New Rally Shirt

Back in the day there used to be a short lived traditional garb for attending bike rallies. 

That of the Hawaiian shirt. Worn by members of the Kent Centre SOC.

So for the Czech Invader I have bought a new shirt. 

Tada!  🎇🎇🎇🎇

A bit understated but it's cheesy enough for the rally.

Available on eBay.

Or maybe this one I bought previously.

Day 7

Once we leave the hotel in Friedburg we return to the Romantic Road.  Phil wants to stop in Nördlingen where there is a town inside a massive meteor crater.  I have scheduled a 30 minute stop there. It's only 50 miles into the day.

The next stop is in Dinkelsbühl. Only another 20 miles up the road. Both these towns are two of the only three fully walled towns in Germany. The other is Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and we stop off there on the way to the rally.

In fact after Dinkelsbühl we arrive at the A6 and tuen westwards.  On the way from Rothenburg ob der Tauber on Day 2 we come to the same junction and go eastwards.  By the end of the trip we will have created a huge figure 8!

From there we have about 200+ miles to Luxembourg mostly motorways. we pass by the Sinsheim Technical Museum and so I have added it back in.  We can decided whether to go on when we get there! There's fuel and a McDonalds outside! lunch?

  

Ferry problems!

Was it an inspired decision to book the crossing for this trip with DFDS from Dover? 

With P&O Ferries announcing that they have sacked/made redundant 800 ship staff with immediate effect having a confirmed booking with DFDS seems like a good idea. 

Let's hope that as a result it doesn't cause the hassles that we have come to expect when the French are on strike for whatever reason!

Phew!

Ferry booked!

I doubt midweek ferry's get booked up even in May but now that it seems there is minimal fuss getting into France and across to the Rally, I thought I'd book it.

DFDS from Dover to Dunkirk on the 25th May, and back on the 1st June. Same route.

Turning the clock back to 1998

I found these photos in a box in the loft as I was attempting to tidy things up a little.  They are all from Ivan Benda and I think some of them may have featured in the SOC magazine "Hustler".

L to R - Chris Worland, Tony Bayliss, Dave Greenhalgh, Me.

Dave and I receiving awards for 4th rally participation.

Chris Worland awards for Oldest Participant and Furthest Distance.

Ivan Benda special award for his work starting and running the Centre.

Some of the British participants at the old street track near Velké Meziříčí

France drops entry requirements

The French have changed their entry requirements for vaccinated people. We no longer need to pay to take a lateral flow test or PCR test upto 48 hours before arrival.

Now we need the other counties to do the same.

Channel Crossing?

I had toyed with Dover to Dunkerque on the way out and maybe the Shuttle on the way back. 

Then I checked the bookings on each of the Shuttle and DFDS sites:

Eurotunnel

DFDS

After having used the Shuttle on numerous occasions over the last 20 years I can't say that they have been much quicker than the ferry! 

Hardly ever has there been a delay-free departure at either end. 

Motorcyclists are still treated as second class citizens and are loaded last on the back of the train? Why? My 2018 V-Strom is far less likely to spontaneously combust than some of the ancient and badly loaded cars that can barely wheeze over the step to board the train....

On the ferry, bikes generally load first.

The other advantages are that there are seats, radical I know. Seats that even motorcyclists can use unlike the Shuttle where the worn and filthy decks vie with the vents and handrails along the side of the train.

I think I will be taking the DFDS option (or maybe P&O!) as I want to go to Dunkerque rather than Calais.