Moors the Merrier on the Guild Classic 2025

The Guild’s Classic events, initially in the UK and later in Europe, have long been renowned (writes Kim Henson) and my wife Elaine and I have greatly enjoyed the many that we have been able to attend.

Times change, and in order to try to attract more participants from a younger generation of members, this year the Yorkshire-based Guild Classic adventure, dubbed ‘Moors the Merrier 2025’ (‘Austerity’s answer to the Guild Euro Classic’) was deliberately made much more affordable and took place in the wonderful county of West Yorkshire.

Last year, with many regrets, the Guild committee decided to end the formal Guild Euro Classic events as entry costs had climbed to a distinctly unaffordable for many £1,100-plus, entries dwindling to a handful. Moors the Merrier required £372 for all three nights hotel stay for a couple/crew, including breakfast, with all other personal spending discretionary. 

Event organisers Guy Loveridge plus John and Peggy Griffiths worked hard to keep costs much, much lower, while including some fascinating visits and the vital ‘fun factor’ so prevalent in all such previous Guild events. So the accommodation was not at a multi-star hotel on the Continent, but at a pleasant and welcoming country pub, the mock-Tudor Foxglove at Kirkburton, on the outskirts of Huddersfield.

The 31 participants – Guild members, partners and friends – and their eclectic mix of cars enjoyed two full days of outings far and wide across the Moors in a ‘run what you brung’ bevy of family models, sporty machinery and luxurious cars.

In alphabetical order they comprised AC Cobra, Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite, Austin A60 saloon, two Alfa Romeos (Spider Veloce and SZ), Bentley Azure, Citroën DS20, Infiniti G37S coupe, Jaguar F-Type, Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz 500SL, Morgan Plus 4, two Porsches (911 and Cayman), a Rover 2000TC and a Subaru (in place of a Land Rover).

Everyone gathered on Friday 8th August for an evening meal at the Foxglove, before an early breakfast on Saturday launched departures eastwards to ‘The Motorist’ at Sherburn in Elmet, on the site of the old Mintex Proving Ground test track in North Yorkshire.

This vibrant centre (started in 2017) is a mecca for enthusiasts in anything from classics through to supercars and motorcycles. It  has grown immensely during the last few years, with parking places for up to 800 cars, and on the day we visited, the venue was buzzing with activity.

In addition to welcoming visits from privateers driving all types, models, shapes, sizes, ages and power outputs, The Motorist is a base for professional workshop operations (servicing, mechanical and bodyshop aspects, plus MoT tests) and hosts corporate events within its office buildings that incorporate a range of meeting rooms.

It also accommodates a busy cafe and a well-stocked shop selling automotive items galore, if you count that Clarkson chap’s Hawkstone lagers and May’s esoteric gin as wheel oilers. Think of The Motorist as an aspiring Bicester Heritage of the north – the Guild party was provided with refreshments and ‘goody bags’ and a fascinating guided tour.

Then it was westward-ho on challenging Moors roads to the village of Holme, for our afternoon and evening base, The Fleece pub. Outside, along with a charming female singing group knocking out familiar songs, was to be found a chequered flag and one Guy Loveridge, past Guild chairman and local resident. This spot was the starting point, more than a century ago, of the first Holme Moss Hillclimb, the motor sport career  birthplace of long-ago legends with names such as Campbell and Redgrave.

A tenner, in aid of the West Yorkshire Air Ambulance, saw Guy wave us off to drive the hillclimb course – but fully legally on what is now a public road and confirmed on return with a signed momento card, having been taken aback by the stunning, almost 2,000ft above sea level summit scenery.

That was unless you chose to carry on down the other side: a jaw-dropping, several miles long and scenically awe-inspiring plunge down to the moorland floor. Our visit was all part of the Holme Moss Centenary Commemoration, the last of five recalling Raymond Mays’ record-setting run up the hill in 1924.

Finally, after dining at the Fleece, it was back across another moorland route to The Foxglove for drinks and a chat in the bar.

Sunday morning saw a more relaxed timetable, with departures from around 10am for The Carding Shed near Holmfirth, via another scenic drive. On arrival, proprietor Ian Kellyus treated us to a comprehensive guided tour of the spacious workshops and storage facilities, The Carding Shed being part of the 200-year old Washpit woollen mill complex.

Ian covered in depth the history of the business, telling true stories aplenty about the wide variety of cars being worked on and in storage. Both bodywork and mechanical servicing and restoration go on here  – all to very high standards with vehicles looked after including examples from the 1920s to the 21st Century.

Following a cuppa in The Carding Shed’s motorbilia-bedecked, huge, hilarious and very busy café (traffic lights for the Ladies and Gents; 100 pushbikes suspended from the roof vigorously denied as being trophies), it was time to move on to something wetter.

No, not to the next pub – but across an enormous expanse of wild, top-of-the-moors landscape, which locals so rightly call the sky route. It took us through part of the Peak District National Park, and eventually on down to Standedge, at the colourful small town of Marsden.

Here the North of England Centre for Music and Arts is housed within an old mill building, part of the Marsden Mill complex. Musical instruments are played, repaired and restored here, with highly respected concerts also held.

It’s not a good idea, though, to charge across the main hall to meet a friend – you’ll get wet. Running down the middle of the hall is a wide, deep channel of water – hold a wedding here, as you can, and the bride can step daintily out of a narrowboat. She’s actually stepping onto the side of the dock where long ago purely commercial barges unloaded their cargoes for the mill, having emerged from the canal tunnel close nearby.

Standedge Tunnel was opened in 1841 and is the longest canal tunnel in Britain at over three miles – for some it must be a place of nightmares. It’s so small that narrowboat navvies had to lie on boat tops and paddle along the roof with their bare feet. And all with the knowledge that above rose 650 feet of not exactly featherweight Pennines. A few of us, including Peggy, ventured Into the dark aboard a guided boat and were rewarded with certificates.

Sensible Guilders lined up their cars by the mill in the sunshine, preened for Guild photographer Jeff Bloxham next to the mill buildings, chatted to local classic and supercar owners, found the zero-alcohol beer bar, speculated idly whether locals wondered what that orange, hot thing in the sky was instead of rain and generally relaxed to the centre’s background music.

There followed the last of the ‘organised’ runs, again via fabulous moorland/hill scenery, reaching The Foxglove in plenty of time for a rest before drinks and presentations in the garden, followed by dinner.

Just two prizes were awarded by Guy and John, the first by John to himself for unintended route book deviations, hesitations or repetitions. Did anyone notice any glitches? If so, it didn’t matter anyway! The second went to Guild guest Nigel Seear for the ‘Spirit of the Event’ – marking his determination to keep his alternator-dead AC Cobra running by acquiring a second battery to connect in series.

On behalf of all the participants, Peter Burgess thanked Guy, John and Peggy for their hard work in putting together this event and making it happen.

My verdict? Over dinner on that last evening the happy buzz of conversation and laughter said it all, I feel. Everyone present seemed to be having fun after a truly great weekend. Without exception, everyone I spoke to said that they had thoroughly enjoyed the event.

On behalf of Elaine and myself, plus our A60, I should like to add my personal thanks for all their fantastic efforts, to Guy, Peggy and John plus AJS 350-riding Guild honorary secretary Richard Netherwood and yet another local Guild member, Martin Ward, who arrived at The Foxglove in his wonderful Morris Mini-Moke to wish us all well.

If you have never taken part in such an event before, I urge you to do so. Everyone was made very welcome, regardless of the type and age of vehicle involved, and we all had a lot of fun – a real tonic, in fact.

Our A60 Cambridge covered 682 miles (thankfully trouble-free), and fuel-wise averaged precisely 34.97 miles per gallon overall. It was terrific to take part in this car, bought in June 1973 by my grandfather and still serving our family well.

Younger members keep an eye out for next year. Not all hillclimbs are on public roads…

All photos unless credited: Jeff Bloxham