Santa Dash 2015
Heart of England fielded a team at the Santa Dash for Willen Hospice in memory of our much missed member Bill who passed away in their care. Steve, Carol, Simon, Susi and Lawrence did the walk. Louise was going to walk but unfortunately was taken poorly just before. By the time of the event we had collected £184 for Willen but would be grateful for any more donations to this great cause. They do so much good.
FINAL UPDATE: We raised £274.56 for Willen Hospice. We are a well pleased team.
FINAL UPDATE: We raised £274.56 for Willen Hospice. We are a well pleased team.
All You Need is Love…
And there was much love in the atmosphere during our annual pre-Christmas lunch, this year at the Rose and Crown, Ridgmont. Sadly some of our regulars could not be there due to illness; they and their spouses were much missed. The rest of us enjoyed a very jolly meal with much conviviality. Lawrence tried to tell his ‘Unicorn’ er, ‘joke’ for about the fourth time this season. He may have early onset… something. Luckily we were able to stop him. Conway decided that he would like to join the aristocracy, complete with monocle. He made a very convincing Wooster, what-ho! Tripta told us that she has joined her local church choir: I can’t imagine a more angelic chorister, er possibly. Still, I am sure Simon can keep her in order, er possibly.. The ladies all looked beautiful and I must say that we gents scrubbed up pretty well too. Stuffed to the gills we walked out into the sunlight at about half past three. Excellent time!
All You Need is the Answers
For the penultimate event of the year Heart of England went out with a bang: with possibly the largest presences at our evening meetings this year. John presented us with his Fantabulous Music Quiz and it was well received.
Questions started with ‘complete the Beatles lyric’ and progressed in a similarly simple vein. At the end of the quiz the scores were tallied and there were only four points separating the winner and the last man. Always a sign of a good quiz!
Conway queried all the answers in his usual jocular fashion; it wouldn’t be a Heart of England event if he didn’t. Much fun and laughter was had by all. Tony triumphed with an almost clean sheet.
To round off the evening Gary regaled us with his adventures at the Jack Thompson British Bikes Trial in Sidcup the previous weekend. Next year he may well have a bike to go round the course on. That will definitely warrant a section outing! Finally we had a spirited discussion about the section logo (or lack of..). And the club spares scheme. Now that would fill a book….
Questions started with ‘complete the Beatles lyric’ and progressed in a similarly simple vein. At the end of the quiz the scores were tallied and there were only four points separating the winner and the last man. Always a sign of a good quiz!
Conway queried all the answers in his usual jocular fashion; it wouldn’t be a Heart of England event if he didn’t. Much fun and laughter was had by all. Tony triumphed with an almost clean sheet.
To round off the evening Gary regaled us with his adventures at the Jack Thompson British Bikes Trial in Sidcup the previous weekend. Next year he may well have a bike to go round the course on. That will definitely warrant a section outing! Finally we had a spirited discussion about the section logo (or lack of..). And the club spares scheme. Now that would fill a book….
Testing Times Indeed!
Two members of our club recently went to London to meet a group of former test riders from the AJS and Matchless factory. A very jolly time was had over a fish and chip meal as they regaled us over their adventures riding production and experimental motorcycles. Watch the Jampot magazine in early 2016 for a full write up.
Heart of England Triumphs!
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Oxford Annual Quiz Night. The November evening was close fought at The Burditch Hall in Oxfordshire. Five teams pitched their wits against each other. There were four from AJS&MOC, Newbury, East Berks, Oxford, Heart of England and one representing the local VMCC. Six categories of questions taxed our brains. There was General Knowledge, Anagrams, Motorcycle and most challenging of all, Music. Barry led our merry band of brothers which consisted of Steve, Jon and Lawrence. Three members could play at any time so a merry-go-round of the four of us kept us all engaged in the proceedings. For this year a complex buzzer arrangement had been built by Dave and it certainly did the trick. University Challenge could learn a thing or two from him. The Oxford ladies had laid on the most splendid banquet for us too at half-time. When the first batch of questions were finished, we were at the trough! It was all wonderfully tasty but the cheese straws were especially divine. The lead varied throughout the evening with the VMCC team looking the strongest but when the chequered flag fell it was Heart of England that emerged victorious. A splendid evening and we send our thanks to Oxford Section for giving us such an excellent time. Well worth the trip. |
Three Cheers for a Good Light!
In October we had our inaugural meeting at The Greyhound in Haversham. There was a good turn out of members eager to see our new venue. We were offered exclusive use of one bar, accessed directly from the car park, just in case we offended the locals. The two locals in the bar when we arrived though were actually vintage motorcyclists and very pleased to see us. One of them used to drink in our old pub, The White Horse in Husborne Crawley, and offered to repeat for us a talk he originally gave to the Velocette owners when they were also at the White Horse. It’s a small world.
Peter introduced his golfing friend John to us all. John has been active in motorcycling since the late forties and had a good few stories to tell, especially how he helped establish Oulton Park race track and various car dealerships. After a quick drink we left for the Cowper's Oak without Dave, Peter and John, as they had to get back early. For the rest of us it was a pleasant run in the dark through the (new to us) back roads to Weston Underwood and after a very convivial evening we made our separate ways home. A very pleasant evening with just time to enjoy the epic light show. No more six volts for some of us......
Thanks Conway for the report.
Peter introduced his golfing friend John to us all. John has been active in motorcycling since the late forties and had a good few stories to tell, especially how he helped establish Oulton Park race track and various car dealerships. After a quick drink we left for the Cowper's Oak without Dave, Peter and John, as they had to get back early. For the rest of us it was a pleasant run in the dark through the (new to us) back roads to Weston Underwood and after a very convivial evening we made our separate ways home. A very pleasant evening with just time to enjoy the epic light show. No more six volts for some of us......
Thanks Conway for the report.
2015 Macmillan Breakfast
Simon led the way on the Heart of England contingent from Wellingborough to Salford MK. Rather quickly. He was supposed to be running in at 40mph and we had to haul him in when his speedo cable broke. He was doing over sixty! That’s a willing engine.
Arriving at the Macmillan Coffee Morning venue we were all treated to a fantastic cooked breakfast served by a willing bevy of lads and lasses. Diets were temporarily suspended. ENCMCC were there too together with some of TOMCC so a good crowd of bikes lined the road. There was a jovial atmosphere and much joshing and jollification took place. Apparently over six thousand pounds was raised and it is a great pleasure to be a small part of that success. Afterwards Lawrence rode to Grantham to visit Neil and Tangy after their serious crash at the Jampot rally. He found them to be recuperating better than expected which is very welcome news.
Arriving at the Macmillan Coffee Morning venue we were all treated to a fantastic cooked breakfast served by a willing bevy of lads and lasses. Diets were temporarily suspended. ENCMCC were there too together with some of TOMCC so a good crowd of bikes lined the road. There was a jovial atmosphere and much joshing and jollification took place. Apparently over six thousand pounds was raised and it is a great pleasure to be a small part of that success. Afterwards Lawrence rode to Grantham to visit Neil and Tangy after their serious crash at the Jampot rally. He found them to be recuperating better than expected which is very welcome news.
Tom shows us how!
Louise introduced her partner Tom to Heart of England and in return we introduced him and newly appointed section scribe Gary to Northamptonshire pub skittles. As newbies we were happy to show them the game and rules. We weren’t quite so happy when they completely annihilated us. Beginners luck obviously. Couldn’t possibly be that they were actually better than us. Surely?.....
Louise revealed to us a novel way to throw the cheeses and, indeed, some of them actually landed on the table. We were so pleased to see her that we really didn’t mind the injuries. What’s severe bruising between friends? After a strongly fought match it all came down to a battle between Tom and Gary for top place. I believe Tom won and Gary had top score of the evening. An astonishing thirteen. He’s booked for our team!
Louise revealed to us a novel way to throw the cheeses and, indeed, some of them actually landed on the table. We were so pleased to see her that we really didn’t mind the injuries. What’s severe bruising between friends? After a strongly fought match it all came down to a battle between Tom and Gary for top place. I believe Tom won and Gary had top score of the evening. An astonishing thirteen. He’s booked for our team!
Peter sets the pace..
Heart of England gave the TT Riders Association a lesson in how to complete the mountain circuit in style. Peter rode his 1952 AJS to the IOM to watch the Classic TT but couldn’t resist taking it for a spin around the race course while there. He only started back into motorcycling a few years ago after a fifty year lay-off but he can still provide thrills with his riding élan. With an average speed of 25mph he might not be as fast as Guy Martin but then Guy doesn’t get to take in a couple of coffees en-route or admire the view. Bravo Peter!
I left my heart……..
Modern motorcycles? Pah! All rubbish and soulless, why have one when you can ride a mighty classic AJS? Why, new bikes don’t even look like motorcycles, all plastic and sharp angles. Then I met the new Mash 400 and took a test ride…
T’was a RealClassic ride-in day and as representative of Heart of England I joined the stout-hearted fellows of East Northants Classic Motorcycle Club. We met at Ansell’s Motorcycles. Finedon to Wisbech is a straight drag on the A45/A605 and A47 but it wasn’t a drag for our crew. No main roads for us, weaving round the side roads entertained us for an hour or so until we arrived at F2 Motorcycles.
This is not your conventional bike showroom. It looks like a farm building but it hides treasure. All sorts of curiosities lie inside, Jawa, Honley, Ural and MASH. The MASH looked stunning, just like an old style motorcycle and it was on offer for test rides. Luckily we had arrived early, there was a queue already forming. I booked my place and was soon sitting upon this gorgeous creation…..
It is a French design, made in China. The quality looked very good for the money, £3895 brand new, and best of all, it felt like sitting on an old bike. But comfortable. The engine only gives out 29 bhp though you wouldn’t know it, it fair pings along. There were only 800 miles on the clock so I didn’t take it over six thousand rpm. With four thousand more revs to the red line I got the feeling that there is a tiger in the engine waiting to be unleashed. The handling is excellent, even on the rough fen lanes it felt sure-footed and really sweet. You might think you were riding something lightweight like a Ducati single though it would certainly be a lot easier to live with. It is relatively light and felt much easier to push around than my Ajay. That also applied when my ride came to an end too and I had to sadly wheel it back into the showroom. The bike’s a joy. I want one…..
Yep, I love it. I left my heart in Wisbech…. http://www.f2motorcycles.ltd.uk/mashmotorcycles.html
T’was a RealClassic ride-in day and as representative of Heart of England I joined the stout-hearted fellows of East Northants Classic Motorcycle Club. We met at Ansell’s Motorcycles. Finedon to Wisbech is a straight drag on the A45/A605 and A47 but it wasn’t a drag for our crew. No main roads for us, weaving round the side roads entertained us for an hour or so until we arrived at F2 Motorcycles.
This is not your conventional bike showroom. It looks like a farm building but it hides treasure. All sorts of curiosities lie inside, Jawa, Honley, Ural and MASH. The MASH looked stunning, just like an old style motorcycle and it was on offer for test rides. Luckily we had arrived early, there was a queue already forming. I booked my place and was soon sitting upon this gorgeous creation…..
It is a French design, made in China. The quality looked very good for the money, £3895 brand new, and best of all, it felt like sitting on an old bike. But comfortable. The engine only gives out 29 bhp though you wouldn’t know it, it fair pings along. There were only 800 miles on the clock so I didn’t take it over six thousand rpm. With four thousand more revs to the red line I got the feeling that there is a tiger in the engine waiting to be unleashed. The handling is excellent, even on the rough fen lanes it felt sure-footed and really sweet. You might think you were riding something lightweight like a Ducati single though it would certainly be a lot easier to live with. It is relatively light and felt much easier to push around than my Ajay. That also applied when my ride came to an end too and I had to sadly wheel it back into the showroom. The bike’s a joy. I want one…..
Yep, I love it. I left my heart in Wisbech…. http://www.f2motorcycles.ltd.uk/mashmotorcycles.html
Chocks Away Chaps!
The hottest day of the year gives Heart of England a chance to strip…
And with Nic’s magneto stripped we were able to tell him that there had been nothing wrong with it after all. Still, what are mates for if not to diagnose and unnecessarily dismantle your motorcycle? Nic can now forge ahead, confident that he has a tip-top magneto. Er, provided we re-assembled it correctly…..
With a temperature of 35 degrees it was a warm group that met at MacDonald’s near Leighton Buzzard. No time was wasted in getting moving. This was Dave’s second time taking us out and he made a splendid job of it. A lovely steady pace, matched to the slowest rider, and consideration for all members of the group. The hallmark of a good run leader. He took us via a beautiful rural route and we arrived at Turweston Aerodrome in good time.
Alan, the director of a vintage aircraft restoration firm greeted us and gave us a tour of his impressive workshop. There were some amazing aircraft undergoing restoration, including a Hawker Hurricane, the Spitfire’s equally famous brother. We were given facts and figures on all the planes and some good yarns about their history.
Lunch was at The Flying Pig café on site. The best bacon and sausage roll I have had this year. Chit chat followed and then we all wended our separate ways home. What a grand run. Thank you Dave. Here’s hoping for many more from you.
With a temperature of 35 degrees it was a warm group that met at MacDonald’s near Leighton Buzzard. No time was wasted in getting moving. This was Dave’s second time taking us out and he made a splendid job of it. A lovely steady pace, matched to the slowest rider, and consideration for all members of the group. The hallmark of a good run leader. He took us via a beautiful rural route and we arrived at Turweston Aerodrome in good time.
Alan, the director of a vintage aircraft restoration firm greeted us and gave us a tour of his impressive workshop. There were some amazing aircraft undergoing restoration, including a Hawker Hurricane, the Spitfire’s equally famous brother. We were given facts and figures on all the planes and some good yarns about their history.
Lunch was at The Flying Pig café on site. The best bacon and sausage roll I have had this year. Chit chat followed and then we all wended our separate ways home. What a grand run. Thank you Dave. Here’s hoping for many more from you.
Weekend Away......
There comes a time in every man’s life when he realises that the greatest pleasure in life is in giving pleasure to other people……….
Barry is obviously at that age as he gave us oodles of joy with his runs on our weekend away. We met at Brackley on Friday morning and after a relaxed coffee set off. A beautifully meandering route fell before us. Barry led with his usual panache and Tripta rode shotgun at the rear. It seemed moments before we arrived at our lunch stop, over fifty miles away. Lunch over, it seemed but a blink and we were at our hotel in Much Wenlock. Tempus Fugit etc when you are having fun. Great to find Susi, Dave and Elaine waiting for us.
Saturday found us at Ironbridge and Blists Hill Museum. Eeh heck those Victorian fish and chips were good. Surprisingly the museum was quiet, which was excellent for us as we were given a very close up inspection and info about the exhibits. Apparently children can no longer be sent up chimneys to clean them. Who knew? I must just go and retrieve my grandson……
On the Sunday we rode home with a stop at Bewdley station on the Severn Valley Railway. They were having a 1940’s weekend and at one point it looked as if we might be arrested as spies! Fortunately the Home Guard were distracted by our gorgeous Land Girls and then our Brylcreem Boy, familiar with aerial manoeuvres, shook Dad’s Army off our tail. The station-master invited us to park our bikes in the classic vehicle display in the car park, which we were pleased to do. All the visitors though, ignored the historic vehicles and spent their time admiring our resident spiv’s bike, a new Indian. He must have sold a lot of nylons….
Saturday found us at Ironbridge and Blists Hill Museum. Eeh heck those Victorian fish and chips were good. Surprisingly the museum was quiet, which was excellent for us as we were given a very close up inspection and info about the exhibits. Apparently children can no longer be sent up chimneys to clean them. Who knew? I must just go and retrieve my grandson……
On the Sunday we rode home with a stop at Bewdley station on the Severn Valley Railway. They were having a 1940’s weekend and at one point it looked as if we might be arrested as spies! Fortunately the Home Guard were distracted by our gorgeous Land Girls and then our Brylcreem Boy, familiar with aerial manoeuvres, shook Dad’s Army off our tail. The station-master invited us to park our bikes in the classic vehicle display in the car park, which we were pleased to do. All the visitors though, ignored the historic vehicles and spent their time admiring our resident spiv’s bike, a new Indian. He must have sold a lot of nylons….
Barry Leaps In!
“Who wants to visit a boring flour mill”? This was expressed by some of our members when the venue was suggested but by the end of the day they were effusing about how amazing it was and asking for a return visit next year. Motorcyclists. Eh?....….
In February the ever effervescent Conway suggested adding Jordan’s Mill near Biggleswade for a ‘Comely Codgers Mid-Week Run’ later in the year. The nay-sayers weren’t happy but Conway persisted, like the determined soul that he is and it was put on our runs calendar. Thank goodness he did as it was BRILLIANT.
Unfortunately Conway had to pull out at the last minute but Barry boldly stepped in. Well, when you wear wellies you don’t have to worry so much about where you’re jumping. A route was hatched and we all met at The Little Chef at Marston Moretaine. How cheering to hear Dave coming on his splendid Duke and even better to see him when he arrived. A restorative coffee or two were taken, gossip exchanged and as they say in flat cap land ‘t’were off t’mill’. You wouldn’t think there would be many picturesque lanes on such a short journey but Barry has a nose for sniffing out a pretty run and we whizzed down a grand and scenic route. We even visited a quarry. The Quarrymen weren’t there so, disappointed, we left. By the time we reached the mill we all felt we’d had a good ride.
The Mill turned out to be a very interesting venue with some outstanding points of interest. The guides switched on the water turbine and we were agog at how the power vibrated the whole building as the belts and line-shafts kicked in. Don’t get caught in a mill stream…
All too quickly we had to set off for some lunch. Old Warden was our destination where we quaffed and scoffed sufficient to just keep body and soul together. Our return was equally enervating and a good time was had by all.
A brilliant outing and Jordan’s Mill comes with the highest Heart of England rating. Thanks Conway for suggesting such a lovely venue and a big thank you to Barry for organising such a grand ride.
Unfortunately Conway had to pull out at the last minute but Barry boldly stepped in. Well, when you wear wellies you don’t have to worry so much about where you’re jumping. A route was hatched and we all met at The Little Chef at Marston Moretaine. How cheering to hear Dave coming on his splendid Duke and even better to see him when he arrived. A restorative coffee or two were taken, gossip exchanged and as they say in flat cap land ‘t’were off t’mill’. You wouldn’t think there would be many picturesque lanes on such a short journey but Barry has a nose for sniffing out a pretty run and we whizzed down a grand and scenic route. We even visited a quarry. The Quarrymen weren’t there so, disappointed, we left. By the time we reached the mill we all felt we’d had a good ride.
The Mill turned out to be a very interesting venue with some outstanding points of interest. The guides switched on the water turbine and we were agog at how the power vibrated the whole building as the belts and line-shafts kicked in. Don’t get caught in a mill stream…
All too quickly we had to set off for some lunch. Old Warden was our destination where we quaffed and scoffed sufficient to just keep body and soul together. Our return was equally enervating and a good time was had by all.
A brilliant outing and Jordan’s Mill comes with the highest Heart of England rating. Thanks Conway for suggesting such a lovely venue and a big thank you to Barry for organising such a grand ride.
TRAINEE PILOT? YIKES!!
Think carefully before you get into a plane at our next flyers barbecue. I bring you the news that our chief pilot, Barry, has now been revealed to be a TRAINEE pilot. Pictures never lie…..
It was a chillaxed gathering as we assembled at MacDonald’s in Hockliffe for Bob’s run to the De Havilland museum on Sunday 14 June. Peter was so relaxed that he only needed a trilby and cigarette to look like Humphrey Bogart. He could probably even have chilled Kate Moss. It was a good turn out and very pleasing to see Gary again on his lovely twin, clearly a skilled rider, and Dave on his famous Ajay, featured in the July issue of RealClassic. Good to welcome Eddie again. He had very sensibly decided to come along on his modern Triumph, rather than his glorious 250 Enfield. Hope to see that beauty again on one of our local runs sometime.
Even by Heart of England standards we were late setting off but no-one was keen to stop gossiping. We were rewarded with a stunning ride through scenery that makes your heart sing. Bob had carefully planned the route to take us the prettiest possible way and he certainly succeeded. He had written it all out carefully and only realised at the rendezvous that the direction sheet was still on his kitchen table…..
Nil Desperandum as we are wont to say in Heart of England. Bob led proficiently off and, apart from a small section in Toddington where Dave took over and led masterfully for a few miles, managed to cover the entire rural route from memory. An astonishing feat. Bob is a master at leading runs but this was only the second time that Dave has led us. His first was to Old Warden recently which went very well too.
The museum was enchanting. Just big enough that you didn’t feel you hadn’t done it justice in the time we had there. They had run out of lapel stickers so had to give us all the children’s ones stating ‘TRAINEE PILOT”. Needless to say Barry came in for some joviality. Jon, a recent star of The Jampot, for his modified gear change system, had to leave early for a family event. He was well on form though, as always.
A short run to a pub for a snifter and some crisps and off home. It had been a grand day, just what a club run should be.
Thanks Bob for organising such an entertaining outing. Can’t wait for his run to Bourton-on-the-Water.
It was a chillaxed gathering as we assembled at MacDonald’s in Hockliffe for Bob’s run to the De Havilland museum on Sunday 14 June. Peter was so relaxed that he only needed a trilby and cigarette to look like Humphrey Bogart. He could probably even have chilled Kate Moss. It was a good turn out and very pleasing to see Gary again on his lovely twin, clearly a skilled rider, and Dave on his famous Ajay, featured in the July issue of RealClassic. Good to welcome Eddie again. He had very sensibly decided to come along on his modern Triumph, rather than his glorious 250 Enfield. Hope to see that beauty again on one of our local runs sometime.
Even by Heart of England standards we were late setting off but no-one was keen to stop gossiping. We were rewarded with a stunning ride through scenery that makes your heart sing. Bob had carefully planned the route to take us the prettiest possible way and he certainly succeeded. He had written it all out carefully and only realised at the rendezvous that the direction sheet was still on his kitchen table…..
Nil Desperandum as we are wont to say in Heart of England. Bob led proficiently off and, apart from a small section in Toddington where Dave took over and led masterfully for a few miles, managed to cover the entire rural route from memory. An astonishing feat. Bob is a master at leading runs but this was only the second time that Dave has led us. His first was to Old Warden recently which went very well too.
The museum was enchanting. Just big enough that you didn’t feel you hadn’t done it justice in the time we had there. They had run out of lapel stickers so had to give us all the children’s ones stating ‘TRAINEE PILOT”. Needless to say Barry came in for some joviality. Jon, a recent star of The Jampot, for his modified gear change system, had to leave early for a family event. He was well on form though, as always.
A short run to a pub for a snifter and some crisps and off home. It had been a grand day, just what a club run should be.
Thanks Bob for organising such an entertaining outing. Can’t wait for his run to Bourton-on-the-Water.
THERE BE TREASURE…
Much excitement as Pam’s Treasure Hunt took place on Thursday 11 June.
An eager crowd assembled and there was much merriment and jostling for position. Stirrup cups were raised, the Hunt Mistress saluted and they were off. Find four particular wild flowers, a leaf from three tree species, an empty crisp packet and answer a few easy questions. What can go wrong? This is Heart of England…….
Pens were lost. Roads were ridden that shouldn’t have been. Answers were invented. Light bulbs blew. Fellow seekers were met coming from entirely the opposite of the direction they should have been travelling. So, just another normal HoE event…..
Barry and Pam counted them all out and as the dusk fell they counted the last in. First home and with 100% score was the ever lively Steve and Carol. Second home was a scoundrel who had come by his crisp packet through nefarious means. We will pass over that. Only a few points separated the winner from last place but bizarrely no-one had the same scores so Pam’s tie-breakers were put away until next year.
Final results were;
1st — Steve & Carol, 2nd – Lawrence
3rd – Conway, 4th – Gary
5th – Bob, 6th – John
And then there were prizes! What a grand evening for which we offer thanks to Barry and Pam. We do have some jolly japes.
An eager crowd assembled and there was much merriment and jostling for position. Stirrup cups were raised, the Hunt Mistress saluted and they were off. Find four particular wild flowers, a leaf from three tree species, an empty crisp packet and answer a few easy questions. What can go wrong? This is Heart of England…….
Pens were lost. Roads were ridden that shouldn’t have been. Answers were invented. Light bulbs blew. Fellow seekers were met coming from entirely the opposite of the direction they should have been travelling. So, just another normal HoE event…..
Barry and Pam counted them all out and as the dusk fell they counted the last in. First home and with 100% score was the ever lively Steve and Carol. Second home was a scoundrel who had come by his crisp packet through nefarious means. We will pass over that. Only a few points separated the winner from last place but bizarrely no-one had the same scores so Pam’s tie-breakers were put away until next year.
Final results were;
1st — Steve & Carol, 2nd – Lawrence
3rd – Conway, 4th – Gary
5th – Bob, 6th – John
And then there were prizes! What a grand evening for which we offer thanks to Barry and Pam. We do have some jolly japes.
The International 2015
Words and pictures by Steve R
This year’s international in Denmark was not well attended by the Heart of England section with only me and Barry and Pam Plumb making the long ride. Unfortunately the ferry that used to run from Harwich to Denmark has just been scrapped meaning we had to travel Harwich to Hook of Holland. This gave us a very long ride to the rally site which may well explain the poor attendance from our section.
At least there was no camping en-route as we decided to use hotels making the trip to the rally a little easier than previous years. In addition, staying in the ‘Hotent’ at the rally site was not only more luxurious but also left more room on the bikes. The weather on the journey was unsettled. At the rally we heard horror stories from some members who rode for three hours in constant heavy rain but we managed to dodge most of the bad weather on the way. Barry had planned the route and as usual had made a great job of it using as many smaller roads as practicable.
The rally site was by a large fjord on the outskirts of Kerteminde in Denmark. It is a small harbour town surrounded by farms, very picturesque. The weather was cool but for the most part dry with the rain passing in the night.
The runs were well attended and the visit to the long boat barrow the highlight for me. Having said that the vehicle museum on the Sunday was amazing and I could have stayed longer.
As on all the club’s rallies there were lots of highs but, unusually, there were two lows on this one. The first was that thieves stole money from the campsite (most unusual in Denmark). Ten people were robbed and some lost all their rally money. The second was on my generally super reliable AJS twin. I had the small problem of riding the 700miles home with just a back brake! On the second turn out of the campsite, on the return journey on Monday morning, my front brake anchor decided to part company with the fork leg. With no repair possible it was either call the breakdown people or ride it as is. I decided to ride, after all that’s the point of it all isn’t it?
Steve R
At least there was no camping en-route as we decided to use hotels making the trip to the rally a little easier than previous years. In addition, staying in the ‘Hotent’ at the rally site was not only more luxurious but also left more room on the bikes. The weather on the journey was unsettled. At the rally we heard horror stories from some members who rode for three hours in constant heavy rain but we managed to dodge most of the bad weather on the way. Barry had planned the route and as usual had made a great job of it using as many smaller roads as practicable.
The rally site was by a large fjord on the outskirts of Kerteminde in Denmark. It is a small harbour town surrounded by farms, very picturesque. The weather was cool but for the most part dry with the rain passing in the night.
The runs were well attended and the visit to the long boat barrow the highlight for me. Having said that the vehicle museum on the Sunday was amazing and I could have stayed longer.
As on all the club’s rallies there were lots of highs but, unusually, there were two lows on this one. The first was that thieves stole money from the campsite (most unusual in Denmark). Ten people were robbed and some lost all their rally money. The second was on my generally super reliable AJS twin. I had the small problem of riding the 700miles home with just a back brake! On the second turn out of the campsite, on the return journey on Monday morning, my front brake anchor decided to part company with the fork leg. With no repair possible it was either call the breakdown people or ride it as is. I decided to ride, after all that’s the point of it all isn’t it?
Steve R
First Evening Run of the Year
Still on a high from the marvellous John B’s quiz night earlier in the month we set out to look for America, as Paul Simon might say. ‘Cathy I’m lost’ did not pass our lips though as Heart of England seldom if ever get lost. After all, are we not men? Noble men at that, who never pass willingly an opportunity to show how 'Heart of England' heroic and manly we are. Yes sir.
So, we were not astounded at all by Charles’s decision to prove that an old Ajay can leap almost as high as Evel Knievel’s Harley ever could. Known generally for his calm and steady style, Charles saw a chance to impress on this, our first evening run for 2015, and went for the jump! It is generally agreed that there was at least two feet of clear sky underneath his motorcycle, if not more. How much do you need to cross the Grand Canyon? We don’t know but are organising a whip round to send Charles to Arizona forthwith to further enhance the prestige of our section Current total raised stands at £4.72 so he could be there by 2032 at this rate. And I bet you wondered what the heck I was going on about America for. This stuff doesn’t just get knocked out. Serious thought is incurred, possibly. Or I may not know what on earth is going to be typed until I’ve finished. I’m not telling.
Barry's lights also fell off and he was saved by a set of bicycle lights. As this particular brand of classic unreliability and consequent solution is usually reserved for Dean's bike there may be some demarcation issues. Fortunately the CMU (Classic Motorcyclist Union) refused to admit us so all will probably be resolved over a pint and handshake.
Report courtesy of Simon. Thank you very much.
So, we were not astounded at all by Charles’s decision to prove that an old Ajay can leap almost as high as Evel Knievel’s Harley ever could. Known generally for his calm and steady style, Charles saw a chance to impress on this, our first evening run for 2015, and went for the jump! It is generally agreed that there was at least two feet of clear sky underneath his motorcycle, if not more. How much do you need to cross the Grand Canyon? We don’t know but are organising a whip round to send Charles to Arizona forthwith to further enhance the prestige of our section Current total raised stands at £4.72 so he could be there by 2032 at this rate. And I bet you wondered what the heck I was going on about America for. This stuff doesn’t just get knocked out. Serious thought is incurred, possibly. Or I may not know what on earth is going to be typed until I’ve finished. I’m not telling.
Barry's lights also fell off and he was saved by a set of bicycle lights. As this particular brand of classic unreliability and consequent solution is usually reserved for Dean's bike there may be some demarcation issues. Fortunately the CMU (Classic Motorcyclist Union) refused to admit us so all will probably be resolved over a pint and handshake.
Report courtesy of Simon. Thank you very much.
Ye Olde Log Fire Run 2015
We enjoyed a great Log Fire Run on Sunday 8th March. It is our first official run of the year although we had already enjoyed a few unorganised runs. Some might say all our runs lack organisation but that would be cruel so if you are thinking that you had better stay behind and see teacher after school to be remonstrated with.
Seven of us were at Jack's Hill cafe and witnessed a massive turn out of shiny over-wintered Harley-Davidsons, out for their first run too. Spring must be in the air! Carol was pressed into posing for a photo for the Jampot magazine. Sadly the photo opportunity of the decade was missed, Conway’s Honda scooter in the car park. A crowd of Vespa owners followed him in to Jack's and clearly thought he was marking out the scooter bay. Conway riding with the Mods? Who’d have thought?
Seven of us were at Jack's Hill cafe and witnessed a massive turn out of shiny over-wintered Harley-Davidsons, out for their first run too. Spring must be in the air! Carol was pressed into posing for a photo for the Jampot magazine. Sadly the photo opportunity of the decade was missed, Conway’s Honda scooter in the car park. A crowd of Vespa owners followed him in to Jack's and clearly thought he was marking out the scooter bay. Conway riding with the Mods? Who’d have thought?
Annual Dinner February 2015 ~ Ye Olde Swan
We had a grand crowd for the Heart of England Annual dinner in February! This year we ate at Ye Olde Swan in Woughton on the Green. They produced an excellent three course meal and we provided sparkling company and repartee.
Simon was our Master of Ceremonies for the night and provided a hilarious commentary as the evening played out. Barry gave a splendid round-up of our year and caused uncontrolled giggling at various points of his speech, especially when he reminded us all of the strange incident in the White Horse car park with Tripta and her broken cable. I couldn’t comment…… Pam gave an excellent ‘Ladies reply’ making all us chaps appreciate how much the girls add to our enjoyment of life in a classic motorcycle club.
Simon was our Master of Ceremonies for the night and provided a hilarious commentary as the evening played out. Barry gave a splendid round-up of our year and caused uncontrolled giggling at various points of his speech, especially when he reminded us all of the strange incident in the White Horse car park with Tripta and her broken cable. I couldn’t comment…… Pam gave an excellent ‘Ladies reply’ making all us chaps appreciate how much the girls add to our enjoyment of life in a classic motorcycle club.
Much merry conversation passed during the meal, with some hilarious moments such as when the vending machine in the loo was declared a Boy Scout model ‘prepared for any eventuality’. Scandal was caused when one of our ladies declared that, given the choice, she would prefer a twenty-five year old model rather than a 1950’s one as they have more oomph where you need it and don't leak everywhere. We chaps were rather hoping that she was talking about a Ducati or Honda and not us!
Last year’s winner of the 'Pist'nBroke' award, Team Plumb, awarded it this year to Simon with the nomination ‘to Simon for having a bike with a happy slappy piston with almost as much movement sideways as up and down’.
The evening was concluded with a raffle with a generously donated assortment of prizes. A jolly night.
Last year’s winner of the 'Pist'nBroke' award, Team Plumb, awarded it this year to Simon with the nomination ‘to Simon for having a bike with a happy slappy piston with almost as much movement sideways as up and down’.
The evening was concluded with a raffle with a generously donated assortment of prizes. A jolly night.
Susi's Winter Warmer Walk ~ February 2015
A crisp bright day heralded Susi’s ‘Heart of England Winter Walk’ at Stoke Bruerne. Watching the forecast, concern had grown about the conditions. Snow fell in the days before and the Met office issued a ‘bitter winds’ warning for the day. Accordingly emails were sent to all the walkers issuing dress and fur headwear guidelines. We weren’t taking any chances of hypothermia. As George Formby said “There's no sense in shivering until you start to freeze. What's the use of quivering and shaking at the knees”?
Our walk started at The Boat, Northamptonshire’s longest serving real ale house, long renowned for serving the best beers. This may be why it was also such a popular refuge for many of the Alternative rallyists in 2013, I couldn't possibly comment... This was a HoE event and our regular walkers Barry, Pam, Simon, Tripta, Susi and I were there, very pleased to be joined by Oxford section. Actually, with two Brians, Eric, John, Derrick, Mike and their ladies, they outnumbered us! Once gathered, we set off for our first stop, the local blacksmith. Bob the blacksmith is a bit of a character and gave us a short tour of his forge and some technical talk. We moved on as soon as Florrie and Lynn had got toasty!
The going was muddy so we kept a gentle pace, just enough, we thought, to keep us warm. It was only when the walkers reached the top of one of the hills and, red faced and panting, started pulling their clothes off that I thought BBC Weather may have over-egged how cold it was going to be….. Although the temperature was just above freezing the wind was in fact light so we were all cosy in our layers.
Just two hours and 3.6 miles after starting, recorded and warranted by Brian , we rolled into The Boat’s car park to de-tog and head into the bar where the gorgeous Susi had thoughtfully reserved a table for the sixteen diners. What a pleasure to find Mike and Sheila waiting for us. Even better when she gave me a ‘hello’ kiss on each cheek. Mike is a lucky chap! I have always considered that Heart of England has the most beautiful ladies in the club but looking at Sue, Florrie, Lynn and Sheila I think they may have some competition! Sadly Susi had to miss the meal as grandson duties called. Naturally, I would have left with her but club duty is strong. The pint of Ringwood best bitter kindly offered by John had no bearing on it whatsoever...
A lunch of good food and excellent gossip ensued before it was time to wend our way home. A lovely day was had and as George would say, “Eeeh, it turned out nice again”!
Our walk started at The Boat, Northamptonshire’s longest serving real ale house, long renowned for serving the best beers. This may be why it was also such a popular refuge for many of the Alternative rallyists in 2013, I couldn't possibly comment... This was a HoE event and our regular walkers Barry, Pam, Simon, Tripta, Susi and I were there, very pleased to be joined by Oxford section. Actually, with two Brians, Eric, John, Derrick, Mike and their ladies, they outnumbered us! Once gathered, we set off for our first stop, the local blacksmith. Bob the blacksmith is a bit of a character and gave us a short tour of his forge and some technical talk. We moved on as soon as Florrie and Lynn had got toasty!
The going was muddy so we kept a gentle pace, just enough, we thought, to keep us warm. It was only when the walkers reached the top of one of the hills and, red faced and panting, started pulling their clothes off that I thought BBC Weather may have over-egged how cold it was going to be….. Although the temperature was just above freezing the wind was in fact light so we were all cosy in our layers.
Just two hours and 3.6 miles after starting, recorded and warranted by Brian , we rolled into The Boat’s car park to de-tog and head into the bar where the gorgeous Susi had thoughtfully reserved a table for the sixteen diners. What a pleasure to find Mike and Sheila waiting for us. Even better when she gave me a ‘hello’ kiss on each cheek. Mike is a lucky chap! I have always considered that Heart of England has the most beautiful ladies in the club but looking at Sue, Florrie, Lynn and Sheila I think they may have some competition! Sadly Susi had to miss the meal as grandson duties called. Naturally, I would have left with her but club duty is strong. The pint of Ringwood best bitter kindly offered by John had no bearing on it whatsoever...
A lunch of good food and excellent gossip ensued before it was time to wend our way home. A lovely day was had and as George would say, “Eeeh, it turned out nice again”!