Doing the Park Rash hill climb
Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 11:48 pmFor a few years now my mate Stu & I have been intrigued by the old 50's / 60's "Esso Scoot To Scotland" event...one stretch of the route went through the Yorkshire Dales on a road called "Park Rash" north of Kettlewell...in a write-up from back then one chap tells how he hacked off his wife by making her get off at the bottom of the hill-climb & make her carry the luggage up, so he and the scooter could get up successfully 
Anyway, we went up & did it the other day, carrying on up to Leyburn before returning south to terra firma via so equally stunning roads nearing Pately Bridge.
The two protagonists, looking towards the climb & hairpin...combined age of 118 years - sorry to include the Struzzo Vespa, but it's a great machine.
Stripey George contemplates the coming challenge...
Stu warming up for the climb...the approach & steep slopes spread out behind him.
Stu had similar probs to the geezer in the old write-up, having to run up alongside the Vespa in first gear!
Stripey George had no such problems, though I have a 186cc Mugello top end to call on...the Vespa is a 40mph top-speed bog-standard 1956 jobbie!
Once both of us were up and over it we did the "fag packet challenge"...back in the day they did this for rally points....steepest bit of the road, brakes fully on....fag packet under back wheel & you have to pull away uphill without rolling back & damaging the box...Strpiey George managed OK, but the Vespa clutch was frying by this time, so we let it off with the challenge
Anyway, we went up & did it the other day, carrying on up to Leyburn before returning south to terra firma via so equally stunning roads nearing Pately Bridge.
The two protagonists, looking towards the climb & hairpin...combined age of 118 years - sorry to include the Struzzo Vespa, but it's a great machine.
Stripey George contemplates the coming challenge...
Stu warming up for the climb...the approach & steep slopes spread out behind him.
Stu had similar probs to the geezer in the old write-up, having to run up alongside the Vespa in first gear!
Stripey George had no such problems, though I have a 186cc Mugello top end to call on...the Vespa is a 40mph top-speed bog-standard 1956 jobbie!
Once both of us were up and over it we did the "fag packet challenge"...back in the day they did this for rally points....steepest bit of the road, brakes fully on....fag packet under back wheel & you have to pull away uphill without rolling back & damaging the box...Strpiey George managed OK, but the Vespa clutch was frying by this time, so we let it off with the challenge
