Fancy a nice day out in Chester?

The first GoldWing Light Parade was held in Blackpool and over a period of several years developed into a standard format involving a seaside resort, a daytime static display, inexpensive accommodation which could also serve as a social gathering place, a best lit bike competition and finally the Parade itself, along the promenade and hopefully past lots of admiring spectators.

This formula was copied with only minor variations in Scarborough and, with a few more more variations, last year in Llandudno.  Both of these venues have proved successful, as has a smaller event in Hunstanton in Norfolk, which was the first attempt at a spring-time Light Parade and a smaller resort town.  Blackpool has been abandoned as a venue because the Parade Route became un-rideable but nevertheless the Blackpool model has proved successful and it lives on.

This year at least four GoldWing Light Parades are planned.  Three follow the Blackpool model: Hunstanton in March, Scarborough and Southport in September but a completely different and very promising GoldWing Light Parade is to be held in Chester  in April.

Firstly, and obviously, it’s not taking place in a sea-side resort – although of course Chester is a City which attracts a lot of visitors, so maybe that difference doesn’t count.  On the other hand Chester is a particularly attractive place to visit for the ladies and maybe that does count as significant.

There is inexpensive accommodation available but it’s not actually in Chester (it’s in a 3 Star Hotel about 15 minutes ride away) but that’s not very different because Southport is in a nice Hotel too and Scarborough accommodation is out of town as well.  And there is going to be a Light Parade – which will be escorted by the Police rather than merely tolerated, but that’s not the difference either.  And I guess there will be a a best Lit Bike Competition, with trophies and fleeces provides by Barry WAlton of Appleyards, so not much difference there either.

So what is the difference?  Why all the fuss about this Chester Event being ground-breaking? continues………

For the third year, Members of GoldWings North West and several other GodWing Clubs, including GWOCGB Regions, will be gathering at a Hotel in Leyland, Lancashire, for an evening of fun, food, entertainment and free drinks.

This is very much a non-political, all welcome event at which any Winger, from any club or no club, will be most welcome.

It’s a Dinner Dance and there’s an opportunity for the ladies to dress up if they want to (and the blokes) but posh frocks are not expected or compulsory – especially for the blokes.

Two scrubbed-up Grahams!

The ticket includes drinks and canapes on arrival followed by an all you-can-eat carvery-type buffet with a selection of meats, fish and veggie dishes, folowed by pud and/or cheese with unlimited wine on the tables, a free bar afterwards and a fish & chip supper at 11pm.

Further details are available on the GoldWings North West Website.  You can book directly with the Hotel by ringing  01772 422922, quoting reference GW280112.

Accommodation is also available at the Hotel at a special rate if you will be travelling from afar or want to stay in order to make full use of the free bar.

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Stylish or what!

Following a hugely successful Light Parade in Llandudno this year, the Federation Club’s premier Light Parade moves to Southport for 2012!

A plan was hatched some time ago that GoldWings North West and GoldWings North Wales, the two founding Federation Clubs, would take turns to hold a Light Parade in September to continue the spirit and fun of the Blackpool Light Parade when that could no longer continue and so for 2012 we have another new Light Parade Resort to look forward to experiencing.

Jeff Thornton of GoldWings North West is the Lead Organiser and he confirmed to his Club Meeting last Sunday that all the fundamentals for a great Light Parade Weekend are already in place with a keen and cooperative Town Council, excellent cooperation from Merseyside Police and a cracking venue, the 154 bedroom Prince of Wales Hotel on Lord Street, the Town’s main street, in Southport.

The Light Parade Website will be updated shortly and booking information which has continues………

We have ways of making you donate!

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All credit to Chris Phillips and his Team in GoldWings North Wales for a stunningly successful first ever Llandudno Light Parade.

The sun shines on the righteous and it certainly did in Llandudno this weekend with warm sunshine on Friday, warm and dry all day Saturday and the rain creeping in only as we were all getting ready to set off home.

OK, so the Organisers had the benefit of having seen and experienced both Blackpool and Scarborough Light Parades and that will have helped them quite a bit.  But this was a new town, a new set of options and obstacles and the Organisers did a fantastic job in their planning and execution of a stunningly successful Event.  They have established extremely good relationships in Llandudno and the Town Mayor was positively glowing in his praise.  He had spent most of the day at the Event, travelled by trike in the Parade and had clearly thoroughly enjoyed himself, as had the Chair of the County Council and several other dignitaries.

The size of the crowds on the Promenade during the day and lining the streets were impressive too – encouragingly so for a first time Event.

There were lots of fun aspects, including the chief Organiser Chris Phillips nearly ending up leading the Parade without any trousers but the best thing of all from my viewpoint, was the conspicuously and genuinely friendly atmosphere among the Wingers.  There were Wingers from lots of GWOCGB Regions as well as from other Federation clubs and Wingers who might not have belonged to any club at all and it didn’t matter a jot.  Not a hint of club politics cropped up anywhere as far as I could tell.  We were there as Wingers, joining in and offering to help out as Wingers, simple as that. continues………

The Armed Forces Memorial, otherwise known as The Wall

This coming weekend is set to be exceptionally warm and sunny for most of UK and there are extremely unlikely to be any more of them like this until next riding season, in 2012.

There are at least two GoldWing-specific events, maybe more; Elite Wings have a hotel based riding weekend planned and GoldWings North Wales are organising the Llandudno Light Parade.

These two Events will come together on Saturday because the Elite Wings riding itinerary includes a visit to Llandudno to join in the fun.  The Light Parade takes place on Saturday evening at dusk but there is a full day of meeting, greeting and displaying the bikes to the general public in support of the RNLI – and there’s also a Ride Out arranged for the Sunday morning for those staying overnight.

There’s also the huge and awesome Ride to the Wall this weekend, when bikers gather en masse to show their respects to those members of our Armed Services, which this year is likely to attract over 10,000 bikers, perhaps as many as 15,000, at the National Memorial Arboretum.  Being part of this gathering is a very moving experience.

There are a number of mustering locations for the RTTW which are detailed on their website;  you need to plan to get to one of  these in good time.

It will even be possible to combine the Ride to the Wall with the Llandudno Light Parade since they are only 130 miles apart; you could get to Llandudno in time for the Parade and the subsequent Best Lit Bike Competition and Display if you contrive to get away from the RTTW reasonably promptly after the formalities.

What a way to round off the biking season!

A worthy successor to the Blackpool Light Parade

The Lllandudno Light Parade, which takes place next Saturday, October 1st, is shaping up to be a worthy successor to the famous Blackpool event with a welcoming approach to all Wingers.  There is already a long list of sponsors, including two main traders in GoldWing accessories, Appleyards and Knutsford Motorcycles, both of whom are expected to attend.

The Event Hotel, the Evans Hotel has been fully booked for some time but there are plenty of other hotels in Llandudno where you can stay, from budget to luxury.  There is also a camping site if you’d prefer to camp – tent, camper or caravan, all are welcome.  You will be equally welcome to come to LLandudno just for the day.

The Organisers have made it clear that this is a GoldWing occassion for all Wingers, regardless of club affiliation, so everyone will be welcome.

There will be a static display on Llandudno’s excellent wide Promenade during the afternoon followed, as darkness falls, by the Parade through the Town and then another static display during which the Best Lit Bikes will be judged.  There’s a guided ride out on Sunday to a biker cafe in a scenic place too, starting early enough to let you get home but late enough to enjoy a bit of a lie in as well.

The weather forecast is looking very good and the sociability forecast is excellent – if you’re fed up of club politics and would like to get back to enjoying your Wing in the company of other Wingers, this is the place to be to round off the 2011 Season.  You’ll certainly be safe from club politics here!

Full details are available on the Llandudno GoldWing Light Parade website.

The amazing Red Arrows

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Cloudy, breezy and cool for the early birds but as the day developed, lots more bikes arrived and the flying display got going the sunshine appeared and the temperature rose.

It was an enjoyable day with lots of nice bikes to look at and bikers to chat with – and of course fish & chips and ice cream if you wanted them.

Southport Air Show is an annual event well worth seeking out.  There are lots of places from which to view the flying (at a price) but bike parking was free at the inland end of the Pier where there were also plenty of opportunities to watch the flying from a distance, and plenty of bikers took advantage of this.

Four of us met early and were parked up down the pathway next to the Cafe by the lake by 10 o’clock and although there were twenty or so other bikes already  parked up at the Pierhead above us too, had it not been for some excellent bacon butties we might have decided we were too early.  We had more or less commandeered the parking by the Cafe for GoldWings (it’s amazing how much presence a row of only four GoldWings has) and as more bikes turned up they shied away and parked elsewhere.  Quite right and proper too! continues………

Taking over the Town

This is perhaps a strange way to return this GoldWing Blog to the subject of motorcycling but it just happened that Morzine in the French Alps, where the cycling ride for which I was support car driver ended, is teeming with Harleys.  They have effectively taken over the whole Town for the weekend to hold one of their major European Rallies.  There’s black and orange absolutely everywhere.

I’ve been to Daytona Bike Week several times and this was on a similar scale, there were thousands of bikes and overwhelmingly of course they were Harleys.  The Town resonated to the continuous unmistakable sound of Harley engines and, as at Daytona, often with straight pipe exhausts.  It was quite a din.

The centre of the Town was restricted to bike parking only and every street was lined both sides with bikes side by side against the kerb, and endless and spectacular display of chromed metal and black leather.

On the pavements, stretching for hundreds of yards there were stalls offering all sorts of goods and services which might tempt Harley owners and their ladies. Ina large car park a huge temporary stage had been erected for the Saturday Night Show on which, among many other bands, Status Quo were to continues………

Revived at www.goldwings.org.uk

In what is excellent news for all UK Wingers who enjoy a good weekend and a bit of showing off at the seaside, the Blackpool Light Parade, abandoned after last year because the Council wouldn’t play ball, has risen from the ashes already in Llandudno.

Chris Phillips and his colleagues in GoldWings North Wales are organising an equivalent event in Llandudno on Saturday October 1st this year, with options to stay for the Friday and/or Saturday nights to make a weekend of it.

Llandudno has many advantages over Blackpool for purposes of an event like this – the Promenade is wide and level along its length and the seafront is also much more sheltered than at Blackpool, because it is tucked behind the Great Orme (similar shape, no relation) out of the prevailing winds.

The Organisers are adopting the well-tried combination of an afternoon static display on the Prom, a Best Lit Bike Competition and a Parade around the Town.

Llandudno is a popular resort and even in October there will be plenty of visitors to enjoy the spectacle – as the level of booking already made in the Town for that weekend already show.

So, it a cracking venue, there’s a good hotel deal and plenty of alternative accommodation too, so apart from the Town not having quite the same sort of Illuminations as Blackpool, this changeover is win, win, win for Wingers.

Effectively the event will take over the central part of the Promenade for the afternoon and evening where there will be plenty of room for as many GoldWings as want to come – and for sponsors to set out their stalls to sell GoldWing shiny bits.  The Organisers are very hopeful that at least two of the big dealers in GoldWing Accessories will be attending, probably with others too.

The social side will include entertainment as it to be based at the Evans Hotel, familiar to many Wingers as the venue where Pennine Wings have held an early season gathering for many years.

For the latest details please visit the re-dedicated BLP, now LLP Website at www.goldwings.org.uk

The deadline for entries passed at midnight last night and the winner was drawn from the correct answers this morning.

The winner is David Lockwood who lives in London.

His name and address have been passed on to HondaUK and they will send him the tickets.

Congratulations David and have a great day out.