Not all red bikes, just lots of 'em!
Click on any picture for a full size view.
Nigel and I haven’t been away with Elite Wings for quite some time (last year was a bit of a write-off due to the building works and Nigel being in and out of hospital!) so we decided we’d join them down in South Wales last weekend.
Nigel and I set off on Friday in the sunshine and he’d very kindly researched the route and planned several stops at craft supply shops he’d found on the Internet. A lot of these were no longer in business but the thought was there and I always appreciate the fact that he’s willing to stop at such places (not very willing to let me buy stuff though!).
We arrived at the Hilton Hotel Newport around 5pm to find Mark and Pam in the bar (where else!) – haven’t seen them for a few years, but always remember the ‘exhilarating’ (for that, read buttock-clenching) ride we had following them and Alan & Linda through some wonderful twisty roads at rather a rapid pace! I don’t usually hang on to the handles but I did that day.
Welsh rain is just as wet as the English stuff
Anyhow, we checked into our room which looked nice enough but that could have been because the only light in there was provided by a single wall lamp with a 40w bulb. So, after another lamp had been brought to us, we could see that the room was in fact very nice. We had two king-sized beds, tv, kettle etc. but the bathroom was very ‘tired’ and in need of a re-fit. Still, we only were staying two nights so it was fine.
A certain amount of eating had to be done
We met everyone in the bar, renewed old acquaintances, met new Wingers – including a very bubbly blonde called Aly, who Nigel immediately took a shine to (of course!) – and enjoyed a nice meal before retiring to the lounge and then to bed.
The next morning there was a planned ride to Big Pit and further, but when we awoke it was pouring down – so we ate breakfast and dithered about what to do with our day. By the time we’d gone back to the room and cleaned our teeth, the sun was shining so we quickly mounted the bikes and set off before it could start raining again.
A certain amount of fiddling with bikes was of course compulsory
All 12 bikes and couples who were staying at the hotel went on the ride – and what a lot of lovely red bikes there were. We were led by Aly & Jim (the locals) and followed-up by their friend on his 1800 and had a lovely ride through the lowering clouds to Big Pit where it was grey and wet (just like last time we were there actually!). Nigel & I left the party there ‘cos we’d been down the mine before and we went into Abergavenny where the town put on a parade with marching bands and floats just for us! We parked our Wing amongst a load of Harleys – most of the riders were friendly enough and didn’t mind being parked by the nicest bike in the car park.
Dawn enjoys a joke but Mark seems more interested in the bikes
We had a wander through the town, watched the parade a bit, had a snack and then went back to the car park to find three other Wings had arrived. Some of our party had got fed up of waiting for their turn to go down the pit (seems there were hundreds of children there) and so had ridden down to see if it was livelier in town. Derek Cumbers set about taking his bike apart to see if he could fix an audio problem – he was ably assisted by Nigel, Rob and Richard while we girls sat and chatted. We failed to contact the other group – that could have something to do with the fact that Roy’s mobile was in his hotel room and not in his pocket! – so Nigel led this smaller group on towards Tintern Abbey which was the next planned destination.
Plenty of room for posing to other bikers
It was a lovely ride through some beautiful countryside and we found everyone else enjoying a cuppa and some outdoor entertainment when we arrived at Tintern – though I’m told the singer was churning out some real dirges and Celia was about to slit her wrists! Rain stopped play soon after we arrived – the heavens opened, the sky turned black and those who’d been there a while mounted up and rode back to Newport through torrential rain. The sensible ones of us waited around until we got thrown out of the place (why *does* a tourist spot close at 5pm on a Saturday in July?) and after forcing ourselves back into our ‘boil in the bags’ (that seems to be the Elite term for waterproofs) we went back to the hotel in much gentler, but still persistent, rain.
Who's got a special number plate then?
Dinner that evening was a self-service carvery and for once Nigel wasn’t first to the food – I think it’s a point of honour with him to be first at every buffet we go to – ‘cos Jim actually beat him to it. It was all very nice and plentiful, can’t complain at all about the evening meals but breakfast seems to be beyond the capabilities of the chefs there. Pale bacon stuck together in a dish; sausages brown on one side, pale on the other and a bit too pink inside for my liking; eggs fried in two inches of oil…. yuck. Still, the good company and the nice biking makes up for such deficiencies.
After check-out, we loaded the bikes and a few of us followed Aly & Jim again back to Abergavenny where we parked in the bus station which, every Sunday, is taken over by motorbikes. There weren’t as many there as we’d been led to believe but Aly assured us that there’s usually hundreds of them – maybe they all arrived after we’d gone. It was warm and dry and a good place to have a final chat and say our goodbyes. People set off to go in many different directions and we left at last to head home. We had considered stopping at Aberystwyth for a break but unfortunately Nigel’s back had spasmed painfully whilst he was…….well, doing nothing really, but it was twingeing now and again and he didn’t fancy getting on and off the bike too many times in case it ‘went’ completely. So, we rode straight home without stopping, and luckily his back is OK now.
Personally, I’d forgotten what a nice bunch of people the Elite Wingers are! We met some old friends and made some new ones – just what the club is all about. I still don’t like the name ‘Elite’ but I certainly do like the people in the club and am all gung-ho about going away with them again ASAP. As usual, Nigel took one or two photos of the weekend, a selection of which are included with this Article, therest can be viewed on the GoldWings North Wales website.
Joanna
Elite Wings is a Touring Club for solo GoldWings. The Club runs a number of UK and European hotel-based tours each year and there is usually also a Christmas gathering. It’s entirely internet based and their website is here.