Tim Hughes dons his leathers ready to join the Hell’s Angels for Bulldog Bash, Europe’s biggest rock and bike festival.

Close your eyes and think of Shakespeare Country. Cosy thatched cottages, rolling countryside and swans gliding along the lazy River Avon. Oh, and the deafening roar of 25,000 hairy, leather-clad bikers rolling up for the mother of all knees-ups.

This quintessentially English landscape will next week become a magnet for a ragged bunch of bikers, rock freaks and techno-heads who will descend on the Shakespeare County Raceway for a party with a reputation as the best in Britain. They call it the Bulldog Bash, it’s run by the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, and it’s Europe’s biggest biker festival.

Even if you’re not going, you won’t be able to ignore it – with our county’s roads being graced by some spectacular gleaming machines heading to and from the bash. And if you harbour even a passing interest in bikes, custom cars and loud music, you could do worse than follow the crowd to Long Marston, south of Stratford Upon Avon next Thursday.

This year’s bash focuses on a broad range of bands, including blues-rockers The Hamsters, Gibraltar’s flamenco-metallers Breed 77, former Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley, bluesman Eddie Martin, Latin-glam-sleaze-punks Gypsy Pistoleros and Blues Brothers tribute band Brothers Grimm.

Beginning 24 years ago, when a group of “Angels” held a party for 5,000 friends, this gathering has grown – but it remains loud, grungy and very un-pretty.

Forget chill-out areas, Pimm’s bars and organic festival-food; here you get huge bowls of curry and chips, wheelbarrows of beer and lung-fulls of exhaust fumes. The only ‘vibes’ at this festival come from the roar of cars tearing up the drag strip.

Among those itching to get stuck in is Hamsters frontman Barry ‘Slim’ Martin, whose band are celebrating their own 24th anniversary. “We’ve been going for the same time – and I’ve always been a fan of what goes on there,” he says.

Iberian rockers Breed 77 are regular visitors and will this year be showcasing latest album Insects. “We are really stoked with what feels like our most exciting work,” guitarist Danny Felice says. “We’ve pushed ourselves to produce what we feel is our heaviest album but still retaining that Breed 77 sound”.

Bulldog Bash spokesman Roland Hyams will be riding his Triumph Thunderbird to the festival.

“The Bulldog Bash is a festival run by bikers for bikers,” he says “You will not find a festival which is less commercial. No one minds who you are. If you are on site, you are welcome. It’s just people that love rock, bikes and chilling out.”

Bulldog Bash is from August 12-15 (Thur-Sun). Tickets, priced £55, including camping, available on gate. bulldogbash.eu