16th July 2025 - Ride to Matlock - Ian Cain

Once a year, we riders try to get a long midweek trip to somewhere of interest to motorcyclists. This year, we went to Matlock Bath, a popular spot in Derbyshire, not far from Derby, Nottingham, and Sheffield, which always has lots of riding visitors.

Matlock Bath is a former spa town on the River Derwent, where it has cut a deep gorge with vertical cliffs on one side and the houses up very steep streets on the other. The A6 runs alongside the river and forms a sort of promenade lined with shops, amusement arcades, and places to eat on one side and access to the river on the other. I was born and raised in Sheffield, and Matlock Bath was a place we regularly visited at weekends; it was almost like a seaside town to us.

Seven bikes left King's Lynn for the just over 100-mile ride with a planned stop at the Green Hut Café at Ollerton Crossroads, another popular spot for motorcyclists. Except it was shut for two days for repairs. Desperate not to miss out on our mid-ride snacks, a quick Google search found another roadside café nearby, so off we went to the Forest Café in a large layby by the main road. Not quite as good as the Green Hut, but it served the purpose. Oddly, there was a notice saying they preferred cash to cards, but cash only on Wednesdays. I don't know what's special about Wednesdays.

Refreshed, we set off on the second part of our journey on lovely roads towards Chesterfield and then Matlock. On the outskirts of Chesterfield, I started to rely on my satnav, always a mistake for me. Despite seeing signs for Matlock, I believed the satnav, which took us round the less scenic parts of the town but eventually got us on the right track, sorry, chaps. From Chesterfield, the scenery became more spectacular until the very steep drop into Matlock. The centre of Matlock was very busy; it's a bit of a tourist spot, but we were soon out and onto the A6 for the short drive to Matlock Bath. There is on-road parking by the A6, and many bikes were parked there, but we were lucky to find a gap big enough for the seven of us.

The next event was lunch, and we spotted a riverside fish bar where we could sit and eat outside and watch the river flow by. They've even got pedalos for hire, but we resisted the temptation. A short stroll by the river and back to the bikes for the ride home.

Our planned route home was south along the A6 (spoiled by roadworks), then onto the A38 round Mansfield and onto Newark to pick up the A17 home. The A38 is the most awful road I can remember riding on. It's a dual carriageway but has many joining and crossing roads all controlled by traffic lights. It was busy as well, so there was no opportunity to flow along it. Just slow, stop, start, slow, stop, start, repeat. We forget here in Norfolk that parts of the country are big, busy urban areas that dwarf anything we have. Anyway, we eventually left the A38 and headed to Newark on the A617, a nice road but with a permanent 50 MPH speed limit.

Some of us stopped at a service area at Newark and then took the A17 all the way home. It seemed almost pleasant after the A38. According to my satnav, we covered 225 miles at an average speed of 35 MPH. Everybody got home safely, and I think we all enjoyed it. Thanks for your company.

Ian Cain