Rally Reports – Clyde Valley HOG 9894

The Gathering 2024 report

16/06/2024

It’s fair to say The Gathering 2024 was a great great success on many fronts. We hosted around 400 bikers at Hunters Quay from all over the UK, and 10 chapters were represented in those numbers, with big turn outs from Dunedin ( biggest chapter), Red Rose, Fenlanders and Great Western, as well as HOG members from Northern Ireland and Eire, Mancunium and others included the unaffiliated.

You can get details of The Gathering and links to tickets here.

Big thanks to you all for coming to celebrate our 20th rally and 25th year on the road…..and what a celebration it was! Also big thanks to the venue Hunters Quay and their parent company Cove Holidays for accommodating us, West Coast Harley Davidson our chapter sponsor and everyone that supported us to make the event what it was. Big shout out to Exceed Joinery for logistical support and sponsorship of entertainment.

Janice our Ladies of Harley Officer knocked it clean out the park with the LoH Prosecco Party and entertainment. It was meant to last 30 minutes, but the dancing went on for 2 hours and they and Edward Reid would still be there now were it not that the evening band Overdrive needed in to do their soundcheck!

Edward Reid went down a storm — Prepping the LOH party

Overdrive got the party started for everyone on the Friday evening before we blew off the cobwebs on Saturday morning with our unmatched 7 Lochs Ride Out.

And still they danced — Overdrive Rocked!

We normally ride this with a Police escort but they never turned up this year so this put more load on our Road Crew to get a record number of bikes to Lochgoilhead for the barbeque. We had a few showers on the ride but as with the whole weekend the sun shone much of the time with the occasional short cloud burst now and then that never came close to dampening spirits. On arrival at Lochgoilhead we counted 106 bikes with 104 verified out the gate at Hunters Quay.

Then we had the loudest pipes back at rally HQ in the afternoon and I reckon that broke a few records and a few eardrums with Keith Milne’s lovely Road King blowing the spectators back across the car park…..what a noise!

Committee march in — Loudest Pipes was loud!

Those who missed the ride out were entertained back at the patio bar by Gordon.

At night the show bar was packed for “Big Vern n the Shootahs” and what a party it was! Dancing room was extremely limited on the floor as everyone was up and we had groups dancing in any spare space they could find around the venue. And of course not forgetting Eric on the decks keeping the tunes coming when there were no bands on.

An epic selfie with a packed house — Big Vern N the Shootahs

Onto Sunday and we opened the day with the Custom bike show with Keith Milne again clearing up with Best in Show after his loudest pipes success on Saturday. We had some lovely bikes and well done to everyone who entered whether they won a trophy or not, all were lovely bikes. Then we took the Sunday riders to Inverary where again we broke all records with over 80 bikes heading around Loch Fyne and most returning with us to the park after the Chips and Ice cream.

A unique 99 — Keith won best of show as well

The fun continued in the afternoon with a packed programme, first Chapter Games, which were a lot of laughs with “caber tossing” ( Ok it was a 4 x 4 fence post), Haggis hurling ( a real live Haggis by the way we just clipped it wings off, but they grow back), and Limbo.

The ladies at the Tug of War — Jigger tossing the caber

Then the more sedate and cultured event that is the Whisky tasting, and then to burn off the alcohol intake we ended Sunday with a belting performance by Emily J Clark who rocked us to a selection of Power Ballads.

What a weekend, I dunno about you but I went home shattered but still buzzing from an epic weekend and we have had lots of messages congratulating us on a brilliant rally…..until 2025!

Belting out those power ballads — Emily J Clark

We have literally hundreds of photos and you can see them all on our Flickr.

The Gathering 2024 Day One — See all our images on Flickr

The Gathering 2023 Rally Report

12/06/2023

2022 it is fair to say, the Gathering was held ( a week late which was unfortunate weather wise as the “normal” week had been sunny) in biblically wet conditions. And while everyone had a good time, it curtailed a lot of the activities we could arrange. The ride out was cancelled on Police advice, and the outdoor events were a race to complete before the next deluge; surely the weather gods would take pity on us in 2023?

This could be practically anywhere on the Continent.

Burnsy got the Rally underway with the formal opening of the Dip Dab

And indeed they did, in epic style! Hunters Quay was bathed in warmth, sunshine and blue skies from dawn to dusk from Thursday when the Advanced party started arriving to set things up through to the end of the party on Sunday night. At any time, you might have been on the Continent, given the weather.

Friday was mostly a day of arrivals as you might expect with chapters and individual riders arriving at Hunters Quay throughout the day. Jigger having torn himself away from a quick 10 “ends” at Airdrie bowling club, (I was thinking of getting the Henselite Evo’s tuned and wanted to swing a few “woods” in a test before the rally) brought the Clyde Valley ride out from West Coast in at 2pm and the party started in earnest with Burnsy’s formal opening of the Dip Dab….if Guinness did Dip Dabs…..I dinnae even want to think about the mess….

Jigger leaving West Coast — Jigger leading the chapter ride out from West Coast HD

Stopped at the Rest — Waiting at The Rest and Be Thankful

The Cult of Lairdy

It started with Lairdy, Clyde Valley’s answer to Arnie “The Terminator” Schwarzenegger.

Not content with a strap-on, at Campbeltown he also decided he was to be strapped up. Deciding the night was yet young he spent many a happy hour (well into the wee small hours) in the company of the Argyll NHS’s finest having his arm relocated in the socket which it had decided to dispense with. It will never catch on…or so you may have thought

Fast forward now to the journey of The Gathering Advance Party and Shas travelling with your webmaster and photographer Kenny, she on her wee 125 and Kenny behind on his Road King Special, had a wee difference of opinion with a bend in the road between Drymen and Gartocharn. The road wanted to turn through about 90 degrees while Sharon tired of this turning malarky, decided to go straight on having only completed about 2/3rd of the required turning angle. Not content with merely learning to ride a motorcycle, she also decided to learn to fly, with no instructor in sight. It was never going to end well and after a rummage through the undergrowth, wee Sharon was found by Kenny and extracted with the assistance of an Ambulance crew, for a wee visit to Inverclyde NHS’s finest at Paisley where they discovered after nearly 12 hours…well into the wee small hours of Friday, that she had taken her first tentative steps into the Cult of Lairdy. She too had decided that her right shoulder had spent too long in this particular socket and would be much happier living free of the shackles of the tedium of tendons. muscles and joints. After much pulling and tugging Sharon’s upper arm was restored to its rightful place before she was sent on her way but not before she managed to give us all the first indication of Cult membership.

Are you seeing the similarity here?

Shas’s first recorded use of the Cult of Lairdy hand signal.

While a wee bit battered and bruised like he who she looks up to, Lairdy, she was determined to be back on a motorcycle ( this time as a pillion) for the ride to Dunoon on the Friday ( quite a remarkable feat given the aerial acrobatics and inevitable failure to resist gravity a mere day before).

Shas riding pillion not 12 hours after her arm being put back

The observant will notice the special hand signal on that right hand of the Cult of Lairdy while Shas enjoys a medicinal Prosecco.

We can only hope it doesn’t result in her wanting a girly trike…..like Lairdy.

On a more serious note Lairdy is about to have a wee procedure this week (apparently to sort his shoulder out, though we have suspicions a “strap on” may be involved )… but everyone at CVH wishes Lairdy a speedy recovery and we all look forward to seeing him out on the Road King later this season. Shas hopefully will be back on the road soon as her wee learner bike gets patched up ( it was mainly all plastic damage) and once her bruises and bumps have sorted themselves out.

Let’s Get This Party Started

The Ladies of Harley got the main events underway with the LoH Prosecco Party.

And after more drinks on the new (sun-drenched) patio the first night’s entertainment was underway with Eric on the Decks and Reischam City Rockers, a Bon Scott era AC/DC tribute band all the way from Germany.

Saturday: The Seven Lochs Ride Out

With Covid and then last years deluge it has been 4 years since Clyde Valley Chapter could run our Seven Lochs Ride Out and with the weather conditions being beyond perfect, this was the main event of Saturday and for many, we suspect, the jewel in the crown of a stunning weekend. We had dry, warm clear conditions, very quiet roads and great views on our grand tour of the Cowal Peninsula. We heard remarks from some Dunedin members that they rated it higher than the Thunder in the Glens Ride Out for roads and scenery, which we would modestly agree with.

Jigger led the ride out past the Seven Lochs with an escort from Police Scotland and a slick operation from the CVH Road Crew to get around 80 bikes safely to their destination of Lochgoilhead and back, after a BBQ.

The Seven Lochs are in order of us passing them:

Holy Loch
Loch Loskin
Loch Tarsan
Loch Striven
Loch Fyne
Loch Goil
Loch Eck

After the ride back along the final Loch of the ride out, Loch Eck in glorious weather, it was time for the traditional Loudest pipes competition won by the traditionally exceptionally loud Sportster of John Hamill. Heather was busy in the main hall sewing on all the patches being brought in, then it was time for Whisky Tasting. Those who don’t like a drop of the Uisge Beath were chilling at the patio bar where Gordon Reith was entertaining the troops.

Saturday night party

After the traditional piping in of the committee which held the rally spellbound…well, Kenny’s kilt was only partially buckled up and could have gone anywhere….

… it was on to the evening’s entertainment of John Beatties Ruckstars who played a mix of tunes that had everyone up dancing. Well done too, to the wee lass that got up and joined in with the band on a rendition of the Amy Winehouse classic “Valerie”. Her singing was infinitely better than big Sean’s it has to be said.

Sunday: Inverary Rideout and More Shenanigans

Sunday started with the Custom show, where some gleaming Harleys were exhibited in yet more brilliant sunshine. Then it was off to Inverary for Ice Cream, a pie or chips (or all three!) (depending on your particular level of hunger) with about forty odd bikes. Yet another stunning day to be on the road. On the return it was Chapter games ( all sort of silliness on motorcycles) and tug of war.

Finally on Sunday night the party wound up with the brilliant Overdrive playing in the main hall, which was epic in all sort of ways, not least from the sheer entertainment value of the arthritic bunch of old fogies who got up to head bang.

Al the photos from the Gathering 2023 can be seen on our Flickr Album

Clyde Valley Does Thunder In The Glens ’22

01/09/2022

It’s August and it must be Thunder In The Glens, the biggest Harley rally in the UK hosted in Aviemore by our friends from across east, Dunedin HOG.

The Chapter had two official ride-outs to TiTG, on Friday the members who were going to the rally for the entire event, rode up with Jigger as Road Captain, Connor and Davie (accompanied by his co-pilot Cath) marshaling, and Tommy (with co-pilot Joanne) as sweeper.

The forecast was supposed to be a little moist but clearing to a nice day as we headed north. In general this was the situation though you would have to say it was a bit more than “moist” as we finally left WCHD a little later than scheduled….Aidan!

Heading through Glasgow and up the M80 we stopped at Stirling Services as we were conscious of at least one ’48 Sportster in the pack with a peanut tank. Then it was onwards to Pitlochry for a lunch break, and the weather finally began to clear.

Most of the riders dispensed of the watties at this point as it was getting dare I say “hot” and looked set fair for the rest of the day.

On again, and then we run into bother with a serious RTA on the dual carriageway section of the A9. The chapter were rerouted by Police and Roads Agency people onto the back road via Dalwhinnie, Crubenmore along General Wades Road and back onto the A9 South of Newtonmore…. while it sounds easy enough it was carnage! There were the two directions of traffic from the A9 on a Bank Holiday Weekend trying to squeeze up what is in effect a near single-track road, with several coaches, and smaller lorries to squeeze by. Even on a motorbike at times it was tight. It took ages.

We also had a small breakdown event with one of the bikes which meant Tommy and his partner Joanne were left behind to help Kenny and Shas with the bizarre non-starting Harley….that suddenly fired up of its own accord after 10 minutes of poking…..clearly a software glitch brought on by a rapid off/on as Kenny stopped to talk to Jigger the Head Road Captain. Kenny was able to filter through like the rest of the Chapter though quite a bit behind but poor old Tommy on his Tri-glide had to negotiate the ques on three wheels which would have been a pain for him.

…and did we say it was now quite warm and sunny….. well, it was right up until about 10 miles outside Aviemore. The majority of the Chapter got to Registration just in time, Kenny and Tommy alas were not to be so lucky. A huge black thundercloud formed over the town…and dumped its contents for a good hour as the stragglers travelled the last 10 miles……soaked doesn’t even come close.

But everyone arrived safe and once dried off it was time for the party to begin… the main street of Aviemore was bouncing on each night of the rally which was blessed by what can only be regarded as stunning weather. The ride out to Grantown on Spey was epic with a huge turn out of bikes- we have heard numbers from 1000-3000 bikes quoted.

The chapter also had a ride out to TiTG from WCHD on the Saturday for those members that could not attend the full event.

You can see more of the weekend on this video

The whole weekend was brilliant, great weather, meeting friends old and new, great entertainment both inside and around the main rally and everyone had a great time. Well done Dunedin …until next year….

Thunder in the Glens 22 — Thunder In The Glens Album 2022

Thunder in the Glens 2022 Ride Out — Various Smartphone shots and video grabs from TiTG 2022

Hog ‘n’ Bog ’22

08/08/2022

A sizable contingent of Clyde Valley took to the Irish Sea to attend Hog ‘n Bog the Belfast Chapter Rally

For once I think it’s probably easier to let the pictures do the talking, I mean what could you say to elaborate!
Looks like a great time was had by all and in great weather.

299144222_5721483034587409_1355325165861820722_n — Clyde Valley Flickr Gallery of Hog n Bog 22

CVH does Wake the Lakes ’22

11/07/2022

A good contingent of Chapter Members made the not too long journey south to Wake The Lakes and we won the prize for best Attendance!

Quite a number of the Chapter made the relatively short journey to the Lake District to attend Wake the Lakes the Chapter Rally of Red Rose Chapter. The weather was exceptional, and Clyde Valley won best Chapter attending. Medals all round!