Hunters Quay – 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

7 Lochs Ride Out Recce 2024

05/06/2024

Join the Road Crew as they recce the route for the 7 Lochs ride out.

The Road Crew headed out from West Coast Harley Davidson on Saturday, taking the ferry over to Hunters Quay then a meeting at the Rally site before hitting the 7 Lochs. A wee taster to whet your appetite. See you at The Gathering!

The Seven Lochs ride out at lochgoilhead

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

The Gathering 2022

15/06/2022

The Gathering 2022

The much anticipated Clyde Valley HOG Rally The Gathering was finally able to be held in 2022 after a two-year hiatus caused by the now infamous COVID Pandemic. This years event was held at Hunters Quay resort between the 10th and 13th June.

Indoor games kept the attendees amused — Hit a target- win some beer!

We had a great attendance with Chapters making their way to the Rally site from as far afield as Plymouth and Bristol. The Chapter with the biggest attendance picking up the trophy were our friends from Dunedin Chapter on the east side of Scotland who brought nearly 50 of their Chapter with them.

The weekend prior to The Gathering had been very settled, horizon to horizon blue sky and while not properly warm, was absent of the high winds that had seemed to delay the onset of Spring let alone Summer. The Chapter had ridden out to Helensburgh, and some of the Road Crew took a spin around by Dunoon to recce the roads. That being said it had been a very dry Spring and surely the weather gods could magic up more of the same for one more weekend in June?

Jigger Head Road Captain Leading the Friday Ride Out Photo By Kenny Halley

Alas No!

The riders who made their way to Hunters Quay on Thursday to help out with preparation were lucky and had reasonably fair weather for their trip. But the Ride Out from WCHD on the Friday, though starting in dry and not especially cold conditions, soon deteriorated into drizzle then light rain then heavy rain as the column progressed up towards and over the Rest and Be Thankful. If you didnt stop to get waterproofed up, or weren’t already wearing a waterproof layer…you were going to get soaked through.

The weather meant the “Technical Ride Out” on Friday had to be canceled. The weather got worse ( as if it was possible) on Friday night and by Saturday morning the local Police were contacting the Head Road Captain Jigger to strongly advise against taking the bikes out on the mass ride out to Lochgoilhead. There were fallen branches, gravel and heavy surface water all over the roads and it was still persisting down. Ride out was canceled- a huge disappointment.

Sunday dawned moist but not intolerably damp and the attendees headed out to Inverary and started out in what seemed to be quite promising conditions, the roads were actually dry around Dunoon and the sun was trying to make an appearance. It didn’t last, about 10 miles out we hit into rain that soon turned heavy and riders were again drenched before clearing the gloom just as they approached Inverary, where the sun was actually shining! A very pleasant and warm stop was enjoyed by all and the ride back to Hunters Quay was done in mostly bright and at times warm and sunny conditions…finally the sun shines on the righteous!

Ride Out to Inverary Photo By Kenny Halley

So with all the above tribulations with the weather you might be forgiven for thinking it was a miserable weekend. Far from it, the Chapter run various games in the resort indoor leisure area raising funds for charities. There was the Ladies of Harley Prosecco Party as well as the Clyde Valley Whisky Tasting both events which went down very well!

The rallygoers were entertained on Friday night by Three Card Trick who kept everyone dancing. On Saturday night the headline act of the Rally, Women In Rock simply blew everyone away with their fantastic set of female-inspired Rock Covers sponsored by Exceed Joinery. The whole hall was literally bouncing. And on Sunday night we had Fat Alligator, the band of our Activities Officer Davy Henderson, who plays the drums.

We also had a Custom Show- admittedly a bit rushed between downpours and a Loudest Bike competition…and the bikes were very loud! All great stuff.

We are already planning The Gathering for 2023, it looks like it will be a week earlier but keep an eye on our news and events pages for full details as they come available. We will see you all there!