The Rally Bikes - General

There were many customised bikes and some heavily customised. Every bike is different, depending on what extras the owners may have put on them. Some simply add off the shelf extras, but others have paint jobs done on the tanks, fenders and frames. One even had denim on the fenders and tank, complete with hip pocket!

Although maybe not so impressive in the photo, the bike with the exhausts like gatling guns was the bike show peoples' choice winner. Not easy to see are the nitrous oxide tanks fitted into each side of the petrol tank for performance! It was on the pavement outside our hotel, but we agreed we didn't agree with the peoples' choice. The other was just one of many at the rally itself.

Some will spend considerable sums on custom paint jobs and other will spend even larger sums on custom bikes and choppers..........

The Rally People

HOGs come from all over..........

Colombia in the group, the guy with the Kaiser hat from Italy, the fellow with the leather hat from Saudi Arabia, from Celtic Thunder Chapter Ireland on the bike and the bloke from Iceland is standing just behind one from Wales. A truly impressive and cosmopolitan mixture of people with shared interests. I am always amazed at the brand loyalty of some to Harley Davidson, when they get the bar and shield logo, plus a soaring eagle tattooed. I've never seen anyone with Ford or Vauxhall, for example!

PS I don't have one by the way!

Trip Down - Day 4

There were more stunning views to be enjoyed and it wasn't until we got closer to Malaga and Fuengirola that we picked up traffic and temperatures rose. There were some 'interesting' bends on the motorway that we had to join on the way into Malaga, which made you sit up and pay attention. I find in this situation that you can end up following the person in front too much, without paying much attention to the road in anticipation as you should, but there were no close calls. The traffic, however, was very unpleasant at times as Spanish car drivers will cut up motorcyclists without warning or even try to push you out of your lane, so we were all glad when it was over and we got to the Confortel overlooking the beach in Fuengirola. This turned out to have been a good find as the picture from my balcony testifies. The hotel was already filling with HOGs and bikes were parked all over the pavement outside.

Almagro - out on the town

We walked to a recommended restaurant where we had a good meal and then stopped in the square on the way back. Spirits were high as Sue and Jacquie walked the edge of a fountain, successfully! Unfortunately, Ian's impression of Eric Morecambe's "Bring me sunshine" on the cobbles was fraught and an injury dogged him for the rest of the trip. I took a photo of Jacquie helping him back to the Parador but the criticism received for doing so prevents me from publishing it here!

Trip Down - Day 3

Today, I disappointed myself by sleeping in and woke just 20 mins before departure time. However, after a rapid but complete morning ablutions and no breakfast, I found myself first in the car park at the allotted hour. I had not brought my travel alarm, but had forgotten that my mobile has one, which I used thereafter. It was a first and last! I did enjoy a croissant at the first coffee stop.

This day saw some glorious weather, rolling hills and varying temperatures as we climbed and dropped. Vast expanses of relatively flat land offered great views and the riding was relatively easy, although the road quality was not always good so a sharp eye had to be kept out for pot holes and other faults in the road surface.
One stop, by a lake, was particulary enjoyed and we were hustled to view a property being developed as a hotel by a local lady, all very pleasant. Having the full day and a fairly prompt start, the pace was not hurried and we were able to enjoy several stops along the way. Overall, the temperature got higher as we progressed south until we arrived at our second Paradore at Almagro. This had been a monastery and had the advantage of being in the centre of town, so we took the opportunity to make use of this.

Trip Down - Day 2

Arriving at Santander more or less on time and with the ferry filled to bike capacity, it seemed to take ages before the access to the lower deck was opened and we were able to disembark.

Then, with only one rather fussy immigration person dealing with them, it took ages to get clear and start getting the two bikes off the van. Ian then had the same remote control problems as had been experienced in France, probably caused by cellular radio interference, and it took a while for his bike to be disarmed and get going again. Sue had other ideas and went her own way at the first roundabout and had to be chased by hubbie Craig. Petrol was then required, Jacquie's bike then had the alarm problem, and it was hot hot hot! Over 1.5 hours and we hadn't gone more than mile or two, had 200 still to go and it was mid afternoon! Groan!
However, we finally got clear and enjoyed some wonderful rides over mountains at over 1,000m, which brought cool air and great scenery. We even had time for a coffee stop before getting to our first Paradore at Tordesillas. The Paradores de Turismo are state-owned establishments that have been converted into hotels and can offer quite exceptional accommodation as were to discover. This parador used to be an ancestral home and was quite grand, which is more than can be said for the restaurant service. Maybe they just weren't very happy in their jobs, but the bread being delivered like a frizbee to your plate by an unsmiling waitress set the scene. The food itself was ok and the prices of these places is very good overall. It was welcome, however.

The Trip Down - Day 1

Five bikes and riders met in the early morning of Sunday 17th June for the journey down to Plymouth for the ferry to Santander and the 16th European HOG Rally in Fuengirola near Malaga, Spain. A cool start to the day turned to mixed cloud and sun with only a slight hint of rain. Another couple taking their own route travelled on one further bike and Mark was driving his van, for later use. Two bikes were unable to obtain tickets on the ferry, so were carried on the ferry in his van, and proved to be useful to our group and other later. We would be allowing sufficient time for coffee and other stops, as well as enjoying scenery along the way. It would take us four days and three nights to get there, the same to return, and we would get 3 nights and two whole days at the Rally itself.
Chris & Liz journeyed separately to the ferry, joined us for the crossing, took a different route to the Rally but stayed in the same hotel.
The 16th European Rally followed the 15th in Killarney last year, rotating around Europe as it does, but was expected to have many more bikes in attendance than Killarney, with its more central and continental European location. About 5,000 bikes had attended Killarney and around 10,000 were expected at Fuengirola. The Rally is a congregation of HOG members to present your bike (if it is one of those heavily modified ones), socialise with others, peruse and buy goods, mostly Harley-Davidson, and enjoy live music and other entertainment for a few days. Most people wear the badges of their local Chapter to make identification easier and this can often be the basis of the initiation of conversation. Drink and food are, of course, taken.