Sunday 9th August 2026 - Annual Jack Taylor Ride - Stokesley

 ​Sunday the 9th seen the annual Jack Taylor ride/get together take place at Stokesley with 2 ride loops taking place, a long and a short, with lunch in Swainby before looping back to Stokesley. 

For Caleb and I our journey began on the Saturday when we left home around 7.30 am heading to our hotel in Stockton on Tees around 450 miles away. We had loaded the bikes on Friday evening, mine being my Jack Taylor Super Clubman and Caleb taking his Wester Ross, his own classic rather than riding one of my JT's. 

Saturday seen us leave in the cool morning with some rain for the first few hours with a stop just out of Edinburgh to catch up with Andrew to make our apologies for not being able to attend the annual Flying Scot BBQ on the Sunday. It was a shame to miss but the JT weekend is one of, if not my favourite classic get together. 

We eventually made the hotel around 8pm after getting dinner on the way.  Compared to home the weather was great, very warm, sunny, nice. 

Sunday dawned sunny, we were in Stokesley quite early as we used to have breakfast here with Ken, Eric and a few others in earlier days. It's always a great social gathering with the nicest most welcoming group of people, all there to enjoy each others company and ride with many other Jack Taylor cycles. Lots of bikes on display, various items people had bought to show, and with Eric having everything from bike tags to the various fitment nut and bolts from the old workshop to give away to anyone that needed them, along with the plans for the JT workshop in Church Road, there was plenty of things to keep the conversation flowing. 

Another of these and a historical piece was the Radmore tandem of Mark and Lorna's. I will put up the photos with information but it was the tandem that went back to California with the Radmores in the 1950's and opened up the American market to the Taylors. It was a two way street as bikes went to the USA and Americans came often to pick up bikes they had ordered, ride around the UK and Europe and then ship them home. We are not quite sure how it ended up back in the UK but was found by Derek in a very sad state and then restored by Mark and Lorna. An interesting story for sure. 

Once the ride got underway it started raining!!!  Everybody said it was the driest summer and we couldn't believe it, but it was short lived and even Caleb said as it was so warm it was kind of refreshing compared to riding in the rain at home. All dried by the end of lunch/cake stop.  Even the ride is a great social affair with people riding along in groups chatting away, stopping to help each other with any problems, checking out each others rides whether Jack Taylors or other classics. The racers who have raced them or time trialled them most of their lives, the tourers, the tandem riders, the commuters, all out for a ride and smiling with it. 

After returning to Stokesley in the afternoon Caleb and I had a drink with others before having to leave and get to Glasgow that night for a late dinner with family, before I headed home on Monday morning, seeing Brian in Dingwall on my way up the road. 

A very social weekend and having covered just on 975 miles it was a long one for sure, but well worth the effort. So if you are free next year I highly recommend it, you don't need a Jack Taylor, doesn't even need to be a classic really as there were a few people from the local club on gravel bikes and a few nice modern racers, so come along I am sure you wont be disappointed. This was Calebs 3rd year and he loves it, he's been coming since he was 13, always made to feel welcome and included. 

Sadly our first year since Ken has past away not long after last years ride. While he hasn't attended the ride the past couple of years he was always keen to hear any stories or have a visit. RIP. 

Jamie    

Sunday 12th July 2026 - Jack Taylor Super Tourist - Coastal Path ride Caithness

 Well after having my few days off last week with plans to do the Badger Divide on my Ogre dashed by the abysmal weather, I then thought I would take the Jack Taylor Super Clubman somewhere at the start of the week, again we had 4 days of rubbish hit and miss weather and with my window shrinking this trip was put back to the original date of second week of August when I am off work.  Plan then is to stop and visit family in Glasgow on the way back from the Jack Taylor weekend in Stokesley, Heather will meet Caleb and I there, Heather will take the van and Caleb and I will ride home, cycle route 7 Glasgow to Inverness then Cycle Route 1 from Inverness to Home and should take about 5 days or so. That is the rough plan, though we may have to shorten if Caleb needs to be home for his summer job. If we do we may shorten it by getting picked up in Inverness or maybe even starting in Ballinluig. We will see as we get closer. 

So this afternoon I had a bit of time and wanted to make sure Calebs Wester Ross was ready to go as he had an issue with the front brakes and make sure the Super Tourist was ready for the tour home, make sure my panniers and my Carradice Longflap were fitted properly so when we go away I can just pack them and leave in the van.

Anyway it was such a glorious day here today that it seemed a shame not to go for a ride, with no where in particular to go I decided to try and get round as much of the local coast on the walking path as I could manage while just enjoying a few hours in the nice weather.

Much of it was just too overgrown in places but besides the stinging nettle, it was all enjoyable.

The Super Tourist was it's usual joy to ride, not much to say but that really doesn't do justice to such a well handling, stable, comfortable go anywhere ride.

Really love this ride and while my Super Clubman maybe just wins in the stability and handling when unloaded, though when I loaded the Super Tourist last week with a set of smaller front loader Ortliebs on the back with the Longflap and the front Randonneur bag loaded with tools and clothes, the small test ride showed it came into it's own once loaded. It was super stable, more planted but didn't notice the weight at all. No shaking, no shimmying at all. This made me very happy and relieved as I had my Ogre loaded in many different configurations for the off road Badger Divide and couldn't get it handling confidently. Maybe I am not a modern bike packer, maybe should stick to my usual four panniers and bar bag touring. 

Jamie

Saturday 30th May 2026 - Jack Taylor Super Tourist - Afternoon local ride

 Well we don't seem to be getting the sunshine this week that others are getting down south. It's not been too bad and temps are up but we seem to be windy and overcast for the most with rain forecast for this afternoon and pretty much all day tomorrow.

So plan was to get a couple of things sorted here this morning and I had a few things to do in town so thought if I get away just on lunch I should be fine to ride to town, do all the errands and maybe meander back home the slow way, hopefully before the rain.
Was certainly nice enough and warm enough as well so I checked the tyres on the Super Tourist as with both bags on I had enough capacity without having to fit the panniers. Made a beeline for town, got done what I had to, then ended up at the Old St Peters Kirk as thought to get a photo for the bikes and churches section as it's a nice old church and while a ruin it still has solid walls and worthy of restoration, with sections of even the viking additions still solid and straight. Anyway it is normally closed with the gate locked but I rode past and it was open so went in and spent a while chatting to the volunteers about the restoration. It was open as there was a cruise ship in Scrabster so it was open for visitors. Paid a visit to the The Bike Shop seen as I was in town and chatted for while. I then went out along the harbour and round the front to get a coffee before heading back out of town and Thurso east on the farm and dirt tracks trying to get through the old walking trail. Unfortunately it is now cut off due to the Americans putting a 'listening' post over the hill. It's meant to be a secret! So don't tell anyone 
Anyway I then headed back towards town and along the shore track before turning back on the main road towards home. Thankfully I wasn't on it for long and used my usual back roads home. Had a few showers but nothing much but it started in earnest about 20 minutes after I got in and hasn't stopped since. All in all a very relaxed and social afternoon for a change. Super Tourist handled all in it's stride and was a pleasure as always. Though the one thing that has caught me out a few times is that it is nowhere near as stable without a load, especially at the front as the Super Clubman. Once there is a bit of weight at the front, even just putting heavier items in the rando bag makes it much better. It is only in certain situations and better to be this way with a bike that is built to be loaded than the other way round. It's nothing dangerous or even that noticeable, just a shimmy of the front or a lightness through the steering but as soon as it's loaded then all is super stable. 

Still learning this one but loving it more each time out.  

Jamie

Overlooking the Island of Hoy

Sunday 3rd May 2026 Jack Taylor Super Tourist - Service then local ride Olrig

 Weather forecast was good again for this afternoon so this morning I pulled the Super Tourist out of hibernation and gave it a good check over and service where needed as it hasn't been out over winter. A few adjustments and a bit of clean and lube and it was good to go. I normally run these Michelin World Tour tyres at about 50psi but both were bang on 37! I must admit I love the small details on this tourer, from the beautiful lugwork, both execution and painting, nicely hidden wiring front and rear, the fact the frame number is stamped onto not just the front and rear rack but the lowrider front section as well. Even after all this time I still spot something from a different angle and it makes me smile still. I do realise I am very fortunate and grateful to own this beauty. 

Anyway I had a few hours this afternoon so again just went out meandering locally through the backroads enjoying the sunshine. Bike was rolling along lovely, sun was out so it couldn't be anything but a good ride.

 I eventually found myself over the back of Olrig parish, not far from home, just a mile or so  over the hill, so very local when I thought I better stop at what is left of the ancient old St Trothens church and graveyard to pay respects to the Selkie grave . It is hidden in the ancient section and the dates are long worn away in a section that is from medieval times. Nearly all engravings and marking are gone and many lie in ruins as is the church itself, which dates from around 1633 in this guise but was a place of worship for a long time before this, and has been in ruin for several centuries or more, rarely visited even as a cemetery as there is a modern cemetery nearby. The hollow on top of the Selkie womens grave is said to never dry out and for a place that looks long abandoned other than the grass being cut now and again, and this being hidden away and unmarked, there were a good few offering left for her. Plants, flowers, shells, seaweed and various items. Nothing on anything else at all. She clearly still holds a place in peoples thoughts, local stories that have been passed down for many years. Like all Selkie stories she came from the sea, shed her skin, fell in love with a man who hid her skin so she couldn't return to the sea and so was stuck on land. She was shunned by the church as a witch and died in childbirth. Buried there in secret by the locals. I stop there when passing, have never seen another person as it is well out the way but there is always items left for her. As I did too.

A very good ride back out on the Super Tourist, great weather, very leisurely afternoon.  Hopefully will manage to get her loaded up and further afield this year.  

Jamie

Here's a link to information about the place and the Selkie lady that I found.

https://www.robbiemactours.co.uk/legend-of-the-selkie/