The classic scooterists club magazine

21st European Lambretta Jamboree

It would be extra special as two of our friends, young Nick and Mel, got married the week before and were honeymooning on the rally.

Nick and I (GP200) were travelling with Barry and Linda (Series 2), young Nick and Mel (GP200), Mick and Lorraine (Series 2) and Norman on his Gilera Runner. We made the Portsmouth ferry in good time (after a number of problems involving stator plates, CDI units, spark plugs and a melted bottle of two-stroke). However the ferry didn’t fare as well – electrical problems meant we didn’t board until midnight. Docking in Bilbao, we headed south for Gibraltar, staying in Toledo and Cordoba along the way and visiting Grumpy Jocks Garage in Marbella. By the time we arrived we were two men down – Barry and Linda took a tumble from a blow-out and were in hospital for minor surgery.

After a few days R&R, enjoying the pool, a trip up the rock and trying to shoo one of the Barbary apes out of our bedroom, we headed for Merida on Monday. We made good time and decided to press on further to Caceres. The Lambrettas thought we were taking the urine! With seven miles to go, we pulled in to find Nicks breather plug was missing and his shock broke. Young Nick’s base gasket had also gone. With temporary repairs we arrived at Hotel Argentina by 9pm. We rang Barry to find he’d only just set off from Malaga after picking up the scoot and hiring a van.

Young Nick was up early the next day to fix his scoot. Our temporary shock fix would have to hold until we reached Gijon, so to ease the stress, I rode on the back of Norman’s Gilera Runner. It was suggested that I get slapped hard on the ass at each petrol stop, so that I could continue the full Lambretta experience – I declined!

Just passed Plasencia, Mick and Lorraine were on the hard shoulder with a sheared hub nut. That was soon fixed and they pressed on to Gijon, as their daughter Emily was already there. We arrived at the hotel in Leon just after eight. Barry and Linda stayed in Zamora. Mick and Lorraine arrived in Gijon at around 10pm.

On Wednesday, the weather changed from hot and dry to wet and wetter! We set off for Gijon around 11.45am in waterproofs with phones, money, etc wrapped in plastic bags and shower caps (I knew they’d come in handy one day)! About half an hour after we set off, with the rain hammering down; young Nick’s GP started backfiring. We found shelter and he set to work, tightening the cylinder head. We were on our way again in under an hour and arrived at the hotel at 3.15pm.

It never stopped raining for the whole four nights of our stay, but you just have to make the best of it! We sang at the Saturday night do ‘Always look on the bright side of life’.  The town was lovely, the people friendly and thankfully, we weren’t camping!

We left a sodden Gijon and stayed in Bilbao on Sunday night, boarding the ferry Monday afternoon. After near gale force winds, we docked in Portsmouth on Tuesday a little later than expected and four of us decided to stay in a hotel in Hayling Island. Barry and Linda caught the train to Wigan, arriving home at 1am. The wheel came off Mick and Lorraine’s Series 2 on the Newberry bypass – they were OK, but had to get breakdown to take them home. Norman arrived home four-and-a-half hours after docking. Young Nick and Mel, Nick and I set off from the hotel at around 11.30am on Wednesday morning. Nick and I didn’t quite make it to our third petrol stop at Leicester Forest East – Nick had to walk a couple of miles, petrol can in hand, but we made it home OK, arriving at about 5.30pm.

Nick and Mel’s stator plate went on their way home, but they managed to stay with friends Neil and Sarah before setting off again on Thursday. However the Lambretta fairy hadn’t finished with the honeymoon couple yet! On their last stretch, they got a puncture and had to walk a couple of miles for air! Still they made it home on the Lammie after clocking up more than 2000 miles and certainly had a honeymoon to remember. True Lambretta enthusiasts!

...Lots more photos in the magazine (issue 074)!

Gracias Espania!
Pics: Julie Heath, Iron Arse, Terry Brown, Warren Prescott