It’s not what it sounds like! The Royal Enfield Classic 350 Rides the Via Gellia in Derbyshire

Рет қаралды 2,343

Күн бұрын

The Royal Enfield 350 rides the Via Gellia in Derbyshire, But it’s not what it sounds like!
The Via Gellia heading down to Cromford has a bit of a reputation for being a dangerous road. There is more to this road though than most think.
Built in the 1700’s by a landowner, who thought he had Roman decent and at a time when the Classics” were very popular, it was to take lead from his mining works to Cromford and the canal for transporting. Although there were romans in the area, and mining lead, it wasn’t until the 1700’s that it got its name.
Over the years it’s been famous for the home of the first ever trademarked and registered fabric, Viella, a mill built by Richard Arkwright, later Sir Richard Arkwright, generally considered the father of the modern factory.
A unique house it built on the roadside, many pass it without knowing it’s the last one made from Tufa a calcified lava rock.
Here we go then, riding from 1700 to 2024, on a road with a Roman name that Rome never saw.
Ride safe,
Dave
My Bikes:
Royal Enfield Classic 350
Royal Enfield 350 machismo with sidecar
BMW R1150RT
Suzuki GN125
Yamaha 535 Virago
#RoyalEnfieldClassic350reborn #motorbikerides #thatblokeonamotorbike #RoyalEnfield #royalenfieldclassic350 #royalenfield500bullet #wettonmill #wwettonmillcafe #staffordshire #motorcycletouring #vialgellia #romansinbritain #leadmining #cromford #richardarkwright

Пікірлер: 38

@thematlockbiker Ай бұрын

Ey up Can’t believe I’ve only just stumbled over your channel. Watched a couple of your videos and enjoyed them immensely. Just hit the Subscribe button Like you, I love riding the back lanes of the Peak District and following up on local history. Having said that, I also enjoy touring and motocamping Great description regarding the history of the Via Gellia Road - good job. Locally it’s pronounced like “Via Jelly-a” with a soft g Looking forward to watching some more 👍

@lancerbiker5263 2 ай бұрын

Enjoyed that. Front door on the roadside was likely built prior to motorized vehicles. 😉 First industrial produced cloth perhaps? Loved that house as well. Anyone with an observatory in their garden would certainly be worth having a tea with. So much history, so many untold stories. Thanks for sharing. Cheers🥃

@philcox8771 2 ай бұрын

A very interesting & educational video Dave, love your work & thanks for sharing.. Cheers Phil 🇦🇺

@leegreveson 2 ай бұрын

I was out on my 125 last night and turned off Via Gellia coming from Cromford going up through Bonsall towards Snitterton, really nice, quiet (I was the only noise generating thing) village roads, would have been perfect on a RE 350 in the evening sunshine. Hadn't planned it, just thought I'll go exploring.Great views over Matlock

@BulletBeena 2 ай бұрын

Very interesting Dave. You were my inspiration to get back into riding after a decade long break. I took delivery of a new Black Gold Bullet 350 last Saturday and have been enjoying bumbling around the local villages since.

@thatblokeonamotorbike 2 ай бұрын

Wow mate, that makes me feel really humble and so happy for you. The Bullet is a really nice bike. I bet you have a grin every time you go on it. Where about do you ride. Ride safe and enjoy it, Dave

@BulletBeena 2 ай бұрын

@@thatblokeonamotorbike It does give me the biggest smile every time I go out on it 😁 I live in Bedfordshire and explore all of the villages around here and the surrounding counties.

@chrisweeks6973 2 ай бұрын

Interesting ride, with a fair bit of local history thrown in for good measure; thanks, Dave! 👍

@clivegrayston1939 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant video Dave, thanks for a great ride out in lovely countryside.

@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 2 ай бұрын

Now then Dave, the Via Gellia was a bit of a rite of passage back in the 70's for local riders, (when there didn't seem to be so much build-up of limestone dust in those days). A lot of the lads in my club used to use it to 'test their mettle' and I did my best to steer them (no pun intended) towards advanced cornering and observation - fantastic road for the exercise! I suppose we shouldn't really complain about the quarry traffic really though, as it's the reason the road was built in the first place, it being facilitated by Mr Phillip Gell, to aid moving products between his mineral interests - Via Gellia = Gell's Road. Again, good to see my area through someone else's lens. Cheers.

@ivormorris1917 2 ай бұрын

Great as usual Dave, I’m going to look at a 22 plate classic tomorrow 😀, hopefully might get a deal and join the club.

@sleepyrider 2 ай бұрын

One of my favourite roads. If you fancy a stretch theres a great walk up to a reconstructed lead mine from the layby just off the bend above the tufa cottage

@alisonmoxon7519 2 ай бұрын

Love it all round there.. our stamping ground bikes and cars for yrs 👍

@nigelreadon8381 2 ай бұрын

Well your ride out today looked like a classic, with all the houses and villages.

@mitchkerr3059 2 ай бұрын

What a lovely ride. It would look fantastic when the trees are in leaf as you say.

@mitchkerr3059 2 ай бұрын

Due to dog with huge vet bills I may have to put camera on wish list for a while👍

@garrysmith9246 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Dave, really enjoyed the trip out. Not been there for a few years but what a great place. Because if your video I will be going on my next days off. Thanks👍

@dinomalta712 2 ай бұрын

Nice to see more of our old stamping grounds, you have a habit of taking us back! Cheers, DINO, and PANDA.

@steveray8056 2 ай бұрын

Lovely ride. Thank you for sharing.

@Paul.Gascoyneuk 2 ай бұрын

Very enjoyable and some good info , much appreciated 🤟

@paulmuench7830 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for this wonderful tour. Just great to see you out on your new 350. Praise springtime.

@thatblokeonamotorbike 2 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you so much, I will use it for more video making trips. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Ride Safe, Dave

@user-cg2wy8gr4i 2 ай бұрын

A great country ride and I didn't know about the origin of Viella!!!

@philthorpe4549 2 ай бұрын

I asked a local how it is pronounced once and the answer was vy-ah-jeel-ee-ah, no hard G. Who knew? :) Edit - Next time you're in Cromford Dave, there is a bookshop called Scarthins on the opposite side of that mill water pond just as you enter Cromford. Four stories (Well, hundreds really!) of rambling rooms with books on every wall, even the stairs, mostly second hand. Decent cafe too. It's worth a visit.

@CalmBiker 2 ай бұрын

Would be awesome to have an observatory, though with the light pollution around here I wouldn't see much. Turns out I have ridden Via Gellia but I didn't know at the time 😀

@daviddavies5347 2 ай бұрын

That bloke you saw is still lying in the stream! Your fault. He saw you coming up and thought, ‘well if he can get through I can. 🙄🤣

@thatblokeonamotorbike 2 ай бұрын

🥺 I did wonder that and later in the video I past the other end and looked for him 🤣🏊. Ride safe, Dave

@mitchkerr3059 2 ай бұрын

Hi Dave, can you tell me what camera you use and is it on a shoulder strap? Was riding through our Australian bush yesterday thinking this would be great to film and show it to you. Our Autumn gives fantastic riding weather here in Western Australia. Love your work, keep those rides coming.

@thatblokeonamotorbike 2 ай бұрын

Hi, the camera is a GoPro 11 mounted on the side of my helmet. I have the microphone adapter tapered to the mounting and a cheap mic in the helmet. I run a power lead from the bike to the unit so the battery keeps topped up. Hope this helps. I would love to see your autumn rides. Ride safe, Dave

@derbyshireruralrider9398 2 ай бұрын

A light weight 125 you can probably get over little bridge next to ford which I’ve been through a few times on 4 wheels but not 2

@Strato50 2 ай бұрын

One day you'll ford the ford!! :D

@loftysaltmarsh69 2 ай бұрын

I never seem to go any faster than 30 mph on the Via Gellia. Being a new rider I find it very sketch due to the poor surface and manhole covers.

@simonchilli2088 2 ай бұрын

That was an interesting ride around Derbyshire. Good choice on the ford. The stones etc would very likely be covered in moss and yude be off the bike in no time.

@gaza1952 2 ай бұрын

Come on Dave, when are you going to give us a mighty BMW vid?

@thatblokeonamotorbike 2 ай бұрын

Hi, unfortunately due to the aftereffects of COVID the mighty BMW is now just too heavy for me to manoeuvre around and especially holding her up when stopped on a low camber. It's time for her to go to another rider to enjoy. I've held on to her for a year hoping it would get better. But it's getting worse. So I can't see me doing any more on it, baring a miracle, I do miss riding it.but I need to be realistic. Ride safe, Dave

@pete147 Ай бұрын

I just watched you video on The Whitby train station car park issue. Surely that’s blatant discrimination against bikers. Let me add this to the fire. I am a disabled rider so does that mean I cannot park my bike in a disabled bay ? This will be discrimination on two counts. How can they get away with discrimination against motorcycles but saying it’s ok for car drivers? This is unlawful! 😡

@thatblokeonamotorbike Ай бұрын

Hi, I agree, after my emails and questions to them, and pressure from other people they relented and not you can park, as long as you pay for ticket. I have put a note on the start of the description as soon as they removed the ban. Ride safe, Dave

@pete147 Ай бұрын

@@thatblokeonamotorbike cheers Dave! So I guess that means I can leave my bike in the disabled bay. However, this is always a stick point because you cannot leave the blue badge on the bike. Hopefully a note would suffice. Thanks for the quick reply 👍