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?

This Event is being organised by cooperation between GoldWings North Wales, a local GoldWing Club and Chester Lions, established fro over 50 years and part of Lions Clubs International, a service club organisation which supports local communities and communities around the world.  The Wingers will have a great time, day out or weekend, as they choose, and the Lions will collect lots of money for their charity – probably well over £10,000.

Lions Clubs (and similar organisations like Rotary and Round Table) are strong on local contacts and are also usually experienced at organising local events, especially charity events – to a much greater extent than any local or regional GoldWing club is likely to be.  On the other hand GoldWing clubs can muster lots of GoldWings – and we all know how much of an eye-catcher and crowd-puller a display of GoldWings can be – day, night or better still both!

It’s potentially a very powerful combination of resources – as the fund raising expectations for this Event suggests.   It’s also, from a GoldWing Club’s viewpoint, a much easier way to get the opportunity and access to run an event of this type; getting someone else to overcome the considerable logistical problems of planning, organising, getting official approvals for holding and marshaling the event.

The Lions Members will be handling all that side of things, including all aspects of the charity collection, leaving the host GoldWing Club free to concentrate on making sure the Wingers enjoy themselves.  If you work with an organisation like Lions or Rotary, you can be sure that the money collected will be handled with propriety and go to genuinely good causes.

Hotels in Chester are prohibitively expensive and parking would be a nightmare but GoldWings North Wales have struck a terrific deal with a 3 Star Hotel only 15 minutes ride away.  Whether Winger come for the day or make a weekend of it and come rain or shine, it really won’t matter much, this is going to be a really enjoyable and worthwhile Event.

Chester is of course a very attractive City to visit and its medieval streets and attractive range of buildings, eateries and shops make it a very appealing place for a group of Wingers to park up and spend a day.  No risk of the ladies havig to shelter from wind and rain in a seaside shelter in Chester; it’s the sort of place where you can enjoy a nice day in any weather.

The additional option to ride through the same lovely, crowd-lined streets after dusk showing off your bike’s display lighting is pretty appealing too.  No question of being stopped by the Police from using your lights on this Parade; Chester Lions have got the Mayor, the Council, the local Police and everybody else who matters involved and supportive.  The Police are even escorting the Parade along its whole route, about four miles, which has been unheard of cooperation in other parts of the Country for several years.

Apparently the medieval buildings, some of which overhang, will not be able to cope with a goldWings horns or sound system at full blast (or certainly lots of them) so you might be asked to tone that side of things down a bit but otherwise it should be an excellent opportunity to show off to appreciative spectators.  Even if you are not usually into Light Parades or static displays and do’t have extra lighting on your GoldWing it doesn’t matter and you will still be welcome.  This really is an exceptional opportunity to enjoy a great time in a lovely place and mingle with other friendly Wingers.

This informal reltionship with Lions (or it could be Rotary etc) could turn out to be a new and very attractive model which lots of other GoldWing Clubs and Regions could take up in their local area – raising huge sums for charity lots of fun for Wingers, fulfilling the visionary idea which Bob Summers, the Winger who started off GoldWing Light Parades ten years ago, that Light Parades shoud be held all over the Country.

For more information about Chester and Southport Parades visit the GoldWing Light Parade Website – Spring and Autumn, these are both going to be Events which Wingers should make sure they don’t miss.  All Wingers are welcome, all GoldWing Clubs and their badges, banners and flags will be equally welcome and all proceeds, every penny, will go to charity. There is virtually no limit to the number of GoldWings which can be accommodated in Chester, although of course there is a limit (and a booking deadline for the cheap deal) for the Event Hotel.

If you would like to see the 2012 riding season starting with all UK Wingers getting back on terms and enjoying a worthwhile event together as friends, turning up to enjoy the Chester Light Parade, whether for the day or the weekend, might well be the way to get it all going.

Postscript

I have been asked to clarify that this Event is being organised almost entirely by Chester Lions who are also handling all sponsorship arrangements and the charity collection.  Dave Turvey and Dave Crawley are handling the GoldWing liaison and the facilities for Wingers, such as the Hotel, which is the one where they meet as members of GoldWings North Wales.  Dave Crawley is also a member of Merseyside and Cheshire Wings and has sought the support of GWOCGB for this Event, which open to all Wingers, any club or no club.  GWOCGB have however decided that since their own AGM is on the same weekend they will not support it.

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.

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 already been released to GoldWings North West Members will be available on the Website as soon as possible.  All Wingers are welcome, regardless of club or other affiliation and there are no extra charges for non-Members of the host Club. This is an Event for all Wingers and you can book your family into the Hotel too for the weekend if you wish, there are no restrictions.

You will however need to quote the Booking Code to get the special deal and this will be posted on the Website together with the contact details as soon as practicable.

The Accommodation Package which Jeff has secured is very attractive at only £155 per double room for two nights dinner bed and breakfast and just half of that rate for singles, so there no single supplement at all.  You can stay for one night only if you wish.  No deposit is required, you will secure your reservation with credit card details but no money will be taken until you arrive.  There’s no cut off date for the special rates and there are no cancellation charges either as long as you cancel more than 48 hours before you are due to arrive, so this by far is the best accommodation deal we’ve ever had.  Oh, and there is secure bike parking at the Hotel and the beer is cheap too!

There will be the usual Best Lit Bike Competition, a daytime static display with a Charity Collection and a Parade Route has already been agreed with the Council and Police, who will be providing an escort.

Southport is a lovely Victorian Seaside Resort which enjoys an open and spacious layout with extensive gardens as well as promenades, which lends itself well to an Event of this type.  As well as the usual high street stores there is a particularly attractive range of independent shops along the length of Lord Street, on which the Prince of Wales Hotel is also located.  There is a campsite fairly close to Southport for those who prefer to camp and details will be on the Website.

Jeff, himself an experienced businessman, has a pair of deputies (Pete Rodgers and Bill Squires) who have already been involved in his preparation work and a ready source of volunteers – and of course access to help and advice from organisers of previous events, so it’s looking like Southport will be every bit as successful as past Light Parades.

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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.

"Are you the real thing or a Kissogram?" he said, puckering up .....

For example quite by chance I did a spell as Marshall at the Promenade entrance with a Winger who turned out to be Member of Keltic Wings and we got on famously, the leg-pulling was underway in no time – and we also soon discovered a mutual appreciation of young ladies in figure-hugging summer dresses as they strolled by.  Much more important stuff than club politics.

"I've been a Lord Mayor myself you know ....."

Llandudno’s Promenade is unusually wide and level (like a wide main road) and very, very long, so it has an almost infinite capacity to absorb GoldWings.  The parking scheme had been cleverly thought out to exploit this width so the bikes were parked in two rows with plenty of space, so the public had plenty of room to stroll among the bikes to admire them – which they did in their many hundreds, possibly thousands.

The Llandudno Offshore Life Boat had been positioned on its massive launching trolley at one end of what became the GoldWing display line but this took nothing away from the prominence of Barry Walton’s temporary Appleyards Stand which he cleverly positioned nearby.  Some ancient By Law had imposed a last minute embargo on selling of any kind on the Promenade so Barry had very sensibly switched into PR mode and did a fine job serving Proper Yorkshire Tea from his van – using proper Yorkshire water which he had brought with him.  He’d left the shiny bits at home in favour of bringing a couple of trikes to display, which although they couldn’t be sold because of the By Law, just happened to be bearing their price tags. (This is one of the things the Mayor has offered to fix for next year, so there wil be shiny bits next time.)

Cracking Event Grommit - over £2,700 raised for the RNLI

Barry found himself getting roped into troubleshooting consultations and even ad hoc repairs to GoldWings, valuation consultations and all sorts of activities, as his many Winger friends as well as customers took advantage of his presence.  By the end of the evening as he raised his first well earned pint to his lips at the Hotel, the normally unstoppably energetic Barry looked and admitted to being absolutely knackered!  For some mysterious reason Knutsford Motorcycles failed to show up, which I suspect they might regret.  Shiny bit selling might have been off the menu this year but it was certainly a very worthwhile opportunity to do some customer relationship building, which adaptable Barry exploited to the full.  (I’ve since learned that the Knustford Motorcycles attendance was prevented by last minute force majeure; they’ll be there next time.)

Posing in comfort and with style!

It was a day full of friendly chat with the endless flow of public past the bikes during the afternoon static display, not least of course the usual quota of elderly widows wanting to tell you about the fun she had with her late husband when they were young on their Ariel Square Four.  Great fun to chat with nice people in the warm, still afternoon.

The usual questions about how much the bikes cost were flowing too and when one of a pair of elderly ladies asked me if they cost the same as a house, I happened to be standing next to someone’s trike.  “It depends on the house I suppose love” says I, before explaining that a new trike with some accessories would be getting on for £40,000.  She was taken aback by this revelation so I said “Do you want to buy it then, it’s for sale?”  “Oh I can’t afford that sort of money” she said.  “I’ll take payment in kind” says I, trying to clinch the sale, at which point she dissolved into laughter and calls her companion back to brag about the best offer she’s had in years.  More ominously she also reached for her purse so I decided discretion was the better part of valour and scarpered.  If the owner of a blue GL1500 trike subsequently got berated by a pair of old ladies trying to take possession I’m afraid it was my fault.

Off home to the Lifeboat House after a day on display

The Llandudno Lifeboat is a really impressive piece of kit and I spent quite a while just staring at the sheer toughness of its construction and trying to work out how the launch and recovery system works.  Towards the end of the afternoon some of the crew members turned up, ready to move it back into the Lifeboat House, so I had the opportunity to ask questions.

Marshalling provided opportunities to enjoy the stunning scenery

They have had eight call outs this year so far and lots more for the inshore lifeboat which RNLI also operate from Llandudno.  The launch is achieved by reversing the trolley into the sea down the concrete launching ramp on which it was being displayed for the afternoon.  Having got the boat more or less into the water on the trolley the tractor is then detached and drives back up the ramp hauling on a pair of very big ropes which lead around pulleys on the back of the trolley to drag the boat off into the water.  It all sounded very muscular and since the Lifeboat is a big one I suppose it has to be.

The recovery is even more brutal because they simply drive the Lifeboat at the concrete ramp doing 8 or 9 knots to run it ashore, so that must happen with quite a bang.  They then use the tractor to drag it further up the ramp, drag it around to face down again, then heave it back up on to the trolley again.  No wonder the tractor unit looks to be such a powerful thing.  The combined weight of the tractor, trolley and Lifeboat is 40 tons.  They do this launch and recovery sequence as a training exercise once per fortnight so I’m hoping the Light Parade Organisers will ask them to do their practice launch during the GoldWing display next year.  Maybe they can persuade Prince William to show off his big yellow helicopter from nearby RAF Valley next year too!

"Ah but my Durango Red is shinier than yours ..."

Five of us from Lancashire had ridden down to Llandudno together on Friday and Frank Goodman, who was leading on his Durango Red GL1800, came in for a bit of stick on the CB.  Frank’s bike is that nice red colour of 2003-04 which in UK is called Candy Red but in the US market precisely the same colour is known as Durango Red.  Frank’s bike is a US spec and he insisted on the proper name for his bike’s colour when he got it, which earned him the nick name of The Durango Kid.  Unfortunately for Frank a very similar colour is popular for mobility scooters, so as we rode along the coast road towards Llandudno passing through Prestatyn and Rhyl, someone commented about this on the CB – which led to an ad hoc I Spy competition to see how many more we could spot in his colour – which turned out to be around 70% of them.

On the Saturday afternoon Frank was polishing his bike on the Promenade as I approached with one of the local Community Support Officers in tow, who happened to be an attractive young lady I’d persuaded to allow Frank to polish her handcuffs for a photo.  In the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the occasion she went along with this no bother and when I suggested that she should try them on him for size, Frank promptly stuck out his wrists and on they went.

Ted & Vacancy?

At this point Frank took what seemed to me to be a very big risk by asking her whether she was a real PCSO or a Kissogram, puckering up as he did so.  The risk wasn’t from the PCSO I should add, because she conducted herself impeccably throughout but from Frank’s wife Judy, whom presumably he’d forgotten was standing right behind him.

Could this be why?

It was a joyously entertaining and amusing day as lots of happy people mingled around the bikes.  The money was pouring into the RNLI buckets in this spirit of bonhomie – the bucket collection which was organised, by the way, by one of several GWOCGB Regional Reps who were attending or involved with the Event, did extremely well.  As I have mentioned, it was Wingers gathering to enjoy themselves showing off their bikes and collecting for a deserving charity, not a hint of club politics at all.

Then I spotted yet another Durango Red mobility scooter.  The owner/rider was an elderly gentleman accompanied by his wife and he was more than keen to enter into the friendly spirit of the occasion by riding over to park next to Frank’s bike for a photograph.  Frank wasn’t at all keen on this idea and even less keen to swap vehicles for the photograph, knowing full well where the photo would be likely to appear.  Eventually, after having his leg pulled about his reluctance in front of a rapidly growing crowd of spectators, he relented.  Having made him famous for posing with endless dolly birds when we were wandering around the Northwich Thundersprint together,  and got him into hot water with his wife for looking like he was enjoying himself too much while doing so, I felt his image needed updating.

With petrol keep going up what else can you do?

The bikes stayed on the Promenade while we had our evening meal then we all lined up to ride the Parade, or at least lots of us did.  I had been roped in to ride close to the front, just behind the VIP trike fleet, to act as a communications link.  This was because Chris, the main Organiser who would lead the Parade, didn’t  have CB on his bike and would be using a hand-held CB which on testing seemed to have only a short range.  Nigel would be Tail End Charlie and wanted to be able to talk to Chris, so the plan was that I would ride fairly close behind Chris and Bill Squires would be somewhere near half way, so we could relay messages if necessary.  I was briefed to expect Chris to contact me before the off, to ensure we got on the same channel.

Unfortunately with only 20 minutes to go before the off and the bikes all lined up, there was no sign of Chris and no one knew where he was.  His mobile phone wasn’t being answered either.  With little more than 5 minutes to go he appeared and we were able to do the necessary but it was a close thing.  It turned out that Chris, who lives in Llandudno, had grabbed the opportunity to nip home in his car to drop off some surplus stuff and collect his riding gear – only to realise half way back to the Promenade that he had forgotten his riding trousers.  Back he went to get them and just in time he made it.

Get them interested and involved when they're young, eh?

The general consensus when this story came out was that it would have been low risk and better spectator value if he had led the Parade without trousers.  Quite why he was driving his car without trousers has yet to be explained.  Perhaps its a Welsh thing.

The Parade went like clockwork and the crowds were far bigger than expected for a first time Event.  There had been some advance publicising of the Parade to the public but not all that much.  It was a very, very successful first time Parade and the Police, who had shown reluctance to get involved in any official way during the planning process, were actually quite helpful on the night.

A smiling reception for all Wingers

There were Wingers who came for the Event from Ireland, Bristol and Lincolnshire and probably other relatively far away parts of the Country too.  There were 137 registrations during the afternoon and a small child under the supervision of one of the marshals counted 102 bikes taking part in the Parade, a figure which will be confirmed once the video is scrutinised.  The provisional figure for the RNLI collection is £2,700, which is also extremely good and far above expectations.  Despite the rain starting after breakfast on Sunday 23 bikes still took part in the ride out.

All in all this first Llandudno Light Parade was a great success and its Organisers have done wonders.  It was also a great credit to all the Wingers who attended for being a genuinely friendly and happy occasion which is an example to all UK Wingers of the sort of thing which we can get back to enjoying together if we choose to do so.

Nice place, nice bikes, nice people

Wingers are already posting comments and links, including to videos of the Parade on the GoldWing Riders Forum.

There are lots more photos of the Event to see on the Llandudno Light Parade Website

Nigel handed his camera to Ed for the day

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!

Early birds in pole position

Pristine MV Agusta

It was one of those days when bikers were mingling as bikers and which bike you were on and which club you did or didn’t belong to simply didn’t matter.  As more GoldWings arrived they lined up with us and other bikes which had come with them joined in too.   The Pierhead area was soon looking full of bikes yet more and more kept coming, squeezing in somewhere.

Bikers had definitely taken over this part of Southport – with no sign of an objecting officials.  Southport, unlike Blackpool, makes bikers welcome.

Bill had eaten his sandwich lunch on arrival, as he usually does, and he was itching for fish & chip s come noon but fortunately the flying display started to distract his attention from food.

Lancaster and friends

Round & round, nose to nose

Three blue propeller-driven monoplanes (don’t know what they were) were doing some very impressive formation aerobatics including very convincing attempts to rip themselves apart in mid-air, so it was pretty rivetting stuff.

Not long afterwards the RAF Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber arrived, escorted, one on each wing tip, by a Hurricane and a Spitfire.  They appeared from inland, flying in low and more or less over our heads which was quite an experience.  The fighter then gave a dog-fight type display and then the Lancaster re-appeared to take its turn doing some wonderful climbing turns.  It was a magical ten minutes or so.

Hurricane & Spitfire

The Lancaster, WW2 heavy bomber

There were many other aircraft displaying too – a continuous programme for three or four hours in fact – but not being an aircraft anorak I picked out the highlights, the next of which turned out to be  the Red Arrows.

There was a fair bit of cloud at about 2-3,00 feet, which probably cramped their style a bit but they were nevertheless, by any standards, quite magnificent.

They do a combination of tight formation flying with as many as nine aircraft manoeuvering as one, and some really spectacular routines in smaller groups, involving all sorts of flaring, swooping, place-swapping and cross-overs which are simply astonishing.

Out-chroming the Harleys, an F6C

An immaculate 1970s Triumph Trident also outshining a Harley

In contrast with their high speed jet display, which happens in rapid burst of action separated by pauses during which the aircraft are re-forming somewhere in the far distance before coming in again, the arrival of the Fleet Air Arm’s  Swordfish biplane was an almost agonisingly slow affair, making you wonder how anyone could ever have had the courage to fly into a barrage of gunfire from a ship like the Bismark to press home a torpedo attack.

The Swordfish was accompanied by two Lynx helicopters which then did their own impressive display, involving seemingly impossible synchronised manoeuvres and then the helicopter equivalent of dancing toe to toe.  Imagine the precision and nerve required to hover a helicopter face to face with another one with the rotor discs almost touching, then rotating the pair as one through a full circle.  These guys are good, very good.

Decorative Bike Park - which soon filled up completely

And over here we have more elephants ...

So this turned out to be an excellent day out – and well worthy sacrificing a day riding the bike in favour of riding somewhere and then parking it up.

Top marks to Southport for being biker-friendly but Bill has to report that the fish and chips weren’t wonderful.

For the best of those you might like to go to Scarborough on September 10th, where there should be quite a few GoldWings will be gathering for a Light Parade in aid of the RNLI,  or Llandudno on October 1st, for another opportunity, a revival and relocation of the famous Blackpool Light Parade when GoldWing will adorn the long, wide Promenade for the afternoon and evening and GoldWing traders will also be present in force.

The next big event on the UK GoldWing calendar also happens to take place near Southport over the weekend of August 6th and 7th at the Woodvale Rally, where as well as a display of GoldWings (and perhaps even a display of GoldWing Drill Team Riding) you can see a wide range of aircraft and vehicles, with all-day flying displays of model aircraft and some motorcycle stunt riding too.

A sinister-looking (but immaculate) Yamaha R1

Eye-catching Ninja

Over the August Bank Holiday Weekend the annual British Treffen, GWOCGB’s annual camping rally which is being held on  a Showground Site on Anglesey.  No need to pre-book if you’ll be camping in a tent and there’ll be an indoor bar and entertainment even if it does rain and/or blow a gale.

Nigel Mackintosh was clicking away as usual and you can see his pictures of the Wingers who were there on the GoldWings North Wales website.

Sporty Boxer

]]> http://www.gl1800.org.uk/goldwing-events/southport-air-show-a-real-spectacle/feed/ 2 http://www.gl1800.org.uk/goldwing-events/harley-days-at-morzine-how-the-other-half-live-when-they-get-together/ http://www.gl1800.org.uk/goldwing-events/harley-days-at-morzine-how-the-other-half-live-when-they-get-together/#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:58:31 +0000 Stuart http://www.gl1800.org.uk/?p=7162

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 perform.

Side by side in harmony?

The logistics were on an industrial scale with rows of generators and other equipment.  The organisation of this Event must be a massive activity.

Fireman Sameul's bike?

Yet it wasn’t obvious how the whole thing was financed; the streets were still open to the public, as was the car park where the Show took place, so there was no attempt to fence anything off, other than equipment for safety reasons, and the public were free to wander in and out just as all the Harley people were.  It was very much an inclusive affair; the Harley people were in Town to enjoy themselves and they were quite happy for others to mingle with them too.

No denying it's got style

Plenty of yellow

Among the parked bikes I saw half a dozen or so GoldWings and a wide variety of other bikes too.   All were clearly welcome.  One brave man was strolling around wearing a GoldWing T Shirt but attracted no particular attention except from me, when I asked his to pose for a photo.  I explained that I too rode a GoldWing and we were instant buddies, although the conversation didn’t amount to much or last very long; just a handshake and a smile but it cheered me up.

Collectable Honda

Tucked away discretely ...

The riders were predominantly French but there were also lots and lots of Swiss and doubtless many other nations too.  Many of the Harley riders, but by no means all, wore their Harley Owners Group (HOG) leather vests bearing the badge and banner of their Chapter – always with the names embroidered in English, even the French ones.

As I had approached Morzine in the Support Car the previous day I had passed or been passed by many groups of Harley riders, so they were getting about on their bikes as well as parking them up and enjoyi8ng the social side of things.

Banners all over Town

Traders a plenty

I was staying with my daughter in a chalet on what turned out, thankfully, to be the quiet side of town but even along the side road where we were staying most of the chalets and all the hotels and shops were sporting Harley Davidson banners.  Morzine had definitely become a Harley Town for the weekend.

I thoroughly enjoyed my couple of hours or so strolling through the Town looking at and photographing the bikes.  Say what you like about Harleys but they can cut a stylish dash.  There were several really impressive custom bikes.

Big Stage for the Saturday Show

No shortage of chrome

In contrast the GoldWings were all standard bikes and frankly they looked a bit dull in comparison, even the pair of shiny GL1800s I spotted were just standard bikes, entirely bereft of bling.  This was very much a Harley display.

I didn’t see the Parade but even from the quiet side of Town of course I heard it.  The rumble of engines and the sounds of sirens and horns shook the whole valley.  One Harley which caught my eye was painted in bright red Fire Department livery, American style, so I expect he would have quite a sound system to make his presence heard.

Stylish four wheels

Style over comfort?

As we walked through the Town to a restaurant after dusk the streets were still lined with bikes, although not the same ones; there was a constant coming and going of bikes.  I suppose some of the riders will have been staying outside Town.  Morzine has a core resident population of only 3,200 and in low season it reverts briefly to the role of a farming village.  But the population swells to over 100,000 at the height of the skiing season and in Summer to over 60,000; there are an awful lots of hotels and apartment buildings as well as chalets for rental.  It’s not impossible that the Town hosted all the Harley riders, even though there were said to be 20-30,000 bikes attending the weekend in all.

No two quite alike

It was a lovely sunny day yesterday but this morning, the last day of their Weekend, it’s raining continuously and hard and the forecast is poor all day.

I’m afraid they’re likely to have to face a very damp ride home as well as a hangover after last night’s partying.

I saw no sign of trouble of any kind, there were very few police around and indeed I didn’t see any at all during my stroll – although I dare say they helped with the flow of the Parade.

As far as I could see it was a very well behaved as well as a very well planned and organised Event.

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 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.