<wordtidy> I could pepper the threads with comments on my mood and what
made me laugh, smile, sad, to my hearts’ content but this is the story of my
weekend.
I racked up 1006 miles door-to-door and had a total blast. After toddling down to Consett on Thursday for an overnight
stop I was joined for breakfast by scotdick Richard who then led the way on to
Helmsley. We parked up at the car park just inside the estate gates and had a
giggle at the ‘bikers’ off-loading all their gear from cars to be pillioned in
to the Party, before walking to the village for a leisurely lunch in the
sunshine.
Richard then rode in to the park to join the Party and I
tootled away against all the oncoming bike traffic, nodding and waving like a
loon, down through Yorkshire and across the Humber bridge to north
Lincolnshire.
The purpose of my onward journey was to partake in the Hull
and East Riding Advanced Motorcyclists (HERAM) 2nd Scatter Rally –
an event new to me, as you shall see. This was something I heard about before KISS
and mention to HayabusaRob who, thank goodness, also seemed interested – as he
then did all the route planning and B&B finding work!
Rob arrived later in the afternoon and we got chatting to a
couple of the other participants and got an idea of what’s involved and how seriously
these events are taken. We wondered what we’d let ourselves in for and began to
feel a little out of our depth and complete novices! We did however alert said ‘competition’
to the fact that they had only prepared for half the course - which sent them
scuttling off back to instructions, maps and friend still at home with computer
and satnav! Everyone was very friendly and helpful to the newbies with useful
tips. It’s not a race against each other.
Saturday dawned and registration opened at 8am, the same time
as breakfast was served from – we had breakfast. Then we got our rally packs.
Our mission, as we had chosen to accept it, was to visit 13
sites in Lincolnshire (from a possible 22) and 8 in Yorkshire (from a possible
18) and answer a question at each and return to a finish point in Yorkshire.
The locations had all been pre-advised so we (well, Rob) could choose and plan
our route, but the questions to be answered were only given on registration.
Other participants were sitting down pouring over questions, checking tablets
or notebooks, and updating satnavs before setting off. We read through the
questions and marked them up in the order we had chosen to go round them and
pretty much set off.
Mistake #2, (yes 2); read the question properly. We didn’t,
and headed to the wrong village. After circling around posh houses and getting
the Neighbourhood Watch-vine fizzing we were directed up the road to the next
village – the one named in the question as the destination. Found the clue easy-peasy
and wrote down what we needed. Off to the next clue.
Mistake #1; synchronise fuel fill ups! Rob had a full tank
but I’d not filled up when I arrived on Friday afternoon. We had to make a
diversion for fuel for me and lost time. With the next few stops and and clues ticked
off, and other participants encountered looking either very much on the ball or
equally as lost as us, we began to feel that we were making progress.
Mistake #3; refine your destinations to the clue, not the
village. We drove right past where we needed to be, through our ‘destination’
village, U-turned back through it and stopped to get out smart phones for more
information, then back up the road we’d come down a good 10 minutes earlier!
This is where we changed tactics and started doing much
better. Taking the chance to have a break we broke out smart phones again and
looked up what we could from all the remaining clues and found postcodes to the
places that weren’t as simple as ‘village cross road’. We picked up the pace
and headed for the Humber, Yorkshire – here we come!
Mistake #1 (again); synchronise fuel fill ups! I’d need a
comfort break, Rob needed fuel. He filled, I emptied - I should have filled up too.
We were feeling pretty good, progressing up to our most
northerly point and working back south to our finish. A change of county meant
a change of scenery and roads, but the weather held good and I wiped off a
small city of bugs from my visor at every opportunity I got.
Mistake #1 (this is a goodie); synchronise fuel fill ups!!!!
I started getting dangerously low. It being now early evening the one small
village station we did pass had already closed, I started coasting down hills
and praying that I’d make it to the crest of the next. We stopped and asked TomTom
(who wasn’t really very helpful, but I found wild orchids in the verge while Rob
prodded the screen) and decided since we were 7 miles from Whitby to make
another detour instead of carrying on to the middle of no-where. I almost made it. Yup, I ran out of
petrol. Rob gallantly shot off to find fuel while I took the time to add an
extra layer to the KISS vest I had under my jacket and to write up my answers
so far on the entry card. 5 litres in the tank and we rode on to the petrol
station and BOTH filled up – lesson learnt (the hard way)!
Rob made a second phone call to the pub he’d booked rooms at
to say we’d now be very late and to
the rally chiefs to say we were still rallying but wouldn’t make to official
closing time – they said they’d hang on for us. We doubled back up the hill, determined
to complete our mission and fortunately ticked off the last couple of answers
without much delay. Program TomTom for the fastest route towards Beverley and
open that throttle, and thankfully now de-restricted it goes a long way round!
We swung in to our end point car park and signed off on the
sheet – yes, the last ones in, but we’d done it! Ooo, and we got a trophy each,
a wee plaque, to prove it.
I believe one entrant had started late and only completed
the Lincolnshire section; mind you, he had done last years’ rally on a 125, so
kudos to him for that; but for the organisers at least all who had started had
come back – even if it took them a smidge under 14 hours to do so.
We were both pleasantly surprised at not feeling totally
wrecked. It wasn’t a day of solid riding, there was much hopping on and off of
bikes, but the business of the next location, the next clue also kept us going.
We had another half-hour to ride to our destination for the night but this was
a pub and still open for business so we had a chance to cool down with a couple
of pints while we reflected on the day.
We’d had a steep learning curve about this kind of rally but
had both really enjoyed it. I can’t thank Rob enough for his planning, his
navigation and leadership and above all his company. Next time, and there
surely will be, I’ll have a touring screen on the bike, a satnav, and a laptop
at checking in to start off. Oh, and a full tank!
Sunday morning I did more nodding donkey stuff as I rode
back to Helmsley as everyone else was leaving to meet up with Richard and ride
on back home. I hope all you Party go-ers enjoyed yourselves, on reflection, I’m
not too sorry that I missed it, I totally enjoyed another kind of rally.
</wordtidy>
Wow izz-ster, sounds like you had a great time. Didnt realise you were heading to and from Helmsley. We would have met up with ya for an icecream if so!
Sounds like your 'kind of rally' is something to consider in the coming years.
Congratulations to you and Rob for completing the 'mission'!
Well, I have to agree with Izzy, it was a blast, and I could not believe how competitive these people are, they are absolute fanatics, and superbly organised.
Lets look at one clue.....we had to get the name on the alarm of an ice cream parlour. So as we were early on, we were still destination mapping, not clue mapping....we were on some lovely sweeping bends, rolled out of the bend, and saw the place, hauled on the anchors, and dived into the car park opposite....Izzy dived in behind me. we stopped, climbed off the bikes, ambled to meet, got the clue sheets out, read them again, agreed we were in the right place, couldn't read the sign from where we were, walked across the road, went back to the bikes to lean on them to write our answers, started to get organised to leave, helmets on, next clue read....you getting the drift here...a relaxed approach to this......then coming towards us from the opposite direction...one of the others, approaching at speed, stopped the bike, turned his head at the alarm box...click...off total time 30 seconds, that's how they do it, a helmet camera!
So, off we went, and to be honest, we had superb weather, and the roads were truly wonderful on the Lincolnshire side, long flowing fast corners, and I can tell, that Izzy does NOT hang about!
So after our renewed strategy meeting, we really cracked on a pace, learning all the way, and apart from some fuel strategy problems (and I now have a new shiny petrol can for my collection as Izzy has loads...apparently!) we headed to Yorkshire, and were now selecting fastest routes.....these included an abandoned ambulance blocking the road, so someone's lawn now has two sets of motorcycle tracks in it ..oops, a manned (yes manned) level crossing, so a very nice man opened the gates for us, and off we went, really narrow roads, whole villages that had been top dressed and not cleaned up...a real test of bike handling skills as I found out....closed roads involving unplanned detours, sheep, lambs, and deer, just to name a few obstacles...oh and a Mercedes that pulled out of his drive as we were hammering (within the posted speed limit) around the corner....did he reverse or carry on...Oh no, he just sat there! So swoop around bonnet waving sweetly!
At this point I have to say, I was getting a little tired, however I have a tall screen so it was harder for Izzy, and after the Whitby fuel stop, we were thinking of heading back to the finish...but no, full tanks, renewed resolution, and off we hammered, it was getting dark, did we care....nope....on we ploughed, found the second to last clue....home stretch, reached the last clue.....supposed to be a pub sign, no sign, it had blown off! Izzy out with her camera...photographic evidence. Then it was the home stretch, getting dark, but we knew they would wait at the finish for us, and they did!
We arrived as everyone was going home, we were last in for those that had done the whole route....but we had DONE it!, Little plaque received, photos taken of the presentation, you would think I had just won the TT!
Then off to the pub, a few drinks, a chill and a real sense of achievement.
I am sure I would have enjoyed the Farmyard, but the time and support from Izzy really made this work, she is fantastic support, and I know if I had maybe attempted this on my own, I would probably have still been riding around...she can spot clues at 45 miles and hour down country lanes as I sailed past oblivious, so thanks to Izzy a great time.....as a point of reference Rob (everyone was called Rob for some reason) did it in 8 hours 10 minutes!
However he has won the welsh national one at platinum level this year.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, it has given me a new interest for my riding, and I ill do the Scatter next year, hopefully with Izzy and maybe a few more BM rides if they are up for it, and not only do you get a plaque, its for charity as well!
Round Britain Rally next I think, Izzy, you are a star, thanks for the invite and your superb company.
I know I'd still be riding around without you and Tom - some places weren't even on my map! It was a lot of fun doing it together, the RBR you could do individually, but not a one-day event like this, especially as it's not a race.
Forgot to say to above, it was 360 miles for us; think Rob reported the 'winning' Rob did 330 miles - he just did it five and a half hours faster - boo!
Would definitely do this again, next year I believe they want to do in Derbyshire. Watch this space.
Hi Izzy, Rob (yes another one) has said Derbyshire is out, too many other bikes, too many restrictive speed areas, too many disruptions, so Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire possibly.......picks up phone.."Arties Mill good afternoon", I would like to book a room please!
well izzy sounds like you had a blast maybe next year if it doesnt clash with the farmyard we could do it as a burds thing?? cos theres a few of us and we could pair up?? it sounds like a right giggle i would love a go
Cool, that would be great. The organisers were certainly aware of the clash of dates so might try to avoid Farmyard weekend while still getting long summer daylight. Working as a pair served us well, much better than going solo.
@zzrbabe, organiser-Rob values the feedback and says they've various ideas for the 2015 challenge but he likes the ladies pairs one. Sounds a bit like the tennis, eh? Early plans are to use same start and finish venues but change date as it clashed with too many other events; I suppose a lot might change over the year as they refine plans, still early days.
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