liverpool.
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One for Dave, how about Joan Armatrading –
‘From the bottom to the top’
After watching a barge making its way through the locks we went for a drink at the cafe at the top of the locks. Whilst sat outside in the sun with our coffees and teas, who should stroll by on the other bank but Mike and Jim who were parked up a short way along the canal but at the opposite side to the rest of us. At some point on his journey he had reversed into someone’s garage to turn around.
After we had all finished looking and drinking we went to Gasoline Alley, a classic car dealer who was only five minutes away. We could have gone by canal because when we got there we found that it was at the side of the canal near to the centre of Bingley. After we all had a good look around some Mercedes, an Alfa, three BGTs and a TVR we were off again, Richard and Dave headed for home and the rest of us went for lunch at Dick Hudsons.
This is a pub high above Bingley named after the gentleman who ran the place between 1850 and 1878 and is on the old packhorse route between Bingley and Ilkley. It is a very popular eating place. At the time of our visit the car park was almost full and so was the pub. We ended up sitting outside in the sun. Oh how we suffer for our art.
After our lunch we were on our way again, Mike headed for home and the three cars that were left headed for Thorpe Arch to pay a visit to Pure Lotus the largest independent Lotus dealer in the north (their words not mine). They had a nice selection of cars to look at, a nice coffee machine to provide us with nice coffee and a toilet to make use of. Among the cars for sale were numerous Elises, two nice Excels, a trio of MG TFs and probably the most complete beach buggy I have ever seen with sparkling gold metalflake paint.
All too soon it was time to head for home after another good day out with sunshine that defied the weather forecaster’s predictions of rain and showers.