Security equipment was more than adequate

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR AN ENLARGEMENT

The cost and practical difficulties of mounting a large scale, single club rally are very considerable; large rallies are volunteer intensive and, if you hire big marquees, big stages and big bands, very costly to mount – so much so that they are becoming difficult for any bike club (except something as big as the BMF) to mount on a financially viable basis.

It is of course particularly important for a GoldWing club which wants to stay national in its spread to try to find some way of gathering nationally at least once per year but with membership falling is it going to continue to be realistic to mount a large rally-type event on a single club basis, especially when there are so many other events which Wingers can attend as a group where everything (far more than any bike club could afford) is laid on and is less costly to attend and carries zero financial risk to their club?

This question came to mind again this past weekend when I was enjoying, with GoldWings North West and other Wingers, flying the Federation banner, the annual Woodvale International Rally near Southport.  This is a well established and very large Event which was originally a model aircraft flying meet but which has expanded over the 39 years it has been running to encompass displays of almost every type of vehicle and mechanical hobby you can imagine, including of course lots of motorcycles.

Plenty of room to display

There were also an enormous number of trader stands including  (in a dozen or more large marquees and acres of other stalls) two shopping arcades, an enormous variety of other stalls including an auto-jumble area and a car boot sale, a band marquee (running continuously with a selection of music types) and another, separate open bandstand, another wandering band of musicians, a separate childrens entertainment stage, a range of children’s rides and a separate, full scale adult Fairground complete with dodgems.  And of course extensive catering and bar facilities; there must have been at least twenty burger-type vans and at least the same number of ice creams vans as well as a selection of others, including a traditional Tea Tent.

Unusually conpicous, even for a Harley

Local bike clubs out in force

GoldWings North West’s display area wasn’t huge (less than half an acre) but over the weekend it filled up with forty or so GoldWings (I forgot to count) including some from a GWOCGB Region and others from a GWOCGB non-Region were cheerfully accommodated.  There were several other motorcycle club display areas too including, right next to us, one showing ex-military Armstrong bikes and an ex-military Harley Davidson painted (in support of Help for heroes) in shocking pink.   I spotted some very interesting vintage bikes too including Vincents, HRDs and various racing bikes and an ex-police Triumph complete with wanabe rider dressed in period police uniform.  (He was itching for a chance to do his stuff so we let him lead our impromptu Light Parade.)

Big Boys Toys

Flies like a bird

It was worth going to this event just to see the motorcycles but there was lots more.  The Ferrari Club displayed eight or nine cars, the Lotus Seven Club had twenty or so, there were lots of other car clubs and cars, all of exceptionally high standard, and enough military vehicles (and a helicopter) to start a small war – which they did, at 5pm promptly on both days, when the model aircraft simulated a battle in the skies while ground forces engaged below.

Difficult to accept they were models

This really is a model

The model aircraft were impressive too and Woodvale clearly attracts the best both of accurate scale models and skilled aerobatic pilots.  There were lots of jets as well as propeller driven models and many of them were so large that you really couldn’t tell they were models at all when they were flying.  The Vulcan Bomber was impressive, as was the Lancaster, as was a Boeing 707 in KLM livery.  Lots of Spitfires, of course.

A yellow biplane (looking every bit as big as a real aeroplane) did the most amazing aerobatics, far more intense (and exciting) than a piloted aircraft could manage.  For example the model could do negative G turns which were far tighter and longer lasting that an on-board pilot could tolerate.  There was enough in variety and quantity of exhibits of all sorts, including a big marquee full of working model train layouts, to make it difficult if not impossible to give them all even a cursory inspection, even taking up both days of the Event to do so.

Open 24 hours

Lots for the Ladies

And elsewhere, on a seperate and quieter (our choice) area of this huge airfield site, we had our own spacious camping area where we could enjoy each others company in peace as the need arose.  It was close to one of the runways where, once the day visitors had departed at 5pm each day, we were at liberty to practice slow riding and other skills with laid out cones and, once darkness fell, organise ourselves into a formation to give an impromptu, and very popular, Light Parade.

Our combination of tents, caravans and motorhomes  were permitted to pitch together, the only stipulation being a safety separation of 5m between camping units.  We were at liberty to erect our own communal marquee too if we wished and we could have arranged to have chemical toilets for our exclusive use if we had wanted them.

Lots for children

Recruiting Freemasons

And the cost for the whole weekend, with or without camping, was only £5 per bike.

Effectively we had the opportunity to set up our own Club camping rally and social event (i.e. our own little village) with no restriction on putting up marquees, BBQs or whatever else we wanted to to do, within the context of this huge Event, to which we also had unlimited access and the opportunity to display our bikes and collect for our charity as we did so.

Impressive models, highly skilled flying

Lots of impressive cars

If you can piggy back on to a ready made event infrastructure like this to mount a GoldWing event-within-an-event, why start from scratch?  Watch this space for 2011 if you would like to join in!

Meanwhile GoldWings North West, again under the Federation banner, are trying another new variation on the GoldWing rally theme which in order to distinguish it from wingding or treffen) is being called a “WingFest“.

The essential difference in concept is that this is a low cost camping event (with hotels and B&Bs nearby)  which extends beyond a weekend, so it can be used to take a motorcycling holiday in a nice part of the Country.  Between August 19th and 23rd, camping facilities (tents, caravans, motorhomes, anything) have been arranged at the Kirkby Lonsdale Rugby Club near the Lake District which is a large site in a beautiful location and also in a grand biking area.  It was the successful venue for a BBQ Rally last year and the format is being repeated with new variations.

Spacious camping area

Lots to do

There will be a social evening in the Clubhouse on the Friday evening, a BBQ on the Saturday (free to Members, £5 for guests) and the opportunity to stay on until the Wednesday or even the Thursday if you wish, to make a short holiday of it before travelling South to GWOCGB’s Treffen.

Camping at the WingFest costs only £6 per night per camping unit (any type) and this includes the use of the Clubhouse showers and toilets.  (If you stay in a hotel or B&B you don’t pay for camping.)   All Wingers are welcome and there is no extra charge for non-members except that they have to pay £5 per head for the Saturday evening BBQ, which is completely free for members of any Federation-Affiliated Club.

Friendly neighbours

Not to be tried with a GoldWing

There will be organised ride-outs on most days and plenty of opportunity to socialise and drinks will be at Rugby Club prices (i.e. cheap) and freedom to drink your own if you prefer.  For those who don’t want to camp there are also hotels and B&Bs in the Town, which is only a five minute stroll away.  For further details please visit the Federation or GoldWings North West websites.

Lots more photographs of the Woodvale Rally can be seen (and viewed as a slideshow) on the GoldWings North West website.

I bought it for her, honest!

This extra photo has been added for the benefit of Pete Rodger’s many admirers to confirm that he did enjoy himself at Woodvale in the usual way.

To be fair to Pete, he did share his chips with William the Dalmatian, possibly as many as three of them.  He was very possessive about the sausage but William was nevertheless extremely grateful.