Cleethorpes national Rally

Published: 09:07AM Sep 21st, 2011
By: Rich

I always enjoy this rally (possibly because my birthday is the same weekend). I rode over to the Haven Inn on the outskirts of Grimsby for the mass ride-in, organised for 11am Saturday each year (it seems to be getting bigger each year with hundreds of scooters gathering in the sun). Travelling as part of a large group of scooters is something else and the looks you get from onlookers is a real buzz – bet they wonder what that crazy bunch is doing?

Making our way along the long road into Cleethorpes, the scooter train snakes its way along the prom before dispersing – some riding onto the campsite and parts fair at the Stamford Club, while others park on the prom near the Establishment (former Submarine pub) to show off their scoots. This year there were a fantastic amount of dealers for the parts fair, with the custom show centrally displayed for visitors to browse (all within crawling distance from the tents after a heavy Friday night for some maybe)?

The custom show aired some new and some old machines; increasingly popular were the autos, with a master class in engineering being seen in an orange cutdown with a rear monoshock suspension to die for. ‘Faithful Friend’ (a stunning Vespa) was still doing the rounds and looking ever the classic custom scoot. There were also amazing paint jobs, including ‘One of the few’ (a tribute to our Battle of Britain pilots) gleaming in the summer sun. There was also a unique Lambretta three-wheeler ‘Firefly’ (used in American factories to help fight fires along narrow gangways) – something a bit different. With bands and DJs playing throughout the weekend at the campsite and town pubs providing entertainment, rallygoers are spoilt for choice.

Sitting on the prom (or outside Gypsy Tears or Bootleggers) people/scooter watching in the sun on a Saturday afternoon is a great pastime. By the time we’re ready to set off home (after our annual visit to the fish and chip restaurant) there were still people shopping at the campsite. Some scooters had left the car park (but only for a few hours) before everyone returned for a great night in the bars, listening to some good tunes.
My TS strikes up and we set off home along with car drivers surprised to see a Lambretta cruising past them at high speed (heee heee). Looking forward to the next big rally.