Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings
Fourth Annual UK Travellers Meeting REPORT
Derbyshire, England, July 9-11, 2004
Why Come to a Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meeting?
You can meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or Africa or across Asia, or even around the world! Admit it, all your 'normal' friends and most of your family fears for your sanity! So, this is your opportunity to meet the people who will encourage you in that craziness, share their experiences and advice on how to do it, and maybe you'll meet them again in Mongolia or Timbuktu!
We had registered participants from 18 countries, as well as several British that are currently living overseas!
Photos from the 2004 meeting
Rally Location - Where was it?
Information about the area
Short History of HU Meetings
Local hosts, information
Commemorative poster! ;)
Report:
2004 speakers were:
- Sam Manicom, RTW. 8 years, Africa travels. (Friday)
- Tiffany Coates, RTW. (Friday)
- David Lomax, across the USA, off-road - Trans Am Trail 2003. (Friday)
- Harvey Gordon-Sawyers and Lisa Roberts, UK, currently living in Delhi, India, on travelling in India, the good and the bad. (Friday)
- Simon and Georgie McCarthy, from UK around Asia (Saturday)
- Cliff and Jenny Batley, UK to New Zealand on F650's, travels in Pakistan. (Saturday)
- Paul Pratt, RTW in the late 60s, part 2. (Saturday afternoon)
Some comments on the HUBB re the Meeting:
Steve Pickford
"Thanks for a great weekend, see you next year!" See his story on Advrider here
Stephano O
"Thanks to everyone for making it a really enjoyable meet and especially the guides who took us off-road. It was my bike’s introduction to mud and we only fell off twice.
"Hope to be back next year so please keep it in July."
100wattwarlock
"My first meeting, sadly only got there on Saturday afternoon, but I really enjoyed it, thanks to all the organizers."
Gibbo
"Thanks to all involved with the weekend, great organization, great location, great company!"
Tiffany Coates, UK, (rtw),
"...the HU meeting was beyond expectations - I felt like I was travelling again."
Click the "page" above for a readable version. Published with our thanks in Motorcycle Voyager Magazine (now sadly defunct), nicely written by Sam Manicom. :)
Route Planning,
photo by Harvey n Lisa
"The guide told everyone to keep to the right to miss the big pot hole, I was closing the previous gate and out of ear shot at this time, so with a full audience took a comedy slap after hitting cave like hole! Photo courtesy of Simon McCarthy.
And yes, flustered idiot that I was, I was trying to pick it up with the bike in gear and running! Happy travels and see you next year, Gareth Gregg"
Poster of the event for posterity: ;)
(You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")
Poster in pdf format (884kb) full colour 2004 poster
The NEW Meeting Location for 2004 and 2005
Lumb Farm, Ripley, Derbyshire, UK
Lumb Farm may have once been a farm, but is now a pub with numerous rooms and grounds suitable for our purposes in a beautiful setting. Seating for 250 people with catering at all prices and tastes. Other than camping no accommodation is available at the venue. See the hotel links section if you're not camping. It has a large grassy campsite behind the pub and an area for a bonfire to welcome you. It's in Derbyshire at a village just south of Ripley called Marehay on the main road out of Ripley, very near to the world famous Denby Pottery factory. There's showers too....(for those who care to indulge), also a full-on fitness room.
Lumb Farm
Derby Road
Marehay
Ripley
DE5 8JN
01773 744 299
More info on their website.
Camping IS included in your entry fee!
Getting There - GPS, Maps
The Farm is situated on the B6179 just south of Ripley, opposite Marehay Vauxhall Garage, and half a mile north of Denby Pottery.
"Ripley is a town with its roots in industry, mainly due to the Butterley Company with its ironworks.
Today the town has a shopping centre, and a leisure centre, and despite rebuilding work, some of the original buildings remain to be seen today."
GPS Co-ordinates:
WGS84: 53° 1.9’ N, 1° 24.3’ W. The entrance gate is at N 53 Deg 1.8828 mins, W 01 Deg 24.3894 mins
OSGB: SK 400 485
Click above map for a large version.
www.StreetMap.co.uk overall view, all the way to Liverpool
www.StreetMap.co.uk closer, showing Derby and Alfreton
www.StreetMap.co.uk very close, showing the B6179 Derby Road, and Marehay
www.StreetMap.co.uk closest possible, Ripley only.
Further details to come...
if you have any links or details for the area please let us know
 Information about the area
Ripley Information Centre, Ripley Town Hall, Market Place, Ripley DE5 3BT
Tel: 01773 841488 Fax: 01773 841487
"Denby Pottery Visitor Centre, Derby Road, Denby DE5 8NX, on B6179, south of the town, has a museum, guided factory tours and a shop of the famous Denby Pottery Open: factory tours, Mon-Thu 10:30 & 13:00, Fri 10:30; Craft room 10:00-15:30 daily. Factory shop Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00.
Midland Railway Centre, Butterley Station, DE5 3QZ , a very big collection of steam & diesel locomotives, with coaches & goods wagons as well as miniature and model train layouts. Shop, etc, Tel: 01773 570140
Wingfield Manor, South Wingfield, A610 then A6 before right to Crich and South Wingfield, ruined 15th-century mansion and tower used in the film "Jayne Eyre" and TV series "Peak Practice" , Mary Queen of Scots was once imprisoned here, Tel: 01773 832060 Open: Wed-Sun Apr-Nov"
Derbyshire UK has links to everything you want to know about the area itself.
Derbyshire Curiosities - Derbyshire curiosities looks at some of the natural and man made oddities to be found in Derbyshire and the Peak District. Check out the plague cottages at Eyam and other oddities.
Derbyshire Photo Gallery for some pictures of the area.
Derbyshire Customs will acquaint you with some of the odder local practices, including Well Dressing, evidently a BIG activity in the area during the summer. Unfortunately, our event will be too late for you to participate in Royal Shrovetide Football in Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday, which sounds like great fun! "The goal posts are 3 miles apart. It has little to do with normal football, for the game has few rules. Murder and manslaughter are barred as is the transportation of the ball by vehicle. Play after midnight is also forbidden."
Local Hosts
Glynn Roberts, Chris Bright and Andy Miller were co-organizers of this event. Thanks guys, you did an amazing job!
See you at a meeting this year!
Grant and Susan
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