The classic scooterists club magazine

Great London Rideout

As you can imagine, the noise of straining two- and four-stroke engines plus plumes of exhaust smoke brings the surrounding areas to a standstill. Outriders ‘try’ to keep the procession together by blocking off roundabouts and traffic lights, but this often culminates in ‘pleasurable havoc’. This year, roadworks at both Regents Park and Southend added to the melee! Also several ‘burly’ security guards didn’t take too kindly to the procession passing up ‘The Street’, resulting in the main pack being split into several smaller groups.

The mid-journey pick-up point at the Dick Turpin Pub on the A127 meant numbers nearly doubled. Here another 250 riders from Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Kent joined the ‘scooter conga’. The thing I like about this event is that it attracts all forms of scooters, including autos. This menagerie brings a mixture of people together, from regular rallygoers to youngsters and people returning to their youth – which is often shown by the mixture of riding abilities! With a large police presence and what seemed like speed cameras every 400 yards, the final few miles were a little tame compared to previous years ‘races’!

Arriving at the seaside, scooters parked up in regimental fashion outside the local pubs (I’m sure many were grateful for the trade). After a couple of shandies, it was time for our return. Once again, the GLRO had proved a very pleasurable way of spending a Sunday afternoon!

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

Basil Brush