A Mini adventure................or shear lunacy!

[snail]

Ha Ha Alan, Brilliant weather wasn't it, couldn't of been better for our weekend away, even with Suzy scoot loaded she coped easily with the 100 mile run down to Southampton, cruising around 55/60, we were all lumped together tight about a 150 on our crossing and boy oh boy when them 2 strokes fire up couldn't see the bloody ferry!!

Luckily we soon left them behind as we were off to our campsite near Carisbrooke castle, on arrival is was instantly obvious they were "characters" pleasant atmosphere all though all quite close together

The site in general is all a bit querky? as you can see, there were also more sheperd huts old VWs and kennel types for kids to sleep in

The rally it self was at the Island Speedway track, the track for parking and trade stands in the centre, although we were challenged to find anything without vespa or lambretta on!
No matter what you think about them you do have to admire the amount of restoration work done and for me the artwork is amazing, there was about 5 thousand on the island and you couldn't ride for more than 5 minutes without passing 1 or 10!
Sunday we joined the hour long ride, more of a carnival procession really, trying to start everyone off was chaos, the locals and holiday makers lined the streets for the spectacle, seems they are very welcome.

 

[snail]

Well ran out of photo room so a few more now, all in all a good weekend, IOW good area for a weekend away on scoot, do it again? IOW yes rally well.... bin there done that and even got a tee shirt! so probably not!


Happy days snail

 

[Fatima Saysell]

Beautiful Cornwall. We did a similar tour by car when I was pregnant, 25 years ago! Loved Padstow, Port Isaac and Tintagel: pure magic. Glad you enjoyed your break.

 

[vwalan]

hi snail. looks like it was a good one .
iow is nice . we used to go quite often years ago. vw meets or custom car meets its quite a place for them . nice scoots . i do admire the work on them but still cant have one . mods /rocker type view . cant . dont want . but can still see the good work.
wouldnt kick one over etc these days ,even wouldnt fall out with a mod , but would laugh about the old days .
but glad you had a good one .
woke to sunshine this morning then a nasty rain storm but the sun is still shining . been a funny weather summer this year.

 

[Fatima Saysell]

hi snail. looks like it was a good one .
iow is nice . we used to go quite often years ago. vw meets or custom car meets its quite a place for them . nice scoots . i do admire the work on them but still cant have one . mods /rocker type view . cant . dont want . but can still see the good work.
wouldnt kick one over etc these days ,even wouldnt fall out with a mod , but would laugh about the old days .
but glad you had a good one .
woke to sunshine this morning then a nasty rain storm but the sun is still shining . been a funny weather summer this year.

It's been sun and heat all the way for us, but today we have experienced the first proper rain and stormy weather here in Palamós. We are now at another brilliant aire part of La Ruta Catalana en Autocaravana. Again, we have showers, toilets, sinks and a bar/restaurant on site, all for €12 a day! It still beats the UK any day!!!!

 

[vwalan]

wouldnt know i dont pay to stop anywhere be it here or when away.
its just a game played for years .
mind i did use a campsite in hospital de la infant in spain in 2009 . only for one night .
dont use bars or restaurants either . ha ha .
can live on 12 euro for almost a week.
but so long as others enjoy them thats ok with me . i shant stop others using them.
cant say its been a bad summer here , but its not been a good one either.
been dry on the roads three times this morning . then peed down then sunny , every time i think its dry go for a ride . it rains . ha ha . best stay in today.
but have a good time its nice on that coast . its nice going slowly gives a better feel for the places you pass through.

 

[Fatima Saysell]

I wish we could find places to stay for free in Spain, but they are not as abundant as in France. We didn't pay a penny for the first 3 weeks there, only the food we ate and wine/beer we drank. Maybe when we go inland next week, but then again, Peter wants to do some fishing, which he hasn't done yet this summer, and we know of a little campsite in Lake Caspe where if we stay 4 weeks, we only have to pay for 3. It will be autumn proper then and hopefully, we'll find cheaper of free stops.
Still pouring down here. Lots of motorhomes have left now; place half empty. Hope weather improves in the UK. Water much needed here, so can't complain about a rainy day!

 

[chrisjones18]

hi snail. looks like it was a good one .
iow is nice . we used to go quite often years ago. vw meets or custom car meets its quite a place for them . nice scoots . i do admire the work on them but still cant have one . mods /rocker type view . cant . dont want . but can still see the good work.
wouldnt kick one over etc these days ,even wouldnt fall out with a mod , but would laugh about the old days .
but glad you had a good one .
woke to sunshine this morning then a nasty rain storm but the sun is still shining . been a funny weather summer this year.

I think you have mellowed in your old age----- much the same as me.
only I have bought a scooter as there are not many automatic bikes about under £1500 that Sally can ride in an emergency . [don't want to do a test]
think we had snail's rain in Devon last week ,plus it was a bit cold.

 

[vwalan]

spent the last 4 winters mainly on the med coast and didnt pay.
just really hug the sea . i,m sure you will find some .
we were further down starting at torre de sal.
then just following the sea . often as far as playa ritjjana just past castell de ferro. then back to adra then head north through the national parks .
been along time really since i spent time slowly where you are .
was too many hotels going up back then , been barcelona and down a few times even then headed for sitges .
used to stop on a mates land up by lleida , if with others that hadnt been before they had to see barcelona even if only a quick visit .
i liked vilanova de geltru . sometimes good surf and nice friendly folk around there.
some nice quiet coastal villages from there down and some nice open car parks . mind they might charge untill autumn .

chris ,stepthrough hondas etc are ok but not proper scooters .

 

[Fatima Saysell]

spent the last 4 winters mainly on the med coast and didnt pay.
just really hug the sea . i,m sure you will find some .
we were further down starting at torre de sal.
then just following the sea . often as far as playa ritjjana just past castell de ferro. then back to adra then head north through the national parks .
been along time really since i spent time slowly where you are .
was too many hotels going up back then , been barcelona and down a few times even then headed for sitges .
used to stop on a mates land up by lleida , if with others that hadnt been before they had to see barcelona even if only a quick visit .
i liked vilanova de geltru . sometimes good surf and nice friendly folk around there.
some nice quiet coastal villages from there down and some nice open car parks . mind they might charge untill autumn .

chris ,stepthrough hondas etc are ok but not proper scooters .

Thank you, Alan. After we've done our fishing bit at Lake Caspe, we'll be heading for Valencia and Alicante (where I was born) and hope to find more free spots. Then it will be Almería and all the way west to southern Portugal. I have a brother in Cádiz and I'd love to go and see him. Other than that, we have no concrete plans. Your idea of hugging the cost sounds perfect to me.

 

[coolasluck]

Christ you don't hang around do you Fatima

 

[Fatima Saysell]

Christ you don't hang around do you Fatima

That's what Peter says: "you don't muck about!". Not if I can help it. I suffer from itchy feet!!!

 

[chrisjones18]

chris ,stepthrough hondas etc are ok but not proper scooters .

only one of us from Gloucester have won the lottery and it wasn't me that bought a Honda.
we have a super dupa Chinese 125 AJS Modena. complete with wobbly 10 inch wheels.

 

[vwalan]

well i dont mind chinese m,bikes . have been using mine for 16 yrs . sold my 250cc lifan a couple years ago.
still have my suzuki grasstracker and gn 250 oh and my drifter.
ajs last i knew they were selling regent m,bikes as ajs bikes .
fluff brown i think it was was bringing them in .
but just googled and they look like scooters .
cant have one . would have to keep kicking it over ever time i walked in my garage .
chinese stepthough 125cc ok but not a scooter.
bet you want fox,s tail and loads mirrors next . ha ha

 

[snail]

Ha,ha they were selling fox and tiger tails at the rally for a tenner each! Didn't buy one nor a parka!

Racking the miles up though (4200 now) been to Halesowen today 120 miles round trip, to Towsure and then they didn't have what I wanted even though thier website said they had!!

Just loading van, off Monday, going down to Braunton for a few weeks

 

[vwalan]

nice in braunton . used to stop in a carpark by the pub near the health center i think it was .
then on to croyde surfing . although it used to be nice out in lee as well for a night.
was hot water in the toilets sink. hee hee . carparks rule .
have a good one .
nice on the cliff tops by woolacombe as well.

 

[chrisjones18]

wonder how much I would get for a real foxes tail's or a couple of heads, even got a couple of fox collars for the ladies. or a beaver coat.. you can tell we are having a clear out.. hell you don't half keep some crap and I've not even looked in the sheds yet.

I think its steve amos that's the importer for ajs, designed in the uk and built in china, with a 125 Honda engine.

brian, very nice down Braunton/woolacombe /ilfracombe area. thanks for the tip.
we are back in forest now [until Dec] after a mooch around Cardiff [£10.30 for 24hrs, or £26 for a week in the centre] just fitted in the bay as they look to be just under 8 mtr. the attendant has been disposed of and they have fitted machines instead. you now need a key code [from stagecoach] or a radar key for the toilets.

 

[vwalan]

wonder how much I would get for a real foxes tail's or a couple of heads, even got a couple of fox collars for the ladies. or a beaver coat.. you can tell we are having a clear out.. hell you don't half keep some crap and I've not even looked in the sheds yet.

I think its steve amos that's the importer for ajs, designed in the uk and built in china, with a 125 Honda engine.

brian, very nice down Braunton/woolacombe /ilfracombe area. thanks for the tip.
we are back in forest now [until Dec] after a mooch around Cardiff [£10.30 for 24hrs, or £26 for a week in the centre] just fitted in the bay as they look to be just under 8 mtr. the attendant has been disposed of and they have fitted machines instead. you now need a key code [from stagecoach] or a radar key for the toilets.

might be right , but i thought it was run by nick brown . fluffs sun .
fluff died in 203 .
i used to visit them years ago as they were on the same estate as one of my vw contacts . up by andover .
i was never really into m,sport even m,bike sport . but through the business met fluff brown ,sammy miller and a few more . also the mahindra brothers that brought in the enfields from india . mind they are connected or was with bavannar imports that were ktm importers back along . its a small world sometimes .

 

[snail]

well we were back from braunton after only 5 nights due to lousy weather! home for 2 nights then spent a week on side of thames at radcot, exploring all that Oxfordshire has to offer, good cheap cl right on the bank, boat watching pub adjacent @ £7/n friars court its called

anyway been home 2 days so off in the next hour to Weston on avon cs on banks of the avon, warickshire again @£7/n, its stratford on avon food fayre this weekend, been before very good, even the forecast looks hopeful?

happy days
snail

 

[chrisjones18]

alan will be giving you a talking to, fritting away £49 a week
weather forecast is good up to the weekend, enjoy it,
we had bit of bad news on Friday as Sally's mum passed away, we were expecting it at some point but it was a shock at the time... all ok now, just loads to sort out and need it done by December as we are away until March.
enjoy the food fest and as they say "wish we were there".