Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Some comments on the HUBB already 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, nicely written by Sam Manicom. :)

Route Planning,

photo by Harvey n Lisa

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"

more Photos coming soon...

2003 t-shirt still available in very limited quantities

Front pocket of t-shirt

Back of t-shirt

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

Other Accommodation Possibilities

Spinney Lodge Guest House, Coach Rd, Butterley Park, Ripley Tel: 01773 740168

The Lion Hotel, Bridge Street Belper DE56 1AX Tel 01773 824033 - Fax 01773 828393
"The Lion Hotel is situated in the centre of one of Derbyshire's most historic towns - Belper. The hotel provides an extremely high level of comfort and service." Derby is 8km from Belper. - Email

Talbot Hotel, Belper. Newly refurbished. Tel: 01773-822258

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."

Short History of the Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Susan and I started the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meetings in May of 2001 while we were living in the UK, with an event held in our backyard in Slough. That first event had almost 40 people show up, and we were especially pleased that some came from as far away as Norway!

In 2002 we had moved back to Canada, so we organized a meeting in Nairn Falls, British Columbia, and also asked Chris Bright and Glynn Roberts if they would organize a second UK meeting since we couldn't be there. We had a small but enthusiastic turnout for the Canadian meeting, with folks coming from as far away as Missouri (almost 3,000 kilometers!), Alberta and California, as well as two round the world travellers, from Switzerland and the UK.

But the Brits really exceeded our wildest expectations. Almost 100 people came to the HU UK 2002 event, and had a great time. No rock bands or beer bashes, just motorcycle travellers and would-be travellers getting together to share experiences and tips - what a concept! For the HU UK 2003 event, almost 200 enthusiastic folks came together over several days and this is now well established as an annual event, with Glynn and Chris continuing to provide superb organizing, and a host of volunteers.

Ken and Carol Duval hosted Australia's first HU travellers event in 2003, and they had almost 60 people. The meetings in New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico and Portugal in 2003 were also big successes, and we look forward to many more in the years to come. It's wonderful for us to come to the meetings and visit with the many friends we've only met over the internet, and of course for everyone meeting up and sharing stories - and planning to meet in Ushuaia next year!

See you at a meeting this year!

Grant and Susan