We’re having a Yorkshire launch party for SB52 with our friends Hebtroco.
Thursday 30 March
6-10pm
Hinchliffe Arms, Cragg Vale, HX7 5TA
Free to attend, lots of parking for bikes
Prizes for good bikes, furthest travelled and interesting-looking people
The Hinchliffe Arms reopens this weekend after refurbishment. It is in a fascinating part of the country. Cragg Vale, on the B6138, is the longest continual road ascent in England. 968 feet of climbing in 5.5 miles. Cyclinguphill.com says 'It is not steep, just a classic long drag – a power climb with an average gradient of just over 3%.'
Cragg Vale neighbours Hebden Bridge, Hebtroco's hometown, and is also famous for the local counterfeiters of the 1700s, just prior to the industrial revolution. The local gang, nicknamed the Cragg Vale Coiners, led by the self-proclaimed 'King' David Hartley, counterfeited so many coins that that affected the whole English economy. All based from a farmhouse that is a short a walk from the Hinchliffe Arms.
The story of the Cragg Vale Coiners was turned into a fantastic book, The Gallows Pole, by Benjamin Myers, a writer who moved to the area. The story is of sticking it to the man, of looking after your local area, but also of intimidation, betrayal, murder and comeuppance. It is being made into a BBC TV series by Shane Meadows (famous for This Is England, Dead Man's Shoes...), due to be aired later this year.
So, yeah, come to our launch!
Poster artwork: Andy Garside
The Gallows Pole series sounds good. Shane Meadows is a pretty safe bet in any case, and I see he's got some of his favourite actors involved, such as Michael Socha and Thomas Turgoose. Looking forward to it. Wish I could be at the launch, could bost a decent pint in a proper pub.