WJB
talking of traffic lights when despatching in London one of the old hands at the time bet me i couldn't get from one side of the city to the other without going through less than 6 sets of traffic lights.
Game for a bet i thought i'd give it a go and tried every possible route for the next week and sure enough i couldn't.
Once the bet was agreed he said to follow him and count the lights. Clever git had sussed out an underground car park with entrances on 2 sides of the road that missed out a set of lights. Bikes could just ride round the barriers and i was £20 the poorer
You're right about the no lights on the Ashbourne Buxton road but its a good one to practice throtle control/no braking as it flows with plenty of bends but no villages.