It’s crazy to think that this year marked the 20th Modrapheniacs rally, and having been there at that first rally in 2001 I was looking forward to what is the traditional curtain-raiser to our rally season.
Luckily the Thursday floods subsided and Friday was bright and sunny for the ride along the coast to Sandford. Samantha and Sacha, aka Thelma and Louise, followed me in the car and after a quick petrol stop at Rownhams on the M27 the rest of the journey passed without incident and we had a leisurely lunch at the Bakers Arms. It was then just a couple of miles to the caravan park where scooters were gathering and the bar was already busy.
Our caravan was compact and bijou but I was impressed with the remote control fire, perfect for lazy heat adjustments as a result of menopausal temperature variations!
This was a girly weekend for us, to celebrate Sacha’s upcoming 50th, and we started the evening having a few drinks and playing a card game which involved shouting rude words at the appropriate time. I do wonder what any passers by would think, hearing a bunch of girls all saying category C swear words in unison, it was very funny!
Friday Night Do
By the time we got to the do it was in full swing. We missed the first band, the Rocker Covers, but managed to catch Adored. The crowd took a while to warm up but when they played my favourite, Made Of Stone, followed by the big hitters Fools Gold and I Am The Resurrection it got very lively. Donna had been there throughout and seemed pleased to see us!
After that it was Johnny Freeman on the decks and he played an eclectic mix of party tunes which we loved! From Depeche Mode to the Chemical Brothers, it was nice to hear something a bit different. The set culminated in a triumphant YMCA, as promised (threatened!) with Johnny himself leading the dancing on stage!
We stayed for a couple more tunes spun by Eddie and then headed back to the caravan for hot cross buns and our own private disco until the wee small hours…
Saturday Dawned
I didn’t sleep very well in the world’s narrowest bed, built for a 3 year old. In fact the whole twin room was smaller than my big bed at home! After a hearty breakfast I headed out for a colourful scooter hunt and didn’t have to go too far before spotting these lovely GTS Vespas! The lads from Cirencester were very accommodating, humouring me and moving them into a nice neat row.
Then I went to see Kev White before he headed home, with his own colourful Vespa which is a few decades older than the autos.
I also used my phone’s fancy wide angled lens to get a unique view of Booga’s toolbox!
We then wandered the short distance to the main building to see if anything exciting was happening. On the way we passed a modern art installation cunningly disguised as some used cans placed in a tree. I’m sure Damian Hirst could charge millions for this!
It was then time to visit the custom show. Sean Robinson was mopping up a leakage from his new creation and I also caught up with Gary Dodson with his redone Peaky Blinders PX which he’d only finished building the day before.
Old Blue was getting lots of attention as usual. For more pics see my write-up from last year which includes all the tech info too.
I absolutely loved this cute pink Lambretta!
There were a few on display from the Lambretta Chopper Owners Club too, all lined up. See the gallery at the bottom for many more custom show photos.
After a quick circuit of the stalls, none of whom had the rubber bung I was looking for, we wanted to see a bit of the countryside so drove a few miles to Durdle Door, a local beauty spot. The wind was bracing and it was further to walk than we expected but the coves around there are beautiful even on a chilly March day. We took some scenic photos and then stopped in a fantastic country pub in nearby Lulworth for lunch (the Castle Inn, if you’re ever passing).
Then it was back to the site where I did a bit of work before chilling in the caravan. Ana arrived and we got ready for our last night of fun, with a few drinks, a bit of a gossip and an impromptu boogie thanks to the beauty of having easy access to some top tracks on my iPad and speaker combo.
Saturday Do
Snowy was threatening to do a crowd dive from the balcony but luckily was saved by an onlooker. We flitted between the two rooms, made a few new friends and caught up with some old ones.
It turned out to be a brilliant night and my feet are still aching from Terry Walters’ non-stop brilliant records for the last couple of hours. He even played a request for my sister, dedicated to me, by the Noisettes. The dancefloor initially emptied but then soon filled up again when everyone remembered what a great track it is! I managed to do nearly 10,000 steps between 1 and 2am! It was the busiest late night boogie I remember at Sandford for a few years, something which I’ve always loved at that rally.
It rained for most of the night but the weather was kind for my ride back to West Sussex. Ana followed me in the van but it was an unremarkable journey and I was in the bath at home by 11.30am.
It had been a fantastic weekend and really nice to get out and see everyone again. What was lovely were the people who recognise me from this website who came and said hello. I always appreciate how many scooterists read these writeups and explore my website.
Modrapheniacs Photo Gallery
Rally Guides
Rally Guides
If you’re planning your scootering calendar for 2021 then check out my 2021 Rally Guide to get the best choice of accommodation.
For an in-depth guide to the biggest scooter rally in the world, here is a link to my Isle of Wight rally guide.
More My First Rally stories
Read more My First Rally stories using these links (in alphabetic order)
– Ali Richards
– Bill Mac
– Dave Lloyd
– Dean Percival
– Dizzy Holmes
– Iggy Grainger
– Jo Jackson
– Lee Parker
– Lee Richards
– Mike Oxley
– Niamh Pennington
– Nick Jolly
– Norrie Kerr
– Roger Williams
– Sandra Smith
– Sarah George
– Sean Robinson
– Stacey Gardner
– Steve Bone
– Sticky
– Stuart Owen
– Vince Wooloff