Unexpectedly, I’m kicking my heels in Matlock Bath today, which seems a mini-mecca for bikers here in Derbyshire. There’s everything from an outrageous Kawasaki H2 to the sedate Royal Enfield Bullet, detouring through the predictable Harleys and R1200GS.

There aren’t many that I wouldn’t describe as beautiful – not so much for their looks or handling, as their emotive power even when stood still. To ride a bike has been an intense pleasure for me; an almost incomparable sense of freedom that doesn’t square with the actual reality of being on public roads.

Perception, as it always does, played a very powerful part in the experience.