Southern Snakes

The Magnificent Seven do the Southern Snakes.

 So it’s a bit of a late start for us were off to meet C19 at Thurrock Services, wrong.

They left without us, due to the fact that they might miss the 8 oclock ferry.  With CBT holding on tight to the kit bags we shot back across the QEII Bridge and on to Dover. We found them queuing at the check in desk and not long after us were the Axeman, our journey begins.

The sailing was great, and off the other side without another hitch. There we were roaring along, flying in formation just like the red arrows with John and his wingman Chaz (Bomber) in front of Nicky and Fran, us and then Mr K as backdoorman. We lost John while filtering through a huge jam, but we had contingency plans, that worked. We all arrived safe and sound John first and the rest of the formation flyers about 10 mins later being led by Chaz and a very soggy and scrappy map, we were joined for the last few miles by the Axemen.  So pitching our tents and being offered a few free beers we settled down to mingle and enjoy our selves. The Dutch did them selves proud a lovely reception for us, great food on both evenings (couldn’t eat it all) and to make us feel at ease we had the obligatory animals, yes, this time, not parakeets, peacocks, donkeys, oh no we had cockerels and pot belly pigs happy wondering around the camp site. We stayed up Friday night for as long as we could, but after such a long day was happy to get to bed before the temperature plummeted to –4C, I luv camping, I luv camping I chanted through chattering teeth. Im sure Nick didn’t realise that he had nicked my sleeping bag which is slightly warmer and somewhat smaller than his, still I did have about 3 yards of sleeping bag to keep wrapping around me. We awoke to a clear morning, the ride out was due at 12 o’clock, but John knew the a few pretty places, so we set off following him and ended up having lunch in Germany’s answer to Cheddar Gorge, it was sweet, but a tad damp. Then off back to the site, late afternoon and just in time for the BBQ and a few bevies, we finished the night sitting around a brazier chatting to our Dutch friends while the band played on in the hall.

So off on our travels again with a 21 gun salute (clay pigeon shooting in the next field), we packed up our tent, said good bye, going home this time via Brugge for our lunch. We sat in the sunshine watching, the rides at the great fun fair, which had taken up the whole of the town square. With lunch finally finished we were off again and arrived just in time to be told sorry your too late you’ll have to take the next ferry, it’s in an hour and a half. So we sat again and remembered a great weekend as Fran wrote down all her notes, she had been nominated to write the rally report for C19. The sailing was great unfortunately the weather wasn’t when we got off of the ferry in Dover, dark, cold and raining all the way home. The only downer on what can only be described as a brilliant riding weekend, we made new friends, caught up with old ones and SMILED all the way.

Ju Nick & CBT