ON THE ROAD
NOT THE NATIONAL ROAD RALLY 2025
Following the unfortunate cancellation of this year’s National Road Rally, Gordon Ayshford has come up with an idea for a NRR-style road run for any interested members this summer.
The chosen date is Sunday 21st July. The route will be of just over 200 miles (plus mileage to start and from finish points. It is based on a very enjoyable trip from the 2024 Rally, with options to reduce mileage by missing out one or more waypoints, if preferred.
We will ride from Sussex, down to the New Forest, through and round Wiltshire, and back to Hampshire, finishing at a Rallying Point (venue and finishing time TBC) in the Yateley/Camberley/Farnborough area for a meal together.
This will be an unofficial, informal and non-competitive club road run with a ‘suggested’ route, which you are free to modify. NOT a Rally! We would suggest that riders travel in twos or threes to maintain a low profile and also mirror the traditional feel of the National Rally.
We hope you might be interested in joining this outing. Initially, please let us know if you would be interested and we can let you have more details.
NATIONAL ROAD RALLY 2024
Witley MCC was represented once again in the ACU National Road Rally, on 6th July.
This year we opted to enter for a Daytime Gold Award. With our commitment to the Brooklands Motorcycle Day (running on the Sunday) we felt that the best compromise was to ride a shorter distance on Saturday for a change.
Gordon Ayshford (Moto Guzzi), Gordon Kerr (BMW GS), Shaun Smith (Vespa 300) and Laurie Richards (BMW F800) completed a route of around 300 miles, stating at Petworth and visiting Funtington (Chichester), Liss, Otterbourne (Winchester), Alderholt (Fordingbridge), Shaftesbury, Warminster, Devizes, Cricklade, Burford, Pewsey, Sherfield on Lodden and finishing at Peasmarsh by 8.25pm.
Aside from the inevitable minor navigation glitches (no sat nav!), it all went smoothly although Shaun on the Vespa did end up with rather a stiff neck!
ENTRIES FOR NEXT YEAR OPEN JUNE 2025
NRR WEBSITE...
NATIONAL ROAD RALLY 2022
The Witley MCC team of Gordon Ayshford, Ian George and Laurie Richards completed the 2022 event with Platinum Awards.
The Rally ran over two separate days once again this year, with the Saturday session running from 9.00am to 10.00pm, and Sunday from 6.00am to 6.00pm.
With no overnight running or manned controls again, we felt that the event was definitely lacking something and we do hope that in 2023 things will start to return to normal.
Once again Saturday took us west from a start at the Guildford control, via Glastonbury to Minehead, Lynmouth, Bideford, then on to Bude, Padstow, St Ives and Land's End! An extended version of last year's West Country jaunt. Traffic was a problem as regards timekeeping though, and we might try to avoid that part of the country in future.
Having reached Land's End on the exact minute planned on our route card! (having run late for most of the day), we had a night ride to Truro to the Premier Inn, arriving at 11.15pm. After variable amounts of sleep, we set off again around 5.15am Sunday.
Our start control was at St Blazey, near St Austell, from point which we returned home via Okehampton, Dorchester and Petersfield to name but a few. Total mileage was about 650 with 24 controls when we got back to Harley-Davidson at Peasmarsh. Good to start and finish near home!
The 2023 Rally will take place on July 1st/2nd; if arrangements are more 'normal', Witley aim to host a control again, and we hope that a few more Witley road riders might join us in experiencing the highs and lows of the National Road Rally!
HIGHWAY CODE CHANGES
*IMPORTANT* The Highway Code has undergone a quite significant revision and the new version takes effect from Saturday January 29th.
The problem is that it hasn't been publicised to any great extent by the Department of Transport.
Bearing in mind that some of the changes affect your priority as a driver or motorcyclist at junctions, it's probably worthwhile to check it out.
There is a wide range of opinions about the new Highway Code. Cyclists are very happy (it's largely due to pressure from cycling groups that this has come about) while motorists are less so, with the Alliance of British Drivers pointing out that with only a minority of drivers apparently aware of any changes, confusion and accidents are more rather than less likely.
There's nothing on the NMC or BMF websites, can't see anything on AA or RAC either.
As far as I can see you can't actually buy a copy of the New Highway Code, and The Government's THINK! website hasn't been updated since last August, but you can at least get an idea of what's supposed to be happening on 29th January here...
Table of changes...
Good luck everyone. Ride safe!
LONDON DOUGLAS CLUB RALLY
On Sunday September 5th, Barry and I went along to the second day of The London Douglas Motorcycle Club Limited 2021 Rally held at Stow on the Wold.
We took Barry's S6 1930 Douglas with us. There was a vast array of different Douglas models and also some Rudges on display.
A good number of their members had camped and there was a really nice family vibe to the event. Our Douglas won the best pre-1945 unrestored award!
The afternoon mainly consisted of good old fashioned family Gymkhana games (on motorcycles), awards and raffle draw. Barry and Douglas joined in with the games and won the "slowest" race.
Having spent the previous day at Beaulieu walking MILES around the auto jumble, the rally made for a very pleasant day, taking in the sunshine, admiring the Douglas and Rudge motorcycles and having the odd drink or two from the rugby club's bar.
A very enjoyable motorbike weekend.
Rebecca Brockman