April’s Mid-Week ride sees us on mainly ‘B’ & unclassified roads of the western side of Yorkshire.

We’ll meet at the Smiths Arms, Church Row, Beckwithshaw HG3 1QW, at 09.15 for a briefing, and a 09.30 depart, fully fuelled please.

We head south & west via Ilkley, Silsden & Lothersdale, for a coffee stop at Lakeside Cafe, Ball Grove Drive, Colne BB8 7HH.

After coffee we head for Oxenhope, Hebden Bridge, Widdop Moor & onto Earby, where we take lunch at the Humble Pie Cafe, 3-5 Colne Rd, BB18 6XB.

For our final leg, we’re north to West Marton, Wigglesworth, Settle, then east via Airton, Eshton to end our ride at Stump Cross Caverns, Greenhow Hill, HG3 5JL.

Andrew Pratt will lead this 110 miler, with Brian Lydamore looking after our tail, and we hope that you can join us.

You can find the route below:

https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/12701447?mode=share

Notice is hereby given by order of the group committee that the Annual General Meeting of Harrogate Advanced Bikes will be held 7.30 PM on Monday 11th May at Bilton Cricket Club, Bilton Lane, Harrogate to enable the committee to present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 2025 for approval of the group members and to conduct an election. 

The agenda for the meeting will be as follows;

1. Apologies:
2. Approval of the 2025 minutes: 
3. Chair’s report:
4. Treasurer report:
5. Secretary Report:
6. Chief Observer update:
7. Ride-out coordinators update: 
8. Election of officers:
   – Chair
   – Secretary
   – Treasurer
9. Election of Committee members:
10. Any other business:

Officers/Committee Nomination form 

Nominations are invited from Full group Members to stand for the committee. The nominee must be willing to stand for the Committee and sign the nomination form. By signing the nomination form the nominee is affirming his/her ability and intention if elected, to attend the meetings regularly. All officers and one third of all other committee members must retire annually by rotation and may offer themselves for re-election by Full Group Members. Those elected become full group trustees.

The current officers (Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) have all confirmed that they are willing to stand again as have 5 other committee members but this does leave one open vacancy on the committee.

Please note that you may not stand for the committee if the law debars you from being a charity trustee. Only full group members may nominate Committee Members or be nominated as Committee Members.

This nomination paper must be returned to the group secretary (secretary@harrogateadvancedbikes.co.uk) by 1st May 2026.

A Dip into the Peak District

This month’s Sunday Social Ride-Out is a whistle stop journey south from the lorry park on Dragon Road, Harrogate (HG1 5DB). Meeting from 9.00am and setting off promptly at 9.30am after a pre-ride briefing.

Heading south to Wetherby on the A661 and onto the old A1(A168). Once past Wetherby we ride through bits of West Yorkshire you might not see-all bypassed by the A1M. It doesn’t take long to reach Pontefract and a ride through the town stopping for our morning break at Farmer Copley’s Moo Cafe, Ravensknowle Farm, Pontefract Road WF7 5AF.  After a chat, a coffee and a snack its southwards again towards Penistone and on to the stunning Mortimer Road with switchbacks and surprise corners good enough to grace an alpine road. Just as you are getting into the groove we will reach our lunch venue at the Strines Inn in the Peak District (S6 6JE) overlooking it’s very own reservoir. We will need to book in so please get in touch with me as soon as you can (07847 786608-by text is best) so we can give the Inn an idea of the required numbers. You never know we may end up with decent weather and sit outside.

After lunch and riding a mile or so south again we join the A57 westwards to join Snake Road past Ladybower Reservoir. It’s a little calmed these days with a 50mph limit and policed too, but you may get a careful overtaking opportunity in, and the bends are certainly entertaining. Glossop is just up the road and is usually busy, so it’s straight through town up to the A628 Manchester/Woodhead Road and a run up Holme Moss, through Holmfirth, onward towards Denby Dale and a stop for fuel if needed. It’s not far to join the M1 northbound at junction 39. The final part of the route will follow the motorway and will finish the ride at the Wetherby Services on the A1M. Please inform the ride leader and/or TEC if you are leaving the ride before we reach the finish.

Total mileage is 138 and includes a stint on the M1 at the end of the ride. Link to Myrouteapp or GPX file download below.

I hope you can make it, please get in touch on the number below.

Ride leader Barry Ring (07847 786608) TEC Richard Smith.

Please note: If you are a paid up IAM and HAB Member or Associate you can join our official club Ride Outs. For anyone else interested in Advanced Riding please view more information at: https://www.harrogateadvancedbikes.co.uk

https://www.myrouteapp.com/route/open/12964036

Dear Members,

Definitely feels like spring. Our monthly HAB meeting takes place next Monday evening at the usual venue, Bilton Cricket Club, Bilton Lane, Harrogate HG1 3DQ. Start time 7.15pm for 7.30pm. Arranged for this meeting by Derek Saunders we have Nigel Hirst from Audiofit/Puretone coming to talk with us about his custom made Protecthear products supplied direct to motorcyclists and other sporting organisations. That’s not the full dB list above but I think I’ll take my earplugs next time I go clubing!

I hope you can all make the meeting.

Richard Stembrowicz

Chairman

Details of the upcoming social ride on Wednesday 4^th March 2026.

Meeting point: Smiths Arms, Church Row, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate HG3 1QW
Start Time: 09:15 for 09:30 departure – following a ride brief
Ride Leader: Paul Holmes – 07746 378175
TEC: Richard Smith – 07784 500380
Coffee Stop: Digby’s Café (Sherburn Aero Club), New Lennerton Lane,
Sherburn in Elmet, LS25 6JE
Lunch: Seaways Café, Fridaythorpe, YO25 9RX
Finishing Point: Costa Coffee, Wetherby Services, LS22 5GT 
Finish Time: 15:45
Mileage: 129 miles

For those requiring fuel stops there are plenty of opportunities throughout the route. A copy of the GPX route file is available on request and available using the following link:
https://www.routeyou.com/en/route/view/18440397?c=cb6074abc73a4294

PLEASE NOTE: If you intend to join this social ride out and it will be your first HAB Ride-Out, please contact me beforehand.

We hope you can make the ride.

Paul

Please note if you are a paid up IAM and HAB Member or Associate you can join our official club Ride Outs. For anyone else interested in Advanced Riding please view more information at: https://www.harrogateadvancedbikes.co.uk

Hi Everyone

Just a reminder about tomorrow’s Ride-Out. The weather forecast for tomorrow is looking very good for this time of the year. Very little chance of rain, plenty of sunshine and decent temperatures. I hope you can make it for the Ride-Out, we are meeting outside the Boar’s Head in Ripley for a 9.30am set off and should finish around 4.00pm.

Please view the original post (sent out 14th Feb) on the HAB website for full details and slightly revised routes available there-either for your Tomtom satnav or as Myrouteapp links if you prefer. Page link below. Any questions-please get in touch 07847786608.

Best regards

Barry

Members will have noticed there hasn’t been a notification of a February Sunday Ride Out. I’d intended, with a close eye on the weather, to lead the Sunday ride this weekend. The weather forecast is unfortunately not good enough. Where the planned ride was starting and heading to the temperature is hovering around the 3-4-5 degree and some rain expected too. I’ve had a nice break in southern Spain this week, but I’ve picked up a cold bug and now not in a fit state to lead a ride anyway. So definitely no ride this weekend.

Let’s plan for a Ride next Sunday the 22nd. The weather forecast is a bit better and may improve further so we can plan for it to go ahead unless conditions deteriorate.

Meeting at the Boar’s Head in Ripley on Sunday 22nd. 9.15am for a quick hello and a pre-ride briefing before setting off at 9.30am. The morning’s route includes Scotton, Ferensby, Great Ouseburn, Easingwold, Appleforth and Helmsley to our mid-morning stop at Beadlam Grange Farmshop and Bistro. It’s worth bringing a small cool bag for brilliant sausages to take home. The bacon butties are the best and all washed down by a hot cuppa. We will then be set up for the next leg taking us to Royal Albert Drive in Scarborough with free motorcycle parking, a choice of cafe’s and a splendid sea view.

After another snack or fish and chips we will set off south on the A64 to Staxton, forking off onto the B1249 for a cross country route getting us back in good time to finish at Morrison’s in Boroughbridge where fuel and toilets are available if needs be. 

Outward 67 miles, return 59 miles. GPX files below. Please arrive in the morning with plenty of fuel if you can but we can make a fuel stop on request. If necessary inform the ride leader at one of the break stops. The ride leader is, your’s truly, Barry Ring 07847786608.

I hope the weather is kind to us and you can make it.

Barry

https://www.myrouteapp.com/route/open/12811752

https://www.myrouteapp.com/route/open/12811794

Good evening Folks,

Unfortunately I’m going to cancel the planned ride out tomorrow due to a YELLOW weather warning for snow and ice across the Dales.

Ride outs are meant to be enjoyed, not endured – and most importantly – SAFETY FIRST. There’s always another day (even if it is taking forever to arrive).

The upside, of course: you get a lie-in, brownie points for going food shopping with the other half, and you won’t have to spend half your weekend scrubbing nasty corrosive road salt off your pride and joy.

Until next time – ride safe.

Derek

Dear HAB Members,

It’s February already and time to gear up for our monthly meeting at Bilton Cricket Club. The meeting will start at 7.30pm so get there earlier for a quick chat before business commences. Some of the membership have requested a talk on the Masters Programme. This will take place during this meeting and if there is time after all your questions we can show part 2 of a DVD about different styles of riding. For first timers to a HAB meeting the address is Bilton Lane, Harrogate HG1 3DQ.

This is what the IAM say about the Masters Course. “The IAM RoadSmart Masters standard offers the ultimate challenge for civilian drivers and riders. Open to all current IAM RoadSmart members, our Masters programme provides true one-to-one mentoring support and guidance that will help you to attain the highest standard of civilian driving or riding ability in the country. There are no exemption qualifications to our Masters standard. On completion of the Masters programme, your name will be entered into the Masters Register.”

We have been getting very good attendances at our group meetings for the last few months and it would be great if this continues. It is not just an opportunity to get to hear interesting subjects from our guest speakers and fellow members but also a forum to meet new friends and fellow riders. Please keep up the good work!

On another note, there has been a spate of “spam” email messages going around the membership supposedly from a known contact. You may have seen these and probably spotted a fake. This is just scammers phishing email accounts and pretending to be someone else and attempting to extort money. This is not our HAB account that has been hacked. The way to deal with it is for the person who has been impersonated to change their password on their email account. Anyone who receives them just needs to not action and delete. Spam emails appearing to come from a trusted contact are likely a result of email spoofing or phishing (forged sender address) or a compromised account. Scammers use these to steal credentials or spread malware. Do not click links, reply, or open attachments; instead, verify by contacting the known contact via a different method (phone, text). 

You can get information to help avoid the scammers from:

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/scams (no log in required). Or https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams or

Best wishes

Richard

Chairman

Dear members,

Thank you to all members who have paid there subs promptly, however we still have approximately a third of members who have not yet paid yet. We would be grateful for those who haven’t paid to make payment before 14th February. Those who haven’t paid after this date will be contacted directly to determine if they want to remain members of the group.

You can pay by BACS which is our preferred method, cash or cheque made out to Harrogate Advanced Bikes.

Payment Details

• BACS: Lloyds Bank, sort code 30-93-91 and account number 01807888.
• Cheque or Cash: You can give a cheque or cash at our usual meetings or send a cheque made out to Harrogate Advanced Bikes. and sent to the Treasurer at 79 Greenside, Pudsey, LS28 8JP.

Thanks,

Paul,
Treasurer.