I just feel the need to share a moment in time on here, as getting no appreciation at home from SWMBO.

I, along with most others can complain about bad roads, traffic, delays etc.

On Sunday I felt inclined to take the now newly transformed (thanks adithorp) indy out for a blast.

I thought I would go over the snake pass and mix it with the caravans and Sunday cruisers. It was busy as expected and I passed when I could and made reasonable progress. For those that know the road its a bit bumpy in sections for 7's but generally is a good road for a bit of leg stretching and especially for motorcycle baiting. I got over the top from glossop and down to ladybower bridge and hadn't paid much attention to the traffic going the other way. I turned round just before the bridge at the Derwent entrance.

Now......Its Dry, Its Sunny, I have almost a full tank, a sweetly running (for now) car and decide to hoof it until I catch back up with the traffic and then sit it out again back to Glossop.

I DIDNT MEET ANYTHING, NOT A SOUL until Manor Park Roundabout back in Glossop and was giving it everything. 16 Miles of twisty, wooded, Moorland, sweeping roads. Absolute Bliss, one day a year like this would do me. At one point I was laughing out loud inside my helmet and the ridiculousness of the situation.

I wanted to say to all those who are off the road or not yet IVA'd. These few and far between days are well worth the wait and will more than make up for any frustrations. Stick with it.

Often on here we get into negativity and bickering, there are some of us out there having a ball with our cars. An Absoloute F~~~ing wail of a time.

Just to ground me a little, I had my 9 year old with me and only when I got to the end could I find the occasion to look over at him with a big thumbs up to kind of say, " how cool was that"?

and............ he was fast asleep and missed it all.

Ahhhh, the days the driving gods shined on me........

Sounds great, I think we need a section for positive threads to spur on all that are building. I passed IVA today and read this and can't wait to go for a blast. Even a cruise round the local lanes would be good. As long as this rain we are having lasts until I get my plates then fine!!

Glad you had a good blast. Nice to see the positive side of kit ownership!


Andy

I have done 3 track days and about 1000 miles this year. Not going to sell my car anytime soon.

Good to hear a story about good traffic and open road driving. I am doing less and less. I seem to be gping down the track route which I think is only place to fully appreciate our cars.

Keep it up.

I love the days on the road when your laughing out loud at how cool the car you have built is.

Great post! Glad your enjoying it.

Reading that is about to make me go down the shed and start tinkering with the winter engine project!

Reminds me of the exact same drive a few years back on a lovely cold, sunny, but slightly damp weekday evening. I happened to be up that way for work and finished early to head over the pass in my old Cupra Leon. I got all the way over to Ladybower with no traffic and a guy on a ZX6 for company. The damp roads evened things out nicely as he was having slow right down on the bends. Turned round in the same place as you and headed back over stuck in a line of traffic. I didn't care, I'd had my fun and was content to take in the scenery on the way back with a stop at the bottle shop for some beer

Like you say, 1 day a year would do

Any day I pop out in the car it makes me smile.

Especially this weekend when I discovered that it is narrow enough to get around the parking barrier at work, which saved me a few quid.
Smiled all the way home, even though I was sitting in a puddle (it had rained while I was working)!

Best road in England when the traffic gods are on your side. I had a run over one evening last year going to a family get-to-gether. Not a lot of traffic and then turned left and went all the way up the Howden Dam...



I thought that was a good run but the return in the dark, traffic and speed-camera free, knowing every bend was brilliant... All four wheels off the ground where the landslips happen was a bit hairy, but the rest was great.

Glad your enjoying the car.

Took a run in the J15 tonight after tea last night about 1 hr before sunset. The J15 is just about shaken down after it's initial build problems now is on the road.

http://goo.gl/maps/7Wgfn

Marvellous run, dry sunny and very scenic. One of the best runs I have ever had. I can honestly say better drive than I ever had with my SEIW/Duratec on the same roads. The J15 better suits the Scottish roads that are not always what they should be.

Only met a (very) few lunatics on the way back on motorbikes/cars racing each other on the Callander road towards Doune. They must have been doing well over the ton, all 4 of them in a line. When they passed me it was like I was standing still. They were the type of car you see in the tuners all the time, some hot hatch (Focus ST's) with 500bhp. Or jap bikes that have more power to weight than a WWII spitfire.

The Callander road is shut most weekends in the summer for hours at a time because one of these lunatics, they never endingly make a bright red messes on the road. They shut the road because it is a crime scene, I am not sure exactly what the crime is as they usually hit trees and rock faces on the bends. They appear to open their skills tool box and find they have run out of content.

I like diving my car fast too but there is a limit. I think there is a concept of quick but safe I have not always practiced this myself on a few but memorable occasions. I am trying not to become a Callander road memorial flower stall.