Just after Christmas, with that strange lull where the days blur together and the leftovers are still doing the rounds, I decided to get out for a ride. The temperatures weren’t exactly inviting, but the sun was out so a cold run up into the Peak District on the Honda CRF300L felt like the right way to clear the head.

The morning started properly sharp. The kind of cold that gets through your heated gloves before you’ve even finished the first mile. The bike fired up without complaint, and once I was rolling, that familiar mix of excitement and doubt kicked in. Was this really a good idea at this time of year? Still, the roads were quiet and the air felt clean in that wintery way, so I headed off and settled into the ride.

The scenery started to change and the hills crept closer, the Peak District did what it always does. Even in winter, or maybe especially in winter, it has a way of reminding you why you bother riding at all. The CRF300L, as always, felt right at home on the less-than-perfect roads.

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After a few hours and countless photos with the Peaks as a backdrop, I stopped for some lunch at the Flash Bar Cafe. Perched up there near Flash, which claims to be the highest village in England, it felt properly exposed on a day like that. Pulling in, my body stiff from the cold, I was more than ready for a hot drink. Inside, it was the usual welcoming refuge for riders and walkers alike. A mug of tea never tasted so good, and the simple act of warming up for half an hour made all the difference. There’s something comforting about places like that, especially after Christmas, when everything else feels a bit overdone and rushed.

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From there, I headed over towards the Roaches near Leek. The light was fading, but the views still managed to impress. The Roaches always have a rugged, almost dramatic feel, and seeing them framed by bare trees gave the place a different character. I didn’t linger too long, the cold had a way of pushing you back onto the bike, but even a short stop was enough to take it all in.

This ride was also a bit of a test run for my new DJI Action 5 camera. As always, I was hopeful, yet true to form, the sound turned out to be the weak point. The footage itself looked decent, but the wind noise was brutal via the mic I had added to my helmet. It’s one of those things you don’t fully appreciate until you get home and play it back. All that rushing air completely drowned out any sense of the ride, the engine, or the atmosphere. It’s frustrating, but not surprising. Capturing decent audio on a bike in windy winter conditions clearly needs a better solution, so that’s something to sort before the next outing.

By the time I turned for home, the cold had properly set in. The sort that creeps up on you gradually until you realise you’re tensing your shoulders and gripping the bars a bit harder than usual. Still, there was a real satisfaction in it. The kind you only get from pushing yourself out the door when it would have been easier to stay in.

It wasn’t a long ride, and it wasn’t a warm one, but it was exactly what I needed. A quiet run through the Peaks, a good cafe stop, familiar roads, and a reminder that even with frozen fingers and dodgy audio, riding after Christmas is still riding. And that’s always worth it.

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