We, 9 bikes and 2 pillions, set off from Manchester early morning down the M6 onto the M5 to exit at Junction 6 - then to take excellent biking roads to Evesham and onto Jeremy Clackson's "The Farmers Dog", south Cotswolds. However, we did a comfort stop at Frankley Services, and hit our eta for 2.30pm.
Weather was great, though cool, it was dry and fresh and remained with us all day and the following day.
Clarkson's set up was very busy but well organised and they found us some hard standing for our bikes. We could not book a meal as they had all previously been booked up, but we were allowed a visit inside and to enjoy the attractive external timber patio with bar (If you wish a meal then you have to book from his web site). It had a very nice country feel, and you could see money had been well spent, which included a surprising tractor hanging from the ceiling as you enter.
Everything was expensive, but high quality and nobody seemed to complain. We resorted to the adjacent large "top gear tent" where there was more food with some of us experiencing a beef burger at £14 and a pint at £8 from the menu! Having collected our food, there were a couple of large areas with picnic tables overlooking the vast flowing countryside. Later that afternoon we departed for our Premier Inn, 4 miles down the road, at Witney, which turned out to have an excellent meal deal of dinner and all you can eat breakfast for £26.50.
In the morning we set off to Clarkson's farm shop, Diddly Squat, some 16 miles up the road. Again, packed full of people, but the organization was good. Having coffees in the barn.
Following our farm visit, we set off for good country roads and home via Worcester and Shrewsbury and the famous A49. Having a lunch stop at a new venue to us, the excellent bikers Poolehall Café, overlooking a park and lake, just after Kidderminster.
An excellent Manhoc weekend. See below for a few of the many pictures we took.
Malcolm
