Steak and chips with a helping of full throttle


HARDKNOTT, Hartside, Horseshoe, Llanberris and Buttertubs.

Punch any of these into Google followed by the word "Pass" and you're going to be rewarded with roads that straddle Britain's most scenic corners, and offer you sharp twists, hairpin bends and driving challenges that about as far from congestion on the M57 as Jeremy Clarkson does from an inoffensive analogy.

You could stay in and watch Secret Britain but I reckon places like these are what weekends are for. I love a great road as much as I do a great car.

In fact, the only one which I hadn't done is the one all too often dubbed as Britain's most dangerous; the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton. The Cat and Fiddle Run.

Believe the scare stories and what you probably imagine is what you see in the Youtube clip above, and that to properly enjoy the road, named after the pub perched 1,690 feet above sea level at the very top, you need a Kawasomethingorother, balls of steel, and a camera clipped to your bike. Lethal stuff, if you read The Daily Mail.

Alternatively, you can take a Peugeot 308 RC Z, a couple of mates and an empty stomach, which is exactly what we did on Saturday. I can now exclusively reveal that a) The Cat and Fiddle does a cracking rump steak, b) The A537 is a real drivers' road, and c) you don't have to a biker to get the best from it.

In fact, if anything I reckon it'd be more enjoyable from behind a car, because while you'd have fun trying to hit the 50mph average speed limit - enforced by everything from roadside vans, Truvelo cameras and aerial police units - in a car, you'd have to choose between yawning and a hefty fine if you wanted to put a big bike through its paces properly.

If you want freedom when you're behind the wheel, forget the A537 and try somewhere really desolate, like the Buttertubs Pass in North Yorkshire. But if you're on the way to Buxton and fancy trying your egg and chips with a hint of oversteer, The Cat and Fiddle's well worth the drive.
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