The Morecambe Vintage Run
Seven riders met at Auction Eats for the Morecambe Vintage run. It was a bright sunny morning but there was a chill in the air. Unfortunately One rider had undergone some eye treatment during the week and decided the sun was too strong for him to do the whole day so he left us at our Lancaster meeting point where three more riders were waiting for us. So we set off at a brisk pace, (a little late as there had been many people looking at the bikes outside the cafe) up the A6 to Bay Horse and over the hills to Caton and the Bull Beck picnic site where the others were waiting for us.
The picnic site was crowded with bikes as it was a fine day now and all the time we were there many bikes passed by in both directions. So after a rest we set off back through Caton and up to the entrance to Halton Park and carried on through the park up to the Kirkby Lonsdale road. We turned right and shortly right again to follow the country lanes through Aughton to Gressingham and then back onto the Kirkby Lonsdale road. We then passed through Arkholme and on to Whittington for a left turn to Hutton Roof and Dalton to get to Nether Kellet and down to Bolton Le Sands where we joined the A6 and turned onto the coastal road to Morecambe. The coast road was not as busy as previous years and we were able to ride almost up to the clock tower before getting onto the tail of the traffic. The attendants opened the barriers for us and we rode up to the Midland Hotel outside the old Railway station and parked our bikes up on the path.
Within minutes we were engulfed in curious visitors and many older guys and gals came over to talk about the bikes they had in their youth. It is quite interesting listening to all these tales of biking in the 50’s and 60’s, brings back memories of our youthful days.
After a while our group dispersed into the crowds to study the cars, vans and trucks lined up in front of the Midland Hotel and down the seafront. The whole place was alive with people, many in period costumes and outside the hotel there was dancing to 1940’s music. There was a fairground for the children and candy floss stalls everywhere. It took me a good walk to find an Ice Cream seller though. Overall it looked like the council had staged a very successful event again and of course the lovely sunny weather helped!
We departed about 3:30 and rode out following a local member who knew the best way out via the West end and down to Barley Cop Lane to the A6 but here we turned north and then right on to Whalley road which took us directly back to Caton. On arrival back at Auction Eats the cafe was open so we had a coffee and surprisingly met the Ariel Arrow rider that teamed up with us on the last ride. From here we all dispersed to go our separate ways home but just down the road at Bilsborrow I spotted a member at the side of the road. I stopped to see if there was a problem and his bike had just stopped. Two other members stopped and after the usual checks on fuel and sparks we were sure it was something mechanical. As the bike is a Rotax powered G80 we decided to take the timing belt cover off and found the problem. The cam belt pulley had stripped the splines inside the pulley as the bolt had come loose. Not repairable at the roadside. As it was a busy weekend on the roads and the recovery services would be very busy one member said he would go home and come back to take the rider and bike home in his van. Another rider stayed to keep the owner company until the van arrived and they all got home safely.
The benefits of riding with a club are many and with supportive members like this it is heartening to feel the camaraderie at these times.
A great day out, thanks to all the riders, leaders and supportive members.