Bulldog Run 2023

I nearly didn’t make it to the 14th Bulldog Run because both my scooters are playing up, but Carl Grisley kindly offered his Mark 1 PX for me to ride. I spent most of the Eurovision final battling with terrible websites offering temporary insurance cover and finally ended up with expensive – but necessary – cover.

I’d been on weather-watch for a couple of weeks and initially it looked like it would be a carbon copy of last year and we’d all get drenched. But gradually the forecasts improved and most of the day was spent basking in the sun.

Rustington to Chichester

I picked up the scooter and rode with Carl and Gina to the Chichester meeting point at MacDonald’s. The car park was surprisingly full of cars but gradually more scooters arrived, eventually cramming into every available space.

Pete Davies was selling stickers, and Sarah was selling patches, with all profits going to the Bulldog Rescue and Rehoming Centre. I was quite excited as I’d designed them, which was a first for me, but it was a last minute thing. I know how valuable they are for raising much-needed funds for a brilliant cause so wanted to help if I could.

It was nice to chat with old friends as well as meeting new people, whilst keeping an eye on the scooters and taking a few photos of the ones which caught my eye.

Chichester to Midhurst

Organiser Sarah George was keen to let everyone know that the road to Midhurst was littered with potholes, some which were enormous, so we rode slowly and carefully up the A286 and everyone arrived at the Bulldog Rescue in one piece.

The Area 51 team had laid on tea and cake in the garden, and many of the scooterists petted the dogs in their kennels. Dizzy was selling merch at the gate and Tania was marshalling the scooters. She asked if I’d done a count, something which I’d decided against as it’s a nightmare usually, but I do love a challenge so couldn’t resist! Why is counting scooters so hard you might ask? Well… firstly, they’re parked really closely together so you have to be careful not to miss any and not to double count. Second, people try and put you off by shouting random numbers at you! Third, there are new ones arriving all the time, so it’s only ever a shapshot of how many were there at that one moment in time.

So, I counted 212 scooters altogether. Not long after, Tania reported that at least another ten arrived, so it’s only ever an estimate – but we think that there must have been around 250 in total. Also, I’d only counted scooters rather than motorbikes, but it was nice to see so many different forms of transport there in Carron Lane.

The Grange

We then all rode to The Grange for more refreshments. There was a DJ playing music and people were dotted about inside and out, enjoying the sun and chatting with friends.

Eventually it was time to go, but we only got as far as Cocking and noticed some familiar scooters outside a pub there so stopped for a quick drink. Carl and Gina were there, which was handy, so we all rode back to Rustington together. Mark had zoomed off to race with Doug while I was happy to pootle along and avoid the potholes, being super-careful as I was riding someone else’s scooter!

Thanks to the organisers

Once again this rideout lived up to expectations. Sarah and her Area 51 team organise it so well, which is no mean feat with so many moving parts. The bulldogs enjoyed the attention and we raised a massive £1,393.44 for the Rescue which relies on donations for its running costs.