They have a long history of organising such events and feel that a new venture for them to try is a GoldWing Light Parade.

One of the Chester Lions members was present at Llandudno on 1st October 2011 when GoldWings North Wales hosted the Llandudno Light Parade. He was that impressed with the spectacle that he has spread the gospel to the rest of his group and as a result they have approached Dave Crowley and I,  to see if they could organise a ‘Chester Lions Light Parade’.

Dave is not only a member of GoldWings North Wales but is also a member of GWOCGB, being active within the local region.

I must emphasise at this point that the Chester Lions are doing all the organising and have requested our joint assistance only to publicise the event within the GoldWing Community.

A Trike from 2007 BLP

They have sought advice from us on several aspects of the parade which we have tried to respond to as best as we could.

Here are the  details that have been agreed and can publicised.

The event is to be held on Saturday 21st April 2012, starting off with a static daytime display of GoldWings within the historic city centre itself. The Goldwings are to be displayed in up to 3 locations within the pedestrianised zone of the city centre.

The main display will be centred around Bridge Street just by Chester Cross. See the map here for location.

This street has many vehicle bays which will be the display area for the Wings. If this area fills up completely a second display area will be in Eastgate Street, the main shopping street just around the corner from Bridge Street.

If the day is blessed with a very strong turnout of GoldWings (and the Chester Lions really do hope so) a third area for displaying more Wings is just outside the Town Hall.

Bridge Street, Chester Daytime display

The Chester Lions members will be on hand to shake buckets and with assistance from the Wing owners take every opportunity to collect money from the public viewing the display.

Local radio is expected to have outside broadcast facilities present at the static display, as well as press photographers.

The static display concludes at 4pm and the area should be cleared of Wings. Those who have arranged accommodation can return and sort out meals etc, or for those on day visits there are plenty of fine eateries within the City Centre.

The main evening event is the Goldwing  light parade which commences with a muster from 7pm onwards in Castle Square, a large car-park just outside the City Centre which is easy to find. For the map to get there look here

The parade will start at 8.15pm from Castle Square and will have police motorcycle escorts for the whole route.

Old Dee Bridge

The parade route will take in one of the outskirts of Chester, Handbridge, and will then cross over the Old Dee Bridge and travel around Chester City Centre on a short circuit before looping round the outside and back into the centre where is it hoped that the main public display will take place, with the Chester Lions members doing a bucket collection.

Again local radio stations will take a big part in the evening with prize competitions. The Lord Mayor is hoping that someone will allow her to ride on the back of a trike in the parade and that someone will donate a seat to other dignatories and prizewinners.

At the completion of the Parade those owners who wish to take part is the Best Lit Bike competition will remain parked up in the City Centre while judging takes place followed by prize -giving at the same location or nearby.

Due to the small area involved for this competition, those rider not taking part may be asked to park their bikes away from the area in other side streets and walk back for this event.

Castle Square Mustering Point

The whole day has the support of the Police, and the  Council.

It is also apparent that Chester Lions are extremely well organised in making arrangements for such events  including road closures and marshalling various aspect of the event.

As the Lions have asked for our assistance to arrange attendance of Goldwingers Dave Crowley and I have been making enquiries locally for accommodation deals.

To this end we have managed to secure camping on the outskirts of Chester and a hotel near Mold, 8 miles outside Chester but on favourable terms.

The camping ground is the Chester Southerly Camping Park, which is situated just off the A483 and A55 road junction. the rates for those who quote ‘Goldwings Event’ are:- Caravans and Motorhomes with electric 2 adults £17.00 Tents with 2  adults  £12.75,  Tents 1  adult   £10.20.  This is a 15% discount over normal rates. They can be contacted at:

Chester Southerly Touring Park Balderton Lane, Marlston Cum Lache CH4 9LB Tel: 01244 671308  – Visit their website here and view a map of their location here

For those who wish to make use of the hotel deal we have obtained  – The Beaufort Park Hotel at New Brighton, Near Mold have offered excellent discounted rates of £60 per couple per room per night for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast, or £35 per solo per room for the same deal. This deal applies to the Friday and Saturday nights BUT this offer is open to those who book before 28th February as the hotel must release the block-booked rooms after that date. Again, the deal is open to those who quote ‘GoldWings’ when booking.

Llandudno from the Orme

I am pleased to announce that Chris Phillips, Rides Co-ordinator for GoldWings North Wales, has worked diligently to secure the next great venue for a GoldWing Light Parade – Llandudno on the North Wales Coast.

By a carefully and fully considered approach, he has managed to secure the welcome and backing not only from Conwy Council but also from Mostyn Estates, the landowners of the majority of Llandudno, including the North Shore Promenade. The event is intended as a fund-raising event for the RNLI, who have an active Lifeboat Station in the town.

The date was chosen as 1st October 2011 for this display.

Prom and Cenotaph

It is at the end of the season as far as the majority of GoldWing events are concerned. It also is three weeks after the Scarborough Light Parade, hosted by Yorkshire Wings of GWOCGB, and it was a suitable date for the Conwy Council to be happy to back it.

Llandudno has many positive features for holding a Light Parade.

The town is away from main routes across North Wales so as not to cause any traffic issues, but close enough to arterial routes in North Wales to make travel to the resort easy.

The town is compact enough for a light parade to be able to keep together without serious hold-ups associated with other venues, and without the necessity for a road closure.

Goldwings on Llandudno Promenade

The suggested route for the parade through the town centre does not require a large number of marshals to ensure the route is easy to follow.

The event will run from the Friday evening with Saturday seeing a static display of GoldWings on the promenade from 11am to 4.30 pm.

The Evening will start with a muster of GoldWings on the Promenade at about 6.30 followed by the Parade leaving the Promenade at 7pm.

At 7.45 pm the Goldwings will re assemble on the Promenade for a static light display which finishes at 8.45pm.

If the Wing can't get up the Orme there is another way..

Accommodation has been secured at a GoldWing friendly hotel in the town, with nearby secure overnight parking. There is a two night package which has been secured with the hotel for Dinner Bed and Breakfast, with evening entertainment, at a favourable rate.

Negotiations are ongoing to try and secure a camping area for those hardy souls who really do want to camp in October.

For the most up-to-date information please see the Llandudno Light Parade Website

Chris, who is the Event Chairman for the light parade, will be available to deal with enquiries in the near future when all the fine details have been finalised.

My thanks go to Chris for arranging this and being the Event Chairman, and to Nigel for all the work done to ensure the web-site is sorted out quickly.

Dave T

Silly fools about to set out - note the frost

For the past couple of weekends I have been suffering bike riding withdrawal symptoms. This is due to the unusually early snow and freezing weather that we have had here in North Wales (and we had it light compared to other parts of the country).

I was most disappointed that we had to miss the Wirral Toy Run last weekend due to the freezing cold conditions which left the roads in Buckley unsafe for bikes once you were off the main roads.

It was therefore with some relief that I found the ice-sheet outside my front door missing due to the increase of the recent temperature to about 5 or 6 degrees above freezing and the light rain which washed it away.

Car Park filling up

I was therefore determined to get some riding in this weekend before the bad weather returned and stopped my biking activities altogether.

The only organised event locally that I wanted to do this weekend was the Stoke based – Star Biker Toy Run, which Chris, the rides co-ordinator, had made as a club run. I was therefore hoping that the temperature would stay above freezing so that I would be able to get out the bike.

It was possible that I could have used either bike, the Wing or the little BMW F650.

Into the spirit of things - Daz and partner

The little bike would have made sense if the conditions were iffy as the Wing is a big bike to try and handle in slippery conditions. (The BMW is also cheaper to repair if dropped!), but I really wanted to use the Wing for this toy run if I could.

I was keeping my options open and when I woke up early on the Sunday morning, I looked out of the window to see a thick carpet of frost everywhere.

Common sense therefore dictated that the BMW should be used.

I therefore cannot explain why I wheeled out the Wing and started it up.

Vital supplies to warm up again

Don’t get the wrong impression in thinking I don’t like the BMW, I really do and it is usually the first bike out for most solo runs that I do, but – Well, the Wing looks the business on the Toy Run, it wont slow down the others on the run to and from the Toy Run, and it has a big wind-shield to keep the cold air off my cheat and shoulders!

I kitted up and checked the bike over. Good job too, as the front tyre was in need of some air which I duly gave it, before setting off.

I only went to the end of my street before the first doubts hit me with the roads being more than a tad slippery. For some reason or other, I continued with the ride to the meet-up point, The Beaufort Hotel car-park.

At regrouping point

Less than a mile from home I negotiated a 90 degree right hand bend at all of 15 mph only to have the back wheel step out of line on the frozen surface. It was not sufficient to take me down but enough to ensure the buttock muscles had a good workout.

I continue with the crawl towards the Beaufort to see if any of the others were chancing the ride. (It must be a macho thing – “if he can do it, so can I!”).

Knowing that I needed to fuel up I turned into the petrol station just before the meet up point, only to see Nigel there on the new black Wing. My heart sank. Nigel was even more in withdrawal mode than I was, and the chances of the ride going ahead were greater now.

Regroup point again

Fueled up, I headed to the Beaufort where Chris and Amy (well, I thought it was Amy as I couldn’t see into the layers of woollen hat and scarves etc. that covered up the person inside) were waiting. Nigel was a bit ahead of me and rolled to a stop in front of me.

Chris greeted us and was obviously in a chirpy mood and looking forward to the ride. He did admit that the main direct route might be advisable due to the frost on the side-roads and we duly set off with Nigel in the lead and me as tail end charlie.

This is quite normal on our rides for Nigel or me to lead and the other to be tail-end charlie as we usually have CB radio to keep thing going, but with Nigel having a new bike and not finished sorting it yet, he has not fitted the CB radio. This means that our usual mode of communication was not working and we would have to rely of other signs.

Would you buy a used car from any of these?

It went well until we dropped down from Dobshill to Broughton on the A55, when we rode into some fog. It dropped the temperature by a few degrees as well as dropping the visibility. My heart dropped by the same amount. I was more than a little regretting the decision to use the Wing for this trip. In fact, I was also beginning to regret waking up this morning!

A few miles further on I started to feel a bit of a chill around my shoulders and my arms, in particular around my hands. Time to put the heated grips on to warm up the digits.

I noticed that the screen appeared to be getting a bit icy, and the road was looking more than a bit slippery. I began to wait for Nigel or Chris to pullover to call the run off. It was getting a bit cold and scary. They didn’t, so I had to continue with them. (It must be that macho thing – “if he can do it, so can I!” again). It was also time to put the heated seat on.

The Car-park at Kingsway - Including the Judge about to award the best bike????

It remained gloomy all the way to Stoke on Trent and the temperature never rose until we reached the Britannia Stadium, the meeting point for the start of the ride.

At this point Nigel said that he had hoped that Chris or I would have pulled him over on the way down as he was not at all happy in the freezing fog.  If only I had known!

There were a couple of hundred bikes already on the car-park when we arrived, and we were reasonably early. I soon sussed out the loos, then a cuppa and a bacon butty and I began to warm up a bit. The Sun had managed to burst through the fog and burn it off so the temperature was creeping back up again.

It was good to see the efforts that the riders had gone to to decorate the bikes, and a good number of riders had also dressed up for the occasion as, – yes – you’ve guessed it – Santas. Even our friend from the Potteries, Goldwing Daz and his partner, turned up so dressed.

We were then joined by Ian and Val, who had rode directly down the motorway to get here on time, having still being in bed when we set off!.

The ride itself was the usual extremely well organised and marshalled event that Star Bikers have become known for. A circuit of 19 miles where there are hundreds and hundreds of people watching and handing over presents for the riders to take to the donation point at the end of the ride. The roads are closed by the police who then put a marshal on the point to stop traffic. It is one of the best circuits that I know and always a pleasure to take part in.

What it was all about - the toys being donated at the end of the ride

The only incident that I became aware of was one section in one Housing estate where the road was still frozen and there was black ice- at least one bike had gone down and being damaged. It was a very tense few minutes while I moved the bike very slowly forward down the slope,with my feet sliding along the ground without any grip whatsoever to my boots. Having negotiated it, I took several minutes to relax again and I know that Chris was also quite wary and unimpressed with the slippery surface. It later turned out that Nigel, riding quite a few bikes behind us, didn’t even know the road was slippery!.

Eventually the run concluded at the usual place, the Kingsway car-park, where we met up again.

I led the run back and it was a lot warmer than the morning trip so I was more comfortable and was able to maintain a sensible pace to get home.

I’m glad that I did it but next time I really must use the small bike for a trip like this. Having said that I would have been less protected and colder as there is no heated seat on the little bike.

Having thought about it, I would have turned around on the little bike!

Nigel took  the photos again for this ride and they can be seen at Stoke Toy Run

Dave T

It’s that time of year again to head into Manchester with our warmest winter woolies to support the Salvation Army Toy Run.

We will meet at Chester Services for a 0900hrs departure, aiming to arrive at the Showcase Cinema site for 1000hrs.  There will be food available before the ride, and last year the organisers allowed all the wings to park in their own area.

The ride will depart at 1105hrs, terminating at the Trafford Centre where there will be a presentation of the toys and a carol service.

If I have done my homework properly, I am led to believe that this years route will be heading through the city centre, unlike the route last year which was diverted around.

If you know you are coming and intend to meet at Chester Services, could you let me know please so I have an idea of who to expect.  Many thanks.

Hope to see you all there.

All the best,

Chris

Bikes lined up on Prom

Jan and I, together with several other Wingers from Goldwings North Wales made the trip over to the East Coast to visit the Scarborough Light Parade, organised by Yorkshire Wings, a region of GWOCGB.

Two Wings, Nigel’s and mine, left Buckley on the Friday morning bound for Knutsford Honda, where we were meeting Dave and Elaine, who were travelling up from Audlem to meet us there.

Things looked a bit heavy weather-wise and it was soon raining quite heavily, but we continued, and having met up with the ‘Boat People’, we proceeding eastbound via the M6, M62 and M60.

Outside Lifeboat station

Once on the wrong side of the Pennines we headed for Squires Cafe at Sherburn in Elmet where we had a nice break and some lunch, the place being very quiet and we were served quickly with our meals.

Following lunch we set off for the Caravan site at Filey, but following a route Nigel used to take as a kid, many times from his home near Castleford to Filey where they used to have a caravan. This route avoided the main A64 route but was much more scenic and nearly as straight. We travelled quite some distances without encountering more than a handful of cars on several sections, yet on roads that were straight and capable of a comfortable 60 mph between the villages.

Got to be a Yorkie!

Approaching the Filey end of the back roads, we met another GoldWinger travelling in the opposite direction. It turned out to be Neil Crofts who was riding the route for the ride-out for the Sunday.

On arrival at The Blue Dolphin Holiday Park we were greeted by Kevin and Sandra, who had left North Wales after us but had come by the direct route along the main roads.

Following inscription we soon found our caravan, which was nearly as far from the Entertainment Suite as it could possibly be while still being on the same holiday complex. The caravan was well suited to our needs and was clean and tidy. It was quite plush, having 2 loos and a super shower area.

All the comforts of home

The static display for the best lit bike was held on the Friday night, outside the Entertainment Suite. I have to say that the quality of the bikes taking part was very high indeed and I would have found it difficult to make a judgement on best lit bike.

Early Saturday morning saw us looking out of the caravan to a sodden caravan park with the heavens emptying down. It looked like the the day might be a tad wet, but it did clear away and by 9.45 am, it was time for us to make our way to Scarborough and park the Wings up on display.

At the mustering point

This year the marshals took particular care to guide us in tighter into the parking area on the seafront, at an angle and with the rear not overhanging into the road. This was to ensure that the bus drivers could pass the Wings comfortably. I do recall last year that the buses were awfully close to some of the Wings parked up.

The weather was a bit hit and miss during the day but luckily it didn’t seem to affect the numbers viewing the bikes. It was also a good opportunity to meet up with old friends that we don’t see as much now we are independent of GWOCGB. We were made especially welcome by the Yorkshire Wings members.

The Light Parade

Late afternoon we returned to our caravan and made preps for the evening parade, but before we could think of the parade, we need to find somewhere for tea. As part of the preparations for the light parade the organisers had visited local business and had arranged for discount at a few.

We thought we would give one a try and we went into Scarborough to the sea-front just opposite where the Wings had been parked to a Fish and Chip restaurant called the Fish Pan. I can say that it was a very wise decision. The Fish and Chips meals they produced were really superb and well worth the visit. We also noticed that they were producing a good range of desserts but at this time we couldn’t face a dessert after the excellent meal.

Sunday Ride-out to Levisham

We then went off to the parade muster point, which was a new mustering point from previous years. It was closer to the Promenade but was a bit more technically challenging to negotiate and marshal.

The parade itself went off very well, being well marshalled and running at a sensible pace. Comment were passed by some that it was too quick but I found it to be reasonable, especially over the cobbles-stones on the promenade.

It was good to see that the single set of traffic lights on the Promenade were held at green by the marshals, as this could have fractured the parade.

Steam Train approaching Levisham Station

As it was, some impatient car drivers managed to force their way into the parade but fortunately without the serious disruption suffered at Blackpool the previous week, caused by the large number of traffic lights on the route which could not be marshalled.

Following the parade our group returned to The Fish Pan on South Shore where we made a large order for desserts. I have to pass comment on the quality of the service given by the staff who were very helpful and pleasant. The biggest surprise of the evening has to go to the size of the apple pie and custard that Nigel was unable to finish (surely a first in history!).

We returned to the Holiday Park but following the heavy day we missed the entertainment that was laid on at the Entertainment Suite.

Arrival at Oliver's Mount

Sunday morning saw us all ready and prepared for the ride-out arranged by Neil Crofts. This was a circular route to view some steam trains which were crossing over at Levisham Station. We had to be there by a certain time , and we failed but only just. The delay in our arrival was down to a road traffic accident causing a delay whilst on route. Having said that, we remained at Levisham Station for an hour and saw one of the steamers returning and another old train, a Diesel Multiple Unit.

The next part of the route that Neil chose, shall we say, was a bit technically challenging, and required a bit of courage and skill to negotiate in parts. I actually enjoyed the challenge but since have heard that some thought it too hard.

Nigel overfaced with custard!

Later the same day, Neil Crofts led a group of riders to Oliver’s mount, where he took us around the race circuit then gave us a potted history of the circuit. I then came across my first problem with the new bike – the alarm would not deactivate due to the close proximity of the transmitter mast. Eventually I managed to fool the immobiliser to start the engine but with alarm fully sounding, I had to ride a fair way from the mast and down the hill before the alarm could be fully deactivated.

We returned to The Fish Pan for tea again and the quality meals of the previous evening was repeated again, with the same cheerful helpful staff attention. I varied mine with a pie and it was just as good as the Fish meal that they had supplied the previous evening.

Scarborough Sand Sculpture

Monday morning saw us packing and heading for home in some very damp and windy conditions. We again took the back road cross country back to Squires Cafe and both Jan and I enjoyed the more relaxed pace along this road than along the A64, and were able to take in the scenic route that Nigel had chosen.

Following the break at Squires Cafe, Dave and Elaine followed Jan and I back to the motorway, while Nigel and Jo diverted to visit relatives. The motorway journey was a bit of a nightmare with serious side-winds and lashing rain all across the top of the Pennines, so much so that I had to stop at the motorway services north of Manchester to get cramp out of my shoulders.

The remainder of the journey passed off without incident.

The weekend was a complete success to Jan and I and a credit to Yorkshire Wings. We fully intend to return again next year and try and bring more members with us.

Nigel and others were busy with cameras – the results can be seen here

Dave T

Display at South Pier

The first weekend in September was the Blackpool Light Parade weekend.

This year the event was centred around a new venue – The crescent of hotels including the Warwick Hotel between the Squires Gate traffic lights and the Pleasure Beach complex. The Warwick Hotel was the main focus of those booking accommodation but it was by no means exclusive, with many other local hotels being used by some of the visiting wingers.

The move to this new venue was caused by the announcement of the closure of Pontins Holiday Camp the day after we left following the parade held last year.

Employing staff to clean Wings

The new venue, centred on the Warwick Hotel, was a move upmarket from Pontins for Jan and me.

The crescent road outside this hotel and the neighbouring hotels was subject of a road closure order and was the parking area for the Goldwings and the mustering area for the light parade.

There was some issue with one of the hotels making a complaint about loosing trade but this was easily batted away by the organisers when they found the hotel in question had no vacancies anyway. The council were fully supportive of the road closure application and this made it a nice safe area for the bikes to park.

Distractions beside the Wings

The hotel itself was quite nice inside and our room, with a sea view, was more than acceptable. The evening meal was very enjoyable with starters, soup, main and dessert courses, followed by coffee and mints.

I was pleasantly surprised to pay fairly normal prices for the bar drinks during the course of the evening after some of the rip-off hotels I have stayed at recently.

The static light display on the Friday night in the crescent attracted a lot of passing visitors, of which there were many, with Robbie Williams being the main attraction to switch on the Blackpool Lights. This had managed to bring the crowds flocking into Blackpool.

Subsequent distractions!!!!

Saturday saw Jan and I, accompanied by Dave and Elaine going for a ride up to the top of Fleetwood, where we had a nice coffee and watched some Yorkshire-men morris-dancing on the promenade.

Nigel and Jo and a quite a few others had decided to attend the talk by Randy Rodriguez, Captain of the Central Florida Motorcycle Drill Team, on setting up a new drill team in the U.K. which was being held at the Warwick during Saturday morning.

Following our trip to Fleetwood, we returned to Blackpool and went to the South Pier where a static display was taking place on the promenade at the side of the pier. There was already a tidy number of Wings park at the time of our arrival and the numbers soon swelled to ensure a nicely packed area of Wings to attract members of the public and hopefully make them donate money for the charity; the Air Ambulance.

Some of the entries in the Static Light Display

Following the static display it was a return to the Hotel for early tea and get ready to muster for the Light Parade. The weather during the day had been quite good for us and together with the illuminations being switched on the Friday night by Robbie Williams, it was soon evident that traffic was much heavier than even we had come to expect. This was to have some serious consequences for the Light Parade.

At 8pm prompt the Wings started to leave the Crescent for the North- bound leg to Gynn Square. The traffic was stopped so the parade could leave together but that was the last time I saw any Police assistance, or indeed any Police presence for the rest of the parade.

More Static Light Display

We were specifically not allowed to breach any traffic rules, which meant that at the first traffic lights the parade was broken up with cars pulling in between the Wings on the Parade. Multiply this by the number of traffic-lighted junctions and soon it was evident that the Light Parade was completely broken up into segments before we had reached Gynn Square.

The return journey to the Crescent from Gynn Square was even worse with cars physically forcing their way across the parade and fracturing it even more. The journey back was not pleasant at all and I feel that it was a disaster for those on their first BLP. On returning to the mustering area outside the hotel I heard several times from new faces to the BLP ‘ That was my first and last Blackpool Light Parade’.

On route of Parade

The hotel was the centre of the after parade entertainment and a wonderful band gave us some good entertainment.

The following morning came too soon and Jan and I packed up and were ready to roll home after breakfast. Luckily there was a ride-out planned to Southport which we tagged along with as it was heading generally in our direction.

Whilst travelling through Lytham St Annes we came across one of those idiotic car drivers who, it appears, may have been under the influence of alcohol. He decided to try and pass all the wings on the ride-out by travelling up a right turn lane at the approach to some traffic lights, then as the lights changed to green he decided to force his way into the lane we were in as his lane was blocked by a traffic island. He then blasts the Wings with his horn for getting in his way. I was informed afterwards that he only missed the rear of my wing by inches. He was also seen by one of the passengers to be taking a swig out of a beer bottle, which I was not told about until we reached Southport.

Men of Mersey in the Beach at Crosby

Leaving the rest at Southport, Jan and I, accompanied by Nigel and Joanna, continued on towards home, but before we had gone too far we realised that we were passing close to Crosby, where we had previously failed to see the ‘Men of Mersey’ Sculptures, due to a technical hitch.

This time we were successful and we saw the rows of metal men standing in the sand, particularly as the tide was right to view them properly. Following this small diversion we continued on our journey and made it home.

The weekend as a whole was good – good company, good food, good accommodation. The bad point was the Light Parade which was far too long and fractured by the car drivers, but I honestly don’t know what can be done to improve it without the blocking off of the junctions, which the Police will not allow to happen and will not assist with.

As usual, Nigel, and others have taken many photos of the event and these can be seen on the BLP website  here

Dave T

We had a nice spot on the Prom

Due to some detective work by our webmaster, GoldWings North Wales were invited to give a static display of the Wings at the Rhyl Air Show. This is an up and coming event for Rhyl – being only the second year it has been held – and we were lucky to be given a nice spot near the centre of the activity but not actually in the main display arena.

The location allocated to our Wings was about 80 yards from the Lifeboat station on the Promenade itself. Due to the necessity of being on-site and parked up before 10am, this meant yet another early morning for Nigel, though not as bad as in some of our previous rides.

Kids loved the bikes

Accordingly just after 9am we left Nigel’s House on route to Rhyl in a nice convoy of 6 Wings, picking up another on route at Caerwys.

On arrival at Rhyl, we were able to set up quite quickly as the area set aside was just a nice size for all the Wings. We were on the Prestatyn side of the Lifeboat station and we were adjacent to the Military Vehicle display.

We were then joined by Alan and Joyce who had just missed us leaving Nigel’s house and had been following us all the way to Rhyl. Luckily he knew where to find us at Rhyl.

The main arena before it became busy

As the morning wore on, the crowds increased and we were able to start raising some charity money for the RNLI.

We were soon busy persuading the public to part with their money in order to sit on one of the Wings and have their photos taken by their friends and family. It was obvious that quite a few were very keen to have a sit on the bikes.

The commentator made frequent references to GoldWings North Wales over the PA System throughout the morning, and this certainly caused a few more to walk away from the main arena – which had been taken over completely by Air Cadets and RAF stalls – and come looking for us.

Red Arrows - No contest!

I visited the arena and, while there were a lot of people there, it would have been a bit too busy to keep an eye on the bikes with the public surrounding us in those numbers. I was even happier that we were out of the main arena area.

Besides, the Wings would have definitely paled into insignificance next to the Chinook Helicopter on display in the main arena area!

At 2pm prompt, the air show started with the magnificent display given by the Red Arrows. Their display was spectacular and I’m sure Nigel’s camera was on fire from the number of photo shots he took.

Breitling Wing Walkers

At the end of the display, the crowds thinned right down so quickly it was quite surprising. We were able to pack up and leave quite quickly and head off in our separate ways – unfortunately also into very slow queues of traffic.

All in all another good day out.

There were quite a lot of photos taken, mainly by Nigel but with a lot from others in attendance which can be seen in our Rhyl Air Show gallery.

Dave T

The venue is the Rugby Club at Kirkby Lonsdale. This venue has a long term relationship with biker clubs who use the facilities of the site during the Rugby closed season.

Last year we held a very successful weekend culminating in a BBQ and several ride outs throughout the area.

This is a beautiful site with stunning views across the valley with the local town of Kirkby Lonsdale less than 5 minutes walk by the river.

There are facilities for camping, caravans and motor-homes, plus b&b / hotel accommodation in the town. In fact accommodation of every type. Price for camping at the Rugby site will be £6.00 per unit per night, regardless of it being a tent or motor-home or how many people you have in them. Excellent value for money.

Keep an eye on this post for changes as the event develops.

Meet up point at Lymm

This year’s Thundersprint seemed to me to be one of the busiest Thundersprint events that I have been to.

The main sponsors this year were Knutsford Honda, and as they are heavily into supporting GoldWings we decided to assist with the GoldWing display that Eric Warburton asked for.

Accordingly at 8.30 am on Sunday morning Jan and I pulled into the car-park of the Lymm Truck Stop where it was arranged that members of GoldWings North West were meeting up for the short ride to Northwich and then into the Knutsford Honda stand.

The Knutsford Honda Stand

The security guy who stopped us at the entrance to the pedestrianised area came over and notified Stuart Ormerod that we would have to push the bikes to the stand. He was advised accordingly in no uncertain terms that if he thought that we were going to push 14 GoldWings about 200 yards he was on a loser. Shortly afterwards we rode majestically behind one of the marshals who was jogging ahead of us getting the pedestrians to move over for us.

We were soon parked up on the Knutsford Honda stand, much to the delight of Eric and his crew. Nigel, of course recorded the occasion for us.

GNWales Banner getting an airing

It was soon time for a walk around and have a look at the trade stands and the other stands that make up the Thundersprint. I saw that there were many bargains to be had if you were looking for clothing or new helmets. There were also plenty of other stands aside from those selling motorbike kit, and a few motorcycle dealers were present with a few of the latest batch of motorcycles.

There was also plenty of time to walk around the paddock and see the old racing motorcycles and some new ones, side by side. I was not so much interested in the racing bikes as I was in the other older cycles that seemed to be parked with them. Some of these were dream bikes from my youth. It was lovely to see them preserved and gleaming but also in use and not just museum pieces.

The girls were shopping and the boys were there to pay

The Knutsford Honda stand was located at the side of the access road for the racing circuit and all the riders had to queue right by us, pending their turn to enter the starting grid, this being due to the small queuing area by the grid.

We certainly had a great view of all the participating racers but as the day passed on, the sound of those racing cans and screaming two strokers began to wear us down.

Another walkabout was called for and I was able to walk around Northwich out of the town centre, where I saw many GoldWings parked up around the place.

By 3.30pm I had taken a full dose of Thundersprint and was ready to leave, along with some of the GoldWing riders from GNWest, but we were blocked in and couldn’t get out until the marshals said so, and they were talking of 5pm.

Start Line at the Action

This turned out to be the wrong thing to say to several GNWest riders who had some distance to travel and wanted to go. By 4.20 they were kitting up and were going to make a dash for freedom.

Luckily one of the marshals saw sense and made arrangements for the riders wishing to leave to be escorted by a runner again.

Hearing this Jan and I made the most of the opportunity to make a departure and joined the group who were leaving early, along with Nigel and Joanna.

At this point I became aware that Nigel had a problem and was looking for a garage with an airline as his rear tyre appeared to be low on pressure. We found a garage and as Nigel took measurements it became apparent that the valve was leaking air out. A check of the tyre showed no sign of nails in the tread, but when he went to put air in the valve was sticking and losing air again.

By judicious use of a penknife he eventually tricked the valve into working again and pumped it up to full pressure. We then took a slow journey home with Nigel leading with Jan and I following and keeping an eye on the tyre to see if it appeared to be deflating.

Luckily it held all the way home for Nigel and Joanna, and consequently the breakdown services were not required.

Photos of the event are available at the Thundersprint Bike Show album.

Dave T

Parking on the prom

Sunday May 3rd saw Jan and I getting up early to head out for our first run with Chris as runs co-ordinator – a ride-out starting at The Black Cat Garage to Barmouth.

Having met up at The Chase with Nigel and Jo, and Dave and Elaine, we made our way along the A55 to Caerwys where we picked up Alun and Sheila then on to Llandudno Junction where we rode onto the forecourt of the Black Cat Garage. We were soon joined by Chris and Amy who was rather surprised as the Wings just kept turning up. We even had Martin from Crewe come along for the ride

As everyone fuelled up and the start time arrived 9 Wings set off down the Conwy Valley towards Betws Y Coed where we were scheduled to meet up with Pete Hodge on his trike.

The Chairman bought the ticket

Sure enough, he was waiting for us in the petrol station where there was no room for 9 more Wings to pull in. Having passed the petrol station we all met up in a nearby hotel car-park.

We then set off along one of my favourite roads – the Crimea Pass – from Betws Y Coed to Blaenau Festiniog. This road is a dream road for the Wings, having fast sweeping bends which allow good progress and few places where interest wains. On top of this, the scenery is quite stunning as you travel up the pass.

Leaving Blaenau on the A496 Road, we then headed toward Maentwrog and on towards Harlech.

John and Marilyn's House with visitors

Sweeping around a gentle left hander I spotted a red Wing on the left hand side of the road and passed the message via CB – no less than Kevin and Sandra hoping to tag onto the ride as we pass. A mile later we have an extra Wing in the column.

We passed below the castle at Harlech and carried on until we entered Barmouth, where we turned onto the prom and immediately found a place to park all the Wings together. Time for Nigel to go snap happy and catch the scene for posterity.

With a ‘return to bike’ time set we headed off for different eating places around the town, or set up the picnic if you came prepared.

Nigel's signature shot

Following refreshments we reassembled and were led along the road towards Dolgellau, where we had an appointment with Marilyn’s cakes.

John and Marilyn live in Dolgellau in a lovely house built on the side of a mountain (or so it seems). The estate is built on the side of a hill and entry into the estate is quite steep. I did not quite expect the serious slope that John and Marilyn have to drive up everyday to get to their garage, so I chickened out of riding up it. I saw the effort that others were putting into it and decided that a more level parking area was needed – cue in some friendly neighbours who have previously given permission for Wings to park on their level drive.

Bala Lake - Changeover of trikes

Having parked the bikes we entered into John and Marilyn’s House to be greeted with a table full of food for us to eat, and a kettle that was set to permanently be on. We were able to refresh and have a great chat. Of  course, we had a photos session by Nigel in the rear garden. He managed to get the high shots without using a pole as well!

Following our tea and biccy break we said goodbye to Kevin and Sandra and we headed up to Bala, where we parked at the top of the lake and met up with Carl and Maureen, but said goodbye to Pete Hodge, who cut back across country towards Anglesey.

Yet another small gathering at The Chase

After a break at Bala we then head for home via Corwen and Ruthin. Cue Joanna who offered coffee to everyone still with the group so off to The Chase we went for a very welcome coffee to close a very enjoyable ride-out before we all split to our own homes.

A very enjoyable ride and visit to Barmouth.

As always, Nigel has recorded the trip on the web-site under Barmouth Rideout.

DT