New Addition to the Stable

Named "Les Dongles due Chien", 'cos it has everything, I took delivery of my Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) last Friday.

I was camped on the H-D website on 20 Jul, waiting for the 2012 models to be revealed when the website was taken down.  A short while later, it returned, I spotted the one I wanted with a colour I liked, and it was ordered from my local dealer another short time later, the first in UK, possibly the first in Europe!

This could be my final indulgence, he says with a chuckle, but I did hang onto my Heritage Classic as I like it so much.  How to ride two?  Not!  The new one is more suited to touring, with lockable boxes and more capacity, although 100kg heavier than my Heritage, which I will continue to use on ride-outs and other short trips.

1803cc/110cu in of Screaming Eagle power, electronic throttle, hydraulic clutch, Cruise Control, ABS and booming Vance & Hines pipes provide plenty of power, presence and control.  (Loud Pipes Save Lives).

Sat Nav, Radio, CD player, iPod and Intercom give entertainment, direction and communications through a 4 speaker system and headsets.  Comfort is further enhanced by heated grips and seats, lumbar support control for the pillion's armchair seat, and it even has central locking!  It just doesn't get any better.

To top it off, the Wicked Sapphire/Stardust Silver paintwork glistens and sparkles in the sun, and it's just a shame that winter is upon us so that I will have to patient until the weather improves in the Spring before I can completely indulge myself!

Cathryn's Military Manoeuvres

In September, Cathryn went on military manoeuvres near Bristol.  In 4 hours, she had fun driving a Snow Cat, then a Ferret Scout car, and finished with two runs in Armoured Personnel Carriers, her favourite.  They are very easy to drive apparently, even though it is with levers rather than a steering wheel.  Attached is a video, made up of clips put together with photographs, although some of the lighting conditions weren't so great.  At the end, she drove the APC back, so we were able to see her rise out of the mud, then parking it in reverse no less!.  

Proms in the Park

Proms in the Park sees over 40,000 people congregate in Hyde Park to enjoy a picnic, a considerable number of beverages with some food, enjoy live entertainment and it culminates in a video link to the Albert Hall for the Last Night of the Proms.

Pictures convey the atmosphere better than words, and that atmosphere is created from a combination of the company, the entertainment and fuelled just more than a little by the level of beverage consumption, which for many is lots!  Apart from Amie & Daisy, attending with Cathryn for the first time.

After queuing for a while, we finally get let into the Park at 4pm, and enjoy our picnic for an hour or so before the entertainment starts.

Tradition has it that Lorna and Dan should drink from the bladder:

After the entertainment from Japanese Drummers (from Scotland), The Overtones, Katherine Jenkins, belting volumes from Russell Watson, the finale from West Life, we were linked to the Albert Hall for the closing stages of Last Night of the Proms.  This includes Rule Britannia, Land of Hope & Glory and Jerusalem, all of which are sung with much enthusiasm and flag waving.

But, Daisy had peaked a bit early, so missed this finale!

It was a great family and friends evening/night and the weather, forecast to be pretty terrible, turned dry after an initial squall to treat us kindly and enable the fun.  Much pomp and ceremony is mixed with a good time all around, helped along by some food and drink being taken!  

Thunder in The Glens 5

Clanadonia, tribal drummers, were there again, joined by a second piper, playing at Grantown and also in the main arena, along with other bands of various genres and a rock opera. Sunday was a wash out, with relentless rain all day and no bikes moved other than those who were heading off home.  Some of the trade stands packed up and left early.  There was a large contingent from Baden Chapter, Germany, several Chapters from Scandinavia, most of those in UK, as far south as Plymouth, all proving how popular this rally has become.  Rolling Hills, Cheltenham, had over 90 at the rally, although most had travelled to and from Aviemore in smaller groups.  It must be near capacity for the hotels locally and it was reported as a sell-out, but quite a few camp.  If only the rain could stay away!

A prompt start after breakfast saw us on the road south to Perth and over the Forth Road Bridge in showery weather, around Edinburgh to Selkirk, where we stayed at a lovely Best Western, the Philipburn Hotel.  It's a small place but has a very pleasant setting on the outskirts of Selkirk, large well finished rooms, with very good food and service.

The route home was mostly motorway after Carlisle, but we had only the odd shower to contend with and made good time.  It was a good rally, although the overall trip was just 7 days and 6 nights, but we weren't pushed for miles and time and were able to enjoy all the bits that deserved it.

Thunder in The Glens 4

The weather perked up a bit next day and we all joined the queue for the ride out. 

I think this is the best mass ride out of all rallies I have been to, mainly because it is 40 miles long and takes in the highlands, the heather and a lakeside, plus being very well marshalled. 

The police led and closed all the road junctions so that the column of bikes can remain together and keep moving.  There were 4,200 bikers at the event, on 3,500 bikes, according to the Strathspey & Badenoch Herald, with many taking part in the ride out, which unsurprisingly took 25 min to pass.   Spectators were all along the route, including well outside the towns, and even those waiting at the road blocks were out of their cars enjoying the parade going past. 

As before, it ended in Grantown on Spey, where the townspeople hosted a "Taste of Scotland" in the sunshine.  I was surprised to see quite a number of spectators along the route on the ride back to Aviemore, well after the parade had ended.  I guess the event and the spectacle of a large number of Harleys is becoming well known.  Some had set up camp with chairs, tables and gazebos in places, while others were just at the gate or the bottom of their drives.

Here is a video composite starting with Glencoe (up to the bit with the bridge), then switching to the ride out, filmed over my shoulder by Jean, with apologies for the quality of the road surface and my inability to avoid some of the worst bumps:

 

Thunder in The Glens 3

After hugging the Loch for a while on departure on Day 3, the countryside opened up and we were able to enjoy Glencoe in better weather than 2 years ago, when it looked rather sinister and forbidding.

The rolling hills, peaks and valleys combine into some very fine unspoilt landscape.After crossing the bridge, we passed through Fort William and stopped at a Little Chef for some lunch, our second, for a bit of lunch.  The dour waitress apologised to Jean that there was no salad because they were out of tomatoes, yet slices of tomato appeared on the toasties order by others, duh!  Julie threatened to start letting down tyres if we stopped at another, and we didn't!  The skies darkened and the rain set in after we had stopped at the Commando Memorial just outside Fort William.  It was to continue until just before Aviemore, including a flood that made part of the road like a ford.  John hit it in spectacular fashion, closely followed by Sue.  I managed to take a little speed off, but still felt the bow wave half way up my calves.  All the bikes kept going throughout, albeit somewhat dirtier thanks to the rain and a profuse amount of mud and poop of one kind or another on the road in places.

Once again, registration was extremely well organised at Aviemore by the Dunedin Chapter, and we were quickly in the hotel and unpacked.  After a pleasant dinner and a few drinks, we looked forward to a restful night, which wasn't to be!  The hotel fire alarm went off at 5am, with full evacuation, only to discover than some dummy had covered a smoke detector with a rubber glove so as to try and smoke near it!

Thunder in The Glens 2

Next day, after a night of persistent rain, it was initially cold, but sunny, and we set off to Loch Lomond via Dumfries, Kilmarnock, Paisley, and the Erskine Bridge over the Clyde to pass to miss Glasgow to the west.  The mileage wasn't onerous and we arrived in sunshine and good time at the Lodge on Loch Lomond to be able to enjoy the views and relax for a while before dinner.

The sky was very changeable and pretty for the rest of the afternoon, and different again in the morning:

Thunder in The Glens 1

The weather wasn't looking so great beforehand, but Wayne, Julie, Jean and I met up at John & Sue's house for coffee and some early banter before we set out on the first leg to Scotland.  One party's loo visit, which must have been particularly rewarding or necessary, set off the house alarm, and she knows who she is!

It was a bit gloomy, but dry, as we went round Birmingham on the M5 to find the M6 moving pretty well and made good progress to our first fuel and coffee stop at Sandbach.  The dry conditions continued until north of Manchester when, leading our pack of 4 of Harley-Davidson's finest, we seemed to be just getting away with it as we kept skirting dark clouds and rain.  Finally, our luck looked like it would run out and I made a last minute decision to leave the motorway at services near Preston.  Good call!  It was time for a spot of lunch anyway and, just as we sat down, the heavens opened and torrential rain fell.  The motorway and other roads remained wet for the rest of the journey, but we didn't encounter too much more rain.  My TomTom took us in the back road to our hotel, although I wasn't to know this at the time, narrow with a poor surface and via a farm, to an isolated Best Western at Shap Wells, near Penrith.  The place itself was pretty good although there were a couple of buses full of 'wrinklies' on tour staying as well.  John & Wayne noted that their sat nav route via the front entrance looked much better and I had to agree when we left that way the next day.  We enjoyed a couple of drinks and an early dinner, but decided we couldn't bear the entertainment laid on for the 'wrinklies', so had an early night, earlier than most of us were used to so not entirely successful.  The place had been used to house captured German Navy & Army officers during WWII, and is set in very pleasant surroundings by a small stream and moorland.

Germany - Homeward Bound

The temperatures had risen the previous day, and kept on doing so.  After packing up the bikes under their vine canopied parking, fuelling up, we left for Bruges once more but with temperatures rising to the high 20s quickly.

We stuck to second man stopping and it worked well again until................

After a petrol and drink stop, one bike in the middle of the pack died on the exit slip road.  The others had to keep going on the motorway and the rest of us stopped to see if they could work out the problem.  The temperature was 35ᵒ when we stopped, and many bikes were in the sun.  After phone calls to the UK dealer for ideas, it was decided to turn it round and run it back down into the service area.  One other stayed with him while the rest of us headed off again.  It turned out, on his return, that the engine temperature sensor needs changing, but the dealer he was taken to found nothing wrong next day (as the bike had cooled?) and he caught us up at the Channel Tunnel.

The Brussels ring road was dreadfully slow, stop and go, and my temperature gauge sat at 40ᵒ for most of it.  Our gear had to be turned inside out on arrival at the Bruges hotel, just to dry off!

We did have time to walk into Bruges for a drink and some dinner this time.

Next day, it was a short sprint to the Tunnel, to find similar hot humid weather in Kent, but this quickly deteriorated to thunder, lightning and torrential rain by the time we entered Surrey.  Goodbyes were said as we headed off home in different directions; the temperature fell to 15° although it did dry out some beyond Oxford.

It was an 'interesting' trip logistically, but very picturesque, although better weather would have made some of that even more so as the Eifel region is a very pretty upland and forested area with two very scenic river valleys to enjoy.  The company was good and we enjoyed many laughs.

Germany - The Mosel Tour

Next day, an even smaller group, just 4 bikes, took off for a pacey tour of the hills above the Mosel, plus a couple of crossings.  Jean didn't go, joining a group travelling by train to Trier instead.  Our leader this day wanted to keep up a good pace so I wasn't altogether disappointed not to have a pillion as we rounded many tight corners, climbs and descents, and encountered some very rough roads at times.  We were well rewarded with a fantastic via over the Mosel as we came to the top of a hill with a commanding view in two directions, vines all over the place, a barge in the river, and a pretty town on the other side of a couple of bridges all in clear view.

We finished off with a late light lunch in hot sunshine in a small cafe on the bank of the Mosel before returning to the hotel.  The valley is really stunning with its massive crops of grapes growing up the sides, many 'mega wobbles' of wine in the making and the sunshine just set it off so well this day.

All our evening dining had been in the hotel, the previous evening being a DIY BBQ, and the basement bar was an attraction to many of our group, plus other bikers from Holland, Germany and Belgium who stayed at the same time.

Germany - The Magic Bike Rally

Some of the late comers backed out of the ride to the Magic Bike Rally next day, on the banks of the Rheine.  Our leader reinstated second man stopping and overcame the separation problems.  We rode over high wooded areas, sadly with quite a lot of rain, en route to the Rheine valley, which we dropped down into on some very twisty road.  Then it was our first ferry crossing.

This first ferry wasn't too problematic as the metal deck was mostly dry and the exit ramp was fairly flush.

The Magic Bike Rally is a Harley-Davidson organised, but open, event, well attended and with a very pretty setting right on the bank of the Rheine.  We stopped for a couple of hours, had a walkabout, had some lunch, watched the parade, and encountered some rather strange people and miniature chopper bikes!

We then headed further up the valley and crossed the Rheine once more, on a rather hairier ferry, because the approach ramp and deck were wet on boarding.  Once across, we then saw that the pier was some 6" higher than the deck, and a piece of 4"x4" just laid in front.  One or two bikes had a 'wobble' on the way off.

Even with second man stopping, we got split up again passing through Koblenz on the return to the hotel, arriving back separately once more!  But, we did enjoy a length ride along the Mosel Valley, which was very pretty even in the dull weather.