RED HUNTER

Culture has given Essex its fair share of bad press over the years. In the 1990s there was Birds of a Feather and more recently – and infinitely more ghastly – The Only Way is Essex.

But today – a record-breaking warm March day – there isn’t a silicon bosom, a tasteless pad or derma-filled trout pout in sight. On the contrary, we’re in a 16th-century barn full of classic motorcycles and surrounded by leafy, winding, country roads. And Essex – at least this part of it, is utterly delightful.

But landscapes aside, we’re here at Davolls in Billericay, Essex, to sample some of the classic machines in this