Thurs 3rd June Sail from Hull to Zebrugger
Fri 4th arrive at event around lunch time after approx 220 mile ride
Sun 6th an evening sail back to Hull
Mon 7th arrive back at Hull

Cost of chalet approx £160
Bedrooms 2, 1 dble, 1 twin, and pullout bed in living area
Sleeps 4-5 person

Anyone interested must pay the full amount for the chalet on reserving *non returnable* and organize their own ferry’s nearer the day when times of sailings will be given.

I have reserved 5 chalets so if you are interested give me a call and I will allocate the chalets on first come/paid basis.

Cheers Trev.B 07748966730

Ratty’s Spain Trip write up by Gillian Cox.

January 2009 - no license, no bike, no real thoughts about motorcycling….
September 2009 - full license, Harley-Davidson Motorcycle and riding across Spain with
some mad mad Hatters!! How did that all happen?????

Well it all happened so quickly. Earlier this year I had to take a week off work so I decided to use the week to take some motorbike lessons. I managed to pass my test after the 2 day course and armed with a full license decided to get a motorbike – it just had to be a Harley Davidson. So I got myself a 1200 Sportster low in April 2009 and started “livin’ the dream”

I joined the Hatters Chapter and went on few ride outs. Everyone was very kind and tolerant with me and I have learned so much. I then heard about the Spain trip and just had to go. I love Spain and the chance to go there with my bike and a bunch of experienced riders was just too good to miss. So that’s how it all happened. My family and friends keep asking me whether I am having some sort of mid-life crisis; well the answer is probably yes. However, if you are going to have one then it’s best to have one in style.

Anyway, I then agreed to write up the trip blog which seemed like a good idea at the time but I am now sitting at the computer trying to remember what we got up to but here goes………
The trip began on 20th September when we all met up at Knutsford services.
We had a perfect day for riding and the weather stayed good for the whole day. We made it down to Portsmouth in good time and had something to eat before getting on board ship. With the bikes all safely secure it was time for a quick wash, a change of clothes for some, and then down to the bar. A few drinks later and the party mood, which was to last two weeks, kicked in. A few of us even made it to the dance floor. Pete for some rather energetic dancing to “Come on Eileen”, Trev with his own unique style of dancing which involved sticking his bum out and jiggling around with a big grin on his face and even that dark horse Malcolm was up on the dance floor – although Malcolm calmed down considerably when his wife, Sue, joined us a few days later. The next day was a full day on board ship so to pass the time we played a few hundred games of “Chase the Ace”, had a go at charades. We then played a rather odd word association game. It was at this point when Bob Cratchet made an entry. Bob, a special friend of Bryan’s, remained with us for the whole holiday - “Doop……Bob Cratchet…have we had him?” is still ringing around in my head – I guess you had to be there to understand this one.

The next day saw us arrive in Bilbao. We were off ship and on our way bright and early. The trip across Spain was brilliant. The roads were great and the weather was perfect for 450 miles. However, when we got within 10 miles of the villa it absolutely poured down. Now this was a bit of a problem for me as I hadn’t ridden in the rain before and within seconds we were drenched. Anyway Ray arrived in his car with his umbrella and led us to the villa. The rain was torrential and the roads were running like rivers but all seemed to be going ok until we turned a corner and were faced with an almost vertical hill up to the villa. I was beginning to wonder whether this was such a good idea after all. I was having a complete nightmare all alone in my helmet!! Anyway we all made it up the hill and settled into the villa. I was completely exhausted but the experienced party people headed straight off out into town – I headed to bed and crashed out like a light.

Over the next few days we did some lovely ride outs and some pretty hairy ones, at least they were hairy for me. I was still not too comfortable with taking bends at anything faster than walking pace. So, when we set out for a ride around the coast, along some roads that make the cat & fiddle look like a piece of cake, I knew I was going to have to get to grips with these bends once and for all. Everyone was very patient and shared some top tips for better riding however the best experience of all was to spend a full day on the back of Ray’s bike. The group had decided to go up to the top of a mountain on some really winding roads; I decided that this was not for me and that I would stay at the villa. However the group had different ideas and I found myself on the back of Ray’s bike for the day. It really was brilliant. Riding around bends with someone who knows what they are doing really helped me a lot and I can recommend it to anyone else who is a bit uneasy with bends. Ray was able to show me the best line to take round the bend and I was able to experience how far you should lean into the bend. My worry has always been that the bike was going to fall over but we took some bends at some very steep angles and we didn’t fall over. My riding was so much better after having had that experience as I am now so much more relaxed. I am actually starting to enjoy going round bends.

Now after a full day riding comes a full evening of partying. I am certainly going to need another holiday to get over this one. It was pretty much a full hangover every morning for everyone except for Arthur who sensibly doesn’t drink. One notable night was spent in a lovely restaurant with Ray and a few of his chums. The food was good and the drinks measures were absolutely enormous. Bryan thought all his Christmases and Birthdays had all come at once when Shauna, after a few goldfish bowls of Vodka, put in an order for Sex on the Beach – although Bryan, a bit worse for wear himself, was actually quite relieved when he realised Shauna had only ordered a cocktail.

Later on that evening Mandy elevated herself from “totally amazing” to “supreme goddess of the universe” by taking the stage and giving the resident bar singer a real run for his money.
Incidentally, the two reasons I was already in total awe of Mandy are that, a) she rides the same bike as me but in a way I can only dream about and b) Mandy seems to be able to drink and eat what ever she wants and still remain as thin as a twiglet - all us other mere mortals only need to look at a “Laney Breakfast” and we have gained 10lbs. Anyway, after belting out a cool rendition of “Mustang Sally” and “The House of the Rising Sun” we were all totally astounded (see the Spain Pics) and the place was now really rockin’. Another 3.00am bedtime – hey ho.

Well, after a lot of eating and drinking there were still some concerns that Malcolm was still losing too much weight. So much so, that we convinced Sue that Malcolm had decided that he was going to order a “2010 Slim Boy” after the holiday. This was Sue’s first night with us and she wasn’t sure whether we were being serious or not. Malcolm, however, was getting a bit concerned because Sue was adamant that if Malcolm was getting a new “Slim Boy” then she would be getting a new car. We think that Malcolm spent the rest of that night trying to convince Sue that there was no such bike and that he wasn’t going to order anything.
Unfortunately all good things come to an end and no sooner had we arrived than it was time to pack up and make the trip home. Ray came to wish us all a safe journey home and we all thanked him for his superb hospitality and ride outs he organised. It has to be said Ray made the whole trip extra special.

Finally, 8 00 am Friday 2nd October all saddled up.
We set off for Bilbao via Madrid and Burgos, a distance of only 540 miles (Gulp). This was an uneventful trip apart from slight panic as we rounded Madrid, definitely a motorway system to be avoided in future as was the detour on a roundabout in Burgos (you had to be there). We had an overnight stop in Bilbao and then we were onto the ferry for overnight crossing. We hit the party mode once again but it was definitely subdued as the good times where coming to an end.

Now for some Trip statistics
TRIP STATISTICS

Participants arriving by bike - Ratty, Jan, Trev, Mandy, Arthur, Malcolm, Pete, Shauna,
Bryan and me
Participants arriving by plane - Sue (Mrs Malcolm) & Pat (Mrs Arthur)
Miles Covered - Not too sure but well over 2000
Bike Drops - 4
Petrol Outs - 1
Hangovers - Far too many – every morning really
Hours spent laughing - 24/7
Regrets - None
New friends - Many
Rain - A bit too much but good experience and very dramatic
Sun - Enough to get a tan and have some lovely ride outs

Anyway enough rambling from me,

All that remains is to say a huge thank you to everyone that made the trip such good fun - especially Ray, Ratty and Trev. I had the best time and I hope everyone else on the trip enjoyed it too. My riding has improved so much thanks to all the expert tuition over the two week holiday (just think how much that would have cost at Riders Edge!!). It was a great experience and an action packed adventure – just a shame we didn’t have any spare time to fit in any Yoga!!

Thanks to all you mad Hatters – you’re the best !!