It didn’t start well. Phil Allen, Ken Druce and myself set off in dry weather at 5 a.m. from Shillingstone towing two Ariels. By the time we joined the A34 at Andover, we were in heavy rain and the depression had set in with comments like “let’s leave the bikes on the trailer and just do the autojumble and museum“. But the rain stopped just north of Oxford and by the time we got to Gaydon at 7:45 a.m., the roads were dry.
The Dorset and Wessex V&V Sections were both well represented. We saw Ian Clarke and Bette Barber on their autojumble stall, Rod Hann was in the bike parking area, as was Peter Bovenizer (#190) with his Harley. Paul Miles (#314) was there with his 1928 AJS, pigeon and Dorset flag. Ken (#383) and I (#382) were riding two Ariel Model F, one 1929 on loan from Peter Batton, and my 1930 example. There were probably other members there that we failed to see…it was busy and crowded.
Apologies if there are too many photos of Ariels…I got carried away 🙂 . And no breakdowns: Paul, Ken and I completed the Class C course together, approx 72 miles, with no bike-related issues, although Paul’s pigeon came a cropper.
Would I do Banbury again? This was my sixth, it’s a lot of effort, it’s expensive, it’s a long, tiring day, and, frankly, it nicer riding around Dorset and Wiltshire, so definitely not next year. Look out for a possible Dorset Section Girder Fork Run in the 2018 / 2019 Calendar of Events!
In the Autojumble:
In the Rider’s Bike Area:
Two short videos of Ken and me taken by Alan Skinner — thanks Alan!
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