M6 traffic warning as thousands of bikers to descend for Hairy Biker 'Dave Day'

Many thousands of riders are expected to arrive in Barrow on Saturday afternoon for two days of events celebrating the life of Hairy Biker Dave Myers.

It is the second year the memorial bike ride and charity fundraising event in honour of the TV chef has been held following the first Dave Day in June 2024 which attracted an estimated 46,000 bikers.

The motorcycle procession starts at the iconic Ace Cafe in London, with bikers joining at other rendezvous points including the Oxford Welcome Break Services at junction 8A on the M40, the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham and northbound M6 Moto Services at Knutsford between junctions 11 and 12.

National Highways Northwest Operations Manager Dee Murray said: “We are advising motorists to allow more time for their journeys with thousands more bikers than usual travelling across the motorway network this weekend.

“The M6 will be particularly busy, especially at junction 36 with the procession making its way along the A590 to Barrow, but also earlier at Knutsford Services, where motorcyclists travelling from the south will gather before completing their journeys north.

“We urge road users to take extra care with motorcyclists travelling in convoys. Safety advice can be found on our website under our TRIP and BikerTek campaigns.”

National Highways has worked with partners, including Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumbria Police to ensure everyone enjoys a safe Dave Day, and extra patrols of National Highways traffic officers will be stationed at key locations throughout the weekend.

Live traffic information is available at https://www.trafficengland.com/ or from National Highways’ 24-7 customer contact centre at 0300 123 5000.

Local updates will also be posted to @HighwaysNWest – National Highways’ regional X feed (formerly Twitter).