Thursday started with a trip to school to collect Daniel’s GCSE results – a very nerve-wracking time for us all but it was mainly good news – he got what he needed for the A level subjects he wanted to study – phew!
Ride to Pompey
After a celebratory brunch we packed up the scooters, neither of which were what we’d planned to ride. My crash the previous Sunday put my Lambretta out of action, and the rainy weather put Lee off from riding the chop. So I started on the T5, with Lee on his Coventry-themed Lambretta – but that arrangement didn’t last long. The gale force winds were blowing me all over the place before we even reached Felpham village, so we swapped, and I rode the Lammie to Pompey.
We had a slight hiccup at Hilsea with a stretched clutch cable making me stall, but after a slight adjustment we arrived at the ferry terminal, slightly soggy but relieved to have made it in once piece.
There were some tasty Lambrettas already in the small queue and I barely had time to take many photos before we were summoned onto the boat.
It was a surprisingly smooth crossing, which was a relief as I’ve been known to suffer seasickness on a pedalo before, but sitting in the middle of the ferry was the best idea and before we knew it, it was time to head back down to the scooters. As usual, it was ‘death by two stroke’ but I’m sure I’d miss it if we somehow all switched to electric scooters 😂
Ride to Ryde
Once off the ferry I struggled with the stop/start queue of traffic (my arthritic hands couldn’t cope with Lee’s heavy clutch, and my dodgy wrist struggled getting it in and out of first gear) so we pulled over to wait for the cars to pass. This decision might have actually saved my life because as we sat there Lee happened to look down and noticed my anti dive bar was detached from where it was meant to be! It was an accident waiting to happen – and the next challenge was finding a bolt to fit it. Lee had one in his tool bag but it was too long, so in the end he nicked one from under the Vespa seat which did the trick.
So we finally left Fishbourne and headed to Ryde, still soggy in the rain, our gloves sodden. After a couple of miles a scooter pulled up beside me and it was Booty, fresh off the Red Funnel ferry to Cowes. So we rode to the hotel as a threesome and it was a relief to get into the dry, change our damp clothes and head out to Yelfs for a coffee and chat.
After a while we were feeling peckish so walked down to Ryde Castle for tea, where it was busy but we luckily managed to find a table.
I was gutted that for the second year in a row our plan to go on the Thursday rideout, organised by island scooterists from Sandown, was thwarted by the weather. However, I had a Plan B and for us it was a game of bowling over at the Superbowl, where Lee scored almost as many points as me and Booty combined! After a couple of games we popped into Wetherspoons for a nightcap drink and then headed back to the hotel for bed.
Thursday gallery
Friday
Friday dawned and we were delighted that the forecast was right and it was sunny! We joined up with Booty and went for breakfast at the Festival Diner in Union Street. We then hopped on the scooters and rode to Fishbourne to watch some scooters come off the ferry, including Keith who’d decided to just come over for the day, not fancying a stormy night in a tent (and I don’t blame him!)
Then we set off for Sandown and the official rally hub, riding through the middle of the island via some lovely country lanes. The airfield was buzzing, with scooters arriving all the time and lots of people wandering around the dealer village.
Daz and his team were busy selling official rally shirts, and Lee bought some fixings for the Lambretta mudguard he’d bought to replace my dented one. He also got some nuts to fix the anti dive bar thing which had come undone yesterday. Keith had kindly given him some Locktite so he used that too, which hopefully means we will make it home without further mishaps! (Spoiler alert : we didn’t!)
While Lee was faffing with the scooter it gave me plenty of time to take lots of photos! There were some really nice scoots including Kev Percival’s new custom Lambretta, Boogaloo Investigator. The metalflake was so sparkly in the sun!
Then Lee and I went on another scenic ride to Bembridge airport and the Propellor Inn for our traditional anniversary lunch. It’s 14 years since we got married and 22 years since we met in Ryde, and we had a scrummy lunch to celebrate in one of our favourite island pubs.
We then rode into Sandown to fill up with petrol before heading back to Ryde, to park up on the green. It’s definitely my happy place and I never get bored of looking at scooters and listening to the sound of various exhausts buzzing up and down the seafront.
Keith had joined Booty down there after getting his Lambretta dynoed at EST in Cowes (it’s great value and he’d highly recommend it) but after a quick chat he headed back for the ferry.
We bumped into Jane and Johnny Cambridge so had a lovely catch-up and I took new shots of their lovely scooter, Bobby.
Then it was time to head back up the hill to the hotel to chill before the evening’s fun.
Friday Evening
We popped into the Crown before our taxi to the campsite arrived and I managed a quick dance before we jumped into the car. Once at Sandown Airfield we caught up with a few people including the incredible Henry and Alison who’d just finished their epic adventure riding around the country in aid of Alzheimer’s. Well, I thought they’d finished but it turns out they’re going to Brighton on Sunday to end the trip where they started, which feels like the perfect full circle.
They’ve raised nearly £17,000 so far but with more auctions and events to follow so it’s not too late to donate!
They have some hairy tales including a blowout in the middle lane of the M5, and having to swap engines en route. It’s such a great effort, for a brilliant charity, so well done to all of Team Before We Forget for this magnificent achievement.
Soon we could hear the band playing so we wandered into the marquee which was rammed, everyone keen to see Rankin Junior’s version of The Beat. And what a great sound it was, especially in a tent, in fact it put other venues to shame. They played a fantastic set including a few new ones (their EP “Take My Heart Away” comes out next week) and the crowd were bouncing the whole way through.
Once they finished Andy Greenslade kept the party mood going on the decks and I had a great boogie to some ska and 2-tone classics. Then Lee asked me something to me that he’s never said in 22 years – “shall we go to the northern room?” Of course my answer was YES so we wandered over to the Soul Hangar where Jason Watson was spinning the tunes (with another DJ whose name I don’t know!) They played some rally classics and it was great to dance on a proper (albeit temporary) dancefloor.
And then it was time for our taxi home so we zoomed back to Ryde (at 100mph it felt like!), back to the hotel where our bed was calling…
When I knew that Friday would be the best day weather-wise, I planned to really make the most of it and it turned out to be brilliant, everything I could have hoped for, for my wedding anniversary.
Friday Gallery
Saturday
The arrival of Saturday brought the expected rain, although luckily it wasn’t torrential. As the forecast had been bad all week I’d made contingency plans as I knew I wouldn’t be able to do my favourite thing which is ride around the island.
Luckily it wasn’t super windy either, but for most of the morning Ryde was wet and rather miserable. We went back to the Festival Diner for breakfast and then met up with my son Daniel and his friend Elliot who’d come over for the day with one of their mate’s parents. We treated them to breakfast and then left them to go to the arcades while we chilled back at the hotel.
We set off again at midday to get the shuttle bus with the boys to the campsite, bumping into a few familiar faces on the way to the seafront. John Barnett couldn’t believe how much Daniel has grown even in the short time since Expo 2, so I just had to take a photo of them.
The shuttle bus was actually a double decker coach so we did what most people would, and sat at the front of the top deck! Once on the campsite we headed for the custom show which was really busy. There were a few new scooters including Kev and Debbie Mustard’s gorgeous tribute to Ocean Colour Scene, which was getting plenty of attention. Kev and Lee are old mates so it was lovely to catch up with them and find out more about their scooter, which features in the Sept/Oct 2024 edition of ScooterNova magazine.
I stopped to chat to a few owners too, and got a ton of photos!
After that we wandered around the stalls, showing the boys some of the eclectic items you can buy at a scooter rally trader village, but they were mainly interested in the ‘4 for £1.50’ sweetie stall!
We left them to mooch further while Lee caught up with some mates and I joined Shaun Hodgkin to count the Punters’ Choice voting slips. It was a really close run vote this year, which involved a recount just to make sure we got the correct result!
And then it was time to give out the trophies. Full results are below but we were delighted for Debbie & Kev as they won two (Best Mural and Best In Show) for Ocean Colour Scene.
Custom Show Results
First Time Entrant sponsored by Diary Of A Detour (ME!!):
Heinkel
Mod/Accessories : the Ian Higgins (Tubby) Memorial Trophy sponsored by Stockport Crusaders SC
228 UYW
Vintage Lambretta pre 1965 sponsored by Colchester DVLC
LI Series 2 – 964 UYW
Custom Lambretta sponsored by Photography UK
Bonzo / West Ham – TIW 799
Restored Lambretta sponsored by Sandown Airport
LI 150 Series 1 – TDL 264
Best Ridden Scooter sponsored by Blazing Glory SC, the Dave Gould Memorial Trophy
I Told You I Was Trouble Lambretta – AUF 345K
Street Racer Lambretta sponsored by K2 Customs
GP 250 Super S Type – R701 SWR
Best Mural, Paddy Smith & Bill Mac Memorial Trophy
Ocean Colour Scene
Vinyl Graphics sponsored by Lambretta Art
Misfit
Best Auto sponsored by Olympic Smartspeed 66
Gilera Runner Twin
Engraving sponsored by Lexham Insurance
Leave ‘Em Laughing
Individual Display sponsored by M Ska Gifts & Signs
TV175 Series 3 and Jet 200
Champion of Champions : Jonnie Bolland Memorial Trophy
Breaking Rocks
Cutdown sponsored by Top Dead Centre Apparel
Kingfisher
Original Scooter sponsored by Curbridge Motor Company
LI 150 Series 1 – WYV 39
Vintage Vespa Pre 1972 sponsored by Macc Boys Boxing Club
828 CPT
Custom Vespa sponsored by Photography UK
Van Helsing
Restored Vespa sponsored by Medway SC
Primavera – EK5 72X
Best Chop sponsored by UK Lambretta Choppers
The Riddler
Best Oddity sponsored by Mansfield Monsters SC, Rachel Bradshaw Memorial Trophy
Ratfink
Street Racer Vespa sponsored by SIP
T5 – S477 PGC
Vespa P Range, Wigan Tim Memorial Trophy
Here I Go Again
Paintwork sponsored by VFM
Twisted Attraction
Best Hybrid sponsored by TASSO
24 Hour Party People
Best Engineering sponsored by Olympic SC, Steve Bywater Memorial Trophy
B753 JPB
Club Display sponsored by VFM
Foresters SC
Best Plating sponsored by Crusader Promotions
Creepy
Exhibitors’ Choice sponsored by Lexham Insurance
Breaking Rocks
Punters’ Choice sponsored by SLUK
Lambretta Series 2 – 844 XVR
Best Of Show sponsored by ScooterNova
Ocean Colour Scene
We then hopped back on the shuttle bus to Ryde where we wandered to the green where a few scooters had gathered now the rain had stopped, then grabbed a quick Chinese before Lee caught up with some of Nuneaton’s Finest (their words, not mine!) in the Lud. I sorted out Daniel and Elliot to make sure they had food to take onto the ferry home (two pizzas from Charcoal Grill and some sweeties) before going back to the hotel for a chill and to get changed for the evening’s fun.
Saturday Evening
We found Booty in the Lud still, with the Nuneaton gang, so after a few photos we walked to Ryde Castle for a drink before we wandered downstairs to see Emma Cox’s set at The Happening. It was bloody brilliant, a joyful hour of brilliant music and I needed a couple of breaks to cool down after some energetic dancing! I need to get fit to build up some stamina! Luckily there was a water dispenser so I could top up my flask as I was drinking gallons of the stuff!
After Em had finished we walked back to the hotel, a relatively early night but that was perfect for us – having been out for 3 nights in a row (we are SO OLD!) Personally I would love for dos to start and finish earlier; 6pm – 11pm would be amazing 😂
Saturday Gallery
Sunday
Luckily we awoke to blue skies on Sunday although there was still a stiff breeze. We packed up and parked the scooter on the green while we went for breakfast. It was quiet which meant nice clean photos with no distractions or passers-by in the background!
By the time we returned to the seafront it was buzzing and we saw a few people we hadn’t seen all weekend, like Carl and Gina.
Next stop was the ice rink car park which seemed really busy. We parked fairly close to the entrance and waited for the rideout to start at 1pm. It’s an incredible experience riding through hundreds and hundreds of people who are all pointing their phone at you and luckily I filmed the ride, although we peeled off before everyone headed for Seaview, as we were booked on the next ferry home.
There were familiar faces on the boat and although I hate that journey back to the mainland, it’s always a consolation to see the brilliant view of the Spinnaker Tower that you get when arriving at the ferry port.
The captain had told us that the A27 and M27 were closed due to a bad accident so when we disembarked we went a different way to Hilsea and then weaved our way through the traffic jams to Cosham. I was on Lee’s Lambretta again, and when we were approaching a junction I suddenly realised that the back brake wasn’t working!
Luckily it was a slight uphill incline so was easy to stop, and when Lee inspected the cable he realised that the uprated brake cable parts had completely fallen off! How lucky am I that I was going really slowly when it happened? It’s a bit like when Lee had noticed the front wheel anti dive fixings were missing, because if we’d carried on as normal it could have caused a nasty crash. I’m beginning to feel cursed!!!
Anyway, we swapped bikes as I couldn’t easily use the front brake as my only method of stopping, not with my dodgy wrist and fingers, so I hopped back onto the T5 for the rest of the journey home.
Final rally thoughts
Despite the horrible weather at times, it was the best Isle of Wight for a few years for me 🥰 It ticked all my boxes as we still managed to do some scenic scooter riding, admire some incredible scooters, hang out with mates (past and present), listen to great music and dance my socks off.
One thing that does get on my nerves though are people who smoke when the bands are on – it happens at Big 7 quite a lot (both at the hop farm and Ardingly) and also in the marquee at Sandown. I’m not talking about vaping, it’s proper fags, and I really hate how inconsiderate they are. Daz did ask one guy to put it away but there were others during the evening and I really thought we’d got the whole ‘not smoking inside’ thing sussed! 😡
But aside from dealing with selfish smokers, I would like to than the VFM Collective for all the organisation which goes into the rally. There’s so much behind the scenes that we don’t even see, and so many scooterists who give up their time to work just so that we can all have fun. Thanks guys, it’s much appreciated!
Also a shoutout to ‘Lui Vega’ and his helpers for organising the rideout, because without the marshals it would be chaos!
And finally, Lee assures me that he does actually do stuff up properly when he builds scooters, in fact usually too tight! He’s really not aiming to claim on my life insurance, honest guv…
