It’s Sunday night as I type this and the first ever Llandudno Light Parade has been and gone for this year. But what an absolutely fantastic event it turned out to be. The sun shone, the crowds thronged and even the nice Welsh policemen pitched in to help make this a memorable weekend.

But rather than me rambling onabout it, here’s a copy of the e-mail I sent to the guys in Goldwings North Wales earlier tonight.

Dear All at Goldwings North Wales

Thought that it would be very remiss of me not to write and say just what an absolutely brilliant event the Llandudno Light Parade (1?) turned out to be.

It was wonderful to see the way in which everyone involved, the Organisers, Attendees and the Llandudno people themselves really entered into the spirit of the event and I’m really pleased to report that I personally was unaware of any animosity of ANY description from anyone throughout the whole weekend. This was truly an event where the key element was simply to have fun, and loads of it.

The response from the crowds before, during and after the Parade was almost overwhelming and I think it’s safe to say that they would probably be more than a little disappointed were you not to stage the event again in the future. Even the traffic played ball, some drivers electing to wait at junctions (even they had right of way) to allow the Parade to pass in its entirety.

All of us from Goldwings NorthWest agreed that it had been a truly enjoyable event, and I personally feel that you took up the baton from the BLP magnificently, especially given the somewhat limited time in which you had to prepare.

So, take a bow, and let’s look forward to more events like this in the future!

Ian Duxbury

Chairman, Goldwings NorthWest

and I’m absolutely sure that those who attended will be only too keen to put their side of the story in the comments fields below.

Incidentally, I understand that the event raised over £2700 for the RNLI, a pretty magnificent achievement for a first time, so again, many congratulations to all of you who made it possible!

So, it’s over to you……..

We all went into the visitor centre first for a toilet stop and a coffee and cake or two and then we had a walk around the monument. It was very touching emotionally, seeing all those names of all the brave servicemen killed in action since World War 2, what was even more moving was the sight of the blank walls, waiting for the names of those still yet to be killed in action in future conflicts around the world, very sad, very humbling.

There was a Scottish pipe and drums band performing in the grounds and also a vintage car club displaying their prized vehicles, one of which was a beautifully customised 1960’s Chevy Convertible, dedicated to Manchester City Football Club past and present, with airbrushed pictures on the side panels of Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and some others, customised leather seats, inlaid with the MCFC Logos, a beautiful car that must have cost its owner a bob or two. There was also a lovely preserved vintage Rolls Royce, a Triumph Dolomite sprint, who’s owner was 88 years old an a really nice bloke to talk to.

After all this and a few butties at the outdoor picnic tables, it was time to leave. Dave and Tonia had gone off a little earlier to meet up with some old friends for a lunch stop so me and Sue headed off towards Derby and then up through Ashbourne and the High Peak for a really scenic ride through some nice countryside and northwards towards home. It was a good day; one or two slight patches of showers along the way home, but nothing to wet us through and we arrived home safe and sound and fairly dry at around 5 p.m.

Pictures from the days ride out can be viewed here

Suitably refreshed, we then set out on the road again for café number 2, the Camien café at Rochester, passing through some brilliant scenery along the way and some nice twisty roads. As we arrived, the café was open for business, so after a quick photo call outside, we went in and ordered teas, coffees, cakes etc. and Bill ordered a whacking great steak pie. We all sat outside at the back of the café to enjoy our elevenses and a few laughs, Bill meanwhile had done a quick calculation and reached the conclusion that the circumference of his pie equated to the sum of 3.142 points on the weight watchers scale, so he only ate the filling, leaving the crust intact and saving 2 points. Off we set once again towards café number 3, the Hartside Top café, once again passing through some lovely scenery and twisty roads. When we rolled onto the car park it was quite busy with loads of other motorbikes and folk milling around. We all went inside for teas, coffees, cakes and crisps and the weather decided to tank it down with rain outside, but never mind, we were all cosy and dry inside. The rain stopped and we all went outside and saddled up to head down the hill and towards Kirkby Lonsdale and Devil’s bridge. Frank led us on a very scenic route, down country lanes, through Sedburgh and finally onto the car park at the Bridge. Some of us had a nice ice cream and some of us enjoyed lovely, cholesterol loaded double cheese burgers, yummy, yummy. Bill was seen holding one of these but he categorically denied that it was his and said that he was only holding it for a pal whilst he took off his jacket.

After being suitably refreshed once again, we rolled off the car park and on towards our respective homes, me and Sue peeled off and took off towards the A59 while the other bikes headed through Caton and towards the M6.

It was a great day, with plenty of miles racked up; our personal tally was 365 miles by the time we arrived home. Many thanks to Frank for taking the ride, he did a splendid job, we had a lot of laughs along the way, and also numb bums when we got off the bike, but it was all worth it, the numbness soon wore off when the bike was stowed safely in the garage and an ice cold beer was enjoyed. More pictures from the ride out can be found here.

We had a great turnout of wingers from several clubs and organisations. Several girls and boys from the “Misfit’s” made camp in close proximity along with two very nice motor homes belonging to Goldwings North Wales members, plus a friend of Carl & Maureen who decided he wanted to pitch in with us rather than on the public camping field. All in all a wide selection of tents, caravans, and motor homes. It was also great to see Jeffrey and Renee at the event, especially so soon after his heart attack. Jeff would have been really miffed if had missed the event, along with the light parade Woodvale is his favorite weekend away.

Pimms seemed to have been adopted by several of the ladies as their charity for the year and many jugs of the colourful sweet alcoholic liquid managed to dissapear in rather quick time.  It was during the evenings social activity that Jimmy Ryan managed to fall flat on his back after leaning over in his chair, with his feet stuck up in the air, nobody came to his aid as there was too much laughter for anyone to get up.

The local Southport BMW dealer had brought along the new 1600GTL which is the latest 6 cylinder touring package from BMW, and what an amazing machine it is. Almost £8K cheaper than the current Goldwing with a host of whistles and bells. Suffice it to say we all had a sit on it and convinced the stand manager to hand over the keys and start it up. The six cylinder engine sounded very sweet and the fly by wire throttle response frighteningly quick. Very impressive indeed, even Bill Squires gave admiring glances at the machine. 

Two rather expensive accidents occured over the weekend, one of the model Lancaster Bombers actually crashed during the late evening bombing display amidst explosions and anti aircraft fire, its an amazing spectacle and a finale to the days flying display. It was an unfortunate but no doubt very expensive accident. Ian Duxbury, who witnessed the crash reported the aircraft was flying low and making a perfect bombing run on its target, however after it had delivered its payload and made its turn away from the target the pilot lost control and the aircraft plunged into the ground. Ian gave it 10/10 for authenticity although I should imagine the pilot was crying over his remote control unit at the time.   The second rather expensive accident was also a major surprise to everyone. Ian Kay, who had recently lost his GL1500 in an accident had cleverly repurchased his machine and between him and Ted had rebuilt it into a magnificent trike. Talk about the Phoenix rising from the ashes. It was on display for all to see, and a good job they had made of too. It was not until Sunday morning that everyone heard of Ian’s crash, thankfully it was at low speed and both Ian & Karen walked away unscathed. It appeared several members had a ride off site to a local pub to see where Karen & Ian’s daughter was performing with her band, and it was during the ride that the accident took place. I’m sure we will hear more at the next meeting, but the good news is that neither of them were injured.  

In fact the stunt rider also had a misshap on Saturday when his engine exploded in mid performance and Sundays display had to be cancelled. Never did understand what attracted spectators to an engine running at full chat.

Everyone seemed to have a great weekend, especially our first time visitors from North Wales, I’m sure we will see them again next year. Pictures from the weekend are now available in the RAF Woodvale gallery with special thanks to Graham & Sue Pinder, Ted Rogerson, Dave & Tonia Bayliss and Liverpool Echo.

There appeared to be more motorcycle clubs attending this year with not only the classic clubs but two cruiser clubs and the local Harley Davidson club. Each organisation spending a lot of thought and time on their display, whereas all we do is park up the bikes and stick up a couple of banners. In spite of this we managed to muster 32 wings on display which is not a bad turn out at all. Maybe its time however for us to pick up the challenge and do something special for next year. 

There have been comments that a larger marquee for us all to socialise in during the evening and our own toilets would go down very well for next year. What do you think

To be honest I really wasn’t expecting much of a turn out, seeing as the event was posted at short notice and possibly the best day was the day before with the Vulcan Bomber making a very rare appearance. I believe Frank and Judy along with Pete & Jean spent their day in Southport on the Saturday. Nevertheless Stuart, Bill and Ian and Lynette appeared shortly after our Coffee.

Seeing as nobody had a clue as to the Southport Air Show Car parking set up and any road closures it was left to me to lead the run into unknown territory, we planned to avoid paying any admission fees and missing any long queues into car parking areas, almost immediately ridicule came over the CB as to my chosen route from Norman Jepson and over towards Penwortham. Its amazing how many natural born leaders there are at the back of the queue. Surprisingly the run into Southport was uneventful with little traffic about and no problem finding our way to the pier head and down to our planned parking area. The entire wibbly wobbly way had been closed off ( that took some explaining over the CB I can tell you) so we made our way through the town. By 10:15 am we had 4  Goldwing’s parked up outside the Cafe and we had become entrenched with more coffee and a bacon butty.

The Pier head had also started to fill up nicely with  bikes so we made our way up the steps to have a look at what was on offer. The two ladies decided that a trip into town was the order of the day. I received my £2.50 spending money for the day and went away happy, dreaming of all the wonderful things I could  buy.  There was a couple of nice classic Triumph on display and several newish BMW machines, it was good to talk to their owners and listen to tails of bikes of old. During our time at the pier head unbeknown to us several members of Goldwings North Wales had arrived along with Cheshire and Merseyside members, the cafe was overcome with Goldwing riders trying to get parked and disgorge their pillion passengers. It was a great sight to see almost 20+ wings turn out on the day. Introductions, welcomes, and kisses where made and we all settled down for the air show to begin, almost immediately the sound was split by the arrival of a fast moving jet of some description, sorry to say buy internal combustion engines are my fortee and I can tell the sound of a Merlin from 1000 paces. The airshow was really good but for some reason most of the bikers didn’t venture further than the few paces to the edge of the boating lake. The view from there was sufficient to see all the aircraft and action of the day. My favorite by a long chalk was the Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber.

Mr Duxbury summed it all up nicely with his comment

“Bikes, mates, sunshine, airshow, it doesn’t get much better than this, all it needs now is a couple of topless wenches giving away possibly the best lager in the world”

After that devastatingly effective comment we decided that we had had far too much sun and fun for the time being and that dinner was called for, rather than making use of the very busy facilities nearby we walked over the main road into town and enjoyed lunch in a rather quiet fish and chip restaurant which was very good indeed. Bill reported later that he had fallen for the sales pitch of the nearby cafe owner where we had all parked up, who confidently quoted that his fish was far better than the nearby chip shop up the steps. Unfortunately it wasn’t, and Bill ended up with a large fish that was uncooked in the middle. I cant print anything he said after that. 

The Red Arrows were fantastic and kept everyone spellbound for a good 15 minutes, if you wanted to steal a bike, then would have been a good time as everyone’s view was in the sky. Why any government would even consider disbanding this team would have to be nuts, they provide something quintessentially British and entertain millions of people nationally, they were very good.

By this time in the day the sun was shining high in the sky and and the parking area for bikes had been completely filled to overflowing, so much so that many more had resorted to parking down by the pier with our Goldwings. One biker was heard to comment that it was VIP parking only for posh bikes. No idea where he got that from.

The rest of the day continued in the usual manner with lots of banter and chat taking place, the decision to leave early was probably a wise one as when the show finished there would be untold thousands of people trying to make their way home with long queues of cars exiting the airshow parking areas.  A cracking day out for those who attended, and I’m sure a few red faces and noses the following morning.

Pictures from the days activities can be found in the 2011 gallery under Southport Airshow as well as a write up on Stuart’s Goldwing Blog. Nigel Mackintosh also had his camera with him and even more pictures can be found on the Goldwings North Wales website.

Off we set to our rendezvous point at the River Wyre Pub just off the Fleetwood road.We arrived about an hour later, having rode through drizzle and rain for most of the way, and found Ian, along with Mik and Tracey, already there and waiting at the side of their bikes in the little pull in at the pub, shortly after which, we were joined by Dave and Toni on their trike as well. As we waited to see if any others were daft enough to brave the weather and join us, we had a few laughs about the weather and things, and then the time came to depart for Fleetwood to muster for the start of the Mayor’s procession. We all followed Ian into Fleetwood where we were sent all around the houses and back again by various Marshals at the side of the road. Eventually we got to the correct muster point and parked up and had a coffee, Queen Victoria was present and gracefully placed herself on Ian’s and then my bike for a photo call, along with a couple of her courtiers. 11’o’clock came and it was time for us to mount up and get in our place in the procession through the streets and towards the Euston Hotel, there was a surprisingly large number of spectators lining the streets as we passed by, given that it was blowing a gale and drizzling. After the procession, we parked up along with Gary and some of the other Guys from Pennine Wings, in our designated spot, which we had been assured, was not anywhere near the fairground organ of past years. Yes, you’ve guessed it, the pesky fairground organ was right across the street from us and blaring out it’s melodies from yester-year at a high rate of volume again.  A few hours passed, some of us went and had a bite to eat at a local café, some of us had a walk around to see the other exhibits, most of the time it was very windy and drizzling and a bit soul destroying. After a little while longer a few of us decided to break off and head for home, still drenched by the fine drizzle, the brave lads and lassies from Pennine stayed a little longer before calling it a day.

Pictures from Tram Sunday supplied by Graham Pinder and Dave Bayliss can be found in the 2011 Gallery

We arrived and waited tentativelyon the car park as bike after bike, and also a couple of trikes turned up. To say that we were in awe at the final count would be an understatement, it was simply fantastic. Eleven O’clock came and we set off down the M6 for a couple of junctions and over the A59 on a slightly longer, but more scenic route, into Radcliffe for our rendezvous with even more bikes from Pennine Wings, who had kindly volunteered their support for us as part of a ride out from their Wing Ding.

As we all waited in the lay-by on Dumers Lane about a half mile from the event, we were overwhelmed once again as another 13 or so bikes came around the bend and pulled in with us. Sue then phoned the event organiser to warn her that we were getting ready to ride in and would she please clear some ground for at least 26 Goldwings as we were almost ready to ride in, the word Sue got back from the event organiser was Oh my God ! how many ? ‘give me about another five minutes to get the Marshall’s to clear the way’. We pulled out of the lay by and all slowly rode down Dumers Lane, music blaring from our speakers, and into Close Park, our arrival was announced over the P.A. and was broadcast live on Tower FM Radio. The crowds and the event organisers looked on in amazement as all our bikes rolled in and parked up on display. Ian, our chairman and Gary from Pennine wings were then invited onto the stage and interviewed live on the Radio about our bikes and our clubs. After that we all had a mooch around the various attractions and food and drink and gift stalls, mingled with the public, explained about our bikes and let people take pictures, there was a Meatloaf tribute singer, a Robbie Williams tribute singer and a Take That Tribute band on stage at various times during the afternoon, the sun was shining constantly and a really great time was had by all of us.

All in all it was a great afternoon out and, from the amount of punters that were on site, it was a resounding success for the fund-raisers from Bury Hospice, the actual amount raised is not known at this time so watch this space. On behalf of Bury Hospice Fund-raising department, Sue and I would like to say a massive thanks to all of you great people who supported this event and for giving up your day to help this cause, your presence at this event did make a big difference.

Pictures from the days event can be found here

After a short toilet and brew stop, we headed up to the slate mine, through some stunning and beautiful scenery and with some buttock clenching moments on the narrow twisty uphills. We all got to the slate mine in one piece and proceeded to partake of a butty and a brew or two on the car park. After a few minutes Jim Cretney and Tracy arrived, having missed us at the Lancaster services and therefore had to make their own way to the slate mine. We all had a good look round in the shop etc. and then headed off back down the steep narrow road towards Keswick again. We parked up and had a little walk around the town and then had a nice ice cream. Next stop was Bowness on Windermere where we all had a nice chill out for an hour or so, some having another ice cream, one having a sleep on the grass verge (he knows who he is) and then we all mounted up again for the nice run home, branching off at various junctions of the M6 to our respective homes.

Well done to Roger for a great ride, and well done to Mother nature for giving us yet another glorious sunny day. That’s what Goldwinging is all about, good company, good rides and great times. More pictures from the days run out can be found by clicking here

Like last year, we reported to Squires on the Fri evening, firstly to complete registration and secondly for the briefing. Sadly, there was a noticeable difference this year in that there were fewer bikes taking part in the event. Our booking in went smoothly, and then followed an evening meal, paid mostly by the voucher that everyone is given on registration. The meal came and went and as there was still time to kill before the briefing, Mike and I decided we would have a wander round outside to see how many more had arrived and parked up. The weather wasn’t too great, some showers, mixed in with a little sunshine.

The car park was alive with people milling around, chatting, comparing notes, bikes, gear etc. There was a buzz in the air and everyone was excited at the prospect of doing the ride on Saturday and raising money for the Poppy appeal at the same time. We wandered over to another 1800 GoldWing and there I met Alan Y, whom I had previously chatted to, on one of the forums. After that we went and spoke with some of the RBLR members (not all participants are in the RBLR) who I had not seen for several months.

It was nearly time for the briefing so we made our way back into Squires, found a seat and waited with baited breath. Paddy began by welcoming us all along and then went in to the detail of the event etc. Once it was all over, Mike and I got geared up, on the bike and off to find the garage so we could fill up ready for the start on Sat. All fuelled up and then back to the hotel to have a chill and then bed for the early start.

We went to bed at 2230hrs so we could be up at 0445hrs bright eyed and bushy tailed!!! I was still awake at 0030hrs; I was struggling to go off. I did drift in and out of sleep, and then I woke to the sound of rain on the window. I knew it was early, because there was light around the edge of the curtains. I looked at my watch, it said 0400hrs, well I decided to try and get another 5 mins so I got up, turned the kettle on and sorted my life out. I woke Mike at 0430hrs with a brew. We could hear every now and then the sounds of motorbikes riding out of the hotel to make their way to Squires for a 0500hrs start; we were aiming for a 0600hrs kick off time. We packed our kit got the bike gear on, checked out and then put the gear into the bike, I checked her over and then we set off for Squires. All the time as we were preparing there were bikes coming past the hotel car park, these were the early starters off on their 1000 miles. Finally we set off to the start at Squires.

We rolled in to the café car park, I then turned the bike around and two of the marshals came over to us so they could sign our fuel log sheet and note our start time and mileage reading. Paperwork done and we duly set off, it was 0549hrs and we were on our way in the rain. Last year it was cracking the flags even at this time of morning. We knew what the weather had in store for us, I had been studying it all week on the Met office website and also again on teletext before we left the hotel. It was going to be a mixed bag for us doing the Southern anti clockwise route.

It was on to the A1M down to the M62 and then off to Birch services for our first compulsory receipt to prove we had been there. Unlike last year we had marshals standing by so all you needed to get was a signature. Last year there had been problems there so this was to make life easier for everyone. Even so, Mike went in to the services and bought a Mars bar, I duly completed the fuel log and we were off again on our way to Telford for a fuel stop. Nothing much to report on the way to Telford, the M6 was quiet and we were making good time.

We arrived at the garage in Telford. As I fuelled up Mike went in in readiness to pay. While I waited for Mike to come back I got the log out again and filled in the stop. We decided that we would have five minutes here for a snack and a drink; I pulled off the forecourt and parked at the side of the garage alongside another rider doing the 1000. Top box open and time for a pasta pot and drink. We had a chat to the other rider; this was his first time at this. He was also a Police officer, he was wearing a Blue Knight waistcoat, one of his mates had called at the garage to see him. I checked my route card against timings and I found that we had made the stop with 10 minutes in hand. That was good both Mike and I agreed. It was now time to get back on route and head off for the M5.

Not long after setting off, the rain started, this wasn’t an issue; we were both suited up for wet weather. We were soon riding down the M5 towards Cornwall, we came upon heavy traffic for some considerable time and distance, this then got worse when we ran into some really heavy downpours. Visibility was an issue at times, both with the actual amount of rain and of course spray from other vehicles. In between the down pours were lovely breaks of blue sky and sunshine. We managed to make reasonable progress given the volume of traffic and the weather. Our next planned stop was at Sedgemoor services to take on fuel and just to stretch the legs a little. We pulled in and began our routine of Mike going in to pay while I filled and did the log sheet. Again, I pulled the bike off the forecourt so we could both nip to the toilet. All done and dusted and we were back on the M5 within five minutes of stopping. We were met with heavy rain and slow moving traffic. I couldn’t for the life of me work out why there was so much traffic on the motorway; it wasn’t the holiday period, just a normal everyday Sat. Further down the road the traffic thinned right out and the road just opened up. It was at this point Mike said there is a festival on and that was where all the traffic seemed to be going. Soon we were in Devon and then Cornwall; we pulled into Redruth and then found the filling station for the fuel log. We now had this part of the routine off to a tee and before Mike could get back to me, I had moved the bike off the pumps and had the top box open ready so we could take another break. A few minutes later, a familiar figure rolled in to fuel, it was the guy we had spoke to at Telford, we again exchanged pleasantries and he then went over the road to Morrisons to get some food.

I got the route planner out and again checked it for time; we had thirty minutes in hand. This was looking really good; we had spare time should we need it later. I then decided that I needed the toilet, I went in to the garage and asked if they had one. They had one alright but it was out of order, nice one I thought, well it was going to have to be a lay-by on the route back to Exeter!!!!!

Break over and we set off for two things, one a lay-by and secondly Southampton. Soon we were back into the countryside on the A30. Finally a decent lay-by came along where we could relief ourselves, and very welcome it was too. After a quick pit stop we were back on the road.

Weather again played a part with heavy showers and sunny periods and sometimes completely overcast, but it wasn’t an issue and we just kept making progress. I had planned a quick fuel stop and leg stretch in a place called Winterbourne Abbas on the A35, this was just a quick fill and then on again to Southampton. A lot of this road was single carriageway, but it did make for more overtaking opportunities, which made the ride more interesting.

We pulled into the filling station just at the start of the M3 in Southampton. You know what happens next. I parked the bike so we could have another snack and drink. Mike came back with the receipt etc and then said they don’t have a toilet here. Why do garages not have toilets??? I said we can see how far we get, but if we need to then I will pull into a services on the next leg of the ride. Next to us was a lady who came up to me and asked if we were doing a 1000 miles etc, I said we were, she replied by telling us she was waiting to meet her husband who was also doing the ride, small world really. Mike and I finished our break, again I checked how we were doing and we had about ten minutes in hand at this point, which was still good. It was also at this point that I worked out that we could get back in the same day that we started, i.e. before midnight. That was it then; I was now focused on trying to finish the run before midnight. We bid the lady goodbye, she wished us luck and we then set off for our next stint of two and a half hours riding to Dover, or a toilet, which ever came first!!!!

The M3 was good, no issues, we then merged with the M25, this was the time I was bothered about, in terms of any possible hold ups etc. I was pleasantly surprised, no dramas and the next thing we are on the M26 heading for the M20 and then on to Dover. We made excellent progress on this stretch and before long we could see three ferries just out in the English Channel and leaving the port of Dover. We rode down the hill to the BP garage, were we went in to our pit stop mode. Once filled, I moved the bike round the back and here at last we could use a toilet, well after all we had only been waiting for near on three hours for one!!!!! I checked the route card and now we had gained some more time. In fact we would be leaving when we should have been arriving. We decided to make the most of this break; it was going to be the last one before we would get back to Squires in another 255 miles, apart from a splash and dash 90 mile from the finish. Toilet was the first job and then a chocolate bar and more drink. We saddled up and left at 1943hrs.

This next section wasn’t too good, we had bright sunlight in our eyes all the way up the M20, it made overtaking a little dodgy in places. But before long we were back on the dreaded M25 heading for the Dartford tunnel. I was worried that this could be a bottleneck and we may have to wait to get through, but on this occasion I just rode up to the booth, the barrier went up and we were through and into the tunnel. When we came out the other side we were met with a downpour, very surreal I have to say, going into it dry and sunny, coming out the other side bouncing down. Again once the rain stopped the sun in our eyes was worse now than on the M20 before hand. The good news was the M25 was moving and there were no hold ups. Before long the slip road came up for the M11, it was at this point some 860 odd miles into the ride, a car starts to enter my lane for the exit slip, totally oblivious to the fact I was there. That said, I had already anticipated it happening and was therefore ready to take action. I made them aware of my presence with a blast on the horn, at this point the driver wasn’t sure what to do next, either continue with the move, move back out or stay mid lane change. I backed off and they then came in and then made some very sheepish signal to me to offer an apology. Then low and behold one minute later a second car decides that they want to go in the same lane as me on to the M11 north bound, I must have been on the ball, because again I had anticipated this may happen, I hit the horn and as I started to move over to the outside lane of the slip to make room and avoid the car. I was met with another gesticulation of an apology. Other than those two incidents the whole of the ride was very much without any dramas.

We were now on the M11 and north bound heading for the A1. I hadn’t been in these parts of the country for over twenty years, these roads had changed and for the better I have to say.

Soon enough we were rounding the slip road on to the A1M, time was really on our side. Onwards and upwards as they say, the light was starting to fail and darkness was drawing in. At every opportunity I had the main beam on, which on an 1800 GoldWing really lights up the road ahead, all too often though I had to dip due to oncoming traffic. I kept checking the SatNav to see how far we had to go and what was our ETA, it kept reading 2322hrs, we were defiantly on for a same day finish. The final filling station came along just north of Stamford, we pulled in and Mike went in, I fuelled the bike and completed the log sheet. Mike jumped back on and we were away, that was the quickest stop we had had all day. I checked the SatNav and our ETA was now 2327hrs, not an issue I thought, we had thirty minutes to play with. The miles started to come down and sure enough the water cooling towers at Ferrybridge came into sight, and what a welcome sight that was I can tell you.

Junction 42 A1M came upon us and we took the exit slip, it was just a case of getting back into Squires another two and a half miles. We rounded the final corner to see two marshals stood at the entrance to Squires, they started to wave us in, has we rode in there was clapping from all those around and waiting for both Mike and I was Sarah (Mikes wife and my daughter) and Andrea (my wife) all excited and happy for our safe return. It’s not all over yet; there is the case of getting the fuel log signed off and the finish mileage put on. Mike got off and got the paperwork out of the top box and handed it over for competing. People stood around saying well done etc. The marshal said 2329hrs; we had done it, 1038miles in 17 hours and 40 minutes. I was chuffed to bits. I was told where to park the bike so I could carry out some administrative tasks etc. I looked around there were maybe a dozen bikes parked up; it would appear that we were within the first twenty home. But before the paperwork it was over to Andrea for a cuddle and a kiss.

Having had a brew and something to eat, generously supplied by Joy, we all set off for home, those 60 miles home were hard. I parked the bike up and emptied the panniers and top box, got my gear off and set about a glass of well deserved beer. Then it was shower and bedtime, I got down at 0300hrs.

We had finished for another year. We had raised around £650 (which includes Gift Aid), not as good as last year but then times are harder.

God willing hopefully doing it again next year, this time with Andrea.

Anyway, despite the lack of numbers and the less than good weather, it was a nice ride out in the fresh air.

Meeting up at the Spar car park revealed Bill Squires who had arrived earlier as he lived locally in the village of Grimsargh and didn’t see any point in riding back out to the Norman Jepson only to ride back again into Longridge. As usual we went and had a bite to eat at several café’s and waited for the kick off time. It seemed quieter than last year, probably the weather, which was cloudy and overcast, however we didn’t see any rain during the morning. The parade went reasonably well but the marshaling was not up to scratch. Several riders went without helmets due to the road closure, but on the parade, being the first group out, we came across oncoming cars and vehicles, whilst the Marshall’s appeared to be more interested in taking pictures rather than ensuring the safety of the parade participators. Bit of a poor doo all round really. We didn’t come to any harm and had a good ride around the village back to the start point, at which stage we had to wait until the back end of the parade, containing several floats and displays, went by before we could tag on the end and make our way onto the main event field. Again the Marshall’s seemed to have deserted their posts and we had to contend with pedestrians making their way onto the field along with motorcycles and vehicles. Its only when you have experience of organising and marshaling major events that you can see where the pitfalls and mistakes are. We got parked up quite quickly and pitched the Goldwings North West Banners for all to see. Dave Bolton from Lancs and Lakes GWOCGB region turned up on his stunning GL1000 which, to be honest, stole the show, we also met Ray & Dorothy Burrell who had come out for the day, it was good to see them both.

The day continued with lots of displays in the main ring, mostly comprising of young ladies dancing to music and culminating with the crowning of this years festival Queen. Very pagan and festive. There was also a good display of vehicles to view including a 5.6 litre V6 Chevrolet car which looked amazing. No idea how they managed to squeeze that engine into so small a compartment.

We got a slight shower of rain around 2:30 but only for a few moments and even this didn’t put a damper on proceedings. The judges gave first prize in the motorcycle category to a BSA 650 Swift, the same entry that won last year,second prize went to Dave Bolton’s GL1000 and third prize to Pam & Phil Bowkers trike, no doubt aided by their very cute dog Ruby.

Pictures from the days activities can be found here

Friday morning we all got up, more people arrived on site and started pitching up, some of us had a walk into the village for a morning paper and then, in the afternoon, we decided to put up our event shelters and canopies ready for the BBQ on the Saturday, after they were all erected and pegged down, we all had a chill out and some food, later, after tea, we all gathered together under a canopy and had a few drinks, light and central heating in the canopy was kindly provided by Jim Nightingale and Chandra. During the night, when we were all tucked up safely and snuggly in our little tin and canvas homes, the wind and rain got really fierce and tore up one of our new event shelters and draped it all over the Motor home of Tracy, one of our new members, cracking her windscreen in the process, Jim Cretney and Tracy were pitched up next door and promptly came to the rescue, this all happened at around 4:00 am. The rest of us were totally oblivious to this commotion and didn’t realise anything was amiss until we all rose up out of our slumbers and found one of the shelters totally trashed. We cobbled together what was left and joined all remaining canopies together, which saved the day and a great BBQ was had by all on the Saturday afternoon and evening, with special thanks to the ‘Pimms Ladies’ for all the prep work they did (they know who they are) and the two Master-chefs, Frank and Ian, the latter of which was wearing a pair of very colourful trousers, skillfully made from a roll of left over Hot Air Balloon material.

Sunday morning came and after a hearty breakfast, some of us walked into the village for a morning paper and a few of us carried on along the little path to the bridge to check out the motorbikes there, and some of the ladies went shopping to the cheese and chocolate shops. Sunday afternoon we had another mini BBQ, using the meat and stuff left over from Saturday along with a few more drinks. Sunday night we were treated to a sound and light display by the Hot Air Balloon club that was camping in the next field, some of our better lit Wings also took part and provided an additional attraction to the display of lit balloons, making it a display to remember and loved by the spectators from the village. The night was all too soon over and it was back to bed. Monday morning it was time to break camp and head off home to our respective destinations, a few members decided to stay an additional night and depart on Tuesday. Despite the mixed weather, which did stay dry for both BBQ’s and the Light Display, it was a great weekend with great company and was thoroughly enjoyed by all that took part.

Pictures from the weekend can be found here