Summer-like weather finally arrived and coincided just perfectly for the annual chapter ride out and overnighter, to Campbeltown. With a fully booked hotel, and nearly 30 bikes, we headed off to Kintyre with no thought of waterproofs or salt on the roads.
With The Gathering coming up rapidly….there is still time to get your tickets…
Head road Captain Jigger had decided to put the Road Crew through their paces for the showpiece 7 lochs ride out. So the Chapter could take it easy and leave the drops offs to the guys and girls in Orange Hi-viz. It also gets anyone in the chapter who hasn’t ridden on the “7 Lochs” familiar with the road crew activities.
While to be fair, there aren’t many actual drop-offs on this route, on the day we encountered probably 4 sets of lights that all needed managing with this number of bikes to keep together. So between these and numerous dummy drop-offs along the route the road crew worked hard and it all went well.
There is one more Road Crew practice day scheduled for between now and The Gathering so as you can see it is no rest for the wicked!
A few of the crew were glad to be out on the open road in any case, as it meant their credit cards could escape a battering from the wives picking up some weekend “essentials” at WCHD.
The ride up to the Rest and Be Thankful was glorious in the late spring sunshine and even here, no waterproofs needed to be donned.
After a short wait at the top for the now obligatory rock fall works, it was downhill all the way towards Loch Fyne. Denis… “he who will have pudding” …. may have been smiling when Jigger doled out is “afters” at the briefing but was soon in trouble with the only breakdown of the weekend in the middle of nowhere. So he spent much of the early afternoon awaiting rescue from WCHD who came out to uplift him after his wee Sportster went “clunk”.
It is fair to say the chapter definitely got the attention of the many visitors as we passed through Inverary without stopping, and the rest of the chapter headed on to Lochgilphead for refueling body and machine before departing for the last leg down to Campbeltown.
We arrived in Campbeltown around 3pm in time for the now customary chapter photo at the harbour before heading in to the Argyll Arms Hotel for rooms and refreshments.
There was lots of the usual carry-on and banter, most notable being Lairdy in his bubble wrap suit which would hopefully save him from a late-night visit to A and E this year.
Denis joined us later in the evening at the pub which led to much dancing in celebration and for those with the stamina the party went on into the night.
It’s fair to say though no one was looking the worse for wear in the morning and everyone made breakfast, including Lairdy who wasn’t reliant on NHS catering this year.
The chapter departed Campbeltown in slightly grey but still pleasant conditions and it wasn’t until we rendezvoused with the Sunday shop ride out at Inverary that finally the dry spell gave way to some light rain. it was nothing too bad though and didn’t spoil the overall enjoyment of a weekend in the far west.
Until next year…mark your diary for 10th May.
Read more of what we have been up to in the items below
- Director’s Ride Out
This past weekend saw us do something a wee bit different for the Director’s Ride Out – rather than heading out into the hills, the… Read more: Director’s Ride Out - Glentrool Ride Out
With the summer holidays in full swing and plenty of folk off on their travels, we still had 12 bikes heading out for Glentrool yesterday… Read more: Glentrool Ride Out - Wemyss Bay Fly ByGreat turnout on Saturday for the Wemyss Bay Fly By – a circular ride out from West Coast Harley-Davidson! With plenty of bikes on the… Read more: Wemyss Bay Fly By
- Tri-Chapter Spring Event – EcclefechanWhat a day! Saturday 25th April saw a magnificent 50-strong Clyde Valley HOG contingent – riders and pillions alike – fire up their engines and… Read more: Tri-Chapter Spring Event – Ecclefechan
- Ask your Mum for money for Ice Cream…. we’re off to Porty!
On Sunday the sun finally shone. It was definitely on the cool side but not cold, and we assembled 27 bikes at the Showcase near… Read more: Ask your Mum for money for Ice Cream…. we’re off to Porty! - Moffat Rumble
On Saturday, we kicked off the riding season with an overnight trip to the Buccleuch Arms in Moffat, attracting nearly 40 Harleys and over 50 members. Despite changing weather, we arrived safely and enjoyed the hotel’s amenities. The night was filled with laughs and mischief, marking a successful start to the season. It was great too, to have both old and new members along for the fun.