Archive for Kent Wings
Tent Freer If Wish (- or in English, Wet Irish Treffen)
Posted by: | CommentsI wish my tent had been freer – freer of water basically. Instead it looked like this – with a swamp at the entrance.
Fortunately we had an answer – the mighty mop demonstrated here by Theresa
Luckily, we did get a little sun and that saw us over at Giant`s Causeway
The weather had an undoubted effect on attendance but I think most people had a good time despite the rain. Ireland, or at least the parts I saw is very beautiful with large areas of unspoilt countryside and very friendly people. The roads are not especially good and I would love to go back with the F800GS under me as it would cope much better with the potholes I encountered.
This is Doe castle – I think the tide is out!
This is somewhere along “Atlantic Drive”, on Ros Guill adjacent to Mulroy Bay
It was a hell of a long ride to Donegal where the Treffen was held. We rode to Holyhead, ferried across to Dublin and carried on to Stranorlar where the event was held – 500 miles in total and the ferry was a 3 and a half hour trip. We arrived on site at about 9pm, having left the house at 04:30 that morning. Needless to say, putting the tent up in the rain after such along day was not an experience I would like to repeat!
Ireland here I come!
Posted by: | CommentsTomorrow I am off to the Irish Treffen on the Goldwing. I have never been to Ireland before so it”s a real first for me. There is one fly in the ointment however, the ferry tickets were booked by fellow Kent Winger Vern and the timing is such that we have to leave at 04:30 tomorrow morning to get to Holyhead in time. This doesn”t sound like awhole lot of fun to me.. Added to which there is an uncertain outlook re weather. Well, to be honest it looks like a dead certainty that we shall have rain and plenty of it in the next week so quite how much of Ireland I”ll be able to see is questionable.
Packing the trailer, it”s clear that Parkinson is alive and well. The thing is already full and I still have a few clothes to fit in somewhere. I know I shall only use half the stuff – only thing is, I don”t know which half.
The GPS is loaded with MP3s, and various touristy sites to see (it”s a bit disconcerting to find that both Mapsource and my 2820 are not that clever when it comes to Irish place names – they seem to have trouble finding many of them) so I hope not to get lost and to have some amusement on the way. I must remember to get my Ipod wired into the bike”s supply at present I rely on its battery and when that is flat, I am out of music.
First Wingding
Posted by: | CommentsThis weekend I attended my very first Wingding – one of the principal activities of the GWOCGB. This one was organised by the Thames Valley Region and I enjoyed it a lot – learnt a lot too. Especially welcome was the change in the weather – at last we had some sunshine!
Some things – the folk are uniformly friendly, welcoming and helpful. I need a bigger tent and other stuff – did someone say “trailer”? Well yes they did but here is the important stuff:-
- After a gentle initiation, including the DIY Happy Hour, the helpful Wing community will help you spend money faster than you dreamed possible, it”s therefore advisable to put a cable tie on your wallet.
- The tent that looked big in the shop is actually smaller than a trike cover.
- Even if food is available to buy on site, be prepared to cook your own, otherwise you will be continually embarrassed by the generosity shown to you by people who think you must be starving.
- The smell of food being cooked if you aren’t cooking yourself is guaranteed to make you desperately hungry.
- It’s nice to have a barbecue – think trailer..
- Self inflating sleeping pads are no substitute for a good thick lilo – think trailer..
- Don’t agree to meeting at the next weekend without checking with the missus.. Contrary to my earlier thinking, I shan’t be at the Whitehorse Winding, we have guests that day apparently..
Man with a trailer
My bike but not my tent and no trailer..
Various vendors are there – you know you need it!
I have more wheels than you..
Bikes in Marlborough
My tent was smaller than the trike cover next door!
Kent Wings
Posted by: | CommentsI made my first trip to a regional wings meeting yesterday. I live just about equidistant in time (there must be a word for that?) from Capital Wings, Kent Wings and Surrey Wings but as I live in Kent (by about 100 yards) and as Aylesford where the Kent Wings meet was the easiest to get to, I went there. It’s a pretty little village despite being very close to the M20. I was lucky enough to meet a fair crowd of Wingers, given that with various WingDings happening, there might well have been none there at all.
I was given an especially warm welcome by Vernon and Ursula who were the first there and took care to introduce me to the rest as they arrived. Chatting with a few folk I learnt more about my bike than I had learnt in a month of owning it – like the fact that it has no rear speakers fitted as standard! I guess I should have known this but didn’t. Anyway it seems a pretty mean way for Honda to save money on such an expensive bike. I also got a good chance to look at the various “bling options” people had opted for. I decided that I should get a front fender extender to keep muck off the lower cowl and I am rather attracted by the chrome bits for the air intake and radiator cowlings that Vernon had on his bike. I also want to get the lower rear lights on the panniers fitted and hooked up – it really improves visibility.
After our session at the Aylesford village club, a few of us went on a ride to Wadhurst along some very pretty country lanes.